Fraud | LocalGov


One in 6 relaxed about council tax fraud 29/04/2025 One in 6 adults have admitted to either falsely claiming the Single Person Discount (SPD) or knowing someone who had in the past year, new research reveals.
Fraudster jailed for ‘brazen’ Covid scam 16/04/2025 A man who defrauded Leeds City Council out of £710,000 during the Covid pandemic has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Man charged in funeral home fraud case 03/04/2025 A 47-year-old man has been charged by Humberside Police in connection with a fraud case at a Yorkshire funeral home.
Man posing as Greggs worker scams council out of £710,000 17/02/2025 A man has been convicted after he posed as a Greggs manager to con Leeds City Council out of grants designed to help small businesses during the pandemic.
£1m Aberdeen council fraud case ‘cautionary tale’ 08/01/2025 Local authorities have been urged to learn from the weaknesses that enabled an Aberdeen City Council employee to defraud the council of £1.1m over two decades.
Council prosecutes mail company for accepting fake IDs 29/10/2024 A mail forwarding company has been fined after an investigation by Islington Council revealed it was accepting fake identification.
Auditor uncovers £7m of fraud and errors 23/10/2024 More than £7m worth of fraud and payment errors have been identified in Wales in a counter-fraud initiative, according to Audit Wales.
Islington wins back £260,000 in fraud case 18/09/2024 Islington Council has won back more than a quarter of a million pounds from a resident who fraudulently took on a council tenancy.
Former finance manager stole £930,000 from council 13/09/2024 A former employee of Gedling Borough Council has pleaded guilty to fraud after stealing almost £1m from the authority to pay off gambling debts.
Thousands of social homes illegally sublet, study reveals 02/09/2024 Thousands of social homes are being marketed on short-term let platforms like Airbnb, new research reveals.
Pandemic fraud investigation unit lacked ‘appropriate governance’ 19/08/2024 The Government's pandemic fraud investigation unit lacked ‘appropriate governance’ either on the part of the Government or from Thurrock Council, an independent review has concluded.
Council uncovers fraud cases worth £3.6m 29/07/2024 Stoke-on-Trent City Council's corporate fraud team uncovered more than 140 cases of fraud in 2023-24, saving residents about £3.6m.
Could tackling fraud help cash-strapped councils? 03/06/2024 Colin Gray, principal consultant at SAS UK, looks at the role of tackling fraud when it comes to helping local authorities get their finances in order.
Five million could be disenfranchised by voter ID, polling finds 11/04/2024 Five million voters could be disenfranchised by the Government’s new voter ID rules at the General Election, first-of-its-kind polling has suggested.
Lost Homes, Lost Hope – why fighting tenancy fraud matters 19/03/2024 Alan Bryce, interim head of the Fraud Advisory Panel, argues that cracking down on tenancy fraud can help solve the local government financial crisis.
Bodies removed from funeral home in fraud case 11/03/2024 Police have removed 34 bodies from the premises of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Yorkshire over concerns about the care of the deceased.
Council probe leads officers to ‘step back’ 19/02/2024 Two senior Guildford and Waverley officers have agreed to temporarily ‘step back’ from their roles amid intensifying investigations into housing maintenance contracts.
Former council worker jailed for fraud 19/02/2024 A former council employee and a roofing firm worker have been jailed for fraud and bribery after they conspired to defraud New Forest District Council.
West Suffolk defrauded of £52,000 27/11/2023 West Suffolk Council has revealed that it lost £52,000 in a fraud incident this year.
Tackling fraud in the public sector: how can central government support local authorities? 08/11/2023 Colin Gray, principal fraud consultant at SAS UK, explains the current perceived risks from citizens around fraud, and how public sector bodies can deploy technology to counteract it and protect public finances.
Why know your business checks are vital to prevent fraud 06/11/2023 Barley Laing, UK managing director at Melissa, explains know your business checks and how they can help councils avoid the threat of fraud.
Scam warning amid digital switchover 18/09/2023 Criminals are exploiting the analogue to digital switchover to scam users of health care telephony devices into giving personal information, councils warn.
Voter ID law ‘poisoned cure’, MPs say 12/09/2023 The voter ID rule which was brought in to tackle electoral fraud ahead of the 2023 local elections ‘disenfranchises more voters than it protects’, MPs say.
Weaknesses in Newport counter-fraud approach 17/08/2023 ‘Weaknesses’ have been found in Newport City Council’s approach to fraud, a finance watchdog has reported.
Sheffield council staff dismissed or resigned over fraud, report says 28/07/2023 Staff at Sheffield City Council have lost their jobs or resigned following the discovery of fraudulent activity, according to a report.
Councils warned over £16m of fake pothole claims 09/06/2023 Insurance experts have warned councils over a rise in fake claims for damage to vehicles caused by potholes.
Council helps Premier League stop £7m streaming fraud 31/05/2023 Five men who illegally streamed Premier League matches have been jailed following a trading-standards investigation led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
Voting reforms could ‘erect barriers’ for elderly, charity says 25/05/2023 The introduction of further checks on postal and proxy voting could disenfranchise older people, an elderly persons charity has warned.
New checks on postal and proxy voting announced 24/05/2023 Further checks to ensure there is no fraud when people vote by post or by proxy could soon be introduced, according to the Government.
Council investigation reveals mother’s forgery 23/05/2023 A mother in Barnet has admitted in court to forging official documents to get her son into a popular secondary school.
How local authorities can fight payments fraud 02/03/2023 Ilija Ugrinic of software solutions provider Proactis looks at how councils can fight payments fraud.
Tenant jailed for £200,000 housing fraud 14/02/2023 A tenant who lived in council housing in Dudley while renting out a flat she owned has been jailed for 32 months.
Why the cost-of-living crisis makes fraud prevention even more important 30/09/2022 Barley Laing, the UK managing director at Melissa, argues that overstretched councils need to do more to ensure they protect their budgets from fraudsters.
Council joins forces with Airbnb to tackle housing fraud 23/08/2022 A court order has cleared the way for Kensington and Chelsea Council and Airbnb to work together to tackle social housing tenancy fraud.
Council defrauded of nearly £240,000 due to failure of financial checks 17/08/2022 Poor governance and financial management left Maesteg Town Council vulnerable to a fraud that cost nearly a quarter of a million pounds, auditors say.
Council employee steals £161,000 from two parish councils 04/07/2022 A woman has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to defrauding two parish councils in Oxfordshire.
Hoax calls: How local authorities can protect themselves 18/05/2022 Mike Wills discusses how local authorities can protect themselves against attacks designed to trick, embarrass, steal and defraud.
MPs warn of ‘eye-watering’ levels of fraud in COVID scheme 27/04/2022 The Government is ‘complacent’ about preventing ‘eye-watering’ levels of fraud in the COVID Bounceback Loan Scheme (CBLS), new report by the PAC concludes.
Council chiefs warn of energy rebate scam 19/04/2022 Local authority leaders are warning residents about a new scam where cold callers pretend to be helping people claim the Government’s £150 energy rebate.
One in 10 people falsely claim council tax discounts 24/02/2022 One in 10 people know someone dishonestly claiming a discount on their council tax bill, the UK’s fraud prevention service has found.
Ex-councillor convicted for COVID loan fraud 20/12/2021 A former councillor and his wife have been convicted for trying to exploit COVID-19 business support grants.
Former council leader jailed for fraud 26/11/2021 The former leader of West Lindsey District Council has been jailed for 14 months for fraud and theft offences.
Council launches 'key amnesty' to tackle tenancy fraud 10/11/2021 A London council is running a 'key amnesty' to reclaim council housing that is being used illegally.
Former employees convicted of fraud against council 13/09/2021 Two women have been found guilty of creating a 'phantom' employee to defraud a council and a charity out of more than £40,000.
‘Shameless’ COVID fraudsters targeted 41 councils 11/08/2021 The actions of two companies that attempted to defraud dozens of councils out of COVID grants have been labelled ‘despicable’.
Queen's Speech: Controversial voter ID plans roll forward 11/05/2021 Voter ID is expected to be introduced by May 2023 after the Government pledged to introduce legislation to ‘ensure the integrity of elections’.
Woman jailed for defrauding London council 02/03/2021 A woman has been sentenced to 12-months’ imprisonment for defrauding the Royal Borough of Greenwich out of nearly £10,000.
Former councillor jailed for electoral fraud 21/01/2021 A former councillor has been jailed and ordered to pay Redbridge Council more than £28,000 after committing electoral fraud.
Why councils should embrace electronic ID verification 17/11/2020 Barley Laing argues that electronic ID verification is crucial as the pandemic drives digitalisation.
Millions more of fraud and overpayments detected in Wales 13/10/2020 An extra £2.7m in fraud and overpayments has been identified in Wales after several local authorities started comparing council tax single persons discount with the electoral register, a report has found.
Councils urged to 'raise their game' to tackle fraud 30/07/2020 Welsh councils have been urged to 'raise their game' when it come to tackling fraud by the Auditor General for Wales.
Scheme finds billions in benefit fraud 21/07/2020 A government scheme has detected nearly £2bn in benefit fraud and overpayments since it was set up, new figures show.
Councils issue warning over test and trace scams 22/06/2020 Councils have warned that criminals are trying to exploit the test and trace system by trying to convince people they must pay for the testing kit.
Councils get new advice to combat procurement fraud 09/06/2020 New advice to help councils in England fight procurement fraud has been published by the Government.
Councils warn about surge in virus-related scams 11/05/2020 Council leaders have reported a 40% increase in reported scams since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
Council staff warn fraud is a major risk for local government 31/03/2020 Two-thirds of local government professionals think fraud is a major risk for councils, a new survey has revealed.
Councillor found guilty of two counts of fraud 13/02/2020 A Greenwich councillor who applied for social housing despite owning three properties has been found guilty of fraud.
Prosecutions for Blue Badge fraud up by 18% in past year 05/12/2019 A third of councils in England do not have a policy in place to prosecute people for Blue Badge fraud, new figures have revealed today.
Councils detecting more cases of fraud 19/11/2019 Councils prevented 22% more cases of council tax fraud this year compared to 2017/18, new figures have revealed.
More places available at fighting fraud webinar 25/10/2019 Due to popular demand, the number of places available at this free webinar have been extended. Find out the five best ways to use data better to fight fraud.
Webinar: Five ways to use data better to fight fraud 23/10/2019 Register for the HooYu LocalGov webinar to protect the public purse.
Housing fraud costs councils £16m each year 10/09/2019 People who claim to live alone in order to get a council tax discount cost the local government sector nearly £16m a year, a new study has found.
Review launched into Blue Badge fraud 17/06/2019 A new task force to help councils tackle the fraudulent use of Blue Badges has been set up by the Government.
Town clerk jailed for defrauding council 13/06/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council.
Welsh public sector could lose up to £1bn a year to fraud 11/06/2019 Welsh public services could lose up to £1bn a year to fraud, a new report has warned today.
Councils warn of new wave in council tax scams 10/06/2019 Criminals are posing as council staff to con people out of money, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
Investigators warn councils of ‘chameleon fraudsters’ 16/05/2019 Investigators have warned councils to be wary of fraudsters as report reveals one in eight disqualified company directors avoid detection and still have active directorships.
Figures show no evidence of 'large-scale electoral fraud' 25/03/2019 Campaigners have warned the case for voter ID is getting ‘weaker by the day’ after new figures show there were only eight allegations of personation fraud last year.
How technology could help detect social care fraud 12/03/2019 Julian Pilling explains how councils can better protect themselves against fraud committed by carers.
Superhead ordered to repay council over £1m stolen from his school 22/02/2019 A superhead has been ordered to pay back Brent Council £1.4m he received in illegal bonuses while he was head of a school in Wembley.
Rochdale council worker jailed for £80,000 fraud 07/02/2019 A council worker has been jailed for defrauding Rochdale Borough Council of £80,000 - money that was then spent on prostitutes and cocaine.
Council worker jailed for £1m pension fund theft 28/01/2019 A man who defrauded the pension fund of Westminster City Council of over £1m has been jailed for seven years.
Benefit assessors convicted of £1m housing benefit fraud 18/01/2019 Seven benefit assessors in London have been convicted of a housing benefit fraud worth over £1m.
Newham to improve financial management after £9m fraud allegations 16/01/2019 The Mayor of Newham has announced plans to set up a commission to advise the council on how to ‘become a beacon of good practice’ in its financial management.
Council chiefs warn of scams targeting the vulnerable 16/01/2019 Local authority leaders have called on carers and families to be aware of fraud targeting older and more vulnerable people.
Council calls ‘extraordinary meeting’ over £9m fraud allegations 08/01/2019 Newham Council has called an ‘extraordinary meeting’ to look into allegations of fraud concerning the local authority’s repairs and maintenance service (RMS).
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2018 11/12/2018 From council pay rises to troubled outsourcing firms, here is our countdown of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2018.
Blue Badge theft up by 45% in past year 30/11/2018 Councils have warned that Blue Badge theft in England has increased by 45% in the past 12 months.
Council employee convicted of £1m pension fund fraud 16/10/2018 A former Westminster City Council employee has been convicted for defrauding the council pension fund of nearly £1m.
Councils found more than £300m in fraud in past year 16/10/2018 Local authorities managed to prevent or detect £302m in fraud in 2017/18, according to the latest figures from finance experts.
Councils cheated out of £1m by housing benefit assessors 03/10/2018 Lambeth, Kingston, and Barking and Dagenham councils were cheated out of £1m by a group of housing benefit assessors who used dummy claimants, court has heard.
Has outsourcing had its day? 28/09/2018 The conviction for fraud of a former Barnet council employee was a poor advertisement for outsourcing. Mark Whitehead considers whether it has run its course.
Review finds 'insufficient financial controls' enabled £2m council fraud 24/09/2018 The conviction for fraud of a former employee of a joint venture set up by Barnet council is a 'textbook example of why outsourcing fails', according to Labour.
Not enough evidence to prosecute in Tower Hamlets fraud case, Met says 10/09/2018 An investigation into allegations of fraud in Tower Hamlets has concluded that there is not enough evidence to prosecute those involved, although evidence of a ‘serious criminal offence’ has been uncovered.
Councils and the rise of covert profiles 06/09/2018 Mark Whitehead explains why councils are right to use fake Facebook profiles to track down illegal activities.
Council worker charged with Grenfell Tower fraud 30/08/2018 A council worker has been accused of stealing money intended for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
Postal voting pilots ‘well-run’, electoral commission says 01/08/2018 Pilot schemes for postal and proxy voters carried out during last May’s local elections were ‘well-run’, an electoral body has concluded.
Five people sentenced for £200k council fraud 30/07/2018 Five men who defrauded a Leicestershire council out of more than £200,000 through an email scam have been sentenced.
Councils sue Barclays over controversial LOBO loans 16/07/2018 Barclays are being sued by 14 local authorities over allegations it committed fraud over loans to councils.
Voter ID in perspective 06/07/2018 Jo Miller, in her role as a returning officer, argues that Voter ID is a very expensive way to tackle a problem that is not a top priority in the UK.
Mandatory ID ‘disenfranchises’ voters, electoral watchdog says 25/05/2018 Electoral watchdogs have rejected a claim that a recent trial requiring voters to show ID was 'a great success'.
Whitehall defends voter ID reform against accusations of ‘discrimination’ 23/04/2018 The Government has defended its plans to require voters to produce ID when voting after watchdog warned reform may discriminate against ethnic minorities.
Council employee exploited systems ‘failures’ to steal £1m 22/03/2018 Failures in ‘fundamental controls’ within Dundee City Council’s financial systems allowed a former employee to steal £1m from the authority, auditors conclude.
Cuts to trading standards putting older people at risk of fraud, warns charity 09/03/2018 Cuts to trading standards services are leaving millions of older people at risk of fraud, according to Age UK.
Dismissed council employee pleads guilty to fraud 08/03/2018 A former civil enforcement supervisor at Reading council has been issued a 17-week suspended jail sentence after admitting to fraud.
Voter ID trials are ‘unnecessary and over-bearing’ say campaigners 02/03/2018 The Government has been urged to reconsider its ID voting trials by campaigners due to the ‘tiny’ amount of electoral fraud.
Seven council staff arrested in fraud probe 16/02/2018 Seven members of staff at Cardiff Council have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, the council has confirmed.
The extent of business rates relief fraud 16/02/2018 It is estimated that there could be over £25m worth of fraud being perpetuated by businesses falsely claiming Small Business Rates Relief across England.
Fraudster jailed for stealing identity to get council job 20/10/2017 A fraudster who used another man’s identity to gain a council job and home as well as thousands in benefits has been jailed, a London council has reported.
Counter-fraud pilot successful 18/10/2017 Councils are encouraged to sign up to a joint counter-fraud initiative with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators after a ‘successful pilot stage’.