Issue - meetings

This report updates councillors on the position of the Council’s Corporate Risk Register. The main updates are as follows:

·       The format of the reporting of the Register has been updated for this quarter;

·       No new risks were added during the quarter;

·       No risks were removed during the quarter;

·       Material updates to the risks are summarised at sections 14-19.

On behalf of the Risk and Insurance Manager, the Head of Audit and Management Assurance presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The report provided an update on the position of the Council’s Corporate Risk Register.

The attention of the Committee was drawn to the updated format of presentation as requested at the last quarterly presentation and now included a history of Risk Register changes and, where applicable, set out for individual risks, comments that had been previously made by the Committee.

Members wishing to comment on the new formatting and presentation were invited to do so outside the meeting.

It was reported that no new risks had been added during the quarter and no risks were removed. Material updates during the quarter were summarised for the Committee. There were particular references to Risk CR2 where strong and positive improvement steps were reported as being undertaken and in relation to Risk CR4 where an enhanced threat from increasingly sophisticated phishing was being addressed. In response to questions in respect of Risk CR9 information was provided for the Committee about assessment of the impact, in financial budgeting terms, of the recent higher than expected pay award offer. It was also noted that the methodology adopted of combining the previously separate covid pandemic risk register into the main risks had been a most effective way of adapting the risk process to reflect sudden changes and respond to exceptional circumstances.

The Committee noted the importance of the effective people strategy referred to in Risk CR15 and this was acknowledged as a key risk as the Council implemented it’s programme of transformation. Even since publication of the agenda there were new events which needed to be reflected in the risk and this could be brought back separately to the Committee if required.

Members were reminded in response to a question about risks in relation to private housing provision, that, in respect of risks not necessarily covered in the report, there was a platform of Service Risk Registers which sat below the Corporate level risks being reported to the Committee. Details of these specific Registers were available separately to interested Members.

There was discussion about the reputational impact of changes in process and particularly recent changes to the way in which the Council delivered overview and scrutiny. There was also reference to issues of performance within the Planning function although the Chairman reminded Members about the Committee’s previous discussion and agreement to properly reflect that risk within the risk management framework. The effectiveness of the way in which the Council responded to climate change was also suggested as an area that should have an increased focus within the Corporate Registers.

RESOLVED that the Audit and Governance Committee

(a)  notes the Corporate Risk Register update for the first Quarter of 2022/23 together with the specific additional comments made during the discussion at the meeting;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118