Aspire @ The Park: Cash theft at Wakefield leisure centre sparks counter fraud review

Wakefield Council plans to assess cash holding across its facilities following the incident at Aspire @ The Park, in Pontefract.

Details of the theft are included in a counter fraud report, which says plans are in place to carry out “analysis around cash holding across the council to identify high risk areas.”

The document adds: “This was following a theft from a leisure centre earlier this year. A review of facilities highlighted in the analysis is planned for later this year.”

Members of the council’s audit and governance committee were told of other work carried out by the authority’s counter fraud team during the last financial year.

A total of 25 cases of suspected benefit fraud worth over £139,000 have been investigated jointly with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

The investigations identified overpayments of £76,000 of housing benefit, £18,000 of council tax support and £44,000 of DWP benefits.

Rob Blair, the council’s counter fraud manager, said eight of the cases have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Other work included a crackdown on misuse of disabled parking passes.

The council has issued more than 26,000 blue badges to residents in the past three years.

Mr Blair said his team had carried out a series of “proactive blue badge days of action” to deter misuse.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, 24 people were investigated, resulting in 18 formal cautions and four warning letters.

A review of Homes for Ukraine sponsorship schemes was carried out across the district.

The scheme pairs people who fled the country after the Russian invasion in 2022 with UK hosts.

All active schemes over six months old were looked at, with 28 homes visited.

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One sponsorship was cancelled and two were suspended after guests were found to be absent.

According to the report, guidance was also been given to all council departments following a reported increase in “flexitime fraud.”

Mr Blair said: “Where necessary, my team will investigate serious abuse of the flexitime scheme.”