Corporate Peer Challenge provides robust, strategic and credible challenge and support to councils, bringing together political and managerial leadership, through the use of member and officer peers.
What is a Corporate Peer Challenge?
Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool that is delivered by the sector for the sector.
It is available, at no cost, to all English councils wherever they are on the improvement spectrum and involves a diverse team of experienced peers comprising of senior local government councillors and officers.
The peer team undertake a review of key finance, performance and governance information and then spend up to four days at the council to provide robust, strategic, and credible challenge and support.
If you want to find out more about the LGA’s strengthened CPC offer you can find more information in our Frequently Asked Questions section.
If you would like to discuss having a peer challenge in your council then please contact your regional LGA principal adviser.
CPC forms a key part of the new improvement and assurance framework for local government and is underpinned by the principals of Sector-led Improvement (SLI) to support continuous improvement and assurance across the sector. CPC is also recognised as assisting councils to meet their Best Value duty by having one CPC at least every five years.
The LGA’s CPC offer is effective and well regarded by the sector. By bringing together political and managerial leadership, through the use of member and officer peers, a peer challenge provides robust, strategic and credible challenge and support to councils. Peer challenge also enhances the capacity of the sector and helps to avoid insularity within councils.
Each CPC will cover the five core elements detailed below as well as any additional local areas of focus or specific challenges requested by the council:
- Local priorities and outcomes
- Organisational and place leadership
- Governance and culture
- Financial planning and management
- Capacity for improvement.
Following a corporate peer challenge, a report outlining the key findings and recommendations from the peer team is shared with the council. In the spirit of openness and transparency, councils are required to publish this report, alongside an action plan, within three months of the corporate peer challenge. If the council is unable to publish the action plan at the same time as the report, it is required to publish the action plan no later than five months of the corporate peer challenge.
Progress reviews
All CPCs now include a progress review which takes place approximately ten months after the original corporate peer challenge. The progress review provides space for a council’s senior leadership to report to the peer team on the progress made against the corporate peer challenge recommendations, discuss early impact or learning and receive feedback on the implementation of the action plan.
Following the progress review, a report outlining the peer team’s findings is shared with the council. In the spirit of openness and transparency, the council are required to publish this report no later than 12 months after the original CPC.
