Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report which detailed the performance of the Benefits Services Fraud Investigation service.

The Head of Finance and Resources introduced the main points within the report and in doing so responded to Members’ questions with regard to administrative penalties being accepted as detailed at section 3.14 to the report and prosecution costs incurred by the Council.  Members were informed that a caution was an alternative to a prosecution.  If reoffending occurred within a certain period of time a caution would not be an option and those reoffending would be prosecuted.  Following further discussion it was agreed that the Head of Finance and Resources would look at the specific policies and procedures followed within the dedicated counter fraud team in order to prevent and deter fraud.  Members requested that specific dates and not quarters (e.g. Q1) be used in future reports together with the actual referrals figures and not percentages as shown.  The Board thanked officers for the case studies provided which had proved useful to the Board.

RESOLVED that subject to the comments in the preamble above being incorporated into future reports, the report be noted.