Hackney Council's Audit & Anti-Fraud Service is facing staffing and capacity challenges that have impacted its ability to meet objectives, according to a progress report presented at the Audit Committee meeting on 30 October 2025.
The Audit & Anti-Fraud Progress Report, covering the period from 1 April to 30 September 2025, revealed that the service has faced difficulties due to sickness and recruitment issues. To address these challenges, the council has recruited a fixed-term contract auditor. The report also noted that all Internal Audit activities must comply with the Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) as of April 2025.
To ensure full conformance with the new standards, Internal Auditors have updated their knowledge and skills by participating in various training courses and webinars. A self-assessment of conformance with the new GIAS has led to the development of an Internal Audit GIAS action plan to ensure successful implementation and adherence.
The Audit Committee was asked to consider and approve the updated Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy and Fraud Response Plan, detailed in the Public reports pack. The Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy was updated to include a foreword and to reflect the key requirements of the Failure to Prevent Fraud requirements arising from the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act. The previously separate Anti-Bribery Policy is now incorporated within the main document, and the appendix link to the 7 principles of public life has been replaced with the 7 principles of working at Hackney.
According to the Audit and Anti-Fraud Progress Report, the Audit & Anti-Fraud Service faced staffing and capacity issues during the year due to sickness and recruitment challenges.
