I WRITE with regard to your article last week about local authority action to tackle council tax fraud.

The crux of the story is that councils across Oxfordshire have called on those making incorrect claims for single person discount to come forward and own up.

While it is entirely possible that many of these claims are the result of genuine mistakes, I’m sure there are those which are entirely intentional.

For this reason, Cherwell was careful to avoid using the word amnesty, as it suggests that anyone coming forward will avoid prosecution.

This might well be the case in most circumstances, but we can make no such guarantee for those who have been cynically and systematically abusing the system.

There are also some differences in the approach each council will take should a genuine case of fraud be uncovered.

Cherwell will not be using the Theft Act 1968 which allows a maximum penalty of £1,000, as suggested in your article.

It will instead make use of the Local Government Finance (England) (Substitution of Penalties) Order 2008 which sets out penalties of £70 for an initial failure to report a breach and £280 for subsequent failures.

As each authority sent out its own publicity regarding this initiative, I can understand how confusion might have arisen and appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight.

KEN ATACK (Cllr), Lead member for financial management, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote