A CRACKDOWN on households fraudulently claiming council tax discount is being mounted across Oxfordshire.

People wrongly claiming the 25 per cent single person discount are being told “to own up or face prosecution” in a month-long amnesty.

More than 77,000 council tax payers in Oxfordshire are currently claiming a quarter off their bills as single residents living in a property.

But local councils believe significant numbers of claims are fraudulent.

Oxfordshire’s five district councils – Oxford City, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, Cherwell and West Oxfordshire – will be working with credit reference companies and cross-checking information to ensure claims are genuine.

But between now and January 5, anyone coming forward because they may be incorrectly receiving a discount can avoid prosecution and £1,000 fines by having claims checked.

The correct payment amount will be calculated and repayment plan agreed if necessary.

Those failing to act now run the risk of being taken to court, facing costs on top of any money they have incorrectly claimed.

Roger Cox, deputy leader at the Vale, said: “We encourage residents to claim the discounts they are entitled to. However, the cost of fraudulent claims falls on all our residents which is not acceptable.

“Anyone who is fraudulently claiming a discount is not paying their fair share and could face serious consequences, including a criminal record.”

A single person discount is typically worth £395.40 a year for a Band D property in Oxford, £376 in South Oxfordshire and £373 in the Vale.

The figure is set nationally by the Government and is not related to household income.

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “The authorities are aiming to reaffirm genuine single person discount claimants as efficiently as possible and address potentially incorrect claims, to enable the removal of discount and increase the amount of council tax collected.”