29 May 2003.
Risk management played a key part in the preparation of the single tier authorities for Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPAs) last year, according to 61% of respondents to a new survey. But for authorities graded ‘excellent’ in the CPA, as many as 82% agreed on the practical importance of risk management.
CPAs are a Government initiative, designed to help councils deliver better services for local people, helping them identify actions they need to take to deliver this improvement.
The survey, which was sent to all local authority Chief Executives, Directors of Finance and Risk Managers in England, was conducted by Zurich Municipal Management Services. It also revealed that at present 61% of district councils are confident that their authority’s corporate governance arrangements will meet the standards expected by the CPA inspectors. However, 24% have stated that they ‘didn’t know’ and 14% are not confident.
The results of the survey also showed that authorities not graded ‘excellent’ are looking to risk management for help in the future. 84% of such authorities will be reviewing and updating their approach to risk management in preparation for the next CPA assessments.
Response to the survey reiterated the important role that risk management plays in the CPA assessment process and showed that authorities with sound risk management and corporate governance arrangements already in place are more likely to be rated ‘excellent’.
Sarah Richards, Senior Partner at Zurich Municipal Management Services, said "Risk management is really about identifying and dealing with problems and challenges in the path of business objectives and improved services."
"However, few organisations deal with risks effectively, which means they will may never reach their goals or meet the strict criteria set out in CPAs. The survey clearly demonstrated that it is beneficial for authorities to implement risk management strategies."
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Notes to Editors:
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Zurich Municipal Management Services is the strategic management consultancy arm of Zurich Municipal and Zurich Financial Services Group. It provides specific management solutions for those leading the public services, based on practical experience. Zurich Municipal Management Services’ solutions cover corporate governance arrangements, strategic planning, business risk management, service delivery, strategic partnerships, e-government and self-assessment.
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Zurich Municipal is the leading provider of risk management and insurance solutions to Britain's public services. The company employs nearly 600 staff dedicated to providing expert advice and support to public service providers. For further information visit
www.zurichmunicipal.com -
Zurich Municipal reached its 10th anniversary in March 2003 - a month that also marked the 100th anniversary of Zurich Municipal's predecessor organisation - Municipal Mutual Insurance.
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Zurich Municipal is part of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with an international network that focuses its activities on its key markets of North America, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Founded in 1872, Zurich is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It has offices in approximately 60 countries and employs about 68,000 people.
For further information please contact:
Pritie Billimoria, Helen Cherns, Catherine Webster or Robert Blevin.
Tel: (0)20 7535 9950
