Agenda item

The Committee considered the quarterly risk update which set out corporate and departmental risks since the report to Committee in June 2023. 

In presenting the report, the Head of Finance and Customer Services highlighted that Officers had worked to reduce the number of risks through proactive management. The risk level had moved up from limited to moderate assurance in May 2023.

There had been no changes to the number of corporate risks since the last report.  The cyber risk had moved from amber to red due to the increased risk in this area despite all the mitigations put in place.  In response to a question about this, the Head of Finance and Customer Services reported that this was an issue across the public and private sectors, not specific to the Council.

In April 2022 there had been 122 departmental risks.  Use of the 4Risk system was helping manage and reduce these.  At 22^nd June 2023 there were 43 departmental risks, one of which was red, relating to ‘revenues – performance indicator data is not robust’.  The most significant departmental risk currently was safeguarding which would need to be reviewed at the next quarter’s meeting to decide whether it should be escalated to a corporate risk.

In response to a question for detail about why the statutory inspection policy referred to in paragraph 3.8 of the report was red, the Head of Finance and Customer Services undertook to provide more detail to Councillor McEldowney outside the meeting.  Committee members sought reassurance that the risks involved in this were being managed appropriately and that this could be improved.

Planning Services was showing as Amber in terms of being placed into special measures, and a member of the Committee asked what actions were being taken to improve the service.  The same member also asked for more detail about the causes of the increase in fires referred to at paragraph 3.21 of the report.

The Head of Finance and Customer Services responded that the increase in fires had been attributed to electrical equipment.  With reference to the planning service, efforts were being made to attract and retain skilled planning officers in a competitive market.

Councillor Evans asked what had caused the increase in the number of amber risks for housing between March and July.  He also asked what had been removed from amber under Community Services.  The Head of Finance and Customer Services agreed to provide the relevant detail outside the meeting.

The Committee noted concern expressed by Councillor R A Bailes at the number of housing risks.  She referred to discussion at an Overview and Scrutiny meeting where the potential to bring the service into the Council had been considered.  She suggested that this approach would itself involve risks.

Other issues raised by the committee during consideration of the report included:

·       whether councillors would be accessing the KnowBe4 system; it was noted that training sessions were currently being rolled out to officers and councillors;

·       where risks relating to council play equipment were covered.  The Head of Finance and Customer Services reported that it was likely to be in risk no. ENV10, but she undertook to check this and confirm.  The Committee agreed that its concern that risk assessments and any remedial actions should be up to date would be recorded in the minutes and communicated to officers;

·       whether PAT testing of electrical equipment was up to date in the Council; the Head of Finance and Customer Services reported that regular PAT testing did take place, but she would check and confirm the current status of this corporately;

·       whether the Council had reviewed its practices in the light of recent reports of vapes and lithium batteries causing fires in bin lorries; this would be reviewed by officers.

RESOLVED that the present list of Corporate and Departmental Risks be noted and additional risk requests considered.