Lambeth Council adopts new approach to tackling fraud

As part of its commitment to protecting public funds, Lambeth Council has signed a contract with KPMG Forensic, the UK forensic arm of the global network of professional services firms. The three year contract will involve KPMG working with Lambeth's in-house fraud team to deliver a new council-wide approach to tackling fraud.

The work will be led by Jim Gee, KPMG's Director of Fraud Services. Until recently, he was Chief Executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, and is currently Chair of the Government’s Fraud Review Stakeholder Group. He was responsible for creating and leading the organisation which reduced NHS fraud losses by up to 60%.

Councillor Jim Dickson, Cabinet Member for Finance at Lambeth Council, said: "I am very pleased that we are awarding this contract to KPMG Forensic. They have a track record of success and Jim Gee is someone who is right at the leading edge of new developments in fraud prevention and detection.

"Combating fraud is a top council priority. It is vital that we can all be confident that money and resources are going where they are most needed. We need to ensure that Lambeth has the most robust systems in place to prevent and identify fraudulent activity and to tackle fraudsters."

Mike Suarez, Lambeth's Director of Finance, Lambeth's Chief Internal Auditor, said: "We chose to award the contract to KPMG Forensic because of their innovative approach and focus on developing a real anti-fraud culture and accurately measuring and reducing losses. We look forward to real positive benefits to Lambeth. This is another area where Lambeth is seeking to build on its recent improvements and make further progress.

Jim Gee, KPMG's Director of Fraud Services, said: "I shall be applying experience gained over 24 years as a Counter Fraud Specialist, establishing and managing counter fraud organisations across the public sector. This will be a comprehensive, integrated and professional piece of work designed to meet the highest standards recommended by the Government's Fraud Review. If we can reduce fraud losses by the extent they were reduced in the NHS then this will be very beneficial for Lambeth."