Councils save £271m through fraud detection, CIPFA says

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has revealed that local authority fraud defences have saved councils around £271 million, over the last financial year.

CIPFA’s counter fraud centre compiled figures which suggest that councils are recruiting more counter fraud specialists to tackle complex high value offences, including the illegal sub-letting of council houses.

The group identified that councils had detected 77,000 fraud cases with the highest value fraud types being housing scams, and the most common type being council tax fraud.

CIPFA warned that there was also an emerging threat of fraud relating to Right to Buy, with the number of fraud cases in 2015/16 increasing by 344 compared to the previous year.

Rachael Tiffen, head of the CIPFA counter fraud centre, said: “Fraudsters beware – local authorities are getting smarter and more effective. This is saving taxpayers’ money and helping to get council houses, disabled parking badges and other vital services to the people who really need them.”

Event Diary

Join us for the landmark 10th Anniversary of the London Build Expo, the UK’s largest and most influential construction and design show.

Retail Supply Chain & Logistics Expo returns to Excel London across 12-13 November, once again bringing together the world of logistics, supply chain, eCommerce and retail innovation for two dynamic days of opportunity.

Every sport, from grassroots football to world-class tournaments, depends on one constant: high-quality playing surfaces and well-maintained green spaces.

Supplier Profiles

Bauder Accepts Keys to its New UK Distribution Centre at Gateway 14

Bauder marked a major milestone in its UK expansion with the official handover of a brand

Words of World: Bridging language barriers with excellence

At Words of World, we specialise in professional translation and interpreting, d