Develop an Anti-Fraud Culture
We aim to operate in a culture where everyone is aware of their responsibilities and won't tolerate fraud. This means that:
- all councillors and staff are expected to act with integrity and lead by example;
- senior managers are required to deal swiftly and firmly with those who defraud or attempt to defraud the council;
- employees and members of the public can feel confident enough to 'blow the whistle' - report instances or suspicions of fraud and corruption - knowing they will be handled professionally.
Reduce the Risk of Fraud
We will make it difficult for people to attempt to defraud the council by putting controls and codes of practice in place. We will seek out perpetrators and professionally and thoroughly investigate all suspicions.
Take Effective Action
We will prosecute or take disciplinary action where necessary and seek to recover any losses to the council.
You can find out in detail how we aim to tackle fraud and corruption by reading our Counter Fraud and Corruption Policy (PDF, 21KB).
Our Whistleblowing Policy explains how we aim to maintain a working environment where people are able to raise concerns where they think there is misconduct or malpractice.
This authority is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. It may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud. As mentioned in our Counter Fraud and Corruption policy we participate in this exercise.
The Audit Commission appoints the auditor to audit the accounts of this authority. It is also responsible for carrying our data matching exercises.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it may indicate that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.
The Audit Commission currently requires us to participate in a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to the Audit Commission for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in the Audit Commission's handbooks, which can be found at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi.
The use of data by the Audit Commision in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Data matching by the Audit Commission is subject to a Code of Practice. This may be found at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi.
For further information on the Audit Commission's legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information, see the Level 3 Notice on the Audit Commission website or contact Peter Yetzes, Head of NFI on 0844 798 2222 or email nfiqueries@audit-commission.gov.uk.
Related Links
Your identity and personal information are valuable. Criminals can find out your personal details and use them to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and documents such as passports and driving licenses in your name.
The link below takes you to the Home Office website, where you can find more information on how to protect your identity.
www.identity-theft.org.uk
