To inform the Committee of progress on implementing risk recommendations.

The Deputy Chief Executive presented the report to Committee and reminded Members of the partnership approach that has been adopted for the Council and NHS Herefordshire and which was reflected in the report and recommendations.  The review had been extensive and had raised the profile of risk management as an important part of the day to day work of a directorate.  Members were advised that some recommendations had been revised as they had been considered ambitious and it was now felt that risk management was on track. 

The following points were noted:

• Risk registers would be looked at on a monthly basis by the Joint Management Team.
• Directorates would keep registers up to date with a lead officer for risk in each directorate.
• A new resilience unit to be established, which would cover risk management, emergency planning, business continuity and corporate health and safety.
• Terry Tobin from the Audit Commission agreed that risk management needed to become part of the daily work of the authority and was pleased with the proposals for embedding the process.
• It was confirmed that risk management was now embedded within systems at the PCT and seen as a useful tool.
• Members were concerned that issues of risk were not currently adequately identified or what would happen with an identified risk.
• Members felt that minutes of directorate meetings were not sufficient to show how a risk had been dealt with, and that any amendment should be reflected in the risk register.
• The Deputy Chief Executive agreed that there needed to be a means of demonstrating how a risk had been dealt with and advised the Committee that the matter would be taken back to the Joint Management Team for discussion.  He added that the risk register had not been brought to Committee as he felt it was not adequate in its current format. 
• The Chief Internal Auditor advised that the audit plan would also outline how effective risk management was.
• Members proposed that scrutiny committees could also examine the risk registers as part of their programme of work.
• As any Council payments over £500 were now available to be seen on the web site, Members were concerned as to the way Amey payments were being reflected, as only the regular monthly payments were replicated without any detail for it to be challenged.  The Chairman suggested the new Audit and Governance Committee, following the elections in May, would require a report on this matter and proposed that an Amey representative be asked to attend the meeting.

RESOLVED: That progress to date be noted.