Issue - meetings

NOTE: At this stage in the proceedings, Councillor Donald Nannestad re-entered the meeting.

Purpose of Report

To provide the Executive with a status report of the revised Strategic Risk Register as at the end of the first quarter 2021/22.

Decision

That the Council’s strategic risks as at the end of the first quarter for 2021/22 be noted.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reason for Decision

An update of the Strategic Risk Register developed under the risk management approach of ‘risk appetite’, was last presented Members in June 2021 and contained sixteen strategic risks.

Since reporting to Members in June, the Strategic Risk Register had been refreshed and updated by the Corporate Management Team for the financial year of 2021/22. The Strategic Risk Register reflected the significant change in circumstances in which the Council had been operating since the onset of the pandemic and the different challenges and opportunities it faced.  This review had identified that there have been some positive movement in the register, with the removal of one green risk and the merging of a number of other risks to more accurately reflect the Council’s strategic risks.

The Strategic Risk Register currently contained thirteen risks, as follows:

1.    Failure to engage & influence effectively the Council’s strategic partners, council staff and all stakeholders to deliver against e.g. Council’s Vision 2025.

2.    Failure to deliver a sustainable Medium Term Financial Strategy (that supports delivery of Vision 2025).

3.    Failure to deliver the Towards Financial Sustainability Programme whilst ensuring the resilience of the Council.

4.    Failure to ensure compliance with statutory duties/functions and appropriate governance arrangements are in place.

5.    Failure to protect the local authority's Vision 2025 due to changing structures and relationships in local government and impact on size, scale, and scope of the Council.

6.    Unable to meet the emerging changes required in the Council’s culture, behaviour, and skills to support the delivery of the council’s Vision 2020/2025 and the transformational journey to one Council approach.

7.    Insufficient levels of resilience and capacity exist in order to deliver key strategic projects & services within the Council.

8.    Decline in the economic prosperity within the City Centre.

9.    Failure to deliver key strategic projects.

10.   Failure of the Council’s key contractors and partners to remain sustainable and continue to deliver value for money.

11.   Failure to put in place safe working practices and social distancing measures to protect officers and service users.

12.   Failure to protect the vulnerable in relation to the Council’s PREVENT and safeguarding duties.

13.   Failure to mitigate against the risk of a successful cyber-attack against the Council.

The assessed level of each of these thirteen risks was as follows:

Sound risk management was one way in which the Council ensured that it discharged its functions in accordance with its  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29