Peer challenges

The new peer challenge offer: first phase

As part of 'Taking the lead', our seven-point offer to support sector-led self-regulation, each council is entitled to a free corporate peer challenge between now and March 2014. In addition, county and unitary councils are entitled to a children's safeguarding peer challenge.

Peer challenge is delivered by the sector for the sector. It is voluntary in nature and intended to complement the work which councils, individually, or collectively initiate for themselves. 

We know that peer challenge is a proven tool for improvement. Since April 2004, almost 70 per cent of councils have had a peer challenge and during the comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) and comprehensive area assessment (CAA) era, councils that had a peer challenge improved their ratings to a greater extent than those that did not.

Developing the new approach

In May 2011 we brought together a small group of chief executives from a range of authorities to act as a sounding board to help to inform our thinking and ensure that we developed an approach that reflects councils' needs. We took advice from leading politicians and tested out our thinking with a wide range of elected members and officers at a series of roadshows.

Our new approach is highly flexible. It can be designed around your council's current issues and improvement needs and, subject to resources, can be delivered at a time to suit your council. The focus of the peer challenge is worked up with each council individually, allowing significant flexibility to focus on priorities, outcomes and ambitions that are important locally.

Additionally we would expect it to have some focus on leadership and corporate capacity because we know these are key factors in council performance and improvement and this will help provide reassurance about future performance. These key components look at:

• understanding the local context and priority setting
• financial planning and viability
• political and managerial leadership
• governance and decision making
• organisational capacity.

Peer challenge can be delivered for a single council, for two or more authorities, for example, with shared management arrangements or a county and one or more of its districts; for a group of councils in a sub-region; or with partners. In short, whatever most meets the council's needs.

Further details are set out in our new publication:

Taking the lead: the LGA's peer challenge offer (PDF, 16 pages, 1.1MB large file)

The first of the new corporate peer challenges

We have completed the first of the new style peer challenges at:

• Swale Borough Council
• Milton Keynes Council
• Thurrock Council
• Mid Devon District Council
• South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils
• Lincolnshire County Council
• West Lindsey District Council
• Scarborough Borough Council
• Wyre Forest District Council
• Hambleton and Richmondshire.

The learning from these will help to ensure we are on the right tracks. We are committed to continue to learn and refine our offer to ensure it relevance for the sector in future.

The initial feedback has been positive:

David Buckle, the joint Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils reflected:

"Perhaps the most important endorsement I can give the peer challenge is that it is nothing like CAA. We achieved as much as we have done through previous inspections but with about 10 per cent of the effort."

William Nunn, the Leader of Breckland Council, the member peer on the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse team:

"The experience demonstrated to me just how valuable the contribution is that it can make to sector-led improvement."

Manjeet Gill, Chief Executive of West Lindsey, commented:

"The peer challenge has helped to add value…undertaking part of the process with the county council and working with our own senior officers and members has been really useful."

Find out what others are saying about peer challenge

The next batch of peer challenges includes:

• Barnsley Council
• Northampton Borough Council
• Cornwall Council
• Malvern Hills District Council
• Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
• Boston Borough Council
• London Borough of Sutton
• Craven District Council
• North Kesteven District Council
• Babergh and and Mid Suffolk
• Stoke on Trent City Council
• Allerdale Borough Council.

Councils are using their peer challenge to focus on a variety of different issues, including:

• the impact of joint working between two councils in terms of improved service delivery and efficiency gains
• an external perspective of major change and transformation programmes – to inform and challenge options for the future
• new ways of working, service delivery and relationships with citizens and or partners
• political and managerial leadership, the ‘localism' agenda, and how county and or district working can be strengthened
• an improvement focus on key corporate priorities of (i) regeneration and economic development; and (ii) educational attainment and skills development
• to inform the corporate strategy, comment on the council's readiness for the future, and its current trajectory and rate of change
• working with partners, and harnessing internal capacity and leadership, to deliver the corporate priority for local growth and the economy.

A further 40 plus councils are in discussion about the timing and focus of their peer challenge.

In addition to the free peer challenge offer, we are also able to offer:

More specific peer challenges for local authorities and often their partners.

Further information

How to become a peer

For more information about peer challenge, or to find out how to become a peer, please contact:

Andy Bates, Principal Advisor
Telephone: 07919 562849
Email: andy.bates@local.gov.uk

Paul Clarke
Telephone: 07887 706960
Email: paul.clarke2@local.gov.uk