COUNCILLORS want to see risks to Powys County Council (PCC) graded in terms of biggest cost.

At the audit committee members discussed changes that have been made to the council’s Corporate Risk Register.

The Corporate Risk Register is now the Strategic Risk Register and departments have their own lists.

In December 2018 the decision to revamp the register and create multiple lists of problem that can affect the council and its departments, was agreed by the cabinet.

Some risks that were on the Corporate Risk Register have been downgraded to be held on service (departmental) risk registers as they did not affect the whole authority.

Cllr Ange Williams (Independent – Knighton) said: “With the risk register – can we have the most expensive risks in order at the top? We can then see it moving down as the work is going on.

“Some risks are a lot more expensive than others.”

Council officer Bets Ingram said that this was not possible with the new system (JCAT) as: “one risk is no more significant than another.”

She added that categorisation was down to referencing.

But Ms Ingram added that she would check as she had only taken over the role recently.

Deputy chief executive David Powell said: “This is a really good point, it does appear that risks are sorted by issue.

“It’s not too difficult for officers to provide costs in the reports that come forward.

“Even if risks are ranked in that order, in the report the financial implications will be there.”

Committee vice-chairman John Brautigam asked how risks were moved up to the strategic register.

Ms Ingram replied: “If a service wants to escalate a risk to the strategic register it has to come before a cabinet meeting to be agreed.

“They can’t just escalate it themselves.”

The changes to the risk register are supposed to: “Provide Greater Clarity of the Risks which should be escalated from service level, and ensure that the strategic risk remains focussed and fit for purpose.”

Risk on the Strategic Register are ones that could affect the whole council, ones that could cause huge financial or reputational damage.

It is supposed to identify what is or could go wrong and how the situation can be improved.

Identified risks have included:  “ensuring an adequate professional workforce in light of the projected demographics of Powys which suggest a significant increase in older people for Adult Social Services.”

Children’s Services figure as risks several more times.

 Y Gaer – problems with the £14 million Brecon Culture Hub were identified as a risk back in 2016.