Issue - meetings

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board:

(a)        APPROVED the draft Risk Management Framework, to apply across the City Deal Programme.

(b)        AGREED to receive reports on the City Deal strategic risk management on a six-monthly basis and would otherwise consider risks only by exception should they be new red risks or significantly increased risks.

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Executive Board with an opportunity to agree a Risk Management Framework to apply across the City Deal Programme.

Aaron Blowers, City Deal Project Manager, presented the report and outlined the proposed key principles of the Framework, noted as follows:

·         separate strategic and project-specific risk management, allowing detailed risks to be managed at a detailed level and strategic risks to be managed at a strategic level, with cascading and escalation between the two;

·         Strategic Risk Register to be owned by the Executive Board, advised by the Programme Board as the senior officer management group;

·         quarterly Strategic Risk Register reporting to the Executive Board and Joint Assembly.

Mr Blowers emphasised that risk management had been taking place in the City Deal Programme since its inception, but that this had been undertaken without the guidance of a single point of reference document resulting in ad hoc reporting arrangements.  Adopting a City Deal Risk Management Framework therefore provided robust guidance to officers managing risks across the Programme, including implementing a process of escalating and cascading risks that reflected good programme and project management discipline. 

Councillor Roger Hickford, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Assembly had recommended approval of the draft Risk Management Framework.  He added, however, that he only saw the need for the Joint Assembly, as a distinct from the Board, to consider the Strategic Risk Register annually but had requested that consideration be given to specific risks on a by exception only basis should they be new red risks or significantly increased risks.

Discussion ensued on the frequency of reports back to the Board in respect of risk management, with some Members preferring quarterly and some Members opting for six-monthly.  It was agreed that reports should be received by the Board on a six monthly basis, but with the same provision as agreed by the Joint Assembly with regard to reports by exception should they be new red risks or significantly increased risks.

The Executive Board:

(a)        APPROVED the draft Risk Management Framework, to apply across the City Deal Programme.

(b)        AGREED to receive reports on the City Deal strategic risk management on a six-monthly basis and would otherwise consider risks only by exception should they be new red risks or significantly increased risks.

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly:

(a)        RECOMMENDED to the Executive Board that it approves the draft Risk Management Framework, to apply across the City Deal Programme.

(b)        AGREED that the Joint Assembly should receive reports on the City Deal strategic risk management on an annual basis and would otherwise want to consider risks only by exception (new red risks or significantly increased risks).

Aaron Blowers, City Deal Project Manager, presented the City Deal Risk Management Framework.  In response to questions from Joint Assembly Members, Mr Blowers explained that:

·         the individual strategic risks would be covered in the next report;

·         the economic growth benefits of particular schemes would be set out in their business cases;

·         project-level risks, such as land purchase risk, would be managed at project level.

Councillor Roger Hickford, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, questioned whether the Assembly needed to see the Strategic Risk Register quarterly, as recommended in the report.  He felt that annually would be sufficient for the Joint Assembly, acknowledging that the Board may consider it quarterly. 

Tanya Sherdian, City Deal Programme Director, said that the Joint Assembly could choose not to pre-scrutinise the risk register every quarter, but at a less frequent interval if preferred, with quarterly being recommended on the basis that this was current practice on risk reporting to the City Deal’s partner Councils.

The Joint Assembly agreed that it should consider the Strategic Risk Register annually and that it would want to be informed of any red risks or risks that were rapidly increasing in severity through the progress reports item.

The Joint Assembly:

(a)        RECOMMENDED to the Executive Board that it approves the draft Risk Management Framework, to apply across the City Deal Programme.

(b)        AGREED that the Joint Assembly should receive reports on the City Deal strategic risk management on an annual basis and would otherwise want to consider risks only by exception (new red risks or significantly increased risks).