Council staff kept valuables of deceased at home

Public health funerals are provided for people who have died and have no relatives or friends to arrange a burial or cremation

Cash and valuables belonging to the deceased who had no relatives to arrange a private funeral were kept by council officers in their homes and cars, an investigation has found.

There was also inadequate record keeping, no evidence of banking and a lack of management oversight and control, Cornwall Council’s audit committee heard.

Public health funerals are provided for people who have died and have no relatives or friends to arrange a burial or cremation.

The meeting heard an audit report stating the problems arose in part due to a rising number of public funerals, and the council’s move to working from home rather in offices, which meant a lack of storage and capacity for staff.

'No audit trail'

As a result of the investigation, the council is to stop retrieving cash and valuables from homes until suitable measures are put in place.

Officers will now wear bodycams when moving through properties to record any cash or valuables found, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The details will also be recorded on forms and witnessed by two staff members.

The audit investigation was carried out after concerns were raised by council staff.

Holly Sykes, chief internal auditor, said in the report: "There was no audit trail regarding handover of cash and valuables to the officer responsible for banking.

"Receipts were not issued and reconciliations for banking were not undertaken.

"The audit further identified a lack of management oversight and control of, and involvement in, operational procedures, in particular with regards to banking."

She told councillors the audit did not find any incidents of fraud or inappropriate behaviour by staff.

"We’re very comfortable that everything we found can be acted upon," she added.

The council said in a statement that it "constantly reviews its operations to ensure our work is carried out efficiently and in the best interests of our residents".

It added: "When issues are highlighted, appropriate action is taken to ensure these are corrected."