Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Head of Shared Internal Audit Service regarding the annual review of the Councils counter fraud arrangements. It also set out a summary of fraud/whistle-blowing activity for the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019.

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          County Lines was a widely publicised area of serious crime.

     ii.          There was a risk of ‘cuckooing’ in social housing. (Criminals taking over properties occupied by vulnerable adults in order to use them as bases for drug dealing.)

   iii.          Cambridgeshire Police had been doing a lot of work to reduce cuckooing in the city, but this had pushed drug dealing/taking into open spaces instead.

The Head of Shared Internal Audit Service said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          The Council had recognised the risk regarding cuckooing and was addressing the issue by working in partnership with other organisations.

     ii.          A serious organised crime review had been undertaken across the council, noting good practice guidance from Central Government.

   iii.          The Whistleblowing Policy set out how people could report concerns. They were encouraged to do this internally first before reporting externally.

Unanimously resolved to note the details of fraud/whistle-blowing activity in section 3 of the Officer’s report.