Agenda item

To consider the annual update on the work of the Counter Fraud Team. 

8.1             Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 18-22, which provided assurance over the counter fraud activities of the Council.  Members were asked to consider the annual update on the work of the Counter Fraud Team.

8.2             The Counter Fraud Manager advised that the Team had supported the Council in a number of areas over the last six months.  This included the introduction of a new Corporate Enforcement Policy, an overarching policy for the Council with the specific approaches for each department sitting beneath; a new procedural document in relation to internal investigation processes which had been issued to HR to start the consultation process; and a high level review of staff expenses.  Confirmation was also provided that fraud awareness training had now been delivered to all Council staff.  It was noted that work had commenced on the review of businesses within the borough and it was intended to bring these results to Members in the next update report; work on serious organised crime and how this affected the authority was also planned.  The work plan for 2018/19 was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and had been developed with a focus on the priorities set out in the Home Office UK Anti-Corruption Strategy 2018-22.  The Counter Fraud Unit would continue to review the Council’s policies and look for opportunities to add value and align them for continuity as well as working with the Department for Work and Pensions on future joint investigations such as the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

8.3             A Member noted that Appendix 1 stated that 217 days were to be provided in 2018/19 and sought clarification as to whether this was an estimate of the amount of time that would be dedicated to Tewkesbury Borough Council.  The Counter Fraud Manager clarified that this was based on a full-time equivalent post but the work was split across all members of the team.  At the end of the year, the Counter Fraud Unit reported back to the Head of Finance and Asset Management on the number of days that had actually been taken up and a refund was issued if that was less than anticipated.  Another Member recognised that a significant amount of the work undertaken by the Counter Fraud Unit related to the drafting of policies and procedures and she questioned what happened if changes were required.  The Counter Fraud Manager advised that a new policy, such as the Corporate Enforcement Policy, would be drafted by the Counter Fraud Unit and sent to One Legal in the first instance.  The policy would then be taken to the Corporate Management Team and relevant Heads of Service for review and any comments would be taken on board and the policy updated accordingly.  The final draft would then be taken to the appropriate Council or Committee meeting for approval. 

8.4             In response to a query as to whether there were any specific target dates for the work that was due to be undertaken during 2018/19, the Counter Fraud Manager explained that a progress update was provided to the Audit Committee every six months and Members would see there had been a number of internal investigations over the last period; whilst a lot were ongoing, several had been completed.  The serious organised crime work had started in earnest and was likely to identify areas of improvement where further work was required.  She provided assurance that the reports to the Committee would continue to demonstrate compliance.  In response to a query as to whether figures were available to show how much money the work of the Counter Fraud Unit saved the Council in terms of the prevention of fraudulent activity, the Counter Fraud Manager confirmed that this information was reported to the Corporate Leadership Team.  The Counter Fraud Unit had to be self-sufficient otherwise it would not be adding value; however, some of the savings were difficult to quantify, for instance, where the work of the team served as a deterrent.  A Member questioned whether any information was available in terms of what had been done so far and the Head of Finance and Asset Management indicated that this would be included in the update in December in accordance with the usual reporting cycle.

8.5             It was

RESOLVED          That the annual update on the work of the Counter Fraud Team be NOTED.