Swansea’s counter-fraud team has been credited with saving or identifying more than £1.25m for the council in the past year, according to figures discussed at a governance and audit committee meeting.
Small team, significant impact
The unit, described in council papers as the fraud function, consists of just three officers who investigate alleged wrongdoing spanning council tax reduction, welfare benefits, social housing tenancy misuse and Blue Badge parking abuse. The team also undertakes special inquiries, employee-related probes and fraud-awareness activity, often working alongside bodies such as the Department for Work and Pensions and South Wales Police.
“The counter-fraud team is doing a tremendous job,”
The comment came from committee chair Paula O’Connor during the meeting where the results for 2025-26 were laid out. Officers told councillors the work not only recovered sums paid in error but also produced a deterrent effect across the city.
What the figures show
In 2025-26 the team recovered £480,980.80 in actual overpayments, up on the previous year’s £417,002.75. Much of the recovered cash related to housing benefit and welfare payments, with welfare overpayment recoveries rising noticeably.
| Category | 2025-26 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Actual recoveries | £480,980.80 | £417,002.75 |
| Welfare benefit overpayments | £302,174.55 | £200,507.02 |
| Notional overpayments | £771,214.70 | (slightly lower) |
| Total identified or recovered | £1,252,305.56 | — |
Notional overpayments are sums the council treats as losses in principle — for example, when properties incorrectly in use are brought back into social housing stock. In 2025-26, the report said most of the notional figure arose when nine social homes were reclaimed after investigations found they had been used as short-term holiday lets.
Enforcement and outcomes
Council officers reported a mix of enforcement outcomes during the year. The corporate fraud manager, Jonathon Rogers, told councillors four welfare benefit prosecutions were successfully pursued in court. The team also issued seven Blue Badge warning notices and completed 13 employee investigations, of which 10 are concluded — one resulting in resignation and another in a formal warning.
- Areas investigated include council tax reduction, housing and welfare benefits, Blue Badge misuse and tenancy fraud.
- The team conducts prevention work and partners with national agencies for multi-authority inquiries.
- Activity led to nine social homes being returned to council stock after being used as holiday accommodation.
Officers additionally described involvement in a multi-agency investigation based in London that included several other authorities, underlining the cross-border nature of some fraud activity.
Audit Wales findings and next steps
Audit Wales, the council’s external auditors, reported that Swansea has a clear zero-tolerance stance on fraud and receives strong corporate support for tackling it. However, the auditors also identified gaps, including the absence of a comprehensive fraud strategy — an issue flagged for attention at future governance meetings.
For Swansea residents, the figures underline two local consequences: direct financial savings to the public purse and a modest increase in available social housing after properties were reclaimed. Councillors will consider the counter-fraud team’s work as part of wider discussions about resourcing and formalising the authority’s approach to preventing and detecting fraud.
Committee papers emphasised the team’s deterrent value as well as its recoveries, with councillors praising the officers for maximising impact despite limited staffing.
