Councillor Kevin Keenan, convener of the scrutiny committee, is urging banks and the gambling industry to help prevent the types of fraud that led to £1 million being stolen from Dundee City Council.
His is also asking the local authority to fully implement the recommendations from the Accounts Commission contained in a report to be considered by the council on Monday (April 23).
Councillor Keenan said: “This fraud is of a national significance and lessons have to be learned by councils and public organisations across the country.
“I am calling on the council to put in place all the recommendations made by the Accounts Commission in its detailed and thorough report.
“We must minimise the risk of this sort of crime ever happening again. I am pleased to see that officers acted quickly once this theft had been discovered.
“I also think it is important that the gambling industry and the financial institutions up their game and help lessen the likelihood of such a fraud happening again.
“They owe us a great responsibility and must take measures to make sure that public funds are not abused in this way again.
“The council has already brought a report to our scrutiny committee for a detailed look at the situation and I welcome the chance for all 29 councillors to get a chance to debate the Audit Commission’s findings.
“I would hope that the banks and gambling industry would be as equally accountable on such on an important issue as this.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
