Agenda item

Report of the Chamberlain.  

Members received a report of the Chamberlain in respect of a question raised by Zurich Municipal during the recent corporate risk profiling exercise, as to the public availability of the City Corporation’s Risk Register (included within the regular risk update reports to the Audit and Risk Management Committee on the public agenda).  Members noted that Risk was reported in greater depth at the City Corporation than many other local authorities.  However, given the non-executive status of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, it was unlikely that they would consider commercially sensitive risks in detail. 

Members noted that Members of the City Corporation were keen to keep as much information in public as possible and it was City Corporation Policy to apply the  Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 in respect of City’s Cash reports, even though it was not required to do so.  Furthermore, the City Corporation had recently amended the template for non-public reports, to make them more specific as to their reason(s) for exclusion.  Officers were required to make a case for a report being non-public, with the final decision resting with the Town Clerk.  Members also noted that it was good practice for a public report to have a non-public appendix, if possible, and not to exclude the entire report.

RESOLVED, that –

1.             The existing approach of including the risk update report (and corporate risk register) within the Public part of the Committee’s agenda be agreed.

2.             The Chairman’s discretion in moving discussion about one or more risks, where appropriate, to the Non-Public part of the meeting be noted.