Falkirk council warned whistleblowing allegations are putting reputation at risk

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Persistent whistleblowing allegations within Falkirk Council have been flagged as a risk to its reputation. While the exact nature of the allegations has never been made public, the report states that they are "relating to procurement decisions and awarding of contracts within the same department".Falkirk Council's annual audit report by Ernst & Young (EY) also noted concerns raised by two accidents that have been investigated by the Health and Safety Executive that "are likely to lead to fines". Read more: Falkirk Council promise to look at improving "appalling" bus service The external auditors made it clear that all of the whistleblowing allegations have been investigated thoroughly - both by the auditors' forensic specialists and the council's internal fraud team - and no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing has been found.However, presenting their final annual audit report, the auditors told members that "the number and nature of the concerns really present a reputational risk to the council" and recommend a review.The annual audit report covers four key areas: financial management; financial sustainability; governance and transparency; and value for money.The persistence of the allegations meant that the auditors gave an amber rating to Falkirk Council for governance and transparency.Overall, the auditors said they were satisfied that "the key features of good governance are in place".However, the report added: "While improvements have been made to the whistleblowing reporting arrangements to Audit Committee, we consider that underlying cultural issues have not been fully addressed."Speaking at a meeting of Falkirk Council's audit committee, Grace Scanlin explained their decision further.She told members: "We don't