Agenda item

Q4 Risk Report 2023/24

(A report by John Medler, Assistant Director – Governance & Monitoring Officer)

Minutes:

The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation presented a report by the Assistant Director – Governance which provided the Committee with an update on Risk Management as at the end of March 2024 (Quarter 4). A summary of the risks, scores and changes since the last report were set out at paragraph 2.2, with full details in Appendix A. The strategic risks to the partnership had also been reviewed. The partnership risks and scores were set out at paragraph 2.3, with full details in Appendix B.

 

Members noted that three new risks had been identified around business continuity, health and safety and information. the high operational risks had been reviewed and that mitigation and monitoring was in place. The fraud risks that had been identified had been reviewed with assistance from Internal Audit colleagues. Fraud risk was now part of the regular quarterly monitoring and reporting. The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation advised that the Quarter 1 risks were being updated up to the end of June. Risk leads were being requested to review their action wording, in particular, and to confirm action dates.

 

The Chairman queried how the three new risks had been identified. The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation advised that risks were reviewed by Assistant Directors and Managers on a quarterly basis. The two risks relating to business continuity and health and safety were from other parts of the partnership, but had been added as they were also relevant to Boston. She added that the information risk had been identified by the Data Protection Officer.

 

The Chairman queried who was monitoring the risks on an ongoing basis. The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation explained that at the end of each quarter an email is circulated to the Assistant Directors and Managers to request that they review their current risks and report back, and at the end of each year everyone would meet to discuss those risks together. She added that acorporate governance clinic was held at the end of each quarter, where officers would get together to review the risks. The information was then fed back to the Audit and Governance Committee.

 

Councillor Mike Gilbert referred to the various levelling up projects which were ongoing in Boston and queried whether they were picked up within the risk reports. The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation advised that each project would have its own project risk register, the information for which could be fed into the Committee.

 

Councillor James Cantwell advised that he was pleased to see that the high operational risks had been added into the reporting, as well as the fraud risk register. He referred to the tables which contained wording such as ‘tolerate’ and requested that more information be given to ensure that members of the public fully understood its meaning.

 

The Vice-Chairman queried how the risks to local businesses were measured as he had concerns regarding the number of closures within the area. The Manager – Insights and Transformation explained that risks to the local businesses themselves was not measured, but the impact to the Council regarding what happened to them. She agreed to feed back the concerns raised to the Lead Officer. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the report be noted.

Supporting documents: