Fraud
Five million could be disenfranchised by voter ID, polling finds
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.
Council probe leads officers to ‘step back’
Two senior Guildford and Waverley officers have agreed to temporarily ‘step back’ from their roles amid intensifying investigations into housing maintenance contracts.
Voter ID law ‘poisoned cure,’ say MPs
The voter ID rule that was brought in an attempt to tackle electoral fraud in the 2023 local elections ‘disenfranchises more voters than it protects,’ MPs have said.
Weaknesses in Newport counter-fraud approach
‘Weaknesses’ have been found in Newport City Council’s approach to fraud, a finance watchdog has reported.
Moonlighting madness
Enfield LBC has become the latest council to admit naughty staffers were caught holding down second jobs while supposedly working from home.
Fraud flaw in energy scheme
The Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor ‘seems wide open to claims from ineligible households,’ The MJ has been told.
New checks on postal and proxy voting announced
Further checks to ensure there is no fraud when people vote by post or proxy could soon be introduced, according to the Government.
Two-thirds of councils yet to recover Covid grant losses
Only a third of councils have recovered any Covid business grants lost to fraud or errors, The MJ has learnt.
'Major victory' against housing fraud
A ‘landmark court order’ will make it possible for Kensington & Chelsea LBC and other councils to tackle people fraudulently listing social housing on Airbnb.
County fends off £500k cyber fraud attempts
Nottinghamshire CC has thwarted two attempts to defraud the council totalling more than £500,000.
Councils faced pandemic fraud surge
Local authorities have faced a surge in attempted fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have reported.
EXCLUSIVE: Council sacked director over 'vexatious and malicious' police report
Thanet DC sacked its director of corporate governance and monitoring officer after he submitted ‘vexatious and malicious’ allegations about a senior colleague to the police, The MJ can reveal.
Extra steps taken to prevent poll fraud in Tower Hamlets
The chief executive of the Electoral Commission has revealed that extra steps have been taken to address the risk of electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets.
New interim chief to look at council property decisions
Haringey LBC’s new interim chief executive will review how the council makes decisions on property and acquisitions amid a police probe.
Councils complain about grants red tape
Frustrated councils are having to needlessly double check firms despite having repeatedly paid business grants to them, The MJ understands.
Business grants fraud warning
Councils across the country have reported receiving scores of fraudulent applications for business grants, The MJ has learnt.
Whiteman wades into report row
The chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has waded into a row over the publication of a lessons learned report.
CIPFA blocks publication of failed project review
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has refused to publish a report assessing whether it has learnt lessons from a failed counter-fraud project.
‘Shameless’ COVID fraudsters targeted 41 councils
The actions of two companies that attempted to defraud dozens of councils out of COVID grants have been labelled ‘despicable’.
Voter ID 'colossal waste of money,' says Labour
Proposals to introduce voter ID are a ‘colossal waste of money,’ Labour has argued.