Single? Then prove it

MINISTERS last night threw cold water on Tory claims council officials are demanding powers to pry into taxpayers’ bedrooms in a bid to counter fraud.

Those claiming the single person’s discount (SPD), which cuts 25 per cent off the council tax bill of households with only one adult, are being pressured into signing a declaration allowing inspectors to check their status and access their property, Tory shadow local Government minister Eric Pickles said.

A letter sent to residents seeking the SPD by Thurrock Council in Essex requires them to “authorise the council or its agents to make enquiries to corroborate this claim” and “permit the council or its agents to inspect the property on request”.

And now the Conservatives believe other authorities across the country are being forced into introducing similar requirements as a result of pressure from Whitehall.

Mr Pickles said: “It may be appropriate for local authorities to check that council tax discounts are not wrongly claimed. But it is wholly disproportionate to threaten higher council tax bills if residents do not allow state officials into their bedrooms.”

A spokesman for the DCLG dismissed the claims as “utter nonsense” and said it was up to individual councils to use their powers appropriately to ensure people are entitled to the reduced rate.