Torbay Council are sending letters to all the residents who currently receive the 25% council tax discount asking them to check their details are up to date.

The Single Person Discount is claimed when an adult is the sole occupant of the property. This review is part of a Single Person Discount Review that Torbay Council are carrying out.

Councillor Mark King, Executive Lead for Customer Services, said: “We are aware that most residents are claiming the discount appropriately, however, there are a minority who are attempting to defraud the system. These residents may, or may not be aware that they should have reported a change in their circumstances and are receiving the discount when they are no longer entitled to it. This is why a review is used, as it can detect those who are claiming a discount that they are no longer eligible for.

“We will shortly be sending those residents receiving the Single Person Discount a letter asking for them to explain their current circumstances. Not only will this be a way of keeping our records up to date it will also be a way of allowing our residents to notify us if there has been a change in their circumstances. I urge all residents who receive this letter to act on it and return as soon as they can as if they do not respond they will have their Single Person Discount removed and further investigations may be undertaken. I would like to thank our residents for their on-going cooperation during this exercise.”

Torbay Council is dedicated to protecting the public purse and detecting fraud. Council Tax Fraud is taken very seriously which is why the council is very pro-active in confirming all entitlements to discounts.