From austerity to Armageddon with no watchdog

摘要

As the Audit Commission reveals the latest fraud detection figures, it appears councils are getting worse at unearthing wrong-doing - at first glance. As we know, fraud detection is a tough one to call - if fraud is not found, does it mean it isn't happening, or are councils just not trying enough? It's hard to tell. But with three-quarters of non-benefit fraud detected by a quarter of councils, it seems there is still a long way to go. And, in a time of austerity, the commission has called for councils to focus their efforts most on the areas which affect their revenue most. It has also asked the DCLG to give councils more powers to tackle fraud. It may be perceived as a tad vain, but almost as an aside, it says -what happens when it is scrapped?