THANK goodness Bournemouth council took benefits cheat William Chapman to court for fiddling the public purse out of £10,000 (‘Benefits cheat sent to prison’, Daily Echo August 10).
He failed to declare a pension he was receiving while claiming housing benefit.
Nationally, housing benefits cost the taxpayer in excess of £20.8billion, or an average of £800 per household. Susie Squire of the Taxpayers Alliance campaign is reported as saying ‘the welfare state is undoubtedly broken and in many areas is simply not fit for purpose’.
Recent figures also showed a total of 4.5 million people receiving housing benefit, of which around three million are of working age.
I think it is right that we collectively help those genuine claimants that are unemployed, sick, disabled or pensioners.
But by equal measure we need to send out a clear, strong message to those who think it acceptable to steal from the taxpayer – some of whom are probably worse off by working.
MIKE FRY, Moorland Crescent, Upton
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