Council worker sacked for fraudulent refunds

A Doncaster council worker has been sacked after paying herself and family members more than £1,000 in fraudulent refunds.

The City of Doncaster Council worker, who has not been named, had taken £1,033 by "initiating refunds for services that were never commissioned", an internal audit report said.

The incident was investigated in June and July last year, after the employee's fraud was uncovered by her service manager.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed a 42-year-old woman had been arrested and given a caution.

The council audit report said efforts to recover the money were under way.

Head of internal audit Peter Jackson said: "This was a very isolated incident."

Executive director of corporate resources Debbie Hogg said the council did not give the details of individual cases, and the council would not provide any when approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, such incidents were "very rare as a result of the robust arrangements we have in place for preventing and detecting fraud", Hogg said.

During a meeting of the audit committee last Thursday, Councillor Iris Beech asked council officers what, if anything, could be done differently to prevent this happening again in the future.

Hogg replied: "It's going to be inevitable that if somebody is minded [to commit fraud], they will find a way.

"It is subsequently picked up and worked through… We're never going to eradicate everything. It's just impossible."

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "On 6 September 2024, we received a report of fraud in Doncaster.

"It was reported that a woman had defrauded Doncaster Council of £1,033.

"On 27 January a 42-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

"Following an investigation, she was given a caution and the incident has since been filed."

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