Agenda item

Report of the Director of Finance

The Audit and Procurement Committee considered a report of the Director of Finance, that sent out the outcome of the review of the Corporate Risk Register 2021/22 and the COVID-19 Risk Register and the controls in place to address these risks.

The Council’s Corporate Risk Register and COVID-19 Risk Registers are set out in the context of three important factors, firstly the ongoing challenge of the resources available, secondly the demographic challenges leading to increased demand for services whilst quality must be maintained, and thirdly the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a dramatic impact on citizens and local government.

The report provided the Committee with the outcome of the review of the Corporate Risk Register 2021/22 and provided the first opportunity for a review of the COVID-19 Risk Register.

The Corporate Risk Register was set out at Appendix 1 and had been reviewed in consultation with the Senior Management Board and the allocated Risk Manager.  It identified the main risks facing the Council, the planned risk treatment and the progress made to date, where responsibility lies for the Council’s response and the risk control status using a traffic light system.  It was noted that the Corporate Risk Register covers only those risks that are viewed as the most critical for the Council and which are considered at a corporate level.  Risk management activity continued throughout the Council dealing with those of a lower risk.

The report identified those risks that were new to the Register, those with an amended title, and those that had been removed since the Register was last considered by the Committee.

The Corporate Risks could be considered in two separate categories of Operational / Business as Usual and Specific / Project.  Operational / Business as Usual risks included Finance (CR001), Health and Adult Social Care (CR006), Safeguarding Children and Young People (CR007), Information Governance (CR014), Failure to Comply with Health and Safety Legislation (CR016) and Economic Downturn (CR021).  The Specific / Project risks included Sky Blue Sports and Leisure (CR002), ICT Infrastructure and Change (CR003), Workforce Strategy (CR005), Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation (CR019), Children’s Social Services Workforce Stability (CR022) and Elections (CR023).

The Committee were advised that on page 62 or the document pack, in relation to Health and Adult Social Care Risk (CR006), text had been omitted from the Corporate Risk Register as follows:

Column 1 (planned  treatment) should include “Market engagement on a range of sustainability and viability issues”.

Column 3 (Progress to date) should indicate that “the Infection Control Fund expires on 31^st March 2021.

Column 5 (Control Status) should be Amber and not Green.

In considering the Corporate Risk Register, the Committee requested that future reports include an additional column indicating the risk level when last reported, in order to provide a comparison to the current risk position.

In addition, the Committee requested hat investigations be carried out into the opportunity for the Council to operate it’s own employment agency, particularly for the employment of Social Work Staff.  The Committee were advised that investigations had previously been undertaken in relation to this matter and officers undertook to provide the Committee with the outcome of these investigations.

The Committee went on to consider the COVID-19 Risk Register at Appendix 2 and it was noted that this was the first time that the Register had been submitted to the Committee.  The COVID-19 Register had been created at the beginning of the Pandemic crisis and the Risks were grouped under the following themes:

Theme 1   Children Safeguarding and Education

Theme 2   Adult Social Care

Theme 3   Decision Making and Governance

Theme 4   Financial Implications

Theme 5   Staff Support and Health and Safety

Theme 6   General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act Compliance

Theme 7   Support for Those Who Are Homeless or at Risk of Homelessness

Theme 8   Public Health

Theme 9   Workplace Reopening

Theme 10   Culture, Tourism and Sport

Theme 11   The Economic Prosperity of the City

Theme 12   The Identification of Asymptomatic but Infectious Individuals

The Committee indicated that when the COVID-19 Risk Register is next submitted, it would be helpful to see if the situations had deteriorated or improved and whether there appeared to be any trends.

RESOLVED that, the Audit and Procurement Committee:

1.  Having satisfied themselves that the risks are being identified and managed, note the current Corporate Risk Register.

2.  Having satisfied themselves that the risks are being identified and managed, note the COVID-19 Risk Register.

3.  Request that future report contain an additional column to indicate the previous risk level for comparison purposes.