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Resident sentenced for £4,000 Council Tax Reduction fraud
Thursday 07 May 2026
A Bridgend County Borough resident has been prosecuted after falsely claiming over £4,000 in Council Tax Reduction support.
In a case brought by Bridgend County Borough Council, Mrs Gail Watkinson, of Brackla, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to two offences at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on 10 February 2026, under the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (Detection of Fraud and Enforcement) (Wales) Regulations 2013.
The court heard that Mrs Watkinson did not promptly tell the council when she started working for Tesco Stores resulting in a significant increase to her income. She also did not say that her son had started working for the same company. The offences took place between March 2020 and May 2022.
As a result of her actions, Mrs Watkinson received £4,250.72 in Council Tax Reduction that she was not entitled to.
At a sentencing hearing on 17 April 2026, she was given a 12-month community order for both offences, to run at the same time. The order includes 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 40 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £750 in costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
“Council Tax Reduction is intended to support those who genuinely need financial assistance and instances like this take away valuable public resources away from those who need help the most. "We will always take action to protect public money and ensure fairness for all residents. This case demonstrates that we have strong processes in place and that those who deliberately mislead the system will face the consequences."