Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

To provide a status report on the revised Strategic Risk Register as at the end of the second quarter 2024/25.

Decision

That the Council’s strategic risks as at the end of quarter 2 2024/25, be noted.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None were considered. The Strategic Risk Register contained the key strategic risks to the delivery of the Council’s medium and longer term priorities. A failure to monitor the action that was being taken to manage those risks would undermine the Council’s governance arrangements.

Reasons for the Decision

An update of the Strategic Risk Register developed under the risk management approach of ‘risk appetite’, was last presented Members in August 2024 and contained fifteen strategic risks as detailed within paragraph 3.1 of the officer’s report.

Since reporting to Members in August, the Strategic Risk Register had been refreshed and updated by the Risk Owners and Corporate Management Team. This update had reviewed each risk in terms of the level of assessed risk, control measures in place and mitigating actions required, and had identified there had been some positive movement in the Risk Register. It had also considered whether there were new risks that need to be assessed.

The updated register was contained with Part B of this agenda, it contained fifteen strategic risks along with details of relevant mitigations.

Each risk included a number of control measures in order to avoid, seek, modify, transfer or retain the risks. These included actions already in place and further actions required with the relevant timescales for implementation. These control actions continued to be implemented and the risks managed accordingly.

Each risk was evaluated in terms of the level of assessed risk (likelihood and impact), taking into consideration any changes in control measures and the wider environment in which the Council operated. There had been some positive movements in terms of the implementation of control measures, which had resulted in a change to the assessed levels or likelihood and/or impact of one of the risks:

• Risk 13 has decreased from Red: Almost Certain/Critical to Amber: Probable/Major. 

The assessed level of each of the fifteen risks was outlined at paragraph 3.4 of the officer’s report.