Report of: The Group Finance Director

Purpose of the report: To update the Audit and Governance Committee on corporate and service risks as of 31 December 2025.

Recommendation(s): That the Committee resolves to:

1.    Review the Risk Management report and note its contents.

The Group Finance Director had submitted a report to update the Audit and Governance Committee on corporate and service risks as of 31 December 2025. The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer was present to respond to questions.  

The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer introduced the report and provided a comprehensive summary of the process undertaken by all departments for updating the registers. The Committee were also informed of a correction in relation to table 9 within the report whereby a note of four new risks should read as three. Details surrounding some specific risk examples were also outlined.   

The Chair, in relation to corporate risk 99 titled utilities infrastructure, queried what control the council has over this, and if none, why it remains on the risk register. The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer explained that although the council has little control over this risk, they can exert influence by bringing pressure where required, for example, when working with local planning authorities and lobbying.  

The Chair also queried service risk 55, titled income target, and asked whether this had not been achieved due to lack of capacity. The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) explained that the department’s budget is income-driven and therefore control is limited. The Committee heard that income derives from section 106 agreements and prosecutions, for example, which can be unpredictable and intermittent.  

Councillor Ottino queried why the climate change red risk remains on the register when the council have little to no control over this. The Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer explained that such risks must remain on the register to account for the significant impact they may have should they occur, and to ensure that the council remains cognisant of this. The Committee were assured that relevant discussions are ongoing at CLT in line with the corporate priorities regarding similar risks in order to inform readiness for any locally related catastrophes. A water outage was referenced as an example. The Group Finance Director also supported the risks remaining on the register as means for the council to remain responsive to the potential outcomes of risks.  

Councillor Corais joined the meeting during this item. 

Councillor Smith asked several questions: 

• On page 70, in relation to risks relating to workforce and people, it was asked which team(s) the six apprentices recently employed had been assigned to.  

• On page 71, in relation to the urgent need to review and enforce sign-off processes within the Law, Governance and Strategy directorate, it was asked what progress has been made with this.  

• A comment on the need for a corporate approach to project management across all directorates, as opposed to a service-by-service approach, was requested.  

• It was recommended that cross-party working groups be used for making major decisions within council, as mentioned in the report.  

• In reference to page 75, plans to increase tree capacity were praised.  

• On page 87, in relation to property assets, it was noted that required skills and capacity are not available to deliver required work processes, which is a risk. It was therefore asked how this would be improved; a management comment was requested.  

• On page 92, in relation to communities and systems budget and income, it was noted that the event hire budget target had not been met; a management comment was requested. 

The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer explained that directorate-specific responses would need to be collected from relevant managers. 

The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) informed the Committee that some of the new apprentices had been placed within the Planning team. In response to queries regarding lack of capacity within the Law, Governance and Strategy directorate, The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) also explained that unplanned approaches to projects can have baring on capacity, and in relation to project management it was explained that improvement work has been ongoing with regard to tracking reporting and clearance responsibilities; the results of this should be apparent soon.  

Councillor Ottino queried whether risk targets are set and how the council seeks to manage the number or risks on the registers. The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer confirmed that risk targets are set and reminded the Committee that these were previously included within the reports, however, were removed at the request of Members to make the reports visually clearer.  

 
Councillor Smith queried the risk on page 99 relating to lack of capacity to deliver services within the People Team and asked whether there is still an ongoing issue with the ASM system. Councillor Smith also queried, in relation to data protection and non-compliance, the lack of progress with clearing records. 

The Committee suggested that responsible officers draft a response to these questions, and the Committee and Member Officer circulate a document to members via email following the Committee meeting.  

The Committee reviewed and noted the report.  

The Insurance, Risk Management, and Business Continuity Officer left the meeting and did not return.