Issue - meetings

This report updates the Committee of the risks, controls, assurances and management action orientated to manage organisational level risks.

A separate report on the exempt part of the agenda contains the exempt appendix 2, dealing with the details of individual contracts.

Michael Sloniowski, Principal Consultant- Risk Management, introduced the report. He said that the report’s format had changed from those previously received by the Committee, as part of ensuring that the Council meets the British Standard Code of Practice for Risk Management. Further to this, a gap analysis of the Council’s risk management in line with the British Standard was under way.

He also outlined the work ongoing with regard to the Council’s operational risk areas including Insurance , health & safety and business continuity This included work on risk control with the aim of reducing costs, and work on what were the appropriate levels of risk for the Council to retain.

In response to questions from members, he said that the Council’s insurance excess was £100,000 and that liability and other claims were typically around £500,000 to £600,000 per annum. Work was ongoing about what the best arrangements might be to gather all relevant information held in the different systems within the Council and improve data for scrutiny.

Councillor Iggulden asked what progress had been made on the mutual insurance scheme that Hammersmith and Fulham had been part of with other Councils. Jane West, Director Of Finance and Corporate Services, said that the project had been the subject of successful legal challenge by one of the companies that had tendered. Councils had since been granted the powers necessary to introduce the arrangement envisaged, but reconstituting them would take some time.

With regard to the risks associated with the Building Schools For The Future programme, Michael Sloniowski said that the risk was assessed as red owing to the end of Government funding for the programme in its previous form.

RESOLVED THAT

The report be noted.