Agenda item

Cabinet received a report setting out for consideration the latest version of the Corporate Risk Register for the Authority and summarising the main changes since last presented.

The Cabinet Member for Customers, Communications and Performance, Miss Susan Carey introduced the report for members and explained the process by which officers renewed the report each year and welcomed the opportunity to not only consider risks to the Council but mitigation of those risks. 

David Whittle, Corporate Director of Strategic & Corporate Services, was in attendance to speak to the item.  He reported that Cabinet Members and Corporate Directors had been consulted on the risks faced by the council and those that should be included in the register.  He confirmed that the register was a living document and would be updated to reflect new director level appointments as soon as it was appropriate to do so.  He concluded by describing the governance arrangements relevant to the register and described the council’s approach to risk management as robust.

Mark Scrivener, Corporate Risk Manager and Interim Corporate Assurance Manager, was also in attendance and spoke to the item, he set out the most significant changes since the last report to cabinet as set out in the report, as follows:

      i.        CRR0001: Safeguarding – protecting vulnerable children.

The risk score had been reduced from 20 (High) to 15 (Medium) after, among other factors, the independent Ofsted inspection in spring 2017. However, all CMT and Cabinet Members were clear that there was no room for complacency and that there was an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.

    ii.        CRR0010: Unaccompanied Asylum seeking children (UASC).

This risk had previously been reduced to its target level and while there were still some financial concerns associated with the ‘legacy’ cohort, it was proposed that it should be managed at directorate level and would only be escalated back up to corporate level if required.

   iii.        CRR0005: Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. 

This risk had been significantly updated after comments from CMT and Cabinet Members. This risk was multi-faceted, with a number of different risk events highlighted. It would be necessary to review the controls listed and identify more in due course.

   iv.        CRR0011: Evolution of KCC’s Strategic Commissioning approach.

This risk previously contained a number of broader elements relating to the management of change, but now focused more specifically on the strategic commissioning ‘journey’. The risk had been initially scored as ‘medium’.

    v.        NEW RISK – Opportunities and risks associated with alternative service delivery models.

This was previously included as part of the broader Strategic Commissioning Authority risk. However, it was felt that as KCC had set up several new, wholly-owned, companies and the potential for the creation of more, it was sensible to have a specific risk as part of the corporate risk profile.

   vi.        NEW RISK – Maintaining a healthy and effective workforce through significant change.

Several CMT and Cabinet Members felt that there should be more prominence to workforce risk, which was previously featured as part of a wider managing change risk and as such a single category had been created.

David Whittle reported to members that the risk registers and related scores were regularly shared across the South East local authority cohort and each largely reflected the others, and in particular only one authority had differed in its approach to BREXIT risks with all others, including KCC, choosing to include potential risks of BREXIT within service and directorate level registers.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Mr Mark Dance, referred to the risks associated with BREXIT and argued that when those funds currently secured through EU channels came to an end the government would replace at least some of them.  He argued then, that KCC should make an early and string case for funding should it become available in the future.  The Leader concurred and suggested that the LGA be utilised to represent the position of Local Government at the earliest stages.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Mr Graham Gibbens, supported the inclusion of ‘red’ risks within his portfolio and argued that as demand for services, awareness of safeguarding issues and resulting reporting and investigation were all likely to continue to increase it was impossible to downgrade the risk at present.

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste, Mr Mathew Balfour, spoke of two risks.  Firstly, the potential for a bad winter and the difficulties that would be associated with that; particularly in light of the weather that the Midlands had experienced over the previous weekend and secondly the potential for severe disruption to the M20 as a result of BREXIT and consequent border control.  

The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services, Mr Eric Hotson, highlighted that engagement was a key theme running through the register and that this would be particularly relevant in helping to mitigate risk as all of the interested stakeholders should be included in that task.

It was RESOLVED that the refreshed Corporate Risk Register be NOTED.