Principle F: Managing risks and performance through robust internal control and strong public financial management
1. Managing risk
The Risk Management Policy and Strategy sets out the mechanisms for the identification and management of risks in the Council. This includes requirements for both service and directorate registers to be maintained and sets out when risks should be reported to the Strategic Leadership Team to consider if it should be included in the Corporate Risk Register. The Corporate Risk Register contains the most significant risks the Council faces and is kept under review by the Strategic Leadership Team and the Audit and Procurement Committee. In addition, risk registers are maintained for significant projects the Council is working on and all decision-making reports must explain how risks will be managed.
2. Managing performance
Performance against the One Coventry Performance Management Framework is reported to Scrutiny, Cabinet and Council.
Members who are not on the Cabinet assist with managing performance through the scrutiny process. The Council has six scrutiny boards which are responsible for keeping a check on decisions and how they are made. They help to provide transparency and enable decisions and policy to be challenged. Scrutiny plays a part in developing Council policy, reviewing Council Services, and making sure the Council is acting efficiently and efficiently. Scrutiny meetings are open to the public and welcome suggestions and comments from the public on items to scrutinise.
Performance management takes place across the organisation. There are a number of Officer groups at which performance is discussed in different levels of detail. This includes the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT), One Coventry Leadership Team (OCLT) and Extended Leadership Team (ELT).
Employees have an annual appraisal which considers their performance, targets and development needs.
Performance management of the Council’s subsidiaries is undertaken by Coventry Municipal Holdings Ltd who are accountable to a Shareholder Committee.
3. Robust internal control
Officers are responsible for implementing appropriate systems of internal control to manage risks within their services. The Council’s Internal Audit Service are responsible for providing independent assurance that internal control processes are operating effectively and advising on actions to improve systems and processes where necessary. The Internal Audit Charter defines the purpose, authority, responsibility and position of Internal Audit within the Council.
The Council has a Fraud and Corruption Strategy which sets out the Council’s arrangements for responding to the risk of fraud and corruption.
The Council has an Audit and Procurement Committee that ensures there is sufficient assurance over governance, risk and internal control and oversees the work of Internal Audit.
4. Managing data
The Council’s information governance framework ensures that personal information is held and processed in a confidential and secure manner while ensuring compliance with the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. Key roles have been identified to ensure appropriate oversight and accountability. A corporate information risk register has been developed for regular review by the Information Management Strategy Group, which is chaired by the Senior Information Risk Officer. Guidelines and training are in place to support the safe collection, storage and use of data and a reporting system is in place to identify data incidents which are investigated and used to identify lessons learned. Information about incidents and near misses are reported annually to the Audit and Procurement Committee.
5. Strong financial management
The Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy sets out the financial planning foundations that support the setting of the Council’s revenue and capital budgets and the Constitution sets out the budget and policy framework procedure rules, financial procedure rules, and rules for contracts. Budgetary control arrangements are in place including defined responsibilities of budget holders and budget managers. Quarterly financial monitoring reports are presented to Cabinet and Audit and Procurement Committee, along with out-turn reports. An annual assessment is undertaken of both the Council’s compliance with the CIPFA Financial Management Code, which provides guidance for effective and sustainable financial management in local authorities and the role of the S151 Officer (The Chief Operating Officer) against the CIPFA Statement of the Role of the Chief Financial Officer in Local Government.