National fraud initiative
Southampton City Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. It may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud. The Cabinet Office appoints the auditor to audit the accounts of this authority.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it may indicate that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.
Southampton City Council participates in the Cabinet Office's National Fraud Initiative (NFI). As part of this initiative, we are required to share a range of data sets with the Cabinet Office to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. These data sets include Council Tax, Housing Benefits, Payroll, Housing Tenancy, Licensing, Blue Badge, Creditors, and Adult Social Care data. For more details on the data shared, please visit the National Fraud Initiative website.
The use of data by the Cabinet Office in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, as the processing is necessary for a task carried out in the public interest. For more information on how Southampton City Council handles your personal data, including your rights under data protection law, please see our Privacy Notice.
Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice
View further information on the Cabinet Office’s legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information.
