Covid fraud write-off costs Swindon £13.8 million, Labour group says
£4.3 billion was stolen from the Government's emergency coronavirus schemes
The decision to write off £4.3 billion that was stolen from the Government's emergency Covid-19 schemes has cost Swindon a "staggering amount", the town's Labour group has claimed.
Last week the Treasury confirmed it only expects to recover £1 of every £4 stolen from the public purse by fraudsters during the pandemic.
The money stolen during successive lockdowns included propped up swathes of the workforce, including the furlough scheme, the self-employed income support programme and Eat Out to Help Out.
The amount is the equivalent of 128,000 nurses' salaries, 146,000 police officers, or 1 and a half QE class aircraft carriers.
Labour say that works out at £156 per household, which across Swindon is £13.8 million.
'Families in Swindon are facing a cost-of-living crisis'
Labour councillor Jim Grant said: "Families in Swindon are facing a cost-of-living crisis, thanks in no small part to this Government.
"The Conservatives are the party of high tax because they are the party of low growth. That means higher National Insurance, cuts to support for working families and they want every council in the country to raise council tax as well.
"Now we know that while they are hammering people in Swindon with higher tax and lower support they are – at the very same time – happy to write off more than £4 billion in fraud.
"That's £13.8m across Swindon – it’s nothing short of outrageous. That sort of money could reopen the Oasis and the Museum & Art Gallery, as well as sort out the state of the roads."
He added that "this Conservative Government are taking us for fools".
Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "While prices soar, billions in hard-earned taxpayer cash have been frittered away by fraud — and the chancellor is happy to shrug his shoulders and lose it forever.
"Labour will treat every pound of taxpayers' money with the respect it deserves. Government should be able to get money to the right places, without losing billions in taxpayers' cash."
Swindon council leader David Renard said: "Once again, Swindon Labour has taken a national figure and hypothetically arrived at a figure for Swindon based on the national average per household.
"This debt largely relates to loans and payments made directly by central government so has no bearing on the council itself or the council finances".