The report of the Risk and Insurance Manager is attached.

Contact: Angela Beechey 01743 252073

111.1 The Committee received the report of the Risk and Insurance Manager – copy attached to the signed Minutes – which set out the challenges and achievements accomplished by the Risk, Insurance and Resilience Team during 2019/20.  The team includes both business continuity management and the civil contingencies responsibilities of emergency planning and as a result of this the team have experienced an unprecedented workload due to significant weather events and Coronavirus.  However, the team has worked tirelessly to respond to all of these incidents whilst maintaining delivery of the day job.

111.2  The Risk and Insurance Manager was pleased to report that the Audit review of risk management this year had again identified the assurance level as ‘Good’.  The Committee was informed that the quarterly reviews of the strategic risks had taken place and that despite heavy workloads, all officers had responded to the request for updates on the risk profiles.  Turning to the review meeting in June, this took place virtually with the individual risk owners (Directors).  There were 18 strategic risks on the Strategic Risk Register, detailed in the table at paragraph 6.1.9 of the report. 

111.3  Turning to Operational Risks, the Risk and Insurance Manager explained that all risks were now on a Sharepoint site so that risk owners had access to update the risks at any time, not only during the bi-annual review.  The team were currently working with IT colleagues to develop PowerBi reporting to allow them to monitor and report on the operational risks with live data at any time.  The Risk and Insurance Manager informed the Committee that the team continued to support projects with their risks and that they were moving these onto Sharepoint so they could monitor and report on live data. 

111.4  The Risk and Insurance Manager reported on the work undertaken in relation to Business Continuity, in which area they have faced many challenges, including supporting service areas to respond to Covid and to keep key service areas functional.  The Risk and Insurance Manager then highlighted the work undertaken in relation to emergency planning, training and external work.  She reported the team were disappointed that they were unable to hold their first Shropshire Resilience Conference in May which was postponed due to Covid-19 but has been re-scheduled for May 2021.

111.5  Finally, the Risk and Insurance Manager congratulated her colleague, Jane Cooper who has now taken over as Chair of the Midlands Alarm Steering committee.

111.6  In response to a query, the Risk and Insurance Manager expanded on procedure for the ‘Covid-safe’ reinstatement of services which have been ceased as a result of the lockdown measures, referred to in paragraph 6.5.3 of the report.  In response to a query in relation to how prepared the Council were for a second spike of the virus, the Risk and Insurance Manager confirmed that robust policies and procedures were now in place to better respond to a further outbreak.  The Risk and Insurance Manager responded to a further query in relation to the reopening of all swimming and leisure facilities across the County.

111.7  RESOLVED:

            To accept the position as set out in the report.