A Bristol City Council officer on long-term sick pay started work elsewhere before they had quit their job, an investigation found. The scam, which was stopped before the employee received their next wages from taxpayers’ money, was exposed by a colleague using the local authority’s whistleblowing process, a council meeting was told.
City Hall bosses considered pressing charges but decided not to because it was nipped in the bud so early, audit committee members heard. In another case, an officer working in the cemetery and crematorium service was accused of theft and misuse of council property.
While the allegation could not be proven, it identified “significant weaknesses in stock control” and changes have been made by authority chiefs. The alleged cons were highlighted in the council’s annual counter-fraud report alongside nine other whistleblowing cases that reached a conclusion between April 2021 and March this year, while 12 new ones were raised by staff against colleagues they suspected of wrongdoing.
Read more: Bristol City Council fraud investigators recover £1.1m of taxpayers' money
Louise Lee, audit manager in the counter fraud and investigations team, told the meeting: “Whistleblowing referrals have increased compared with last year and we hope that’s a sign of increased confidence and awareness. Some referrals are made anonymously, some are not evidenced in any way, so it can be quite difficult to investigate it to a sufficient level to prove the wrongdoing.
“They are always objectively and thoroughly investigated and often lead to reports that provide insight and recommendations for processes. Whistleblowing is always a high priority for us.
“We are committed to building on the work we’ve already done and we want to improve the understanding of whistleblowing across the council and by management.” A report to the committee said: “An allegation was received that a city council officer who had been absent from work on long-term sickness started work for another employer before resigning from the city council.
“An investigation confirmed the allegation. Due to prompt action an overpayment was prevented.
“Criminal proceedings were not considered appropriate due to the short-term nature of the offence and there was no financial gain.” The number of cases raised by staff in 2021/22 suggests trust is growing in the whistleblowing process, the meeting heard.
Concerns were raised in both 2019 and 2020 about employees fearing reprisals from colleagues and even “revenge attacks” from managers if they flagged concerns, so an anonymous hotline was set up and the service switched departments from human resources to internal audit.
Read next:
Whistleblower hotline to be set up by city council amid fears of 'revenge attacks' by bosses
'Fears of reprisals' putting off Bristol City Council whistleblowers
Whistleblower nurse 'vindicated' after £462,000 award for unfair sacking
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