Agenda item

To receive a report setting out the Council’s Strategic Risk Register.

The Committee received the Strategic Risk Management Update to review the Strategic Risk Register.  The Register was last reviewed by the Strategic Risk Management Group (SRMG) on 30November 2016 and by CMT on 11 January 2017. The following changes were agreed at CMT: 

• Risk 1 - the score for likelihood was reviewed for the financial and economic risk to consider if this was too high given the actions taken to identify savings, the efficiency plan and the 4 year settlement. CMT agreed that this should be reduced from 5 to 3 to reflect that the actions to date had already mitigated the risk.
• Risk 3 - amended wording to reflect the impact of the Transformation Programme on staff resources.
• Risk 6 - given that separate risk registers were now routinely developed and maintained for major projects and these were monitored by the individual project boards, it was agreed that a separate risk was not required for major projects and hence this risk could be removed.
• Risk 11 - this risk had been reframed to focus on how the national and global economy might impact on the local Bracknell Forest economy with a risk score of 3 for both likelihood and impact.

A summary of the Risk Register was included within the update and the following projects were highlighted and discussed by the Committee:

• Additional employment opportunities in the new town centre affected the Council's ability to attract and retain staff to deliver services: The Risk was around potential salaries that would be on offer comparable to low level administrative positions in the Council.  In particular it was felt this could impact on Provider support staff commissioned by the Council who may be able to obtain better paid jobs in retail and it was agreed the wording would be amended to reflect this.

• Council unable to implement major projects and delays in the Town Centre Regeneration project led by Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) working in partnership with Bracknell Forest Council -  failure of the Council to monitor and control their respective elements of the project had been removed from the Register.The Committee felt that the removal of these projects from the Register could lead to delivery failure or unmet targets going unnoticed.  Stuart McKellar, Borough Treasurer assured Members that the projects were being well managed and risks were regularly reviewed by individual project boards but would be added back onto the Register if any disruption to project delivery was perceived..

• The Committee felt that the threat remained of companies relocating from the UK as a result of the Brexit vote leading to a loss of rates and revenue to the Council and a negative impact on the local economy.  The Committee expressed that this should have been reflected more strongly in the Report. 

• Binfield Learning Village at Blue Mountain, School’s places programme school’s backlog maintenance and Coral Reef roof replacement and enhancements to facility had been removed from the Register.  Members expressed their concern that these projects, in particular Coral Reef and the Binfield Learning Village should remain on the Register given the significant investment involved and that the Committee should have continued oversight of them.  The Committee was advised that both of these projects were anticipated to be delivered on time and on budget and that the scale of issues was now between £10k and £30k instead of £14m and £30m respectively. However, the Committee felt that whilst Binfield Learning Village had been a bigger risk before construction started, the issue of governance arrangements still remained and Coral Reef remained a risk to the Council during the market testing exercise to commission services from a private contractor.

• Council unable to deliver the Transformation Programme had been removed from the Risk Register.  Concern was expressed by Members that if this project did not progress as expected then the Council would be unable to deliver the necessary efficiencies and therefore the project should remain on the Register and subject to continued oversight.  In particular risks remained around the sale of Easthampstead House and the Northern Retail Quarter which was still in the early stages of development.

The Chairman therefore proposed that the following projects should be put back on the Risk Register:

• Binfield Learning Village at Blue Mountain
• School’s places programme school’s backlog maintenance
• Coral Reef roof replacement and enhancements to facility
• Council unable to deliver the Transformation Programme

Sally Hendrick agreed to the return of these projects to the Risk Register and to look at including mitigating factors and to discuss the purpose of the Risk Register and how the Committee used it at the next meeting.