Issue - meetings

To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet endorsement of the revised Strategy and associated Fraud Response Plan.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorse the revised Strategy for the Prevention and Detection of Fraud, Corruption and Bribery and associated Fraud Response Plan and provide support to ensure that measures are embedded throughout the organisation.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report seeking Cabinet endorsement of the revised Strategy for the Prevention and Detection of Fraud and associated Fraud Response Plan. The Strategy and Plan had been considered by Governance and Audit Committee on 28 July 2021 and recommended to Cabinet for adoption.

The Strategy and Plan formed part of the Council’s counter fraud framework, a collection of interrelated policies and procedures including the Code of Conduct, Financial Regulations and Whistleblowing Policy.  It included policies and procedures specifically targeted at countering fraud and corruption and provided a management tool to ensure progress and transparency with regard to counter-fraud activities.  The importance of keeping up to date anti-fraud strategies and plans to ensure compliance with laws and regulations was highlighted.  Whilst there was no requirement to submit the documents to Cabinet for approval it had been considered beneficial in order to further raise awareness of the issue.

Cabinet acknowledged the importance of the Strategy and Plan and was keen to hear more about plans to engage and raise awareness in that regard both internally and externally and how outcomes would be monitored and evaluated.  The Lead Member and officers reported upon raising awareness through the Council’s democratic processes and publication of the Strategy and Plan on the Council’s website.  If Cabinet was minded to approve the documents the Lead Member advised that he could arrange for them to be circulated to all members as appropriate.  An e-learning module for staff was being developed with plans to extend that learning to members, specifically for the new Council following the elections in May 2022 in order to raise awareness at an early stage.  For key strategic partners those arrangements were overseen as part of the internal audit work with a focus on counter fraud measures and there was also a partnership toolkit which required an annual self-assessment on aspects such as financial monitoring, governance and compliance; it was confirmed that Denbighshire Leisure Limited would be aware of the arrangements in place.  In terms of whistleblowing the policy had recently been reviewed and continued to be promoted to ensure concerns could be raised and dealt with appropriately.  An annual report was submitted to Governance and Audit Committee to monitor operation of the whistleblowing policy and consider outcomes.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorse the revised Strategy for the Prevention and Detection of Fraud, Corruption and Bribery and associated Fraud Response Plan and provide support to ensure that measures are embedded throughout the organisation.