Issue - meetings

Members gave consideration to the Combined Assurance Report 2021/22, which presented the work with Assurance Lincolnshire and the wider Management Team.

The purpose of the Combined Assurance Report was to produce a record of assurance against the Council’s critical activities and risks. It provided an overview of assurance across the Council making it possible to identify where assurances were present, their source and where there were potential ‘unknowns or gaps’. It offered a triangulated view of assurance with opinion provided by management, corporate and/or third-party assurance and Internal Audit. The Combined Assurance Report was produced annually and the report under consideration covered the year ending 31 March 2022.

The Assistant Director of People and Democratic Services introduced the report and provided context that the report took a cautious approach due to the pandemic.

Debate ensued, and in responding to a query, about the rating of the IT service, the Assistant Director informed Members that the rating reflected the potential disastrous impact that would occur should the service fail to deliver. Constant work was being conducted to ensure its guaranteed running, and the rating meant that this aspect of the Council’s service was not overlooked.

Members also heard that for some of the ‘amber’ and ‘red’ listed risks that included safeguarding, this was identified by the Council as a potential risk due to staff member changes and shifts of directorate portfolio. In this case, the Assistant Director stated that safeguarding was in discussion for the 2023/24 workplan for Lincolnshire Assurance.

In answer to a comment about the rating of Governance activities, the Officer informed Members that this was due to the cautious approach by the Council in the pandemic, both in the Guildhall, and at the new depot. In reply to a query raised about officer resilience mentioned in the governance section, Members heard that this was due to a cautious approach due to long term absences of staff, which included working with a wider group of officers to continue the provision of services.

In reaction to a query about the lack of ratings for the risk of ‘Inability to maintain service delivery’, this was the new strategic risk with more work scheduled and would come to the Committee for future consideration, as the amber ranking in the report reflected the apprehensiveness of the Management Team.

Having been moved and seconded on being put to the vote it was unanimously

          RESOLVED that:-

(a)  the report be approved; and

(b)  the Committee were assured that the finding illustrated that the Council’s governance framework was operating effectively.