Audit finds weaknesses in council bus cash control

An audit of cash handling on council bus services in south west Scotland has flagged up a string of concerns.

It found there was a "significant risk of loss or undetected error" in half of the eight objectives it looked at in Dumfries and Galloway.

The local authority runs 18 bus routes across the region - one out of Stranraer, six out of Castle Douglas and 11 out of Dumfries.

A report said five action points highlighted by the audit - including banking bus service income at least once a week - had now been implemented.

The internal audit by Dumfries and Galloway Council aimed to confirm that cash income from the routes was being accounted for and banked in accordance with financial regulations.

It also sought assurances that cash was being held securely and banked promptly.

However, it discovered weaknesses in controls over the income and found that cash from two depots - Abercromby in Castle Douglas and Cargen Towers in Dumfries - had not been banked for several months.

Among the other concerns it highlighted were:

• No weekly check to ensure cash was being handed in
• No fares being charged on one route in Stranraer as the driver did not have a licence to do so
• No written records of cash being passed from one staff member to another

It recommended five different action points in order to tackle the issues uncovered.

They included cash being held securely and under the responsibility of a single council officer.

The report said all the measures highlighted had now been put in place.