Counter fraud and corruption strategy - Policy statement - Counter fraud and corruption strategy

Counter fraud and corruption strategy - Policy statement

The counter fraud and corruption strategy was approved by the Audit and Risk Management Committee in November 2025.

A table showing the counter fraud and corruption strategy policy details. The first row shows the policy owner, the second row shows who the policy was reviewed by and the third row shows the policys date of review.
Policy owner	Head of Audit and Assurance
Reviewed by	Head of Audit and Assurance
Date of review	July 2025

1.1. ‘Making Bromley Even Better’ sets out the London Borough of Bromley’s commitment to managing our resources well, providing value for money together with efficient and effective services for Bromley’s residents.

1.2. The Annual Fraud Indicator 2023 estimates that fraud against local government costs £8.8bn each year. The London Borough of Bromley recognises that all money lost to fraud deprives the council of resources which could be used to deliver services to residents and the best possible outcomes for our borough.

1.3. London Borough of Bromley also recognises that delivering its own services and activities in compliance with the law and the high ethical standards set out in our REAL (Respect, empower, ambition, learn) values and the Seven Principles of Public Life will protect the council’s reputation and sustain the trust of our residents, partners, employees and other stakeholders.

1.4. As such, the council will not tolerate fraud and corruption, whether from internal or external sources. This includes any fraud or corruption committed by council employees or others working on our behalf which is intended to benefit the council, as well as fraud or corruption which is perpetrated against the council. The council has high expectations of propriety, integrity and accountability from all parties identified within this strategy.

1.5. This strategy sets out the council’s commitment and approach to managing the risk of fraud and corruption. The overarching aims of the strategy are to:

Ensure high ethical standards in the delivery of the council’s services.
Encourage a strong counter fraud culture.
Improve the council’s resilience to fraud and corruption through effective prevention and detection of fraud.
Reinforce the council’s zero-tolerance attitude to fraud.
Provide a framework for a robust fraud response, including the application of sanctions.
Ensure that continual improvement is applied to lessons learnt from fraud.
Explore opportunities for financial savings through enhanced detection and prevention.
Protect the council’s resources.

1.6. The council’s strategic approach will be consistent with that outlined in the Local Government Fraud Strategy: ‘Fighting Fraud and Corruption Locally’ (FFCL). The five key pillars of this approach are set out in the table. The Head of Audit and Assurance will periodically assess arrangements against FFCL and report to the Audit and Risk Management Committee.

A table showing a pillar and what it means. Column one shows the pillar and column two shows what it means.
Pillar	What it means
Govern	Having robust arrangements and executive support to ensure anti-fraud, bribery and corruption measures are embedded throughout the organisation.
Acknowledge	Accessing and understanding fraud risks. Committing the right support and tackling fraud and corruption. Demonstrating that it has a robust anti-fraud response. Communicating the risks to those charged with Governance.
Prevent	Making the best use of information and technology. Enhancing fraud controls and processes. Developing a more effective anti-fraud culture. Communicating its activity and successes.
Pursue	Prioritising fraud recovery and use of civil sanctions. Developing capability and capacity to punish offenders. Collaborating across geographical and sectoral boundaries. Learning lessons and closing the gaps.
Protecting itself and its residents	Recognising the harm that fraud can cause in the community. Protecting itself and its residents from fraud.