Fraud
Councils faced pandemic fraud surge
Local authorities have faced a surge in attempted fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have reported.
EXCLUSIVE: Council sacked director over 'vexatious and malicious' police report
Thanet DC sacked its director of corporate governance and monitoring officer after he submitted ‘vexatious and malicious’ allegations about a senior colleague to the police, The MJ can reveal.
Extra steps taken to prevent poll fraud in Tower Hamlets
The chief executive of the Electoral Commission has revealed that extra steps have been taken to address the risk of electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets.
New interim chief to look at council property decisions
Haringey LBC’s new interim chief executive will review how the council makes decisions on property and acquisitions amid a police probe.
Councils complain about grants red tape
Frustrated councils are having to needlessly double check firms despite having repeatedly paid business grants to them, The MJ understands.
Business grants fraud warning
Councils across the country have reported receiving scores of fraudulent applications for business grants, The MJ has learnt.
Whiteman wades into report row
The chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has waded into a row over the publication of a lessons learned report.
CIPFA blocks publication of failed project review
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has refused to publish a report assessing whether it has learnt lessons from a failed counter-fraud project.
‘Shameless’ COVID fraudsters targeted 41 councils
The actions of two companies that attempted to defraud dozens of councils out of COVID grants have been labelled ‘despicable’.
Voter ID 'colossal waste of money,' says Labour
Proposals to introduce voter ID are a ‘colossal waste of money,’ Labour has argued.
Queen's Speech: Controversial voter ID plans roll forward
Voter ID is expected to be introduced by May 2023 after the Government pledged to introduce legislation to ‘ensure the integrity of elections’.
Grant fraud to soar
Grant fraud is expected to soar because of the amount of COVID-19 funding channelled through local government, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
Facing down the fraudsters
Tracie Langley offers three lines of attack to protect councils responsible for passporting significantly more money than normal from fraudsters.
Operation Sheridan four released under investigation
Four sector figures arrested three years ago have been released under investigation following a review.
In defence of algorithms and their value to public services
Rather than turning our back on algorithms, the task is to make them better and the data they use more balanced and properly representative, argues Andrew Laird.
EXCLUSIVE: Police refuse to reveal sector probe costs
Police have refused to publish the costs of an investigation into four sector figures who remain on bail three years after they were arrested.
CIPFA mulls legal action against council
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has put aside £500,000 to fund potential legal action against Ealing LBC over a contract dispute.
EXCLUSIVE: Ministers pile pressure on councils over business grants
Business secretary Alok Sharma has expressed concerns that some councils have paid out less than 80% of their grants to small firms.
Council staff warn fraud is a major risk for local government
Two-thirds of local government professionals think fraud is a major risk for councils, a new survey has revealed.
Fraud in times of crisis
As CIPFA publishes research showing local government professionals believe fraud is a major risk, Marc McAuley says we must learn from past mistakes.