The UK Anti-Corruption Plan, announced this week, is intended to set the strategic direction for all anti-corruption activity over the coming year and ensure greater collaboration and consistency across the public and private sectors. It is based on the strategy of ‘pursue, prevent, protect, prepare’.

Under the terms of the plan, which sets out over 60 partnerships between government agencies and specialist providers, CIPFA’s counter fraud centre will work with the Home Office in helping public services protect themselves from fraud, corruption and other crime by providing training and toolkits that place an emphasis on greater prevention and smarter enforcement.

The plan will also see the Treasury and Home Office complete a national risk assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing, and address any issues it highlights through an Anti-Money Laundering Action Plan

In his foreword to the plan, Matthew Hancock, government anti-corruption champion and minister for business, enterprise and energy, explained: ‘The purpose of this plan is threefold: to demonstrate the breadth of the UK’s current anti-corruption activities; to set out clearly the actions that government will take to tackle corruption in the UK; and to set out our priorities for raising international standards and leading the global fight against corruption in all its forms.’

Rachael Tiffin, head of CIPFA’s counter fraud centre, said: ‘It is welcome news that the Home Office has launched an anti-corruption plan that will be instrumental in cracking down on fraud and corruption in the public sector.’

She added that the organisation has developed a range of tools and training to tackle complex risks facing local authorities and the public sector.

The Home Office anti-corruption plan is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-anti-corruption-plan