Barnet Council is grappling with an increasing number of strategic risks, with the total number of high-level risks rising from 27 to 30 in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. This escalation is primarily driven by ongoing financial pressures and significant housing-related challenges.
Financial sustainability has been identified as the council's highest-scoring strategic risk. Alongside this, the council faces a number of significant housing and HRA-related risks. Four new strategic risks have been added to the council's register: loss of local control, political uncertainty, payroll insourcing, and global instability. Three service risks have also increased to a high level, including concerns about care provider failure, workforce instability in Adult Social Care, and falling rolls in schools.
Alaine Clarke, Head of Programmes, Performance & Risk, presented the quarterly risk report, noting that while the council's overall risk management framework remains effective, it is navigating a challenging risk environment. The report, available in the Public reports pack 17th Sep 2026, details these concerns.
Councillor Danny Rich raised concerns about the volume of papers presented to the committee.
Further details on the council's complaints process and outcomes can be found in the accompanying documents, including a flowchart illustrating the corporate complaints process here.
