Anti-fraud and Corruption
Preventing losses to fraud and corruption is essential for ensuring that significant public funds are used for their intended purpose: that of providing services to the citizens of Darlington. The policies below tell you how the Borough Council responds to the threat of fraud and corruption and spell out the council’s determination to prevent, detect and deter fraud.
The Council is also seeking your help in supporting this ‘zero tolerance approach’. If you have any information on the possible misuse and abuse of council’s funds and assets please contact us on the 24hr telephone service or by email.
It will help if you provide your contact details but any wish to remain anonymous will be respected.
Tel: 01325 388096
Email: internalaudit@darlington.gov.uk
In the case of Housing Benefit fraud please use this link to access further information including contact details.
Darlington Borough Council is required by law to protect the public funds that it administers. In order to prevent and detect fraud, the Council may be required to share the information it holds with organisations responsible for auditing or administering public funds.
The Audit Commission appoints the organisation that audits the accounts of the Council and is also responsible for carrying out data matching exercises to prevent and detect fraud.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other records held by the same or another body. These records usually contain personal data. The aim of computerised data matching is to identify potentially fraudulent claims and payments. Where a match is found it indicates that there is an inconsistency that requires further investigation. No assumption is made as to whether an inconsistency constitutes fraud until a full investigation has been carried out.
The Audit Commission currently requires the Council to participate in a data matching exercise, known as the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. The Audit Commission requires us to provide them with certain data sets. These are set out in the Audit Commission's handbooks [external site]
The use of data by the Audit Commission for this purpose is carried out with statutory authority under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. Consent from data subjects is not, therefore, required.
Data matching by the Audit Commission is subject to a Code of practice.
For further information on the Audit Commission’s legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular data sets, please contact the Council’s Information Governance Team or Audit Services Section on 01325 380651
Whistle Blowing (Confidential Reporting Policy)
Why do we have a whistle blowing policy?
The policy aims to help any employees who have major concerns over wrong-doings within the council. You can report these concerns without fear of possible victimisation or reprisals.
What is it about?
The policy encourages you to raise serious concerns that you have about any service provision or about the conduct of officers and members. The policy explains how to raise concerns and details how the council will respond. It is designed to covers major concerns such as; breaches of law, health and safety risks, fraud and corruption, sexual or physical abuse.
"Whistle Blowing" Policy [pdf document]