Agenda item

To receive a report of the risks which have been registered in relation to Environment and Transport.

(1)       The Cabinet Committee received a report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport and the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport which contained the risks which have been registered in relation to Environment and Transport for the consideration of the Committee.  Mark Scrivener, Corporate Risk Manager, was in attendance to introduce the report and in particular referred to the following:

(2)       The report before the Committee was the annual presentation of directorate level risk register.  It featured the five directorate level risks currently featured on the Growth, Environment and Transport Risk Register and which were all relevant to the E&T Cabinet Committee.  Four risks were rated “medium” with a fifth rated “low”.  Members would recognise the risks from regular items presented to the Committee.

(3)       In response to questions raised and comments made the Committee received the following further information from officers:

The list was not meant to be exhaustive; some items potentially affect several functions across the Growth, Environment & Transport directorate, and often had wider potential interdependencies with other services across the Council and external parties.

(4)       Each division within the directorates had their own risk register for risks of a more operational nature that underpinned the directorate risk register.

(5)       When current levels of risk were deemed unacceptable, ‘target’ risk levels were set and further mitigating actions were introduced with the aim of reducing the risk to a tolerable and realistic level.  A standard reporting format is used to facilitate the gathering of consistent risk information and a 5x5 matrix is used to rank the scale of risk in terms of likelihood of occurrence and impact.

(6)       Risk Registers should be regarded as a ‘living’ document to reflect the dynamic nature of risk management.  Directorate Management Teams formally review their risks, including progress against mitigating actions, on a quarterly basis as a minimum, although individual risks can be identified and added to the register at any time.  Key questions to be asked when reviewing risks were:

•        Are the key risks still relevant?

•        Have some risks become issues?

•        Has anything occurred which could impact upon them?

•        Have the risk appetite or tolerance levels changed?

•        Are any related performance/early warning indicators appropriate?

•        Are the controls in place effective?

•        Has the current risk level changed and if so is it decreasing or increasing?

•        Has the “target” level of risk been achieved?

•        If risk profiles are increasing what further actions might be needed?

•        If risk profiles are decreasing can controls be relaxed?

•        Are there risks that need to be discussed with or communicated to other functions across the Council or with other stakeholders?

(7)       With reference to Risk ID GET02 Health and Safety considerations and in particular the identification and rectification of crash remedial sites on highways, as with the Road Safety Policy document that had come to the last meeting, the Council was continually looking at new measures to educate and control this.  Work was being undertaken to identify areas which were potentially high risk prior to accidents happening in a two pronged attack, Kent often led the way.  The FIA Foundation International Road Safety Scholarship was hosted in Kent and Prince Michael of Kent had recently presented awards at the House of Lords in recognition of Kent’s achievements.

(8)       RESOLVED that the report be noted.