Northumberland County Council
Fraud Information Website
This fraud information website
has been developed to both inform and educate all employees and Members of the
Council on the ways in which fraud can be perpetrated and the warning signs to
look for.
Northumberland County Council is
committed to sound corporate governance and an integral element of this approach
is the Council’s determination to eradicate fraud and corruption whether it is
attempted from within or outside the Council.
It is
important to emphasise that the County Council has traditionally had a good
record with respect to probity and the instances of detected fraud and
corruption within its activities have been relatively few.
The Council’s staff are an important element in its stance on fraud and
corruption and you are positively encouraged to raise any concerns that you may
have on these issues where they are associated with the Council’s activity. You
can do this in the knowledge that such concerns will be treated in the utmost
confidence and properly investigated. If necessary, a route other than a normal
line manager may be used to raise concerns. Examples of such routes are:
The Anti-Fraud Auditor in Internal Audit
The Director of Finance
The Chief Executive
Your Departmental Chief Officer or Heads of Service
The Monitoring Officer (The Director of Personnel and Administration)
An External Agency e.g. external auditor
Financial malpractice or corruption will not be tolerated. Any suspicion of
fraudulent or corrupt practices will be promptly investigated by Internal Audit
staff and a decision taken, in conjunction with the Monitoring Officer where
appropriate, as to whether to refer the matter to the Police for criminal
investigation. Referral for police investigation is the norm where fraud or
corruption is suspected for sums of more than a nominal amount as determined
from time to time by the Head of Internal Audit.
In all cases, recovery of any losses will be vigorously pursued through all
available channels and, if appropriate, through any staff pension entitlement.
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