Hounslow Council's Audit and Governance Committee convened on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, to scrutinise the council's Corporate Risk Register. The committee reviewed an amended register that now includes one new corporate risk, designated PEOD0001, concerning the wider workforce and its impact across multiple services.
This new risk highlights several key challenges, including difficulties in recruitment and retention for hard-to-fill positions, issues with succession planning, the need to develop skills for ongoing transformation, and a drive to reduce reliance on temporary staffing. While the report does not specify which services are affected, it notes this is a 'cross-cutting workforce risk addressing a previously identified gap'. The potential consequences of not effectively managing this risk include adverse effects on the organisation's ability to deliver services across departments, disruption, and potential failure to meet regulatory requirements.
Sarah Filby, Director Strategy, Performance & Commissioning, presented the quarterly monitoring report for the first quarter of 2026-27. Following a review aimed at ensuring focus on the Council's most significant strategic risks, eight risks were de-escalated from the Corporate Risk Register. The council defines 'corporate risks' as those that 'cut across the delivery of all services, key programmes and projects and that will affect the delivery of the Council's objectives.' Operational risks, conversely, are those with an impact limited to one part of the council's business and are typically managed at a directorate level.
The criteria for de-escalating risks included those that were no longer considered a significant corporate-level threat, were sufficiently mitigated, superseded by other risks, more appropriately managed at an operational level, or managed via alternative governance arrangements.
The eight specific risks removed from the register were:
- Failure to deliver the ambitious programmes of change, transformation and development outlined within the Council's Delivery Plan (C&S0003).
- Insufficient electricity network capacity (C&S0004).
- Unable to achieve Net Zero for Council operations by 2030 (C&S0002B).
- Limited External Audit of the Council's Statutory Accounts under the UK local authority external audit backstop arrangements (FR0005).
- Addressing feelings of safety (C&S0001B).
- Pandemic impacting population health, council services and partners, and workforce capacity (PH0001).
- Impact of increased numbers of asylum seekers placed in the Borough by the Home Office (ACE0003).
- Failure to deliver against the DfE's Safety Valve initiative (CAS0005).
To address the newly identified corporate risk related to the wider workforce (PEOD0001), the council plans to implement its Workforce Strategy 2026-2030. This includes strengthening workforce planning, talent development, and retention and succession management across the organisation. Current controls, such as recruitment and retention initiatives, leadership development, apprenticeships, employee wellbeing support, and enhanced workforce analytics, are considered effective in contributing to improved workforce stability and resilience.
The risks have been categorised into six strategic themes: Community Safety & Safeguarding; Financial Sustainability; Workforce & Organisational Resilience; Transformation & Strategic Delivery; Regulatory Compliance & Governance; and Climate, Infrastructure & Assets.
Further details on the committee's discussions and decisions can be found in the Public reports pack and the Decisions document for the meeting.