A MAN who is a contractor for Colchester Council and who admitted benefit fraud was given 80 hours of unpaid work.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Kenneth Priestley defrauded Tendring Council of more than £1,156 in housing benefit between May 23 and October 22 this year.

The 47-year-old failed to tell the council that his wife had started a new job which would have affected their entitlement.

Stuart Cooper, prosecuting on behalf of the council, said: “Housing benefit is provided to people who need assistance.

“Mr Priestley completed a form which showed he needed assistance but then he failed to notify the local authority when his wife became employed by Hammerton Leisure Ltd.

INFORM “A data match exercise revealed she was working and Mr Priestley was interviewed under caution.”

He added so far Priestley had not volunteered any contributions but the council was taking steps to claw back the money from his current benefits.

The court also heard had received an administrative penalty in 2003 for failing to tell the benefits office when he stopped receiving job seekers’ allowance.

Priestley, of Rebow Road, Dovercourt, represented himself in court.

He said: “I’m not here to make excuses because I should have declared it.

“I have had just two days off in the last 12 months and I just haven’t had time to inform them.”

Magistrates sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work for the community and ordered him to pay £300 in court costs.