Council rent thief to face cash seizure two years after being sentenced

Elizabeth Kift, a company director from Warton, near Preston, helped herself to the cash while working as a landlord liasion officer for Blackpool Council, a previous court hearing was told.

The 43-year-old, of Church Road, stole tens of thousands of pounds from the authority by manipulating bonds for rent over a period between January 2006 and December 2011.

She pleaded guilty to committing theft while working as a landlord liaison officer, and was sentenced in May 2015 to 14 months imprisonment.

A judge suspended the sentence for two years, with 12 months of supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Kift, who attended Lytham St Annes technology college, describes herself on social media as running a florist in Warton with her sister.

She became the director of a firm called RDK planning in 2013, of which her husband is listed as a secretary.

The couple share a £320,000 semi detached home on Church Road.

Kift’s greedy crimes came at a time when Blackpool Council faced devastating budget cuts.

A total of 300 jobs, including 50 contracts, are due to be lost with areas including libraries, public health and children’s services facing cuts.

Under Proceeds of Crime legislation, the authorities can revisit a convicted criminal’s assets and finances in the future, even if they are not deemed to have any assets to seize at the time they are prosecuted.

The Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is on July 28 at Preston Crown Court.