Excellent news as borough team is shortlisted

Risk management champions at the Royal Borough have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Insurance and risk manager Steve Mappley and his team are in the running for the Operational Risk Award in the 2008 Alarm Awards. Alarm, the national forum for risk management in the public sector, presents the awards in recognition of excellence in the management of risk in the public services.

The Operational Risk Award is given for the best improvement to or introduction of systems to manage risks encountered by staff in the day-to-day operation of the organisation.

The council's entry is a fraud assessment matrix that identifies where the risk of fraud is most likely to arise with the most damaging effect on the council, enabling the council to demonstrate how the risk of fraud and corruption is specifically considered as part of its overall risk management process.

The borough team will join the three other category contenders – Darlington Borough Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Powys County Council – at the annual awards dinner in Birmingham on Monday June 30 where the winner will be announced.

Cllr Duncan McBride, chairman of the audit and performance review panel, said: "Well done to the insurance and risk management team for their hard work on this pioneering project and congratulations on gaining national recognition.

"Their work is critical in keeping costs down for the council. Failure to deal with fraud can undermine the council's business objectives and could even increase the council's exposure to litigation, bringing about unnecessary losses from the public purse and requiring the use of scarce resources to deal with the consequences."

Steve Mappley added: "I am very excited that our approach has been recognised in this way and I must give my thanks to Steve Murtagh of the audit and control team for his valuable input.

"Our approach is innovative as there is no existing guidance that specifically and precisely allows the risk of fraud to be judged in this way. The results were so pleasing I made the submission as I think our approach is worthy of wider appreciation and, hopefully, will become a widespread methodology in the public sector."