Report fraud

Why do we investigate fraud against the council?

Fraud affects every organisation in the public and private sector and it is estimated that over £52 billion is lost from the UK economy each year due to fraud.

Over £2.1 billion of this loss relates to Local Government and the impacts on councils have far reaching consequences and reduce the amount of money that can be spent on delivering front line services to those who need it most.

Fraud is never a victimless crime and in local government the victims are Council Tax payers and residents who depend on the essential services the council delivers.

There is more information about what we do in our policy strategy and sanctions policy documents attached to this page.

What types of fraud do we investigate?

The council’s Corporate Investigation Unit (CIU) investigates many types of fraud against the council. This includes:

Council Tax and Non Domestic Rates

Council Tax; Council Tax Reduction Scheme; Council Tax Single Person Discount

This type of fraud usually occurs when someone deliberately gives false or misleading information so that they can pay less or no Council Tax.

Business Rates

This type of fraud usually occurs when someone deliberately gives false or misleading information so that they can pay lower or no business rates including stating that a property is no longer in use and therefore qualifies for a reduction in rates.

You can report tax and rates fraud online.

Disabled Parking (Blue Badge)

Misuse, abuse or defrauding the Blue Badge scheme occurs when:

• Using a badge which is no longer valid
• Using a badge when the badge holder is deceased
• Using a badge that has been forged or copied
• Using a badge that has been reported lost or stolen
• Using a valid badge belonging to a friend or relative for own personal use

Find out about Blue Badge fraud online, or you can directly report Blue Badge misuse online.

Housing

Council or Social Housing - Tenancy Fraud

This type of fraud occurs when someone deliberately gives false or misleading information when applying for a property for example falsely claiming to have children; subletting a property without permission; living in a property after someone has died without the right to do so; key selling – where a resident is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one off payment; false right to buy or acquire.

You can report Social Tenancy Housing fraud online.

Adult Social Care

Direct payment – occurs when payments are not spent on items detailed in the care plan; false claims for expenses and wages are made by carers; when a disability or care need is exaggerated to receive support;

Savings and capital are not declared on a financial assessment.

You can report Adult Social Care fraud online.

Procurement

This type of fraud occurs when someone deliberately intends to influence any stage of the procure to pay life cycle in order to make a financial gain or cause a loss. This could be perpetrated by contractors or sub-contractors external to the Council and/or staff within the organisation.

You can report Procurement fraud online.

Public Funding and Grant

This type of fraud occurs when individuals, organisations or organised criminal groups claim public funding or grants that they are not eligible for.

You can report funding and grant fraud online.

Occupation / Employee

• Recruitment – occurs for example when a job applicant inflates their credentials to apply for a position or provides false references.
• Financial statement – occurs, for example when providing false information to support an expenses claim; working for another employer whilst receiving sick pay; abuse of the Council's flexitime or leave scheme.
• Asset misappropriation – occurs when an employee steals the Council's property (including cash or other assets) or purchases goods for personal use through council suppliers

You can report employee fraud online.

Other types of fraud against the council

The types of fraud mentioned above are just examples and don’t cover every type of fraud that we investigate. If you suspect that someone is defrauding the council in any way, you can report it in total confidence using the forms or contact details attached to this page.

• Online: complete one of the referral forms attached to this page
• Email: reportfraud@bradford.gov.uk
• Telephone: call the confidential fraud hotline 01274 437511
• Post: Corporate Investigations, City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1HY.

Please note: suspicions about fraudulent claims of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit should be reported to the DWP online or call 0800 854 440.

Are there any statistics on the work that Corporate Investigations has done?

Yes - have a look at our Freedom of Information - Corporate Investigations page.