Issue - meetings

The Head of Internal Audit submitted a report with an overview of the work and results of the Corporate Fraud team up to 31^st December 2019 and the outcome of internal investigations undertaken by Internal Audit in the same period.

The Head of Internal Audit introduced the report and invited the Committee to note

·        The recoverable and notional savings the Corporate Fraud team had produced for the Council,

·        The use of data-matching to identify potential housing benefit and council tax fraud

·        The work with national fraud initiative.

Members asked a number of questions set out below, to which the Head of Internal Audit and the Corporate Director of Finance Assets responded at the meeting.

·        Could officers provide more details on the Right to Buy fraud identified. Officers indicated that this was where applicants were not the tenants or where there had been sub-letting.

·        How did the New Homes Bonus relate to fraud and the Council’s income? Officers clarified that this affected the net new homes in the borough on which the bonus was paid, providing approximately £5m income per year.  This could have been nearly £400k less without the preventative actions of the Corporate Fraud team.

Resolved – (1) That the report be noted

(2) That the Officers provide more information to the next meeting on the fraud relating to Right to Buy.