Grant Fraud
Hello,
I hope whoever is reading this is keeping well.
My name is Yohannes Lowe. This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please could you breakdown the following information from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2021.
Please could the information be broken down concisely and as I have requested- in the most simple language/terms possible.
Q1) How many overpayments did your council identify for claims made as part of Covid-related government grant schemes it administered (for example, but not limited to: small business rates grant scheme; retail, hospital and leisure grant scheme) over the stated period?
1a) If such overpayments did occur, please could you tell me the total frequency of/ reasons for /such overpayment (for example, but not limited to: 'payment error', 'ineligible claim', 'fraudulent claim').
1aa) For each of these overpayments please can you state: the cost to the council of the overpayment amount (in £); how much of its total has been recovered (in £) as of the current date, and how much money (in £) is outstanding as of the current date.
So, for instance, taking the 'fraudulent claim' category as an example, your council may have made overpayments worth £300,000 for 30 fraudulent claims, recovered £25,000 for 2 of them as of the current date, meaning there is £275,000 outstanding for 28.
1b) In relation to the identified fraudulent claims, please can you break this information down in terms of what kind of fraud occurred (for example, but not limited to: 'organised fraud').
If you feel that a substantive response to this request is not possible within a reasonable time frame, or the request is too broad, I would be grateful if you could please contact me by email ([email address]) and provide assistance as to how I could refine the request.
Kind Regards,
Yohannes Lowe
Please Ask For: Alison Sipson
Direct Line: 01246 242383
E-mail: [1][Bolsover District Council request email]
Date: 17th March 2021
Yohannes Lowe
[FOI #736283 email]
Dear Yohannes
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST
Your reference number – F/518/2021
Thank you for your email of 15th March 2021 requesting information about
overpayments identified for claims relating to Covid grant schemes.
Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. We aim to answer your request within 20 working days from the date
we received it, as prescribed under the Act.
For your information, the Act gives you the right to be told whether we
hold the information (subject to absolute exemptions). The Act also
defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of the
information you have requested. You will be informed if this is the case,
together with your rights of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to
release the information to you. You will be informed if we need more time
to do this.
A fee may be charged for disbursements. If a fee is to be charged you will
be notified in writing.
If you have any queries about this letter please do not hesitate to
contact us on the above contact details. Please remember to quote the
reference number above in any future communications.
Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner
at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
[2]www.ico.org.uk
Yours sincerely
Alison Sipson
Information Support Officer
Corporate Resources (Performance)
Bolsover District Council
The Arc
High Street
Clowne
Derbyshire
S43 4JY
Telephone: 01246 242383
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References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Bolsover District Council request email]
2. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
Please Ask For: Alison Sipson
Direct Line: 01246 242383
E-mail: [Bolsover District Council request email]
Date: 6th April 2021
Yohannes Lowe
[FOI #736283 email]
Dear Yohannes
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST
Reference F/518/2021
Your request for information has been considered and, to the best of our
knowledge, the information we hold which relates to your request is as
follows:
Please could you breakdown the following information from 1 March 2020 to
28 February 2021.
Please could the information be broken down concisely and as I have
requested- in the most simple language/terms possible.
Q1) How many overpayments did your council identify for claims made as
part of Covid-related government grant schemes it administered (for
example, but not limited to: small business rates grant scheme; retail,
hospital and leisure grant scheme) over the stated period?
13
1a) If such overpayments did occur, please could you tell me the total
frequency of/ reasons for /such overpayment (for example, but not limited
to: 'payment error', 'ineligible claim', 'fraudulent claim').
13 ineligible claim
1aa) For each of these overpayments please can you state: the cost to the
council of the overpayment amount (in £); how much of its total has been
recovered (in £) as of the current date, and how much money (in £) is
outstanding as of the current date.
Overpaid amount - £160,000
Amount recovered - £150,000
Outstanding - £10,000
So, for instance, taking the 'fraudulent claim' category as an example,
your council may have made overpayments worth £300,000 for 30 fraudulent
claims, recovered £25,000 for 2 of them as of the current date, meaning
there is £275,000 outstanding for 28.
1b) In relation to the identified fraudulent claims, please can you break
this information down in terms of what kind of fraud occurred (for
example, but not limited to: 'organised fraud').
Not applicable
I hope that you are satisfied with our response. However, if you are
dissatisfied in any way with the handling of your information request your
next step would be to clearly state in writing why you are dissatisfied
and the Council will treat this as a formal complaint in accordance with
our Compliments, Comments and Complaints policy. The policy together with
information on how to make a complaint is available on the Council’s
website [1]www.bolsover.gov.uk or by emailing CCCAdmin[2]@bolsover.gov.uk.
I also have a duty to make you aware of the Information Commissioner's
Office, which is an independent body who monitors the Data Protection Act,
the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations,
and make sure organisations fulfil their legal obligations under the
Acts. They can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
[3]www.ico.org.uk
Yours sincerely
Wayne Gorman
Information and Policy Officer
Bolsover District Council/North East Derbyshire District Council
Corporate Resources (Performance)
NEDDC Ext 7688 BDC Ext 7688
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References
Visible links
1. http://www.bolsover.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Hello Alison,
I hope you are keeping well. Thanks very much for your response to my FOI Request (736283).
It is greatly appreciated. Would you please be so kind to break down all of the payments in terms of the names of the government grants they were paid in relation to, along with what day they were paid out (DD/MM/YYYY).
Could you please also tell me what you mean exactly by "ineligible claim" in each of the cases.
You can, of course, treat this as a new request if you so wish.
Best,
Yohannes
Dear Yohannes
Thank you for your follow up email below. I have forwarded your request to the relevant department and I will respond back to you directly.
Kind Regards
Alison Sipson
Information Support Officer
Corporate Resources (Performance)
Bolsover District Council
Tel: 01246 242383
Hours of work:
Monday to Friday 7:00am to 1:00pm
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #736283 email]
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Disclaimer
This email is confidential, may be legally privileged and contain personal views that are not the views of Bolsover District Council.
It is intended solely for the addressee. If this email was sent in error please notify the sender, delete the email and do not disclose, copy, distribute, or rely on it. Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the contents of this email may be disclosed.
This message and attached files have been virus scanned. Attachments are opened at your own risk.
Dear Yohannes
Thank you for your follow up email in relation to F/518/2021 received on
6th April 2021 in which you asked the following:
Would you please be so kind to break down all of the payments in terms of
the names of the government grants they were paid in relation to, along
with what day they were paid out (DD/MM/YYYY).
Could you please also tell me what you mean exactly by "ineligible claim"
in each of the cases.
Response:
Q1) How many overpayments did your council identify for claims made as
part of Covid-related government grant schemes it administered (for
example, but not limited to: small business rates grant scheme; retail,
hospital and leisure grant scheme) over the stated period?
13 (5 Small business grant scheme (SBGF), 8 Retail, Hospitality and
Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF)
1a) If such overpayments did occur, please could you tell me the total
frequency of/ reasons for /such overpayment (for example, but not limited
to: 'payment error', 'ineligible claim', 'fraudulent claim').
13 ineligible – Found to be not eligible/not entitled
1aa) For each of these overpayments please can you state: the cost to the
council of the overpayment amount (in £); how much of its total has been
recovered (in £) as of the current date, and how much money (in £) is
outstanding as of the current date.
Overpaid amount - £160,000 ( *£50,000 SBGF, £110,000 RHLGF)
Amount recovered - £150,000(*£40,000 “ , “
“ )
Outstanding - £10,000 * Small business grant scheme
The overpaid amounts were all paid during the period April - August 2020
Kind Regards
Wayne Gorman
Information and Policy Manager
Corporate Resources (Performance)
Bolsover District Council/North East Derbyshire District Council
The Arc
High Street
Clowne
Derbyshire
S43 4JY
BDC Ext 7688 NEDDC Ext 7688
Disclaimer
This email is confidential, may be legally privileged and contain personal views that are not the views of Bolsover District Council.
It is intended solely for the addressee. If this email was sent in error please notify the sender, delete the email and do not disclose, copy, distribute, or rely on it. Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the contents of this email may be disclosed.
This message and attached files have been virus scanned. Attachments are opened at your own risk.
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