Issue - meetings

1.       The updated Strategy against Fraud and Corruption be endorsed

2.       The work of Internal Audit in raising awareness of the risk of fraud and corruption across the Council be endorsed.

Reason for decision

To shape the Council’s existing practices to take account of best practice as set out in the Local Government Fraud Strategy “Fighting Fraud Locally” thereby continuing to protect the public purse through reducing the risk of fraud and corruption.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee]

The National Fraud Authority (NFA) estimates that fraud in local government amounts to some £2.2bn per year.  In the public sector every pound lost through fraud is a pound taken from taxpayers and impacts on the provision of frontline services.  The NFA published a Local Government Strategy “Fighting Fraud Locally” in April 2012. This Strategy has been embraced by Surrey County Council as best practice against which its counter-fraud culture can be assessed and strengthened.

Surrey County Council is alert to the risk of fraud and has adopted a zero tolerance approach.  The Cabinet considered the work which was being undertaken to ensure a robust counter-fraud culture across the Council and the Council’s revised Strategy against Fraud and Corruption which had been updated to include a Fraud Response Plan in line with best practice.

It was RESOLVED that:

1.       The updated Strategy against Fraud and Corruption be endorsed

2.       The work of Internal Audit in raising awareness of the risk of fraud and corruption across the Council be endorsed.

Reason for decision

To shape the Council’s existing practices to take account of best practice as set out in the Local Government Fraud Strategy “Fighting Fraud Locally” thereby continuing to protect the public purse through reducing the risk of fraud and corruption.