Accessibility settings

In order to remember your preferences as you navigate through the site, a cookie will be set.

Color preference

Text size

Agenda item

Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Update

To consider the update on the work of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit. 

Minutes:

35.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Head of Service, circulated at Pages No. 45-50, which provided assurance over the counter fraud activities of the Council.  Members were asked to consider the update on the work of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit.

35.2          The Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Head of Service advised that the Counter Fraud Unit had recently undergone a service review and had subsequently been renamed as the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit which reflected the nature of the work that would be carried out going forward.  Members were informed that the Unit had been supporting workstreams created as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, most significantly in relation to business grants schemes.  Paragraph 2.2 of the report provided the outcomes of the Cabinet Office’s National Fraud Initiative data-matching exercise.  14 matches had been made in relation to the original business support grants scheme paid during the first lockdown which were currently being reviewed and data matches for the subsequent schemes introduced by the government would start to arrive in April 2021 – this was a significant piece of work as there would be anomalies relating to national data set matching.  The deadline for the review of these matches was 31 December 2022. In terms of the matches relating to single person discounts, 310 accounts had been identified as requiring further enquiries to be made with liable parties.  Responses would be referred to the Revenues and Benefits team for action where required.  Members were informed that work on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme was ongoing.  It was noted that the Department for Work and Pensions was beginning to return to more normal working conditions within Gloucestershire and an uplift in joint cases was anticipated -  reports indicated increased fraud and error within Universal Credit which would lead to a greater number of cases to review in 2022.

35.3          With regard to Page No. 47, Paragraph 2.1 of the report, a Member noted there had been seven referrals of which one was eligible, two cases of loss prevention had been referred back to the team, one ineligible claim was being pursued and three cases were under review.  She sought an explanation as to what this meant and asked for further details to be provided.  The Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Head of Service advised that it was difficult to provide details of specific cases without revealing how fraud was committed but she could circulate some general information on trends.  The most common theme was false declaration, for instance, feigning that a business was being run from a unit which was vacant and unoccupied.  Loss prevention would be when the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit had prevented money being paid incorrectly, for instance, if the business grants team had intended to pay someone a grant but the Unit had instructed that the money should not be paid following additional checks.  With regard to Paragraph 2.2 of the report, the Member asked whether the aim of the data matching scheme was to reclaim money and how many people were working on that.  The Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Head of Service explained that local authorities sent data from various services, such as Revenues and Benefits and Elections, to the Cabinet Office to see if there were any anomalies.  The route that would be taken would depend on what the match related to, for example, if it was a single person discount then Council Tax penalties could be applied whereas if it was the Council Tax Reduction Scheme it would become an investigatory case for the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit and fines or prosecution were both options which were available in that instance.  Paragraph 2.5 of the report set out that £15,283 additional Council Tax revenue had been raised as a result of the investigation of alleged fraud in relation to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

35.4          The Chair thanked the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Head of Service for her report and it was

RESOLVED           That the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit update be NOTED.

Supporting documents: