Issue - items at meetings - Report from Marie Wall

Issue - meetings

Report from Marie Wall

 

 

Meeting: 07/06/2010 - Audit Board (this committee has been combined with the Audit, Standards & Governance Committee and no longer meets) (Item 10)

10 Protecting the Public Purse - Local Government pdf icon PDF 307 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Ms. M. Wall, Bromsgrove District Council's Fraud Services Manager, to the meeting.

 

Ms. Wall presented the report which provided advice to the Board regarding possible fraud and corruption against the Council as raised by the Audit Commission.

 

Ms. Wall informed Members of the high risk areas currently identified -

§         Tenancy Fraud

§         Single Person Discount Fraud

§         Recruitment Fraud

 

Ms. Wall responded to questions from Members regarding the costs of identifying, investigating and recovery of fraud.  The Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources advised Members that it was a statutory responsibility to recover debts and identify fraud.

 

RECOMMENDED:

(a)    that the Audit Commission's Self-Assessment Checklist as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be undertaken, to provide a baseline of where we are and to ensure sound governance and counter fraud arrangements are working as intended;

(b)    to approve the targeting of the risks identified as detailed in the report, as raised nationally.  The implementation of this work would assist the Council to do all it can to address fraud and corruption that may be affecting it/or may affect it in the future;

(c)     to ensure that current arrangements are sufficiently robust to reduce the risk of procurement fraud, following the latest Office of Fair Trading guidance to lessen the risk of unlawful practices affecting the award and allocation of contracts;

(d)    to authorise and endorse the issue of a survey to all staff to test their perception of fraud issues and whistle-blowing arrangements, how to report issues and how they feel the Council reacts to the threat of fraud.  This would be done on an annual basis, with the first survey providing a baseline of data which could be used to establish knowledge across the Council, but also provide indications of work that may need to be undertaken as a result; and

(e)    that the Cabinet recommend to Council to undertake a commitment to fight possible fraud and corruption against the Council, by initially using the Audit Commission's Self assessment Checklist as set out in Appendix 1 to the report and to consider potential risks to the Council by utilising the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team (CAFT) to identify and prevent such risks.