In addition to the fully subsidised corporate peer challenge offer, we also offer peer challenges focused on driving improvement and improving efficiency in specific areas.
We have a range of peer-led improvement support options available. Sometimes the funding routes are different and this may lead to slight differences in the terms of their availability and cost.
- Corporate Peer Challenge: fully subsidised peer challenge for each council and fire and rescue service at a time of their choosing. Focus to be agreed with the council but will include a small core element around leadership and corporate capacity.
- Human resources / organisational development peer review: this peer review seeks to help councils better understand their Human Resources /Organisational Development (HR/OD) team’s capacity and capability to deliver and provides insights into areas needed for improvement.
- Safeguarding children and children in care peer reviews and diagnostics: In response to demand from local authorities and the context of the new Ofsted inspection framework, we are continuing to offer Children’s Services Peer Challenges alongside care and safeguarding diagnostics.
- Health and wellbeing: the support offer focuses on a system-wide approach to developing effective leadership to integrate and devolve health and social care. The new peer challenge offer is currently being piloted.
- Adult social care peer challenge: with the return of the regulator to adult social care the LGA can offer an adults peer challenge to support Councils as they prepare for CQC Assurance Inspections.
- Peer based finance offer: Our offer relies on making use of expertise in the sector, both officer and councillor peers. It currently includes a financial health check; a budget challenge; and tools to allow councils to assess their own financial position and consider opportunities and threats to their financial strategy. The offer continues to evolve.
- Other peer challenges: In addition, the LGA can offer a number of service specific peer challenges (including for housing, planning, highways, and community safety).
- Financial peer review: this dovetails closely with the corporate peer challenge and looks at how councils are setting the strategy, making the decisions required and implementing the changes that will give them the best chance of balancing the books in the medium and long term. The review involves financially experienced peers and focuses on five areas including leadership, strategy, decision-making, outcomes and innovation.
- Communications 'healthcheck' and peer review. The one-day healthcheck includes a review of your comms functions, strategy and capacity, and provides a series of quick wins designed to help you tackle key issues. Our three-day review provides a more in-depth assessment of your comms activity and includes a feedback session and a formal report.
In this section:
System-wide care and health peer challenge
A new system wide care and health peer challenge has been developed with local stakeholders and national partners. This is the first time a peer challenge will have looked so robustly across the health and care landscape.
Adult social care peer challenges
We work with partners to deliver a programme for sector-led support in adult services.
Finance peer challenge and peer support
Led by local government sector peers and finance experts, we support councils to assess their financial position and finance strategy. Councils can choose from a range of support including undertaking a Finance Peer Challenge, financial health check or budget challenge, or taking part in our Collaborative Finance Panel.
Children's Services Peer Challenges
We offer peer challenges and diagnostics to underpin the LGA sector led improvement support, assisting local authorities on their improvement journey. Our range of support offers are detailed below.
Fire peer challenge
Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) can commission another Fire Peer Challenge.
Planning
A Planning peer challenge looks at services and provides the basis for substantive improvement.
Corporate peer challenge
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.
Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme
Delivered by the LGA it is a peer-led review of a council’s performance to help identify radical transformational opportunities and potential for improvements in operating efficiency.
LGA Children Services peer review feedback
"At all times the team carried out their duties in an approachable and supportive manner, often offering helpful suggestions and advice."
Human resources / organisational development peer review
The review seeks to help councils better understand their HR/OD team’s capacity and capability to deliver and provides insights into areas needed for improvement.
Social Housing Management Peer Challenge
The LGA has developed a new peer challenge to help stock-holding councils to improve their management of social housing, in the context of the expectations outlined in the charter for social housing residents: social housing white paper.