Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Corporate Services

RESOLVED that the risk management policy and process be approved.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services introduced the report as circulated with the agenda.  A report and revised Risk Management policy (Appendix 1) was considered by the Audit Committee on the 23rd March and their comments have been considered and the policy up-dated.

He emphasised the importance of understanding and the effective management of risks across the organisation. He indicated that an online training module was being developed and he encouraged all members to take a look at it.

RESOLVED that the risk management policy and process be approved.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

 The Assistant Chief Executive introduced the report as circulated with the agenda.  The slightly amended policy reflected changes to structure as well as KPMG recommendations and it was intended to reflect practice, clearly demonstrating how risk and escalation was managed by the Council.

Subject to any comment by the committee, which would be included in the covering report, the policy would go to Cabinet on the 19 April for approval. 

There was discussion about whether the policy needed to acknowledge the envisaged changes that may arise from commissioning, however, Officers including the KPMG Auditor, felt that this should not alter the way in which risk was managed by the Council and nor would the risk necessarily transfer to a third party.  (e.g. CBH risks were owned by the relevant Assistant Director but the responsibility of managing that risk lay with CBH).  The suggestion was that, like the Corporate Strategy, which clearly separated where delivery of an outcome was not the responsibility of CBC, the Risk Register should do the same.  Officers agreed that they would review the policy to ensure that it reflected fully the council’s commitment to commissioning.

A fundamental issue in the view of the Chairman was the definition of risk outlined in the policy.  He felt that it should be aligned with the international standards (ISO3100 and IEC 73) so as to use the same terminology as other organisations. 

Officers were asked to track changes to policies in the future and where the documents were substantial to make them available to members as soon as possible.

Upon a vote it was unanimously

RESOLVED that having considered the revised policy and process the feedback of the Audit Committee be included in the covering report to Cabinet on the 19 April 2011.