Fraud team uncovers cases worth millions

Housing tenancy fraud accounted for most of last year’s increase in fraud value, according to council figures

Taxpayers have been saved about £3.6m after council investigators uncovered more than 140 cases of fraud last year.

The total value of cases investigated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council's corporate fraud team in 2023-24 increased by £609,630 over the previous year.

This includes housing and council tax fraud, fraudulent Covid Business Grant claims and one case where social care worth £20,294 was wrongly claimed.

Strategic manager Clare Potts, who presented the fraud figures to the council's audit committee, said housing tenancy fraud had accounted for most of the increase in fraud value.

Tenancy fraud can include illegally sub-letting a council property for profit, or providing false information in a housing application.

Thirty council house residents also had their tenancies terminated after they were found to have committed housing tenancy fraud.

Councillor Lorraine Beardmore said housing tenancy fraud had increased by a "significant amount", and questioned whether this was down to better detection or an increase in fraudulent activity.

Ms Potts replied it was a "mixture of both," as housing officers had been more "proactive", but numbers had also risen due to the cost of living.

Members of the committee also queried the scale of the single case of social care fraud and questioned how it had happened.

The figure of £20,294 was a "huge amount’ for a single case, councillor Beardmore added.

Investigators also uncovered internal fraud involving an expenses claim of £450, as well as four other cases involving council staff, which resulted in disciplinary proceedings or dismissal.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.