Agenda item

[To note the latest summary of the Council’s strategic risk register and the main sources of assurance available to show that the risks are being mitigated]

Narinder Phagura, Strategic Risk Manager, presented a report on the key risks the Council faced and how it could gain assurance that these risks are being mitigated.

Cllr Stephen Simkins asked how the role of the Combined Authority fitted into skills for work (risk 2) and the Council’s aspirations in this area; and whether recommendations were made to the Scrutiny Board/Panels to undertake a more in-depth examination of how strategic risk areas are being mitigated.  Together with other members of the Committee he also noted that a number of the strategic risk target dates were 2017.   They expressed a need for more detail on what was planned to address the risks during 2016 and queried whether anything could be done to bring forward any of the 2017 target dates.  The Strategic Risk Manager advised that some of the strategic risks were long term issues.  They had not remained static over the last twelve months.  Activity was taking place on them and they continued to be managed and monitored in accordance with risk management action plans in place for each risk. The work taking place and the report on the risks was to move them on over the next twelve months. The Strategic Risk Manager also reported that the strategic risk register was submitted to Scrutiny Board on a quarterly basis. The Board could therefore use the register to inform its work programme and that of its scrutiny panels.

The Chair welcomed the comments made and added that the Committee had done a lot of good work on risk management.  He hoped that the way the information on risk was presented could be reviewed in light of the Committee’s comments.  He also informed the Committee of the plan to change the name of the Committee to Audit and Risk Committee to reflect the importance the Committee placed on the role of risk management in its work.

During the discussion on the strategic risk register, Mike Ager, Independent Member commented that the risk ‘Looked After Children’ should continue to be a high priority for the Council and the Committee. 

Keren Jones, Service Director City Economy, was in attendance and presented an update on the progress being made to address strategic risk 2 ‘Skills for Work’.  

In response to the Committee’s questions, the Service Director City Economy reported that:

·         In terms of the response from the city’s schools to improving young peoples’ soft skills so they are ready for work, the approach from the city Council’s Director of Education was to identify and work with some pioneering schools in this area in order to demonstrate the benefits to schools and their pupils. 

·         In terms of mentoring, a lot of the city’s businesses want to work with schools to deliver interactive and intensive mentoring programmes. 

·         Programmes exist to provide opportunities for older people considering a change in career path in later life.  There are programmes for any person above 25 years of age.

·         A lot of the findings and recommendations that the Skills and Employment Scrutiny Review wanted to happen are being delivered and the challenge is to co-ordinate and scale up the activity in order to realise greater benefits.

·         There was a range of performance measures to determine the effectiveness of all the activity taking place on the skills for work agenda.  The top level measure is the employment rate, which was measured annually.  Other performance measures are be wages and qualifications

·          Considerable progress is being made in attracting external funding to support the skills for work agenda.  There was a good partnership and commitment to undertake this work.

·          Involvement of secondary schools, including those out of the local authority’s control, would be key in the partnership work on the interventions in the Commission’s report.  The Director of Education’s approach was to initially focus on the schools that he could quickly take with him on the new relationship. 

At the end of the discussion the Chair asked the Committee whether it wished to select one of the red risk areas for discussion at the next meeting.  It was suggested that the Director of Education be invited to attend the next meeting to provide an update on the school improvement risks he leads and also update the Committee on the work that is taking place around skills in schools that contribute to the ‘skills for work’ strategic risk.

Resolved:

1.     That the strategic risk register be noted.

2.     That the reduction in the assessment of the following risks be noted:

·         Risk 1 - Looked after Children

·         Risk 11 - Care Act

·         Risk 12 - Better Care Fund

·         Risk 19 - Combined Authority

3.     That the closure of risk 19–Combined Authority, from the strategic risk register be noted. Any residual risks would continue to be managed through the programme risk register.  

4.     That the closure of risk 11 - Care Act, subject to agreement by the Programme Board to close the programme and transfer any residual risks to the ‘Transforming Adult Social Care’ programme be noted.

5.     That the identification of a new risk - risk 19a in relation to the proposed devolution deal be noted.

6.     That the progress made by the Council in the management of its strategic risk as detailed in paragraph 3.1 of the report be noted.

7. That the main sources of assurance available to the Council against its strategic risks be noted.

8.     That a report on risks managed by the Director of Education that touch upon education, training and skills be submitted to the next meeting.