The Chief Internal Auditor presented his report which updated the Committee on the activities of the Corporate Counter-Fraud Team within the Internal Audit service. The report covered the work undertaken by the team during the previous 12 months, including the Council’s involvement in the National Fraud Initiative and co-ordination of the annual week-long Staff and Public Fraud Awareness Campaign, which was set to be take place again in November 2024. It was further reported that during the period, the Counter-Fraud team completed 280 reviews into fraud allegations received identifying in the region of £62k which the Council was able to recover.

Members discussed capacity within the Counter-Fraud Team and the potential impact of additional staff in recovering monies from fraudulent activity. The Chief Internal Auditor reported that there were 2 full-time dedicated fraud investigators within the team, which was broadly in line with the average other local authorities in the region. In response to queries, the Chief Internal Auditor also confirmed that the team received real-time bulletins through the National Anti-Fraud Network on a daily basis.

Resolved – That  the report be noted and that committee continued to support the work of the Counter Fraud Team.