A war on petty cash has been declared at Moray Council.
The move comes after discrepancies were found during an internal audit carried out between April 1 and June 30 this year.
In some of the accounts records had not been kept up to date, and in one fund receipts were shredded following a misunderstanding over a change in working practices.
At a meeting of the audit and scrutiny committee today chairman Donald Gatt questioned why money was still being used when there had been a move towards contactless card payments during the pandemic.
He said: “I was quite surprised to see there are so many petty cash accounts.
“We’re dealing with values from £5 to £1,000, and you don’t get much for £5 these days.
“The report says it’s used for the likes for stamps and stationery but that’s done in house.”
There are 123 different funds in operation across the local authority with a combined total of £17,600.
‘We need to know what it’s being used for’
Independent councillor for Forres George Alexander said: “It must be quite difficult in schools to stamp out the use of petty cash. I’m not sure all parents will have access to card systems.”
Chief financial officer Lorraine Paisey told the committee she would use all her strength to “wage war on petty cash”.
She said: “We need to know what it’s being used for, and it may be more appropriate for staff to have purchasing cards rather than cash.
“But for value for money purchases should be done through the council’s buying systems.”
Urgent action is being takes to address issues highlighted in the report, including a reminder to those administering funds to follow guidelines.
A further review of how petty cash funds are used across the council will be carried out, and is expected to be completed by the end of March next year.