Issue - meetings

Mandy Bishop, Chief Operating Officer, introduced the report with Will Godfrey, Chief Executive and Jeff Wring – Service Director Commercial and Governance.

The Chief Operating Officer explained that there is a Risk Management Steering Group. She explained that the report gives an overview of how risk management is being embedded across the organisation. The Corporate Risk Register is currently being reviewed and this will be brought to the Panel in the future. The Chief Executive added that every conversation in the organisation has a risk management activity, we are trying to broaden that conversation.

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions

Councillor Winston Duguid stated that the background work looks robust and welcomed that this was being embedded into the culture. He explained that, while Member need to be aware of this work,  this is about co-working with you in control. Councillor Duguid urged officers to prioritise cyber risks. The Director explained that there is a complete Corporate Risk Register which can be shared with Members (along with the Business Continuity Plan), it is the update that is being described in the report. Regarding cyber risk – firewalls have been updated. The Chief Operating officer added that staff are warned about opening suspicious emails and the message will be threaded through the return to Keynsham Civic Centre.

In response to a query from Councillor Warrington, the officer explained that there is a plan to achieve cyber essentials accreditation. He also confirmed that IT penetration tests are being carried out one area at a time.

In response to a query from Councillor Singleton regarding the conflation of 2 things in the Risk Register, the officer explained that this is an example of why the register is now being updated.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the report.