Bureau Recommends: Edinburgh council probed over fraud allegations
Possible fraud and serious wrongdoings in building works on private homes overseen by Edinburgh City Council have been uncovered by a BBC investigation.
BBC Scotland heard claims of bribes being offered to contractors, overcharging and unnecessary and poor quality work.
Council surveyors arrange work through approved contractors and recoup the cash from owners – with the council receiving 15 per cent of the bill.
Police have been passed evidence suggesting a council officer went on holidays paid for by a contractor.
The program commissioned two experts to look at the quality of the work – with both concluding that residents had been over-charged for poor quality work.
Over the past year 15 officials in the property conservation department – nearly half the staff – have been suspended as a ‘precautionary move’, according to the council.
However the local authority would not comment on the allegations until a police inquiry had ended.
