Issue - meetings
SIAS PROGRESS REPORT 2025/26
Meeting: 10/09/2025 - Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (Item 20)
20 SAFS PROGRESS REPORT 2025/26 
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REPORT OF THE SHARED ANTI-FRAUD SERVICE (SAFS)
To review the progress and delivery of the Anti-Fraud plan 2025/26.
Decision:
RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the progress by officers and the Shared Anti-Fraud Service to deliver the Anti-Fraud Plan for the Council.
REASON FOR DECISION: To provide details of the work undertaken by the Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) and Council Officers to protect the Council against the threat of fraud and the delivery of the Council’s Anti-Fraud Action Plan for 2025/26.
Minutes:
Audio recording - 39 minutes 30 seconds
The Counter Fraud Manager Presented the Report Entitled ‘SAFS Progress Report 2025/26’:
· There is an It was noted that there was an error in the report in paragraph 15 - the word ‘Borough’ should be ‘District’.
· In the year 2025/26, between April – June, there had been 26 allegations of fraud, however only 2 were referred from North Herts Council colleagues, with an estimated loss of £129k.
· Shared Anti Fraud Service (SAFS) Accredited Financial Investigator has been assisting with an investigation conducted jointly by the Councils Enforcement Team and the County Councils Trading Standards service regarding the illegal sale of vapes from a business premise in Royston.
· A new ‘Tenancy Fraud Investigation’ contract had been signed with Settle (Housing Association) for 2025/26 which had resulted in the recovery of 3 properties that had been re-let to residents from the Councils Housing Register, which had already saved the Council in the region of £126k this year.
· The Council is part of Herts Fraudhub where data was submitted along with the other SAFS partners to help identify fraud through data-analysis/matching, dealing with this data on a local level helped with the National Fraud Initiative .
· The table on paragraph 18 showed the progress on Key Performance Indicators, all were either completed, part completed, or on target.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Ruth Brown
· Councillor Paul Ward
· Independent Member John Cannon
In response to questions, the Counter Fraud Manager advised that:
· The Council had Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policies that were kept under constant review to ensure compliance with current best practice and the impact of any changes required by legislation.
· Once there was more guidance as to how legislation will impact Local Authorities, SAFS would advise the Council of any amendments required to the Anti-Fraud Policies.
In response to questions, the Director - Resources advised that the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee was responsible for these policies.
Councillor Vijaiya Poopalasingham proposed and Councillor Paul Ward seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the progress by officers and the Shared Anti-Fraud Service to deliver the Anti-Fraud Plan for the Council.
REASON FOR DECISION: To provide details of the work undertaken by the Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) and Council Officers to protect the Council against the threat of fraud and the delivery of the Council’s Anti-Fraud Action Plan for 2025/26.