Agenda item

To review the current risks held on the Transport for the North Corporate Risk Register with a specific focus on the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.

Lead:  Daniella Della-Cerra Smith

4.1             Members received the report from Ms Della-Cerra-Smith who highlighted the key points.  Ms Della-Cerra-Smith then introduced the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) risk deep dive which was the Members chosen work area to explore further.  Members then received the presentation from Mr Simon McGlone.

 

4.2          Cllr Robinson thanked the team for the proactive work being done on EVCI and stated that there are huge risks for the North of England, its economy and transport network if the correct infrastructure is not in place.

 

4.3          Mr Brady highlighted the issues around TAMEs legal and licensing and enquired whether TfN are able to manage these areas. He highlighted the fact that TfN are trying to position TAME as a Centre of Excellence with EVCI being a part of this, however he expressed concern that other local authorities may look to duplicate TfN’s work rather than work collaboratively.

 

In response Mr McGlone stated that TAME’s legal, and licensing was no longer a risk on the project risk register and that TfN are in a good position in terms of being a Centre of Excellence.  He added that there have been various offers of interest to share the tool nationally and that partners are actively using TfN evidence for levelling up submissions and bids.  Mr Kelly informed the Committee that TfN are in discussions with  the DfT about what the Centre of Excellence could look like and explained that the EV work has proved to be a great success with the organisation wanting to do more good value for money solutions that will contribute to TfN being seen as a Centre of Excellence as well as delivering on its core duties. TfN are supporting other Sub National Transport Bodies (STBs) and local authorities, reinforcing TfN as a quality organisation and its delivery of good value for money solutions.

 

4.4          Cllr Little stated that the way to get the best results in the North is to work collaboratively and through TfN. He expressed concern about how EVCI is going to develop going forward in more rural areas and highlighted the low take up of EV’s in the North combined with the low take up by the energy providers to introduce EVCI on a greater scale. 

 

On the issue of infrastructure Mr McGlone stated that getting the right infrastructure for both EV and non-EV is important.  On the issue of urban and non-urban areas he explained that the framework that TfN uses looks at both urban and non-urban areas and hopes that TfN will be able to attract private sector investment.

 

4.5          The Chair stated that one of the measures of success is not just the number of charging points but also how the issue of social exclusion is addressed.  Many people do not have access to EVCI and those that do will have to continue to park their vehicle next to infrastructure to be able to charge it. 

 

From a risk point of view, he questioned how  the project will cater for the changes that could occur such as the dynamic nature of the risks.

 

4.6          Mr McGlone recognised that there is a lot of uncertainty around issues such as technology and how people will travel in the future and he explained that TfNs Future Travel Scenarios are used to help map out the requirements. He added that the metrics are monitored and evaluated across the region, and the visual tool will be transferred to a live monitoring tool, so the current standing of deployment can be compared to where TfN wants to be in the future. 

 

Chair requested a workplan of subjects that could be explored further during 2023/24 such as the Anti-Fraud Strategy.

 

Mr Brady wondered whether the distribution of information to independent members via email is a Cyber Security and third-party issue and requested it be reviewed.

Resolved:

That the Committee notes the updates to the Corporate Risk Register amd the four management actions concluded as part of the RSM risk maturity audit and reviews the EVCI project risks ahead of the deep dive. This is to provide assurance, that efficient and effective risk management practice and processes are in place.