Risk register for

Harwell Parish Council

Approved 6 February 2018

H / M / L

Risk key:

Note: An item under ‘Further action’ usually indicates something to consider doing on a regular basis; there may be items proposed that have been implemented but not recorded (or noticed during this update), in which case move to ‘What we are doing’ column.

Key: RFO – Responsible Financial Officer, ‘Council’ refers to Harwell Parish Council, R&P – Receipts and Payments, APCM – Annual Parish Council Meeting

Risk Assessment

/ What are the hazards? / Who might be harmed? / Risk H/M/L / What are you doing already? / What further action is necessary? / Action by whom? / Action by when? / Status /
Financial
Precept / Not claimed or not paid.
Not adequate / Council / L / Diary Jan – set precept,
Clerk send request to Vale
Diary May Oct – check rec’d,
Dec budget setting meeting – discuss in prep for Jan mtg
Records / Inadequate/not contemporaneous / Council / M / Monthly & annual R&P
Check bank statement with R&P / Clerk, Council
Cash / Loss or theft of petty cash book.(?)
Banking / Council
Council / L / RFO manage
Councillor checks monthly
RFO bank reconciliation
Fidelity ins. reviewed annually
Budgeting / Overspend against annual budget / Council / L / Annual budget setting meeting.
Regular check of actual v. expected expenditure.
Process to check any items not budgeted for before commitment. / Is income and exp. visible by cost code or other so anomalies might be detected? Clerk - no
Online banking / Unauthorised access / Council / L / Password protected; pwd & logon combn changed each visit
bank reconciliation done monthly by RFO & cllr
All payments by cheque require 2 Councillors
All direct payments require PC approval
Investment income / Better return may be available elsewhere / Council / L / RFO check statements / RFO to consider alternatives annually / RFO and Chair to consider frequency / ongoing
Cemetery payments / Payments not received from undertakers / Council / M / Sexton reports
RFO check burial register monthly / Check payments received / Clerk
Allotments / Rents not received / Council / L / RFO invoice in September
RFO checks in November
PC to set rate for following year – in diary for June. / Clerk report to Council on plotholders / Clerk
Rec Ground / Pitch fees not received / Council / L / RFO invoice in August
Rec Ground / Claims / loss of bookings due to surface damage / use when too wet etc. / Council / L / Groundsmen decide if event needs to be called off. / Review Hire Conditions to ensure Council covered & hirers aware. / Clerk, Lands / On hold – not currently hiring out facility
Harwell News / Insufficient advertising fees received / Council / L / RFO invoices in April
Each issue - Clerk checks printed copy and invoices for new ads
Clerk keeps records for each issue
NB PC funds newsletter at a net loss / Clerk
Donations,
Grants by PC / Not sufficient funds to cover commitment. / Council / L / Confirm the power and finances to pay before each decision.
Grants, income due to PC, e.g. from OCC / Money promised might not be forthcoming / PC / L / RFO claim / check / Diarise to confirm receipt. Keep (spreadsheet?) record of expected monies? / Clerk and Chair
VAT
/ Incorrect charge on sales
Incorrect charge on purchases / Council / L / RFO to check
Council to check R&P monthly / Council, clerk / ongoing
S106 / Funding not received
Funds not spent on time / Council, parish projects / L / RFO check receipt
RFO keep records on spending / Monthly reports on status of projects / RFO, council / ongoing
Loss / Damage or loss by 3rd party / Staff
parishioners / L / Adequate insurance cover
- Review cover yearly in May
Assets & staff / Loss or damage
Inadequate insurance
Dishonesty / Parishioners Council
ditto / M / Annual review
Update insurance
Diarise in May
Fidelity guarantee in place.
Grounds staff record activities
daily / Large equipment UV marked
Consider annual equipment audit / Clerk to direct grounds staff / ongoing
Best value / Poor tendering leading to poor quality for spend and/or overspend on services / Parishioners and council / H / Ensure correct tendering procedure and spend within budget / Check specification of work before contract placed / Clerk, Chairman, possibly PC / ongoing

Conduct of Meetings

Staff / Loss of key personnel
Eg clerk not available / Council / L / Review hours, health, stress? – Staffing Committee meets twice yearly
Clerk advises PC on correct procedure / Committee reports to PC / Clerk, Committee / ongoing
Meetings / Clerk absent or ill / Council / L / - Check regulations
- Councillor takes minutes.
Powers / Ignorance of legal powers / Staff,
Parishioners / L / Ongoing Education
Clerk circulates all relevant docs
Records / Inadequate or not contemporaneous / Council / M / Minutes usually sent out within 2 weeks
Signed minutes kept on file. Electronic draft and approved version available online
Declaration / Conflict
of interest / Council / M / Update declarations
Agenda item at meetings

Buildings Pavilion

Hazardous substances / Hazardous substances / Staff including cleaner / L / 1) Equipment, training, PPE provided.
2) Strong materials (inc. bleach) replaced with milder ones.
3) Secure storage.
Equipment / Damage/other loss / Staff parishioners using equip. / L / Regular check of equipment, Clerk & grounds staff. / Record what equip. might be used by parishioners. – tea urn, microwave, fridge. HHYFC installs freezer temporarily in June for tournament/H Feast / Clerk / ongoing
Equipment / Injury from use of equipment / Staff, Parishioners using equipment / L / Appropriate maintenance, instructions in use
Aged items replaced. / Record what equip. might be used by parishioners.As above / Clerk / ongoing
Slips, trips and falls / Slips, trips and falls / Users of premises may be injured. / L / Surfaces and lighting to be maintained.
Rubbish bins to be maintained.
No loose wires.
Regular cleaning NB no cleaner from December 2017 as scouts now have building. Grounds staff clean kitchen area at present
Work at height / Work at height e.g.
changing light bulbs, cleaning windows, decorating, clearing gutters, repairing & servicing zip wire. / Staff / M / Appropriate ladder available.
Staff to know how to use equipment, safe conduct
Equipment checking routine instigated. / HSE leaflets to be available
Training for new staff documented / Clerk / ongoing
Electricity / Electricity / Users at risk of injury from faulty equipment / L / Repairs by qualified electricians.
Annual PAT testing.
Pavilion recently rewired / Know how to manage an emergency.
Manual handling / Strain / Staff / L / Trolleys for heavy equipment
Staff advised to consider risks
Fire / injury to anyone in building, damage to property / Anyone in building
Council / L / Annual Fire risk assessment – see Emergency Evacuation Plan appended
Suitable extinguishers in place.
Emergency exits clear and marked / Brief guests and new councillors, new staff
Pavilion hire / Users not obeying hire conditions / Users, Council / M / Conditions of hire / Consider if certain items in Conditions be initialled by hirer. / Clerk, Council / Pavilion not currently for hire. Jan 2018
Toilets / Health risk due to lack of hand-washing etc
Pavilion being closed by District Env Health / All users
Council / M / Review of Pavilion facilities / Implement conclusions of review or adopt alternative plan to provide adequate facilities. / Clerk, Council / Pavilion use tbc by scouts. Grounds staff to move to new premises (2018?)
Building Security / Loss of keys
Computer access / L / Clerk to keep record of keys.
Clerk now takes laptop home

Land

Allotments / Lack of security
Dumping on or adjacent / plotholders
Council / L / Maintain gates and fences. Gates padlocked. Staff check regularly
Contact with plotholders
Cemetery / Poor maintenance leading to trip hazards
Injury due to falling headstone / Council and parishioners / L / Regular maintenance
Annual inspection (minimum) / Liaise with Sexton
Recreation ground / Poor maintenance leading to trip hazards,
Falling tree branches
Dead tree branches that might fall
Incorrect or unauthorised work
Tractor shed security
Tractor shed safety – possible asbestos in roof / Public using rec.
Public in Rec or on adjacent road, land
Council – reputation
Risk of loss of equipment
Staff, public / M / - Groundsmen regularly check
Ensuring adequate insurance
Tree survey under consideration
Clerk manages grounds staff
Padlocks and chains in place on doors
Staff monitoring leak in roof sheets / Consider interval for further checks after current survey.
Update Lands Plan to detail good management
Obtain cover for main padlock
Roof to be restructured if possible during extension works / Clerk, Council
Clerk
Clerk, staff
Staff, clerk / Ongoing
ongoing
Summer 2018
Summer 2018
Play Area / Damage to equipment,
Injury to users / Users / M / - Grounds staff check weekly
- A Councillor checks monthly
- RoSPA Inspection annually
- Staff repair defects or remove equipment, or contractor repairs
Rec Car Park / - Unauthorised parking, especially of commercial vehicles leading to congestion, poor visibility
Poor lighting
Trip hazards / Public / M / Sign put up saying ‘No overnight parking’
Clerk writes to persistent offenders
PC considering gates
PC considering lighting
Consider removal of bollards closest to Club building / - Eliminate unauthorised parking
- Separate pedestrian routes from vehicle parking area.
Review lighting
Staff report all trip hazards & make safe / - Lands Committee
- Rec Facilities Group
Lands Committee?
Lands Committee / Apr 2018
Summer 2018 / ongoing
Bus shelters / damage to shelters, e.g. loose tiles / Public using them / L / Staff check shelters regularly & repair
Ensure adequate insurance. / Clerk / ongoing
Street furniture
Dog bins Rubbish bins … / Damage / Injury to users or to people passing by. / L / Grounds staff check weekly or if reported to PC.
- Repair as necessary. / PC considering new noticeboard Rowstock / Council / ongoing
Van, mowers, machinery / Breakdown failure
Theft / Staff PC
PC / M / Annual service
Regularly maintained
Mower shed secured
Property marked with UV / Clerk / PC / ongoing

Other Areas

IT risks
Website content / Incorrect or missing information leading to complaint / Council, parishioners / L / Webmaster frequently updates.
Monitoring by members of Council. / Clerk to ensure webmaster has posted latest documents, especially PC policies / Clerk & webmaster / Ongoing
Website availability / Web going down / Council / L / Server backed up nightly. Database backed up every 24 hours / Webmaster / Ongoing
Webmaster / Incapacitated/resigns / Council / L / Happy to do webmaster duties? / Clerk to be aware of risk & consider alternative / Clerk, supported by IT literate councillor / Ongoing
Domain name / Loss of domain name. / Council / L / Domain name is not under PC control, but steps being taken to re-register it to PC. Alternative domain names are also registered. / Clerk to continue efforts / Clerk, Webmaster / ongoing
Emails / Loss of domain name or server failure could stop all emails / Council / L / Ensure domain name and server are paid up and running well. Emails are copied to clerk’s PC which should be backed-up regularly.
Cloud-based storage to be used in future / Consider alternatives should server fail and webmaster not available / Clerk, supported by IT literate councillor / Ongoing
Summer 2018
Passwords / Loss of passwords for any PC IT asset / Council / L / Passwords should be noted in a secure place – preferably not on paper, but in a software password vault / Clerk to maintain an inventory of passworded IT assets and have a plan for obtaining the password if the normal password holder is not available. / Clerk, supported by IT literate councillor / Ongoing
Tennis/ bowls Harwellian Club premises / Organisation has financial problems / Council / L / Confirm that the committees have active risk assessments
Agreements in place with each Club / Diarise - Confirm that organisation has appropriate insurance / Clerk / Aug ‘18
Lone working / Accident or injury / Staff
Clerk / M / Safety equipment in place
Staff checked to be Suitably Qualified and Experienced (SQEP) for undertaking routine activities alone
No office phone, poor mobile signal in new office in village hall
No apparent fire drill for village hall / Set up procedure for lone working if any staff member lives alone.
Ensure all staff members have mobile phone
BT line to be installed
Contact VH Trustees re: fire risk assessment/evacuation procedure / Clerk
Clerk
Clerk / Ongoing
Feb 2018
Jan 2018
Safety –general / Health & safety awareness / Staff, visitors, Users / M / Monitoring, checking adequate insurance / Consider need to appoint H & S Officer
NB previously said ‘by Apr 2013! / Clerk, Council / Asap
Safety public / From equipment / Injury to members of the public. / L / Ensure signs are in place & weighted when using equipment particularly grass cutting.
Staff aware of need for signs
Play area closed when mowing taking place
Rec closed when mowing taking place / Signs mostly ignored – consider fencing? / Council / Summer 2018 / ongoing
Safety at meetings / Personal safety / Council, visitors / L / Outer doors kept closed
Advise visitors on safety procedures. / ongoing
Council Records
Documents
Electronic files / Loss by fire or theft
Loss of confidential data / Council
Parishioners, Council / M / Regular backups made of electronic files, monthly minimum
Clerk to keep back up physically separate from computer
Regular new passwords for computer
Council subject to Data Protection Act; annual payment to Information Commissioner’s Office / Clerk, report to Council / April ‘16 / Ongoing

Emergency Evacuation Plan