A Conservative councillor has asked for Scottish independence to be added to East Renfrewshire’s risk register.
Cllr Gordon Wallace made the request as the Scottish Government is proposing to hold a referendum in October next year.
East Renfrewshire Council’s register sets out key strategic risks to be considered by the local authority - and the Giffnock and Thornliebank councillor believes the possibility of independence should be added to the list.
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A council official said the “risk of independence is measured in the horizon scanning” – issues that are kept under review by the council’s corporate management team [CMT] but not added to the register.
But Cllr Wallace, speaking at a recent audit and scrutiny committee meeting, said: “When you say ‘horizon scanning’, from what I can understand there’s going to be an independence referendum next year. That’s what our Scottish Government is telling us.
“Is that not something that we feel should be on our risk register? Be it low, medium, high, risk.”
The official said: “As I understand the CMT keeps all risks under review and if such a risk were to materialise, it would be included at this point.”
Cllr Wallace responded: “I might ask that we actually include independence into the risk register. It’s coming towards the audit committee and I feel it is something that should definitely be put down here.”
Another council official said the suggestion would be included in the minutes of the meeting which “are fed back to the CMT”.
There are currently 38 risks on the register, with eight evaluated as ‘high’. These include ensuring there are enough school catchment places for children in light of new residential developments and “significant pressure” on capital projects due to material and supplier costs and supply chain issues as a result of covid, Brexit and the war in Ukraine.
One risk has been moved up to ‘high’ from ‘medium’ due to “increased likelihood”. It is the inability to continue to deliver East Renfrewshire Council’s “preferred model of 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare”
“This is linked to the continuing challenges around the documented revenue shortfall for the delivery of the statutory entitlement in the context of the wider savings required,” a report added. The council has estimated it currently faces a £30m funding shortfall for the next financial year.
Cllr Mary Montague, Labour, said: “Given children living with poverty and other challenges in their lives, this provision is really important, so I would ask if we could keep an eye on this and if we could hear going forward what can be done to address this.”
It is the first time ‘horizon scanning’ has been included in a report on the risk register, following a suggestion from Audit Scotland.
“Horizon scanning information is therefore included in this report to provide a high level overview of areas which are currently being considered but have not, as yet, resulted in a risk being added to the strategic risk register,” the report added.
As well as the Scottish Government’s intention to introduce a referendum bill, issues on the horizon include the National Care Service bill, changes to Scottish Child Payments and the asylum dispersal scheme.
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