Issue - meetings

This is the first quarter report on the progress made in delivering the 2010-11 year service plans; key results of the work undertaken; and the performance achieved.

Geoff Drake, Chief Internal Auditor, introduced the report, which set out the performance of the Corporate Anti-Fraud Service (CAFS) in the first quarter of 2010-11. The report outlined the services’ strategy for the coming year, as well as providing an update on work completed and income received. The successful outcomes included 103 sanctions against a target of 43, and 11 recovered properties. The value to the Council of the work undertaken was estimated at £3.9million.

In response to a question from Councillor Murphy, Geoff Drake said that formulas devised by the Audit Commission was used to measure the value of work. This had advantages in ensuring that totals were comparable with other Councils, and in its ease of use. The formula itself might not always reflect the full value of an outcome, however: a recovered property, for instance, was adjudged to be worth £75,000.

Councillor Cartwright noted that fewer staff were working on internal fraud investigations. Geoff Drake said that there had been a backlog of internal investigatory work to undertake, much of it disciplinary: when this was cleared, the service was able to reallocate its resources. The Service was also devising guidelines for managers in that area.

Eugenie White asked how the Service chose which cases to pursue, and what happened to cases that not subject to a full investigation. Geoff Drake said that the service assessed a number of factors, including the alleged crime, the workload of the team and the quality of evidence; cases that did not receive a full investigation were kept on file to allow them to be reinvestigated at a later date if more evidence was presented or resource available.

RESOLVED THAT

The report be noted.