Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to requests made to it by the Audit Committee in respect of the above.

That it is recognised by Cabinet that this is an important issue which has been brought into sharp focus by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower. It is also recognised that the Council’s standing emergency planning procedures are robust and it is proposed to include a session on the Council’s Emergency Planning arrangements at a future All Member’s Briefing.

Cabinet was informed that, at the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 22 June 2017, the Head of Finance, Revenues & Benefits Services & Section 151 Officer (Richard Barrett) had presented to that Committee a report on the Risk Management Framework and the updated Corporate Risk Register.

Mr Barrett had reported that, within the period under review, no new risks had been added to the register, no risks had been removed, or amended and there were no items that were currently under review. Risks had been amended in respect of –

(1)  2c Community Leadership Projects;

(2)  1a Failure to Effectively Manage Assets;

(3)  1b Catastrophic IT Network Failure;

(4)  1c Ineffective Communication / Management of Information;

(5)  6a Loss of sensitive and/or personal data through Malicious Actions, Theft and/or Hacking;

(6)  6c Disconnection from PCN Network; and

(7)  9a Ineffective Emergency Planning.

The Audit Committee had been informed that although no changes had been identified as being required at this time, the Risk Management Framework was included at Appendix A to the report for information purposes only.

The Audit Committee had decided that - 

(a)  the contents of the updates provided to the current Risk Register be noted;

(b)  in the light of the Grenfell Tower in Kensington, London fire disaster, the Cabinet be requested to re-assess the Council’s emergency plans for the evacuation and re-housing of residents in the event of a fire, flood or other major incident and ensure that the Council’s financial reserves are adequate to cope with the aftermath over a number of months; and

(c)  the Cabinet be also requested to reassess the emergency arrangements for its own office buildings.

The Cabinet had before it the following comments of the Resources and Corporate Services Portfolio Holder made in response to the requests of the Audit Committee:

“It will be sometime until the official lessons identified in the response to the Grenfell Town incident are published.

However already there are some clear, early, indicators generally for local authorities to consider:

1. Early public liaison from the senior team within the Council
2. Regular, positive liaison between Council senior team and those affected
3. Management of donated, domestic equipment (bedding, chairs etc.)
4. Management of disaster appeal fund 
5. Management of personal memorials, laying of flowers, publication of missing persons etc.
6. Opening and management of a Family and Friends Centre
7. Opening and management of Humanitarian Assistance Centre
8. Management of VIP visits
9. Management of media, opening of a media briefing centre – giving the media somewhere to go.
10. Access to money, when an individual has lost bank cards, bank details, I.D. etc.

Official reports of the incident are expected to filter through the Essex Resilience Forum and the Local Government Association etc.

However, it is important to note the robust approach this Council already takes to Emergency Planning in general, including:

            Managing short to medium term impact:

• The Council has good, tested Rest Centre procedures, enabling us to provide emergency accommodation to those who find themselves without shelter following an incident.
• Whilst  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69