FRAUD or attempted fraud continues to be a concern for North East Lincolnshire Council.
According to a report - the most recent available - no fewer than 248 incidents came under the authority's spotlight in the 12 months up to mid-March this year
Of these, 45 were identified as "requiring no further action", but that still leaves 200-plus where action was initiated.
Often these have been related to fraudulent housing benefit claims or attempted dodging of council tax, but there are others.
On misuse of the Blue Badge parking scheme, for instance, the report states: "The number of blue badge allegations continues to rise slowly.
"The majority of allegations relate to the misuse of blue badge parking concessions by persons other than the badge holder.
"Although, no actual misuse has been identified in those cases investigated, advice has been given to ensure that the badge holder and/or third party are aware of their responsibilities.
"Through the excellent work of our civil enforcement officers we have identified potentially serious cases of misuse, involving the use both of a blue badge belonging to a person who has passed away and of a counterfeit - photocopied - badge.
"These cases are ongoing."
The report continues: "The council will always consider prosecution of offenders where there is sufficient evidence and where it is in the public interest to do so.
"It will also consider the use of alternative penalties in certain circumstances for less serious offences including the offer of an administrative penalty or simple caution.
"In 2019/20, one administrative penalty and one simple caution were offered and accepted as an alternative to prosecution for Council Tax offences."
It adds: "For 2020/21, we will review our current Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy.
"We are keen to ensure that our strategy continues to reflect best practice within local government and provides the best defence against the risks of fraud."
No comments:
Post a Comment