Accounts Commission, Glasgow Caledonian University and ALARM (Scotland) | 1999

Risk management is a key task for managers in every organisation. In local government, identifying and evaluating the consequences ofpolicies or actions is not always referred to as risk management. However, failure to pay proper attention to the likelihood and consequences of risks can cause the council serious problems. Financial cost, service disruption, bad publicity, threats to public health or claims for compensation are among the most obvious. The effective management of risk is therefore a critical part of councils’ approaches to delivering the sound governance element of Best Value.

This paper is aimed at managers and elected members rather than risk management experts. The paper promotes the concept of risk management and highlights good practice in managing risk effectively. It also outlines the key roles and responsibilities ofmanagers and members in developing and implementing an all-encompassing corporate approach to managing risk. Finally, it introduces a range of tools, techniques and checklists to help managers to manage risk in a systematic way.

Download report

Bibliography

Accounts Commission, Glasgow Caledonian University and ALARM (Scotland) (1999) Shorten the Odds – A guide to Understanding and Managing Risk. Edinburgh: Accounts Commission for Scotland.