Council paid £63,000 to care firm for deceased resident's care.

James Flannery, the counter-fraud manager at Kent County Council, has emphasized that "irregularities" have always been a part of their operations. This statement comes in the wake of a recent scandal involving the council's payments to a care provider for services rendered to a deceased individual. The incident has sparked criticism and scrutiny towards the council's handling of finances.

The council's losses due to fraud and human error have skyrocketed to a staggering £2.8 million in the period between 2023 and 2024. It has been reported that the unidentified care provider received payments of £63,000 for services to the deceased person, while more than £16,000 was paid out in salaries to workers who had already left the council. This revelation was made in a report by the council's counter-fraud team during a government and audit committee meeting on Thursday.

Councillor Ros Binks expressed her confusion and concern over the situation, questioning how the council could be making payments to individuals who were not on the payroll or verifying invoices before paying them. She also raised the issue of care being delivered without the council's knowledge of any under-delivery. These financial losses are significantly higher than the previous year's figure of £517,000, as highlighted during the meeting.

James Flannery addressed the high level of losses compared to the previous year, attributing it to the "better awareness" of reporting irregularities among local officials. When asked about the possibility of staff not doing their job correctly, he reiterated that irregularities have always been a part of their operations, but they may not have been reported to the internal audit previously.

Flannery further explained that his team has been actively working towards raising awareness among staff about reporting norms and have collaborated with management to prevent such incidents from happening again. The authority's reported losses represent a five-fold increase from the previous year, indicating the need for significant measures to mitigate the risk of irregularities in the future.

Jonathan Carr-West, the chief executive of the council's local government information unit, has stated that county councils are complex organizations that handle a vast number of transactions every year. He emphasized the need for strict measures and proper handling of services across a wide spectrum to prevent such incidents from occurring.

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