Shropshire Council sees rise in whistleblowing reports

Council tax and non-domestic rates were the biggest theme during the 2025/26 financial year with 14 reports, followed by staffing (eight), benefits (seven), theft/fraud (four), safeguarding (four), and tenancy fraud (two). There were also two reports that didn’t come under any of those themes.

The 41 reports is an increase of 13 compared to the previous year.

Whistleblowing is when people can raise work-related concerns, such as fraud, corruption, adult/child protection concerns, or allegations of harassment or bullying.

The “speaking up about wrongdoing” process forms a key element of Shropshire Council’s corporate governance arrangements.

It is available to all staff via the Intranet pages and is also available to members, contractors, partners, and the public via its website.

There were 10 occasions where there was deemed to be no case to answer (NCTA), with four being referred to a third party. Two of the reports resulted in management action, two saw a “recovery”, while one was managed via another procedure or policy. Over half of the reports (22) are ongoing.

During the previous four years, the number of whistleblowing reports was between 23 and 29.

While there was a marked increase during 2025/26, Shropshire Council says it is in the context of whistleblowing being seen as a positive indicator of confidence in reporting arrangements rather than solely as a measure of wrongdoing.

“In particular, the increase in 2025/26 is likely to reflect increased awareness of whistleblowing routes, greater confidence that concerns will be taken seriously, and improved accessibility of reporting mechanisms, rather than symbolise a rise in wrongdoing,” said Sam Collins-Lafferty, human resources and organisational development manager at Shropshire Council.

“This is evidenced by just over half of the investigated reports resulting in NCTA.”

Most reports were received via email (35), while three reports were submitted by both phone and letter.

“When comparing the route of report to previous years, reporting routes have shifted noticeably over recent years,” added Ms Collins-Lafferty.

“In 2021/22, all reports were submitted via email. Prior to 2020, verbal reporting was often the preferred route; the move towards email
reporting reflects the increase in hybrid working arrangements since 2020.

“In 2022/23, reports were received through a mix of channels (11 email, 16 phone, two letter).

“In 2023/24, this pattern narrowed, with reports primarily via phone (13) and
email (eight). In 2024/25, email became the preferred route again, with 20 reports submitted by email and six by phone, indicating a continued preference for email reporting methods.”

During the past year, there have been significant developments in the UK whistleblowing framework relevant to the council’s approach.

Sexual harassment is also now treated as a qualifying disclosure under updated whistleblowing protections.

For the 2026/27 financial year, key actions that Shropshire Council has highlighted include refreshed induction content, a coordinated programme of internal communications, the use of building-based posts, and mandatory training on bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Communications activity is being aligned with national awareness initiatives, including Whistleblowers Awareness Month, which is currently taking place.

The council’s audit and governance committee will discuss the report next Thursday (June 25).