To receive presentations from Heads of Service on the key operational risks identified within the following service areas:
· Community Services;
· Environmental Services; and
· Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services.
Also, to receive any additional Officer and/or Lead Risk Member (Councillors Bennett and Smith) oral updates in relation to risk monitoring activity which has taken place since the last meeting of the Committee.
(Presentations and oral reports)
Minutes:
The Committee received three separate presentations from Heads of Service on the operational risks identified within the following service areas:
· Community Services;
· Environmental Services; and
· Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services.
Community Services
The Community Services presentation detailed the operational risks within CCTV and Lifeline, Dial-a-Ride and Shopmobility, Areas of Highest Need (including the Winyates Project), Ant-Social Behaviour, Community Safety and Early Help (formerly Sure Start and Children’s Centres).
The impact of the proposed Worcestershire County Council budgets cuts was highlighted as a key risk to the service, together with possible cuts/changes in funding from other sources.
This would see changes in the current format and amount of Supporting People funding, loss of the Community Safety Grant in its current format and a reduction in the funding for the Early Help contract from Year 2 onwards. The Borough Council had submitted a bid to run the Bromsgrove Early Help contract and were currently waiting to hear whether this had been successful. The authority had previously been successful with external funding and a new bid-writing post had been included within the service. The Kingfisher Shopping Centre had confirmed that they would continue with their funding for Shopmobility for 3 years, and the Areas of Highest Need had 18 months of funding remaining.
The Supporting People Grant from County Council was due to cease on 31st March 2014, which could see a loss in funding of £202,000 to the Borough Council for some users of the Lifeline service. Over 1,000 service users were assisted through Supporting People funding. Those users who were graded as either a significant or critical risk would continue to receive funding. However it was not known at this stage how many people would be eligible for funding under the new system as full details of the funding proposals were not yet available from the County Council.
The Executive Committee had earlier that week agreed that Officers should consult Lifeline Service users to determine the future of the service should there be such a reduction in County Council funding, including ascertaining whether users would be willing to pay for the service should they not be eligible for funding.
Environmental Services
The Head of Environmental Services detailed the operational risks within his areas, which covered refuse collection, street cleansing, landscape and grounds maintenance, crematorium and cemeteries, fleet management, supplies unit and car parking (including on street car parking), land drainage and climate change.
It was noted that some of the operational risks remained long-term, with others being linked to specific projects such as reduced waste collection services and the crematorium project, and some being health and safety related. Risk management was a continually developing process within Environmental Services, with all identified operational risks having been adjudged as either low or medium risks.
He added that a number of services were currently working their way through the transformation process, with the management of identified risks being key in the future given the budgetary situation. Officers were currently in negotiation with Worcestershire County Council on highway maintenance contracts, with the Borough Council also seeking to take on highways maintenance for the Bromsgrove area.
The service was struggling with the Government’s new Green Deal initiative as the planned external provider for this was no longer proceeding with the partnership owing to current market-driven issues.
Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services
The Head of Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services explained the different elements which formed part of the Leal Services, Democratic Services and Elections teams.
The main risks which had been identified were:
· failure to effectively manage neighbourhood referendums;
· lack of capacity and capability to manage legislative change;
· lack of capacity to manage high profile legal cases;
· failure of Member conduct;
· failure to provide independent advise to two Councils;
· failure to respond to changes in political control; and
· the impact of budgetary restraints on service delivery.
Members were advised that the elections process contained significant risks, which were subject to a separate Cabinet Office risk register.
It was noted that whilst the Localism Act 2011 provided for referendums, the risk of a referendum actually taking place was relatively slim in view of the process which had to be gone through to reach that stage.
RESOLVED that
the presentations be noted.