DETAILS have emerged of multiple corruption investigations involving council staff, including cases of electoral fraud and alleged thefts from schools.

The revelations come in a new council report examining fraud in the borough, as new national figures show a record high for the problem in first half of 2009.

The documents reveal that one council officer was given a two year conditional discharge after being caught falsifying electoral registration forms in 2008, while two other members of staff are currently under investigation for stealing from schools.

Another officer in the planning department is the subject of an inquiry amid allegations that they used council resources for their own private business, while a £1,810 cheque from the children's services department is also being investigated after it was intercepted on the way to a supplier and had the name on it altered.

Despite the revelations, the authority says it is progressing well in tackling fraud among both residents and its own staff, but has acknowledged it needs to do more, such as improving its fraud database and making sure staff have enough regular training.

The council report states: “Set against the best practices, as advocated by the CIPFA Better Governance Forum, it is considered that the authority’s overall approach and framework to counter fraud continues to reflect a sound approach."

It continues: “One of the messages in promoting anti-fraud awareness and culture is that there is no room for complacency, fraud can and does occur and would-be fraudsters are continually looking to new ways of robbing the public purse.

“One of the many consequences arising from the current economic downturn is the potential for fraud to increase as more people fall on harder times.”

According to the National Strategic Fraud Authority, fraud costs the average UK resident £231 a year.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council takes fraud very seriously and is committed to combating fraud.

"There are a relatively small number of potential or alleged cases of fraud committed by staff but this is a low number for an organisation of the council’s size and certainly not dozens.

"In respect of the altered cheque for £1,810, there is no evidence that this was perpetrated by a member of staff.

"We are confident that our anti fraud and corruption arrangements work well and this has been recognised in past assessments by the Audit Commission but we’re always looking at ways of improving and adapting our measures to counter fraud and protect the public purse."