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SHEPWAY TO BE INVESTIGATED OVER HOUSING BENEFIT

Shepway District Council take longer to process housing benefit claims and than most other councils say the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI).

The Inspectorate are to examine Shepway Council along with Gateshead Metropolitan Borough, Portsmouth City, Stevenage Borough and Walsall Metropolitan Borough, all of which are taking more than seven weeks to process claims.

James Plaskitt, the Minister with responsibility for housing benefits and countering fraud said today that BFI inspections will cover councils whose published performance figures indicate that they take longer than most to process claims for housing benefit

He said: “There can be a number of reasons for comparatively slow processing of claims. BFI inspection will determine the reasons for delays and seek to provide remedies."