Norfolk County Council's internal fraud team received 41 whistleblowing disclosures during the 2025/26 financial year, according to the Anti-Fraud, Corruption and Whistleblowing Annual Report presented to the Audit and Governance Committee on 28 July 2026.

Each disclosure was either investigated directly by the council or referred to the appropriate service or external organisation. The council participated in the National Fraud Initiative — a government-run data-matching programme — as well as the Norfolk Fraud Hub, both of which support the detection of fraud and errors.

The National Fraud Initiative helped identify cases including the misuse of Blue Badge parking permits, which are issued to people with disabilities and can be fraudulently used by others.

Committee members also questioned how the council identifies conflicts of interest and secondary employment among staff. Officers confirmed that data-matching through the National Fraud Initiative can flag potential conflicts that warrant further investigation, and that employees are required to declare any conflicts to their Head of Service under the council's standards of conduct.

Officers told the committee that work is currently underway to strengthen the arrangements for recording and monitoring these declarations.

Members asked whether schools could also access the council's fraud investigation support. Officers confirmed that maintained schools can and do refer suspected fraud or financial irregularities to the council for investigation.

The committee agreed the key messages in the report and was satisfied that the work carried out met the required standards.