Council’s anti-fraud drive detects £10K

Anti-fraud initiatives carried out by Nottinghamshire County Council led to more than £10,000 being detected.

The Audit Commission’s annual review of the authority’s performance during 2012-13 showed it uncovered three cases of fraud at the council during the year, involving a total of £10,900.

The figure represents just 0.02 per cent of the council’s £500m annual budget, a spokesman told Chad.

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Coun Keith Walker, chairman of the audit committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The county council takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud.

“All suspected fraudulent activity is investigated and action is taken to recover any public money lost - either directly or through the courts.

“There will always be a tiny minority of people who try to cheat the system, so it is essential we have rigorous systems in place to detect it and clamp down on it early.

“This is not a victimless crime.

“When people do cheat money from the public purse we are all potential victims, because it compromises the council’s ability to provide vital services to the public.

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“With the financial constraints on local authorities getting tougher all the time, the need to tackle fraud and make our resources go further is more important than ever.”

The county council follows National Fraud Initiative guidelines when investigating potential fraud, including sharing information with other public bodies about an individual or organisation when appropriate, an authority spokesman said.

The authority wants to hear from anyone who suspects fraudulent activity is taking place affecting council services.

This could include false claims for compensation, bogus businesses and misleading applications for social care support or school places.

If you suspect fraud, contact the internal audit team on 0115 977 2226.