Harrow Council's Corporate Anti-Fraud Team (CAFT) has recovered and avoided losses totalling over £2 million in the last financial year, achieving a return on investment of nearly seven to one.
The team's annual report for 2025-26, presented to the Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee, detailed that out of 15 planned workstreams, nine were successfully completed, two are ongoing, three were carried forward, and one was not met.
Of the team's key performance indicators, four out of five were achieved. The combined total for fraud investigations and National Fraud Initiative (NFI) work resulted in the significant recovery and avoidance of losses.
Justin Phillips, Service Manager for CAFT, presented the report, highlighting the team's efforts in tackling fraud across various areas including tenancy, Right to Buy applications, housing applications, internal fraud, social care, disabled blue badges, revenue and benefits, and other miscellaneous cases.
The NFI 2024/25 data, received in December 2024, flagged 8,591 matches, with 345 categorised as high priority. Investigations into these matches have already led to positive outcomes, with savings and loss avoidance exceeding £427,000.
The report also noted that while the target of recovering 15 social housing tenancies and disrupting fraudulent Right to Buy applications was not fully met (achieving 10), the team's overall performance demonstrates a strong commitment to protecting public funds.
