Anti-Fraud Culture and Key Principles
- The Combined Authority aims to ensure that Members and officers exercise proper stewardship of public money and that effective controls and procedures are embedded into all 5 Version 2.0, Owner: Head of Governance 27/02/2017. Review: 27/02/2018 working practices which will prevent and detect fraud and corruption. Members and officers should be aware of their roles in preventing and detecting fraud and managers should ensure they lead by example in compliance with rules and regulations.
- Legislation regulates local authorities and, amongst other things, sets out the framework that ensures that local authorities adopt effective control and governance arrangements. Within this framework, the Combined Authority has adopted a Constitution containing instructions, regulations and procedures which are designed to ensure high standards of probity in the conduct of the affairs of the Combined Authority of which this policy forms a part.
- The primary defence against fraud and corruption is the establishment of sound practices, procedures and systems, incorporating effective controls, which are subject to effective monitoring, supervisory and managerial arrangements. It is the duty of every manager and supervisor to operate the systems and controls in their area of responsibility, necessary to prevent and detect fraud and corruption. Failure to do so, especially where such failure results in fraud, corruption or theft, may result in disciplinary action.
- These control arrangements need to apply within an overall culture, within the Combined Authority, which positively promotes the highest standards of probity and which makes it absolutely clear that the Combined Authority will not tolerate dishonesty on the part of any of the officers or Members of the Combined Authority or any persons or organisations involved in any way with the Combined Authority.
- Where the Members or officers are involved, or where any person acts on or as an agent of the Combined Authority, or where initiatives or schemes involve funding through the Combined Authority, the principles outlined in the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy and Procedures must be applied.