Agenda item

Purpose: To highlight the 17 corporate risks (as at the end of December 2025) that need to be considered by the committee and outline the actions that were being taken to mitigate those risks, in accordance with the West Berkshire Council Risk Management Strategy, and to call attention to changes observed in the Corporate Risk Register (CRR) during the reference period, more specifically, those related to a change in scoring or to the closure or inclusion of a risk in the register.

Martyn Sargeant (Service Director – Strategy and Governance) and Beatriz Teixeira (Performance Research & Consultation Manager) presented the Risk Management Report for Quarter 3 2025/26 (Agenda Item 6).

Officers highlighted a recent media article about the Council designating its reputation as a key risk. Officers provided examples of how the Council’s reputation could be impacted (e.g. due to disruption as a result of a critical supplier going out of business, or due to regulatory bodies making judgments against the Council). It was considered appropriate for such risks to be monitored closely, and the risk rating had been amended to reflect the current position. Members noted that the newspaper only had partial information, since the detail was contained within the Part II appendix.

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       A concern was raised about the Children and Family Services directorate not identifying an appetite for ‘financial/asset risk’. It was argued that the directorate controlled significant council expenditure and so this should be reconsidered.

·       Officers stated that the risk appetite work had continued up to the report publication deadline and that Children and Family Services had raised questions about how the categorisation would apply in its context. Officers indicated that further guidance would be provided, and that the absence of a categorisation reflected the fact that work was yet to be completed.

Action: Officers to provide further update on the appetite for financial/asset risk as part of the Q4 update.

·       Members noted that there was a significant reporting time lag and that risks may have been realised within the intervening months. It was suggested that the Committee should review whether earlier likelihood/impact assessments had been accurate, whether risks had materialised, and what learning should be taken forward.

·       The timeliness of reporting was acknowledged as an issue, and officers undertook to review the governance cycle.  While the report represented a snapshot in time, it was highlighted that senior officers updated their own risk registers on an ongoing basis. Risk registers were also regularly reviewed at Programme Boards.

Action: Officers to review the governance cycle in terms of timeliness of reporting.

·       The distinction was made between officer/Executive responsibilities for ongoing risk management and the Committee’s role in assurance, including considering whether risks had moved, if mitigations had been implemented, and if they had been effective. It was suggested that the Committee could do detailed reviews of key risks to understand if lessons should be learned.

·       It was stressed that financial sustainability was the No.1 risk, and risk maps were considered at weekly Financial Review Panel meetings.

·       It was noted that the report mentioned risk score variations from Q2 to Q3. The Committee was reminded that they could ask for additional information to understand what had changed and why, what mitigations had been implemented, and whether they had been effective. It was suggested that the proposed change to the committee’s remit would allow more time for such activity.

·       It was highlighted that the Part II appendix had additional information on the risks, their anticipated impacts, and the controls put in place. This allowed the Committee an opportunity to highlight where they felt impacts were not being given due consideration, or to identify additional factors that could potentially influence particular risks.

RESOLVED to note the report.