LGA Corporate Peer Challenge - North Northamptonshire Council

Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool that is delivered by the sector for the sector. It involves a team of senior local government councillors and officers undertaking a comprehensive review of key finance, performance and governance information and then spending four days at North Northamptonshire Council to provide robust, strategic, and credible challenge and support.

CPC forms a key part of the improvement and assurance framework for local government. It is underpinned by the principles of Sector-led Improvement (SLI) put in place by councils and the Local Government Association (LGA) to support continuous improvement and assurance across the sector. These state that local authorities are: Responsible for their own performance, Accountable locally not nationally and have a collective responsibility for the performance of the sector.

CPC assists councils in meeting part of their Best Value duty, with the UK Government expecting all local authorities to have a CPC at least every five years.

Peers remain at the heart of the peer challenge process and provide a ‘practitioner perspective’ and ‘critical friend’ challenge.

This report outlines the key findings of the peer team and the recommendations that the council are required to action.

So much has been achieved by North Northamptonshire Council since vesting day and this needs to be celebrated. It is a council which is very cognisant of where it ‘came from’ and is now keen to grasp the opportunities of ‘what comes next’ to replace the historic narrative.

The leader is strong and impactful and the council’s Executive is a cohesive and effective unit and the BIG50 vision provides a platform for effective place leadership.

The chief executive is held in very high regard both internally in the council at all levels and externally among partners.

‘One Council’ provides a real opportunity for North Northamptonshire Council to ensure that it reaches its ambition of being the high performing authority it aspires to be, however this opportunity needs to be delivered upon to achieve its potential.

North Northamptonshire Council is blessed with amazing staff who are extremely committed to each other, the place and the council. They have embraced the vision and ethos of ‘One Council’ and are keen to be a part of turning this into a reality

The corporate plan is clearly articulated. It has been produced on the back of focused work and reflects the significant amount of work undertaken by the council to develop the organisation since its formation in 2021. The One Council programme provides a strong foundation for developing the future ambitions for the organisation. The next stage is for the council to be more reflective of its needs as a unitary council fit for the future. This will require successful integration of all of the various moving parts from the previous districts which have come together to form it.

There is an urgent and significant need for prioritisation and detailed plans to sit behind the council’s vision and strategies, to ensure that they can deliver and staff remain engaged and positive. Currently there is a risk that everything is a priority, which is slowing overall progress, and in reality means that nothing is a priority.

The council is now starting to focus upon its desire to take forward its strong role of place leadership. The BIG50 Plan in particular reflects this ambition and is strongly driven by the leader and chief executive.

Thus far the council has also invested significant work in instigating the kind of partnership and collaboration which will make this ambition more achievable. To this end the council can point to tangible examples of working with ICB partners in delivering initiatives such as Thackley Green. The passion and commitment of all staff to drive and deliver such work is palpable and will be a key ingredient of any future success.

There is clear evidence of impactful individual decisions however now is the time to clearly link and anchor these to the strategic plans that sit behind them. It will be important to avoid risk of confusion between the corporate plan, BIG50 and One Council. As a result the next phase for North Northamptonshire Council requires a clearly articulated narrative which provides a 'golden thread' to run through all of these various plans. It will also be important for the detail that sits below them to be developed, aligned and prioritised. Without greater focus on prioritisation everything will continue to be a priority which will undermine delivery and impact for staff and residents. On this latter front there may be some significant value in providing a clear space for the voice of residents to be heard and consideration should be given to undertaking a Residents Survey.

The executive and senior officers are acutely aware that the council can only use reserves once, however the potential for reliance on reserves to balance the budget has been referenced by others during our visit. A financial governance framework is in place but it needs to be further sharpened so that the entire organisation collectively knows that the focus is always on balancing the in- year budget and setting future year budgets without the use of reserves. This principle needs to be truly owned across all of the council.

The council’s leadership of Children’s Services needs to be enhanced, both with the trust and internally including corporate parenting. This will be an integral part of where the council wants to progress into the future, however it needs to ensure that it has appropriate line of sight and the ability to triangulate the data that the council receives, in moving the council forward in this regard.

There is a clear need for clarification of the boundaries between the distinct and different roles of officers and members. There were a number of examples that the peer team heard where there would be great benefit in this being reset to avoid the risk of blurring between the lines of separation.

There are a number of observations and suggestions within the main section of the report. The following are the peer team’s key recommendations to the council:

Recommendation 1: Strengthen the council’s focus, prioritisation and planning.

• There is an urgent need to create a golden thread narrative through all of the council’s programmes (e.g. Big50, One Council, and the transformation work being undertaken by consultants), to demonstrate how they combine to support the Council’s strategic priorities.
• There is an equally urgent need to have an absolute focus on the requirement to prioritise within and between these programmes in order to enable the council to focus on delivery
• Within the programmes senior leaders must ensure that there are detailed delivery plans for all strategies and plans. These should reflect existing transitional activity whilst recognising future transformational requirements, and with these clearly articulated senior leaders must focus upon having grip and control on delivery
• Alongside the transformation programmes, senior leaders need to ensure that there is a focus on delivering brilliant basics, particularly for staff, with clear delivery timelines.

Recommendation 2: Enhance financial planning and ownership

• The in-year financial position needs to be truly corporately owned with detailed mitigation plans which are formally monitored and reported on.
• Allied to this there is a need to sharpen financial accountability across all tiers of the Council in order for this to be truly owned by everyone.
• Transformation and externally commissioned reviews need to be consolidated, prioritised and linked to clearly planned and resourced delivery models that link to the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP). The aim of this is to minimise the risk of the need to depend upon reserves in future in order balance budgets.
• North Northamptonshire Council should ensure that it has the capacity within its Finance team to effectively support the organisation in the organisation’s transformation journey

Recommendation 3: Clearly define and establish the boundaries between member and officer functions.

• There is a need to re-focus ensuring that there are appropriate member and officer boundaries in place, in order to ensure a positive organisational culture and delivery of priorities. Within this, there should be a reflection of the appropriateness of current delegation arrangements

Recommendation 4: Strengthen North Northamptonshire Council’s leadership of Children and Young People’s Services

• There is a need to urgently ensure that the council has sufficiently strong, impactful leadership of this agenda as its current approach to the functions carried out by the Trust is self-limiting and needs to be maximised to ensure that the council reaches its full potential in the leadership of Children’s Services.
• The council needs to ensure that the function of Corporate Parenting is truly owned across the council, with a Corporate Parenting Strategy and clearly identified Corporate Parenting Champions in directorates
• There is a clear need to strengthen the connectivity between children’s social care and Special Educational needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.
• Establish a dedicated Children’s Overview and Scrutiny subcommittee - this is highly recommended.

Recommendation 5: Strengthen the delivery and impact of overview and scrutiny

• Ensure that there is capacity for Overview and Scrutiny to undertake a greater degree of policy development than they do currently.
• Continue to embed Overview and Scrutiny best practice. This includes Overview and Scrutiny members directing their questions to Executive Members, with Officers in attendance to support their Executive Members
• Establish a dedicated Children’s Overview and Scrutiny subcommittee (as detailed in the recommendation above)

Recommendation 6: Embed a council-wide culture of being outward looking.

• Establish a corporate requirement to further cultivate relationships with partners, stakeholders and communities which promote the co-design and co-delivery of solutions which benefit all communities of North Northamptonshire.
• Ensure that there is commonly understood and collective ownership among all partners and stakeholders of a strategic narrative for the place.
• Further deepen the engagement with residents and consider means of strengthening their voice in developing and delivering a vision for North Northamptonshire (for example by undertaking and using the results of regular Residents’ Surveys)

Recommendation 7: Sharpen the council’s focus on workforce and organisational development

• Ensure the council has both the capacity and focus to undertake swift and rigorous reviews of the organisation’s structure and the terms and conditions of staff. Embed a corporate commitment to utilising this work as an opportunity for transformation rather than transition.
• Recognise the reality of the negative impact that basic systems and process issues are having on staff morale and the risk of undermining retention and productivity. Focus attention here through clear and transparent two-way communication with council staff
• Increase the pace and scale of Organisational Development (OD) work. This includes:
  • Recognising and addressing the need of staff to have commonly shared clarity on North Northamptonshire Council’s priorities
  • Moving ‘One Council’ from a laudable concept to the reality of lived experience for all staff.

The peer team

Peer challenges are delivered by experienced elected member and officer peers. The make-up of the peer team reflected the focus of the peer challenge and peers were selected by the LGA on the basis of their relevant expertise. The peers were:

• Lead Peer: Anne-Marie Bond (chief executive, Torbay Council)
• Member Peer: Cllr. Izzi Seccombe (leader of the Council, Warwickshire County Council)
• Senior Officer Peer: Sam McVaigh (director of people and inclusion at Bury Council)
• Senior Officer Peer: Jackie Mould (service director - strategy, communications, improvement and intelligence at Wakefield Council)
• Senior Officer Peer: Shannon Coleman-Slaughter (service director (finance, property & procurement) and deputy S151 Officer - West Berkshire Council)
• LGA Peer Challenge Manager: Ernest Opuni (LGA senior regional advisor)

Scope and focus

The peer team considered the following five themes which form the core components of all Corporate Peer Challenges. These areas are critical to councils’ performance and improvement.

1. Local priorities and outcomes - Are the council’s priorities clear and informed by the local context? Is the council delivering effectively on its priorities? Is there an organisational-wide approach to continuous improvement, with frequent monitoring, reporting on and updating of performance and improvement plans?
2. Organisational and place leadership - Does the council provide effective local leadership? Are there good relationships with partner organisations and local communities?
3. Governance and culture - Are there clear and robust governance arrangements? Is there a culture of challenge and scrutiny?
4. Financial planning and management - Does the council have a grip on its current financial position? Does the council have a strategy and a plan to address its financial challenges? What is the relative financial resilience of the council like?
5. Capacity for improvement - Is the organisation able to bring about the improvements it needs, including delivering on locally identified priorities? Does the council have the capacity to improve? 

As part of the five core elements outlined above, every Corporate Peer Challenge includes a strong focus on financial sustainability, performance, governance, and assurance. 

In addition to these themes, the council asked the peer team to provide feedback on a further three questions:

1. Where is the council now three years on from the local government reorganisation which created North Northamptonshire Council as new unitary council?
2. How well is the council facilitating effective partnership working as a means of positively shaping North Northamptonshire as a place as part of its Big 50 vision?
3. How well do North Northamptonshire Council ’s culture and values drive the ambition of North Northamptonshire Council being a council which is looking outwards in order to move forward and seize future opportunities to progress?

The peer challenge process

Peer challenges are improvement focused; it is important to stress that this was not an inspection. The process is not designed to provide an in-depth or technical assessment of plans and proposals. The peer team used their experience and knowledge of local government to reflect on the information presented to them by people they met, things they saw and material that they read.

The peer team prepared by reviewing a range of documents and information in order to ensure they were familiar with the council and the challenges it is facing. This included a position statement prepared by the council in advance of the peer team’s time on site. This provided a clear steer to the peer team on the local context at North Northamptonshire and what the peer team should focus on. It also included a comprehensive LGA Finance briefing (prepared using public reports from the council’s website) and a LGA performance report outlining benchmarking data for the council across a range of metrics. The latter was produced using the LGA’s local area benchmarking tool called LG Inform.

The peer team then spent four days onsite at North Northamptonshire Council, during which they:

• Gathered evidence, information, and views from more than 40 meetings, in addition to further research and reading.
• Spoke to more than 115 people including a range of council staff together with members and external stakeholders.

This report provides a summary of the peer team’s findings. In presenting feedback, they have done so as fellow local government officers and members.

The corporate plan is a clearly articulated vision with defined objectives providing a basis for service development and delivery of better outcomes for residents and service users and there is a sense of ownership here by senior leaders. 

The BIG50 provides a platform for a clear vision for the place and is strongly driven by the well-respected leader and highly regarded chief executive. This has the potential to create partnership arrangements that can facilitate the co-design of shared outcomes and delivery models. However, it is important that the journey from initiative to reality and long-term success is clearly plotted with a firm focus on well-defined prioritisation. It is also important for all key stakeholders to be engaged, and efforts should be made to ensure full stakeholder representation.

With a clear demonstration of goodwill and commitment from stakeholders and partners evident, now is the time to shift the focus onto what and how the vision and objectives will be delivered. This means being clear about the initial priorities the council and its partners wish to focus on and co-producing detailed delivery plans with clear timescales. This will require dedicated resource and facilitation from the council to ensure momentum and engagement is maintained and results and learning is captured.

There is proactive consideration of the devolution deal which will enable the council to engage on a regional footprint and bring further investment to support Place development.

Whilst ambition is high and much is being achieved, further development and consideration should be given to how the voice of residents can be captured and reflected into corporate and partnership priorities and plans. This could include for example a resident survey, or other forms of engagement activity designed to capture lived experience and views from the communities the council serves. 

There is a risk of confusion between the corporate plan, BIG50 and One Council. A narrative needs to be clearly articulated as to the 'golden thread' that runs through these, and the detail that sits below them needs to be developed, aligned and prioritised. Without a greater focus on prioritisation everything will continue to be a priority which will undermine delivery and impact for staff and residents.

More widely, whilst the peer challenge team saw evidence of impactful individual decisions, it was not always able to identify the strategic plan that sat behind them. Establishing a clear link between these decisions and clearly stated strategic intent will be important for sustainability of delivery and impact into the future. 

Performance

North Northamptonshire Council’s Performance Framework is well thought through and provides a solid basis for effective management of the council, with a regular rhythm of reporting.

The linkage between KPIs and financial and workforce reporting, which has been championed by the S151 officer is of particular positive note.

Another positive element of the council’s approach is that its public health analysts are embedded in the corporate performance team. This provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that the organisation can build a deeper understanding of its population needs and how this impacts service design and delivery. This will enable a more proactive use of performance information in problem solving and service improvement. Alongside this it will be important to ensure that performance management drives and informs the transformation programme helping the council to prioritise areas for improvement and identify specific projects, improvement targets and delivery timescales. There does however remain the need for further consideration being given to further consolidating the performance capacity in the corporate team.

North Northamptonshire Council have been preparing for the new inspection framework in ASC and Housing. However, the council now needs to ensure that these preparations are corporately owned, with appropriate collective oversight and focussed actions. There is a definite ambition to deliver the best possible outcomes in this area of the council’s delivery and the council is fully aware of the significant challenges it faces on the back of external inspections of Children’s Social Care and SEND inspections.

Financially, benchmarking demonstrates that North Northamptonshire Council is reserve and cash healthy. However, within this is an important note of caution and need for further consideration. In considering the council’s estimated core spending power per dwelling it is noted that is below the level of its statistical neighbours. This is a cause for concern given the extent of the savings required in the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP). The savings figure for 2025/26 is £31.5m. In 2026/27 the figure is £9.4m whilst the target for 2027/28 is £16.8m after an assumed Council Tax increase of 4.99 per cent. It will be important to consider the challenge the council could face once these figures are juxtaposed with the desire to achieve radical transformation and deliver vastly improved outcomes for North Northamptonshire.

There must also be work, at pace, to consolidate and assure the various consultancy led efficiency programmes which are underway through One Council and are designed to support a financially sustainable MTFP over the next three years. Whilst there is a budget challenge process underway, at the time of the peer challenge team’s visit there was a lack of detailed plans to meet the saving requirements. Without these, there is therefore the potential that to some degree reserves will be needed to produce a balanced budget for 2025/2026. However, it is crucial to minimise this in future years through ensuring coherence and organisational ownership of the consultancy-led efficiency programmes.

The council is proactively seeking to embed its approach to promoting equality and diversity. It is an integral part of the East Midlands Councils’ Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Regional Network. In collaboration with other councils in the region North Northamptonshire Council is seeking to utilise the LGA Equality Framework for Local Government as a dynamic tool for self-assessment and driver of positive culture and best practice into the future. This work must be strategically led by both senior officers and members.

The leader of the council is well respected and has a clear vision around growth in the area underpinned by the provision of skills and jobs whilst building North Northamptonshire into an economic destination. This was clearly articulated to the peer challenge team and demonstrated by the arrival in the area of the world-renowned brand Nike as a major investor.

The leader has a clear passion for the emerging Big50 plan which provides a platform on which Partners can align and jointly build North Northamptonshire as a place which has engaged and supported communities. The current foundation allows the public sector to be an enabler which encourages joint endeavour and partnership built upon a sense of pride of place through their combined effort.

The BIG50 gatherings have been instrumental in galvanising this ongoing support. These were well attended by a wide number of interested groups including Health, Police and Voluntary and Community Sectors. There is a clear enthusiasm for the BIG50 concept and a desire to put in place deliverable action plans. It will be important to build and maintain pace in order to develop and sustain the level of momentum required to keep all partners and stakeholders engaged. There is no doubt that this is an opportunity for the leader to advance that direction through continuing to strengthen partnership links.

There are already strong partnerships in evidence such as those involving the local Further Education college which is already demonstrating practical delivery in the skills space. This work provides further foundations for delivering the ambitions of a dynamic and effective local Economic Development plan which should sit alongside and align to the local Growth Plans. Opportunities will arise to bid for infrastructure funding to support these plans and it will be important for North Northamptonshire to be prepared and well positioned to take advantage of future possibilities. The completion of a Housing Strategy will be important to this picture and there would be value in this being prioritised.

North Northamptonshire Council has shown its increasing maturity in addressing some historically challenging relationships. There would be value in spending time in understanding where and how more effective collaboration can be achieved in partners such as Health. Jointly there would be value in thinking through viable options for funding in order to take the Big50 from concept to sustainable reality. There may be some value in considering a Memorandum of Understanding or Local Charter as a means of all partners demonstrating their commitment.

Children's Social Care sits within a Children's Trust shared with West Northamptonshire Council. Having come through previous difficult times where relationships have been strained in the past, it appears to be stronger and improving. The ambition is for North Northamptonshire Council to arrive in a place where it can look to take back the direct delivery of its entire Children's Services function. This ambition is shared by the Trust’s Board and chief executive who values his regular meetings with the executive member and senior officers. The appointment of a new director of Children's Services provides an opportunity to enhance the council’s internal capacity and capability and further demonstrate its intent to manage the Service itself in order to take a firm hold of its responsibility to be an effective corporate parent. It is imperative, both in respect of current delivery and future intent, that strong and meaningful leadership of this area is exercised. Whilst recognising the existence of the trust, the council can better lead in this area; its current approach to the functions carried out by the Trust is self-limiting and needs to be maximised to ensure that the council reaches its full potential in the leadership of Children’s Services.

The delivery of an organisational governance framework for a new council was an immense task. Now is the opportunity to review key aspects for the future effective functioning of the council.

The council has good engaged executive members. The Executive appear to be a close and confident team. They meet regularly and have collaboration with their corporate directors and leadership team. It is important to ensure that the distinction between the strategic role and direction of elected members is upheld and that officers are empowered to deal with operational issues. The blurring of these roles will allow gaps to appear that will inevitably undermine the good governance of the council. 

The significant amount of work which has been undertaken in order to get North Northamptonshire Council to where it is now over a relatively short period of time cannot be underestimated. Although there is still some reflection on the legacy of the previous County-District model, there are signs that the authority is moving towards its One Council ambitions. Staff shared with the peer challenge team their recognition of the value of having services better grouped together. For example Leisure had previously had not had direct contact with Public Health but now the two are situated in the same department which gives them a deeper sense of common purpose. 

North Northamptonshire Council’s staff are enthusiastic, committed and feel supported which is all the more remarkable given the history and change noted above. They made clear repeatedly how much they value the new chief executive and the communications they receive from her. The chief executive produces a video log which staff very much appreciate. However, there were clear frustrations in relation to both strategic and operational tasks which remain outstanding as part of the development of the new organisation. This included the delivery of restructures and progress of voluntary movement onto new terms and conditions at the strategic end to legacy ICT frustrations and the need for multiple Access Cards and a lack of office base at the operational. Through the ‘One Council’ events staff have confidence that there is a corporate understanding of these issues and a desire to address them. However, in order to retain organisational support it is crucial this intent moves to a clear and timebound plan of action at pace. Staff and the Trade Unions also recognise the benefit and importance of considering transformation and improvement as part of, and not separate to, work around integration and it is important that the council does not miss this opportunity. Crucial to this work will be a clear (and resourced) organisational development plan which embeds the council’s values and behaviours as part of this activity. 

Individual staff also spoke with great enthusiasm about their positive links with cabinet members, in particular in relation to the work in Adults Social Care. 

There is a need to resolve interim management arrangements at senior levels to provide the stability and resilience to take the organisation forward.

North Northamptonshire Council has many companies. It is important that the council fully recognises its role as an owner, and where appropriate, the separate and distinct role of client. Work on this is underway and needs to be finalised.

The council has a healthy level of revenue reserves (general and earmarked) and a healthy cash position resulting in the council avoiding borrowing in a high-interest rate environment. There needs to be recognition of the level of work undertaken to disaggregate the balance sheet and complete the draft accounts for financial year 2021/22. However, as at the time of the peer challenge team’s visit the draft accounts are yet to be subject to external audit scrutiny and to this end the reserves balances held by the council are not assured.

The transformation and project workstreams need to be consolidated, quantified and demonstrably linked into the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) alongside the annual revenue savings programme to avoid potential reliance on the council's reserve position. Detailed plans which are both embedded and monitored need to developed in relation to the council's current in-year forecast overspend position to ensure that there is a sharp corporate ownership of the financial position.

During the peer challenge, there was evidence of engagement with the finance executive member with monthly reporting in place, who in turn briefs the wider executive. It was further noted that there is a strong internal audit focus and audit committee, led by a chair with a solid financial background. The reporting framework would be enhanced through greater engagement of staff throughout all levels of the organisation. It was noted that staff had a desire to be involved in the future financial direction of the council. There would be value in the council ensuring that staff are able to positively contribute to the council’s future financial strategy and overall transformation; their ownership of this agenda will be a key ingredient of success into the future. The One Council Programme would appear to provide a ready-made vehicle for this engagement.

North Northamptonshire Council is clearly a council, politically and managerially, that is hungry for improvement. Staff at all levels are committed to being a part of delivering this. North Northamptonshire Council is blessed with amazing staff who are extremely committed to each other, the place and the council. They have embraced the vision and ethos of ‘One Council’ and are keen to be a part of turning this into a reality. The council should continue to utilise every opportunity it can to put them at the centre of every initiative underpinning this work.

Additional capacity in the executive director of strategy and change is much needed, and the planned extra resources in organisational development will be critical to be able to deliver the highly ambitious programmes. There is also a need to ensure a collective line of sight and corporate ownership of all transformation activity through ‘One Council’ with the use of consultancy support as an enabler of change as opposed to a driver of it.

North Northamptonshire Council have a demonstrable track record of delivery of the required transition since vesting day.

Now is the opportunity to ensure that fundamental transformation of the organisation occurs. However there needs to be prioritisation and detailed delivery plans in place.

The peer team heard of the need to ensure that there is the appropriate focus and attention on housing, and supports the newly created Housing Improvement Board to facilitate this, including through completion of the Housing Strategy.

BIG50 partners seen were engaged, energised and excited. This is due in no small part to the personal passion for the initiative and the leadership of the leader of the council in engaging partners to embrace and take forward this vision.

There are already examples of the BIG50 in action for example the Corby Sixth Form College.

The peer team would recommend consideration be given to executive members being actively involved in the BIG50 to strengthen partnerships further and ensure that its work is integrated into all activities of the council.

North Northamptonshire Council needs to ensure that there is the focussed capacity to facilitate the BIG50 to achieve its potential.

Understandably, attention has been largely internal to date focussing on the transition, and a huge amount has been achieved. One Council provides the platform to complete the transition and embrace transformation but the detailed plans for delivery are required.

The BIG50 provides a platform to look outwards, engage communities and deliver better outcomes for residents, however it needs to develop into a deliverable action plan that will have tangible results.

It is recognised that senior political and managerial leadership will want to consider, discuss and reflect on these findings. The LGA will continue to provide on-going support to the council. Following publication of CPC report you need to produce and publish an Action Plan within five months of the time on site. As part of the CPC, the council are also required to have a progress review and publish the findings from this within twelve months of the CPC. The LGA will also publish the progress review report on their website. 

The progress review will provide space for a council’s senior leadership to report to peers on the progress made against each of the CPC’s recommendations, discuss early impact or learning and receive feedback on the implementation of the CPC action plan. The progress review will usually be delivered on-site over one day. The date for the progress review at North Northamptonshire Council will be agreed with North Northamptonshire Council as part of the finalisation of this peer challenge report.

In the meantime, Mark Edgell (Principal Adviser for East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and North East Regions), is the main contact between your authority and the Local Government Association. As outlined above, Mark is available to discuss any further support the council requires. He can be reached on email at:[email protected].