Anglia Revenues Partnership

Summary of Submission

The Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) is a true partnership of five Local Authorities working together to provide excellent Revenues and Benefits Services. Established in 2003, ARP is the biggest revenues partnership in England, providing core statutory services across three counties.

Our one-team approach is enhanced by our in-house Fraud Team which investigates fraud and error for our partners, and our in-house Enforcement Agency (ARPE) which collects council tax and business rates debt, parking fines and sundry debts on behalf of our partners. ARP also provides Fraud and Enforcement services to other external local authorities and housing associations.

Our 5 key strategic themes:

• Customers
• Relationships
• Colleagues
• Digital
• Sustainability

The objective of ARP is to utilise best practice to provide a high quality, efficient and effective service on behalf of our partners and customers, whilst delivering on financial efficiencies, providing value for money and resilience.

Blackpool Council

Summary of Submission

Blackpool Council’s MHCLG-funded Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) is a four-year initiative improving standards across 152 schemes supporting over 600 residents. Working with Housing Benefit, Planning, Enforcement, Fraud, Adult Services, and Housing Options, SHIP team review and challenges claims while raising accommodation and support quality.

A gatekeeping process approved only 1 speculative enquiry in 4 years. The Housing Benefit team manages 4,442 HB & CTR claims, 13,556 CTR-only cases, and 740 HB-only cases, including 437 for supported housing. Achievements include 500+ rent/service charge reviews, training reducing processing times from 200 to 10 hours, 70+ joint inspections, 300+ planning checks, and auditing 600+ support plans.

In 2024–25 alone, the programme prevented £1,390,455.40 in subsidy loss and delivered £480,000+ in Housing Benefit savings—ensuring better homes, stronger safeguards, and exceptional value for Blackpool.

CDER with Lightning Reach and London Borough of Brent

Summary of Submission

Financial difficulties can affect anyone—and accessing help can sometimes feel like another major hurdle. That’s why CDER Group & Brent Council have partnered with Lightning Reach, an award-winning digital platform that connects people to available grants, benefits and concessionary schemes through a single, streamlined application. The people who are entitled and need these funds are the hardest to reach and the least likely to ask for help.

The Lightning Reach portal has enabled CDER to proactively deliver real impactful support to the Brent community, as an integral part of the enforcement service, to the growing numbers of individuals falling into financial hardship due to the rising cost of living.

“Thank you very much for being so humane, removing the fee and helping me get those grants. I am back in work now and can actually support my child. It means a lot!”. [Michael B, Harlesden, London].

Dundee City Council

Summary of Submission

 The Pension Credit Take-Up Campaign was initiated and co-ordinated by Council Advice Services ,working in partnership with partner services and organisations to reach as many potential older people households as possible. The outcomes demonstrate how this campaign and its interventions have mitigated some of the worst impacts of the cost-of-Living crisis for some of those with the least financial resources living in Dundee.

Council Advice Services (CAS) and Benefit Delivery Team (BDT) discussed how best to increase awareness of Pension Credit and to also maximise the income of older people in Dundee. Making use of existing Council Tax Reduction data collated and provided by the BDT allowed our experienced advisers to target those who might qualify for Pension Credit. To date, 614 older people have engaged with our service, generating £3,449,577.25 of financial gains.

Working collaboratively, we were able to achieve the outcomes set out and led the way for achieving this success in current and future campaigns.

Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service

Summary of Submission

The Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) is an award winning and highly respected Anti-Fraud Partnership hosted by Hertfordshire County Council providing its services to local authorities and other public sector bodies across the Home Counties, London and the Eastern Region.

SAFS launched in 2015 as a two-year self-funding pilot and has been successfully protecting public funds for 10 years. Originally 6 local authority partners, increasing to 8 from 2024, with combined annual budgets in excess of £2.5bn.

SAFS is a centre of excellence and one of a very few local authorities with a Licence to Operate under the Government Counter Fraud Profession Practitioners Group, ensuring that our investigations meet the highest standards.

SAFS services include fraud risk assessment, policy and process fraud-proofing, fraud awareness/prevention training, data services, complex fraud investigations in both civil and criminal arenas, specialist investigations involving high risk or sensitive matters, financial investigations and anti-money laundering services.

Preston City Council & Fylde Borough Council

Summary of Submission

In 2007 Preston CC won the IRRV Excellence in Counter Fraud award.

In 2009 following some staffing difficulties at Fylde, Preston and Fylde entered into a partnership agreement that has since been extended twice over, demonstrating longevity and commitment.

In 2011 Preston CC won the Excellence in Partnership working award in recognition of the successful counter fraud shared service with Fylde Borough Council.

Since then, the team: -

• has exceeded all targets set each year
• was a finalist in the Fighting Fraud and Corruption awards 2019, achieving highly commended in the category of Prevent
• Identified £3.5M in savings in the last 5 years

The Corporate Fraud team hosted by Preston manages and administers the corporate counter fraud service on behalf of Preston, Lancaster and Fylde Councils under shared service arrangements. A small but highly effective team delivering significant outcomes on Revenues and Benefit fraud, HR/Employee fraud, Finance, Planning and Housing.

Preston City Council and Lancaster City Council

Summary of Submission

The Corporate Fraud team hosted by Preston manages and administers the corporate counter fraud service on behalf of Preston and Lancaster City Councils and Fylde BC under shared service arrangements.

Lancaster CC has housing stock of 3654 properties and acknowledging the shortage of affordable homes locally and extensive waiting lists, a decision was made to review every right to buy application in partnership with the fraud team.  Fraudulent allocations can lead to an increase in the number of people being housed in temporary accommodation and places additional pressure on already stretched budgets.

This strong partnership working arrangement has secured savings to the sum of £1.2M over the last 4 years, by retaining housing stock under the right to buy arrangements and ensuring that only those who are entitled receive the significant discounts.  This way of working ensures that properties remain in the hands of those that are genuinely entitled.