Agenda item

The Director of Corporate Services presented the report to Members.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) continued to strengthen its approach to organisational risk, aligning policy and practice with ISO 31000:2018 and National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) sector guidance. Risk management remained embedded within quarterly Executive Board and Corporate Performance Board discussions, enabling ongoing scrutiny, targeted mitigation, and informed decision-making.

The Corporate Risk Matrix and summary register included at Appendix A of the agenda pack reflected a stable overall risk position, with some movement during the reporting period. Notably, the loss of funding risk (2a) had reduced following increased funding certainty and was no longer within the priority reduction zone. As a result, retention and recruitment of on-call staff and the replacement of the existing mobilising system remained the most significant areas of organisational exposure.

The Service continued to monitor internal, national, and geopolitical developments that could impact risk exposure or service delivery, with any material changes incorporated into the Corporate Risk Register through established processes.

Members noted that the top two risks identified in the risk register were:

• Loss of staff due to industrial action
• Failing Pager messages

The three decreased risks were:

·         Complete removal of the Day Crew Plus (DCP) duty system

·         Major lack of effective Management of personal data

·         Loss of funding

Overall, the risk landscape remained consistent and well-controlled, with targeted adjustments reflecting operational change, sector context, and maturing mitigation rather than new or escalating threats.

Following the internal audit of the Service’s risk management framework, which provided a reasonable level of assurance, work was ongoing to address the three agreed areas of development: training, risk register consistency, and reporting. Progress to date had focused on identifying the most effective and proportionate approach to risk management training for risk owners and members, alongside improving consistency in action setting, review, and reporting across risk registers. This included alignment with emerging national approaches within the fire sector to support standardisation and continued maturity.

Implementation remained on track, with delivery of improvements forming part of the Service’s wider risk maturity trajectory towards April 2026. As part of the next review cycle, the Service would also look to further align its approach with HM Treasury’s Orange Book: Management of Risk – Principles and Concepts, ensuring continued alignment with recognised best practice.

Councillor J Hugo commented that she was pleased that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East was being monitored and was recognised as a risk due to fuel availability and organisational resilience.

The Chair acknowledged that rising fuel prices would have an impact on the budget. The DoCS explained that the Service had a general reserve of £6m which was available to help with any financial pressures which were not accounted for in the budget.

In response to a query from County Councillor J Ash regarding the ‘Failing Pager Messages’ risk and whether the pager referred to an app, the DoCS stated that pagers were a mixture of physical pagers moving towards apps. The increase in the ‘Failing Pager Messages’ risk reflected a temporary rise in likelihood during the transition to new mobilisation arrangements.

The DoCS advised Members that he would invite the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) team to the next meeting to provide an update on pagers and the technology used.

Resolved: - That the Committee: -

i)             Endorsed the Service’s risk management arrangements: and

ii)            Noted the latest position reflected in the Corporate Risk Matrix and Register.