Agenda item

To consider a report by the Strategic Planning Team Manager, which provided an update on the Council’s Corporate Risk Register, had been circulated previously.

                                                                                                          10.55 a.m.

A copy of a report by the Strategic Planning Team Manager (SPTM) which detailed the October, 2015 formal revision of the Corporate Risk Register (CRR), had been circulated with the agenda.

A formally updated version of the CRR had been agreed at Cabinet Briefing in October, and presented to the Corporate Governance Committee on the 18^th November.  The current report presented the opportunity for Performance Scrutiny Committee to comment on the formal revision.

Introducing the report the Lead Member for Finance, Corporate Plan and Performance made particular reference to the following revisions to the CRR:-

·                     DCC007 – the risk that critical or confidential information is lost or disclosed:  due to the introduction of a number of risk reduction actions, the introduction of the information security policy and e-learning package it was now felt that this risk could be managed at a service level.  Therefore it would be deleted from the CRR;

·                     DCC013 – the wording for this risk had been changed to ‘the risk of significant liabilities resulting from external models of delivery’ to encompass the variety of service delivery models either in operation or being explored.  Until the Framework for Governance Arrangements was fully implemented and embedded the residual risk score would remain the same;

·                     DCC021 -  the residual risk score for ‘the risk that effective partnerships and interfaces between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and Denbighshire County Council (DCC) do not develop, leading to significant misalignment between the strategic and operational direction of BCUHB and DCC’ had been increased to reflect the serious concerns the Council had for this particular area, despite the fact that a number of control measures had been put in place;

·                     A new risk had been entered on to the register – DCC030 ‘the risk that appropriate capacity and skills to sustain service and corporate performance is not available’.  This risk related to succession planning work which was currently underway.  Some control measures were already in place and others were planned with a view to managing this risk; and

·                     There was also another emerging risk, this related to Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) arrangements which had been raised by the CSSIW.  Scoping work was currently underway on this risk and therefore more detailed information on it and the measures to manage it would feature in the next version of the CRR.

Responding to Members’ questions the Lead Member and officers:-

·                     Advised that with respect to risk DCC016 ‘the risk that the impact of welfare reforms is more significant than anticipated by the council’ and in particular the risk associated with closure of the Welfare Rights Unit and the transfer of its work to an external provider, the Cutting Our Cloth Task and Finish Group had recently reviewed this cut and concluded that the new service provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) was working well and delivering as expected.  Assurances were also given by the Scrutiny Co-ordinator that the Task and Finish Group would be continuing to monitor the situation and was scheduled to examine the service delivery against the service level agreement (SLA) again in the summer of 2016. 

·                     Requested that as some members had raised concerns at the meeting with respect to the CAB’s capacity to deliver the welfare advice service at present due to pressures, it would be useful if those members could detail their concerns to senior officers at the Council to enable them to be investigated, as the Task and finish Group had found no evidence of any detrimental effect on residents following the transfer of the service to an external provider;

·                     Explained that the additional funding recently announced by the Welsh Government (WG) to Health Boards in Wales was specifically for the Intermediate Care Fund (ICF).  Across Wales an additional £30m, to top the fund up to £50m, would be channelled through the regional Health and Social Care Partnership Boards from April 2016 for the purpose of delivering integrated health and social care services.  Each local authority’s Director of Social Services served on their area’s Health and Social Care Partnership Board; and

·                     gave a detailed explanation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Supreme Court judgement and its implications for the Council.

The Committee:-

RESOLVED – subject to the above observations to note the changes made to the Corporate Risk Register, the reasons for the changes, and to receive the revised Register.