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Posted on the 24th March 2025 in PHTM News
KENT TAXI FIRMS ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD COUNCIL OF NEARLY £30,000 IN UNMADE SEN SCHOOL TRIPS
Kent County Council (KCC) has uncovered nearly £30,000 in fraudulent invoicing by taxi firms claiming payment for home-to-school trips that never occurred.
Between April and August 2024, 15 instances of "invoicing irregularities" were detected with a value of £29,649 of invoicing for services not being delivered. This was revealed through cross-referencing school attendance records with taxi company payment claims.
The home-to-school transport (HST) service, which caters to approximately 6,000 special needs pupils and costs Kent taxpayers around £70 million annually, has become a target for fraudulent activity.
Cllr Ros Binks, Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee, expressed her concern, stating: "I am assuming that all invoices are checked and there are systems in place to pick up irregularities. I am not surprised irregularities happen, for all sorts of reasons including error, but councils have always been fair game because of a historic lack of checking.
"We have been pressing for a change in that culture, not least because KCC has to watch every penny it spends."
The offending companies face warning letters, contract suspensions or terminations. While the council will recoup the overcharged sums through future invoicing, or via invoice if this is not possible.
Green Party councillor Mark Hood, who sits on the committee, highlighted the need for vigilance, stating: "The issue regarding fraudulent charging for home to school taxi services is an important one. The scale of the use of taxis and the number of individual contracts does mean that there are opportunities to commit offences and it is right that £29,649 of incorrect invoicing has been identified for 15 contracts.
"This is in the context of a £68m budget and 6,000 children with special needs being transported by taxi each year across Kent. Of course, there may be the odd invoicing mistake but, nevertheless, everything should be done to ensure nobody is paid more than they should be to take these children to and from their schools in safety."
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