Fraud team helps to unlock properties for people in East Dunbartonshire

Date: 
Tuesday, 26 September, 2017


Sterling efforts to tackle fraud in East Dunbartonshire have potentially saved the public purse £3.6million and freed up more than 40 homes.image of calculator and money

The Council's Corporate Fraud Team received 248 reports of alleged fraud in 2016/17 - up 27% on the previous year.

Council officers uncovered 42 cases of housing tenancy fraud/error.

Each case of tenancy fraud costs local authorities an estimated £93,000 and has a direct impact on people on the waiting list for social housing.

As a result of East Dunbartonshire investigations, 39 housing waiting list applications were identified as either fraudulent or containing errors, which resulted in the removal of the offer of a tenancy. Three properties were identified as not being occupied and successfully reclaimed.

In addition, six homelessness applications were identified as having been made either fraudulently or in error.

One case has been submitted, for consideration of criminal proceedings, to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

In 2016/17, the fraud team also uncovered Council Tax irregularities amounting to £202,412, business rates evasion of £54,363 and employment-related fraud/theft of £1,139.

In addition, a total of £89,337 was saved through the National Fraud Initiative.

Fraud was also uncovered in relation to education places/funding requests and taxi licences.

Councillor Gordan Low, Leader of the Council, said, "Well done to everyone within the Corporate Fraud Team for their work over the past year.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption, and are committed to safeguarding public funds.

"Rest assured, we will continue to work with our partners to tackle all incidents of fraud - protecting the public purse and ensuring fairness as regards issues such as social housing, Council Tax and school placing requests."

The assistance of the public is vital in the fight to safeguard public funds, properties and services. If you have any suspicions or information regarding any type of fraud being committed against the Council please get in touch:

Audit Scotland and the Cabinet Office estimate that each instance of tenancy fraud cost the authority £93,000. Tenancy fraud is the use of social housing by someone who is not entitled to occupy that home. It includes unlawful subletting, succession fraud and use of false information in a housing application to gain a tenancy.

The latest figures were reported recently to the Council's Audit and Risk Management Committee.

The Corporate Fraud Team was introduced in October 2014 when responsibility for the investigation of housing benefit was transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions. The transfer allowed for a refreshed approach to tackling fraud.

The Corporate Fraud Team work both responsively and proactively, continually developing techniques and the scope of their investigation work.

East Dunbartonshire Council was the first in Scotland to investigate tenancy fraud and the first to work in partnership with housing associations to prevent and investigate tenancy fraud. The Council held a key amnesty in January 2017 before a major clampdown on tenancy fraud using data-matching technology.

The team also successfully developed an Anti-Bribery policy for the Council in 2016/17.

The rise of 27% in the number of reports has been attributed to greater awareness of the Corporate Fraud Team and its work.

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