We take responsibility for safeguarding public monies seriously and has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud; bribery and corruption; money laundering and tax evasion. Fraud and corruption reduce the resources available to deliver Council services to those people who depend on us. Failure to put in place effective measures to counteract financial irregularities may also damage the council's reputation.
There is a responsibility for all officers to notify and report any issues of serious concern. Failure to do so may have a negative impact on the delivery of council services, negatively impact the Council's reputation or impact the conduct of an individual.
Management have a responsibility to provide a safe and effective working environment, which enables individuals to raise genuine concerns about malpractice or unlawful conduct in the workplace. They must also ensure adequate controls are in place to help prevent and detect fraud, including ensuring robust policies are in place that define how we manages the prevention, detection, investigation and recovery of fraud.
The Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and the Confidential Reporting (Whistleblowing) Policy are based on those policies in place at all four legacy councils, benchmarked and updated against best practice (including CIPFA’s Code of Practice on managing the risk of fraud and corruption) and consulted on with other key stakeholders.
The policies will be reviewed and developed on an annual basis and work will be undertaken to embed the practices stated within the policies.
Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy
The Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy (SharePoint) sets out how we manage the prevention, detection, investigation and recovery of fraud, as well as stating roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders.
The policy incorporates the Council's approach to:
- fraud
- bribery and corruption
- money laundering
- tax evasion
The people of Cumberland are entitled to expect the Council to operate with integrity, honesty and openness. They rightly expect the highest standards from all those connected with the Council in any official capacity. The Council is therefore committed to combating fraud and taking action against anyone who attempts to commit fraud against it.
Confidential Reporting (Whistleblowing) Policy
The Confidential Reporting (Whistleblowing) Policy empowers employees and stakeholders to disclose serious wrongdoing or unlawful conduct, without fear of victimisation, by setting out how to report concerns safely in a way that ensures those concerns will be reviewed. The Council aims to encourage openness and will support ‘whistleblowers’ who raise genuine concerns, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to any activities that the Council is engaged in. It covers the following specific wrongdoing and practices:
- a criminal offence
- breach of any legal obligation
- a miscarriage of justice
- danger to the health and safety of any individual
- damage to the environment
- the deliberate concealment of information about any of the above
Support and protection for 'whistleblowers’ is paramount to an effective policy and steps are in place to ensure they do not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising a genuine concern in good faith.