The Audit and Risk Committee was scheduled to meet on 17 November 2025, to discuss the interim auditor's annual report, the risk of falling school rolls, and a review of polling districts in Mildmay ward¹. The committee was also scheduled to review the council's principal risks.

Principal Risk Report

The committee was scheduled to discuss the council's principal risks, as detailed in the Principal Risk Report. The report identifies 28 principal risks facing Islington Council, and it was noted that two principal risks had decreased in risk score since the last report, while three had increased.

The report includes a risk appetite statement, which expresses the council's general approach to risk:

Will not tolerate taking risks which would result in harm to our residents and staff; Will not tolerate risks which would result in breach of laws or regulations; Will not tolerate risks which would result in the Council becoming financially unviable; Will not tolerate risks that score 15 and above in the risk matrix and will require robust and closely monitored mitigation plans for such risks. Has a low tolerance for risks which would result in long-term impact on our reputation.

The report also details changes in risk articulation, including a revision to the risk description for 'Capital Programme Delivery' to better articulate the risk, and an amendment to the risk description for 'Change Programme Delivery' to take account of capacity.

Risk Deep Dive – Falling School Rolls

The Audit and Risk Committee was scheduled to discuss a report on the risk of falling school rolls in Islington. The report provided data on pupil numbers, both actual and projected, and described the impacts of falling pupil rolls on individual schools, the local school system, and the council. It also set out the council's strategic response to manage and mitigate the impacts.

The report noted that the forward trajectory of pupil numbers is clearly downward, both within Islington and more generally across London. It stated that the challenge for the local school system is to manage within this environment and attempt to mitigate the most serious adverse impacts on schools, families and local communities.

The report stated that in Islington schools' financial positions have declined as pupil numbers have fallen, also being adversely impacted by inflationary cost pressures exceeding Dedicated Schools Grant increases.

Mildmay Polling District and Polling Places Review

The committee was scheduled to consider a report about proposed changes to polling districts and polling places in Mildmay ward. The proposed changes were prompted by changes to building availability in Mildmay ward, and the report sought a suitable replacement for NMIC Polling District.

It was proposed that the polling station previously located within Highbury Quadrant School be moved to St Augustine's Church, to accommodate residents living in properties in the NMIC polling District. The report noted that the proposed venue is next door to Highbury Quadrant School, and is close to the previous polling place.

Councillor Bell-Braford had recommended using St. Augustine's Church as the new polling station, noting that the church is literally next door to the school, so it will have no impact to residents' travel times to the polling station, and their voting habits over the last few decades, and that the Church is also large enough to facilitate a polling station, and it is accessible.

Interim Auditors Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to note the draft 2024/25 Annual Audit Report for Islington Council, which was prepared by external auditor KPMG. The report presents findings and key issues arising from the 2024-25 audit of Islington Council in four areas: financial statements, other information, value for money, and other powers.

The key findings to date were presented in the executive summary of the report, and it was noted that there were no significant weaknesses to report at this stage, although the audit remained ongoing.