Issue - meetings

To consider and approve the Risk Management Strategy.

That the Cabinet approve the Risk Management Strategy.

By way of a report by the Internal Audit and Risk Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Cabinet considered the outcome of the Annual Review of the Risk Management Strategy.

It was explained that the Risk Register required all risk to be assigned a risk level – either a Corporate or Operational risk. Risks were also required to be allocated to one of 13 risk areas. The risk areas provided a framework for identifying and categorising the risks faced by the Council. Upon choosing the risk area, due to the current parameters within the risk management software, the risk was automatically assigned to either Corporate or Operational level. 

The majority of the 13 risk areas naturally assimilated to either a Corporate or Operational level. However, some risks could fit within either level.  The Strategy now allowed Managers to select, within parameters, whether a risk was allocated to a Corporate or Operational level.  Changes would be required to the risk management software to accommodate this which was able to be easily made.  All current risks would be reviewed and reallocated if necessary to the appropriate level. 

Other changes to the Strategy were minor in nature. As the Corporate Management Team had agreed that all the Officer Governance Groups should be responsible for managing risk, the tasks assigned to the former Officer Risk Governance Group had been allocated to the Management Team and would be delivered through the Officer Governance Groups as the Risk Governance Group has been disbanded.  Whereupon it was

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet approve the Risk Management Strategy.

The Panel is to receive a report on the Risk Strategy.

With the aid of a report by the Internal Audit and Risk Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Risk Strategy was presented to the Panel. Members were informed that with the exception of allowing managers the freedom to decide if a risk should be classified as a corporate or operational risk, the Strategy remained largely unchanged from that agreed in 2015.

In response to a question regarding the identification of risk it was confirmed that Members are able to identify risks that they feel need to be addressed via the Internal Audit and Risk Manager.  

Following a question on how does the Council interact with other councils to help identify risks, the Panel was informed that the Internal Audit and Risk Manager works with other Councils to identify risk.

(At 9.12pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillors Mrs A Dickinson, J M Palmer and P D Reeve joined the meeting.)