Ex-mayor admits falsely claiming £27k in benefits
Ann Pearce was mayor of Tetbury in 2020
- Published
A former mayor has admitted falsely claiming more than £27,000 in benefits.
Ann Pearce, 57, had initially denied failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change of personal circumstances which affected her entitlement to benefits between 6 May 2020 and 9 November 2022.
But the former mayor of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, changed her plea to guilty at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday.
Pearce will be sentenced on 24 May and has been released on unconditional bail.
An earlier hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court was told Pearce had first claimed benefits as a result of an injury at work.
The prosecution alleged that she appeared at official functions in a wheelchair and carrying an oxygen bottle, but she did not use them when she went out privately.
They also claimed she was using her benefit money to help "fund a luxury lifestyle" which included holidays and regularly eating out.
The DWP did not allege that Pearce was dishonest in her benefit claims from the outset, but its case was that she went on to claim a total of £27,314.22 in Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which she was not entitled to because her health had improved.
'Lack of frankness and honesty'
Judge Rupert Lowe told Pearce to attend an appointment with a probation officer for a pre-sentence report.
He added: “You need to be completely frank and honest with the probation officer.
"I say that because there’s been a lack of frankness and honesty so far."
Pearce, of Upton Gardens, Tetbury, was mayor of the town in 2020.
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