A suspended UKIP county councillor who defected from the Conservative Party admitted today that he and his wife had falsely claimed £25,000 in income support, council, and housing benefits.
The guilty plea was a reversal from Peter and Maria Lagoda’s earlier position. The pair pleaded not guilty in April last year at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court.
Lagoda, who was suspended from UKIP last year, has also featured in the news after reportedly using racial epithets such as “wog” and “Mongols” with “slanty eyes” during a visit to a fire station.
The Ely Standard reports:
“Lagoda, a former Conservative borough councillor in Kings Lynn, stated he was living in South Beach, Cambs but instead was living in Cocketts Drive, Wisbech, with his wife.
“Between 2008 and 2010 the pair was alleged to have made false claims for £11,565 for income support, £2,346 for council tax and a further £10,949 in housing benefits.
“Lagoda, who defeated Fenland Council cabinet member Simon King by 138 votes to win the Wisbech south ward on the county council, has been suspended by UKIP since the allegations surfaced.”
But a UKIP spokesperson sought to clarify, in comments made to the Huffington Post UK, that: “Councillor Lagoda was suspended from the party before this incident occurred. He is not an acting councillor for Ukip now and he was not an acting councillor for UKIP at the time of this incident.”
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