Independent councillor Lesley Hayward pleaded guilty in July to three counts of defrauding Wokingham Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) totalling £44,593.23 and was due to be sentenced at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday.

But while the 63-year-old Wokingham Borough and Woodley Councillor has paid back the DWP, she still owes the borough council around £8,000.

The court heard that Hayward, of Kingfisher Drive, had paid a lump sum of £500 but the rest was being paid off at £20 per month.

However, because a means test found Hayward had around £6,000 in savings, District Judge Davinda Lachhar adjourned the hearing to give the councillor time to voluntarily pay that to Wokingham borough, as it would act as a mitigating factor before she sentenced Hayward.

The charges, which date back to 2004, relate to falsely claiming £35,511.56 of Income Support and £511.21 of Pension Credit from the DWP as well as £8,570.46 in council tax benefit from Wokingham borough.

Cllr Hayward was released on unconditional bail to return to the same court for sentencing on Friday.