The council has a duty to protect the public funds it administers. Fraud and corruption deprives our services of vital resources. We are committed to the prevention, detection, and investigation of all forms of fraud, bribery and corruption in all areas of the council’s services.
Our fraud investigators are responsible for investigating all fraud matters which directly impact the council, in areas such as:
To assist in the fight against fraud and corruption, we support the Fighting Fraud and Corruption Locally Strategy.
Housing Benefit Fraud is the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and should be reported to the DWP National Benefit Fraud Hotline via GOV.UK website.
If you suspect fraud or corruption is being committed against the council or its services, report it to us.
Give as much information as possible to help us investigate such as:
Do not:
You do not have to give your name or contact details when reporting fraud, but it does help if we need to ask you for more information. If you do provide your personal details, they will be kept confidential and only used if we need to contact you. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your personal data.
Report a potential fraud online
Email: fraud@basingstoke.gov.uk
Freephone hotline 0800 525 927
Every report received is reviewed and taken seriously and action is taken if issues are found. This could include a full investigation and may lead to prosecution or other sanctions.
Issues that cannot be dealt by us are forwarded to appropriate agencies or organisations.
Data Protection laws prevent us from being able to give progress updates on actions taken or inform the outcome of our investigations.
Report Fraud, UK’s national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre, provides a central point for victims to inform the police about fraud and cyber crime and to seek support and guidance.
If you believe you have been a victim of fraud and you want to make a report and get more information on how to protect yourself visit the Report Fraud website.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. To help achieve this, we may share information provided to us with other bodies responsible for auditing, administering public funds, or where undertaking a public function, in order to prevent and detect fraud.
We participate in the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) National Fraud Initiative (NFI), a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide sets of data to the Minister for the DWP for each exercise. The data requirements are subject to change with each exercise, the latest requirements can be viewed on GOV.UK website.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Data matching helps identify potentially fraudulent claims and payments and may highlight inconsistencies that require further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.
The processing of data by DWP in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, as the processing is necessary for a task carried out in the public interest.
Data matching conducted under the NFI is governed by a Code of Data Matching Practice.
Further information on the DWP’s legal powers and the reasons for matching particular information.
Receive information on council services, news and events by email.
Subscribe© 2026 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council