Bedford Borough Council is carrying out a review of its staff procurement cards to ensure tighter controls and improved transparency, according to an internal newsletter.
The newsletter said “heightened public scrutiny” is part of the reason for the review.
Last month, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported that the council did not respond to media questions about the use of procurement cards.
Read: Bedford Borough Council silent on payment card use as FOI reveals gaps in oversight
Also, that personal names were added to records for four card payments (which were later removed after the LDRS pointed this out).
Read: Bedford Borough Council changes public data after breach, but won’t report to ICO
No complaints made and no evidence of misuse
A council spokesperson said, “The council has not received any formal complaints about procurement card usage.
“However, there have been a small number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and informal queries relating to card transactions.”
An FOI request submitted by the LDRS found that no audits of purchase cards took place in 2023–24 or 2024–25.
The spokesperson added, “While the review was not triggered by any specific media article or FOI request, and has been ongoing for some time, it has been informed by a broader awareness of the increased public interest in local authority spending.
“The council views this scrutiny as healthy and appropriate, and the review is part of ensuring its practices meet the highest standards of probity and value for money,” they said.
The review is assessing each procurement card on a “case-by-case basis” by the relevant director.
Cards that are no longer in regular use, or where the original justification no longer applies, will be cancelled.
“The aim is to ensure that all cards in circulation are necessary, proportionate, and subject to appropriate oversight,” the spokesperson said.
Once completed the updated policy will include “clearer guidance” on what procurement cards can and cannot be used for, “more explicit” thresholds and authorisation processes, and instructions on when purchase orders must be used instead.
This is to “strengthen consistency” across the organisation and “reduce the risk of misuse or misinterpretation”.
The council spokesperson said, “There is no evidence of misuse of the cards.
“The revised policy will be issued to staff to help ensure the correct procedures are followed in future with regular monitoring to test compliance.
“The council does not plan to publish a summary of the key findings once the review is complete.”
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
