Barking and Dagenham Council Faces 'Very High' Risk of Failing to Handle Major Incidents

Barking and Dagenham Council Faces 'Very High' Risk of Failing to Handle Major Incidents

Barking and Dagenham Council is facing a 'Very High' risk of failing to deal with major incidents due to insufficient plans, capacity, or training, according to a recent Audit and Risk Committee meeting.

The council's corporate risk register, updated in September 2026, highlights Failure to deal with a major or critical incident as a Very High risk. This concern stems from a perceived lack of adequate plans, capacity, or training to respond effectively to significant events such as cyberattacks or building collapses.

The Audit and Risk Committee meeting on Tuesday, 06 October 2026, reviewed the council's risk management strategy, which was approved in May 2025 and is due for review in early 2027. Vanessa Bateman, Head of Assurance, presented the updated corporate risk register, which includes 13 risks rated as Very High, High, or Moderate. Among these, two risks are rated as 'Very High':

• Failure to meet, mitigate, plan, resource and deliver services and transformation: This risk is attributed to demographic changes outpacing service models, financial constraints, and slow progress in modernising services.
• Failure to deal with a major or critical incident: This risk is specifically linked to insufficient plans, capacity, or training to respond to major incidents like cyberattacks or building collapses.

The committee meeting's agenda and public reports pack can be found here: Agenda frontsheet Tuesday 06-Oct-2026 19.00 Audit and Risk Committee and Public reports pack Tuesday 06-Oct-2026 19.00 Audit and Risk Committee.