Corporate Peer Challenge: Cirencester Town Council

Cirencester is a growing market town in the county of Gloucestershire with a current population of over 20,000. The town is often branded as the ‘capital of the Cotswolds’.

Cirencester Town Council (CTC) is a council at the first tier of local government within a three tier area. The town council is responsible for a wide range of community assets and is organised across four core service areas being Corporate, Office, Community, and Land and Property.

Cirencester Town Council is achieving a great deal for a council of its size. A number of stakeholders the peer team spoke to referred to Cirencester as a ‘proper market town’ and there was a genuine sense of civic pride both in the place and in the council for what it does to support the town.

CTC is also a council that focusses on improvement and change. The fact that it volunteered to welcome the Local Government Association (LGA) and National Association of Local Councils (NALC) led peer challenge team to offer an external view, speaks volumes (only the third town /parish council nationally to have done so). It has achieved Quality Gold in the Local Council Award Scheme and is rightly proud of this.

The offices of the town council and its Local Information Centre (LIC) are based in the heart of the town centre. The LIC provides an accessible place where residents can engage with the council. The peer team heard how this space in the centre of town was highly valued, as were the staff who work there. The staff try to resolve queries at the first point of contact, regardless of the tier of local government (or other public service) responsible for the issue, and this is to be applauded.  To be able to do this even more effectively, the peer team heard suggestions for the council to consider accommodating the district council staff in a ‘One Stop Shop’ approach at the LIC, with a view to further exploit the benefits to residents of the already popular LIC. 

Cirencester Town Council and Cotswold District Council work together at a strategic level as evidenced by the joint working on the Town Centre Masterplan. However, it is important for the town council into the future, to take a more visible leadership role around the Neighbourhood Plan and Town Centre Masterplan to ensure the expectations of business and the wider public are met and the outcomes of the Masterplan achieved. Local residents and community groups look to the town council for updates on progress and currently this is an area where it was reported to the peer team that there is a lack of clarity. This could be addressed with regular updates on progress, even when progress has been minimal.

There was recognition from those the peer team spoke to of the good working relationship with the district council, and strong working relationships with partner organisations such as community groups and local charities. 

The peer team heard that the town council has a strong focus on development of a number of strategies, both external and internal, but the view of the peer team is that CTC l should consider the balance between developing strategy and delivering outcomes. Strategies allocate resources and establish expected outcomes. If those strategies are to add value, then they need to deliver on the outcomes. For example, the time and resource required to develop the short term Council Strategy, may have been diverted from delivering operational service delivery work. 

The peer team heard from many about what Cirencester Town Council does well and there were many such examples. To demonstrate this, we highlight the organisation of the Health and Wellbeing week that brought together over 100 partners in a single event that took place over a week, and the outcomes of which included preventative health checks, new patient participation group members and raising money for local causes. 

The members of staff the peer team spoke with were positive and keen to be the best they could be for their residents and to represent CTC well. They were wholly supportive of the ambitions of the council and keen to provide good services for the residents and businesses of Cirencester.

Internal communication was reflected to the peer team as an area that has improved recently, and there was special mention of the monthly newsletter that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) circulates to staff and councillors, which helps to share knowledge about what is happening across the wider council. Internal communication could be even better if opportunities for two way communication were identified, and cross council communication encouraged.

Whilst there have been improvements in respect of internal communication, the peer team also heard from those we spoke to of a desire to see improved external communications, engagement, and accessibility. For example, the website could be reviewed in terms of content and navigation to assess how effectively it guides, informs, engages, and communicates. As an example in terms of engagement, the council could consider including comments boxes on external and internal surveys so that respondents feel that the council is interested in what they have to say, rather than just providing a response to questions the council want answers to. 

Related to communication, the peer team heard from some that they felt they were not kept up to date with progress on projects or the making of decisions. The information may be available, but a more transparent process to share it will allay the concerns that were raised to the peer team.

The CEO was mentioned by many stakeholders the peer team spoke to as being very hard working and diligent – a good role model.  In addition to having responsibility for the organisation, the CEO is involved in a number of external meetings and groups.  

At the same time, a desire to see an increase in the visibility of councillors in their leadership and representational roles was reflected to the peer team and this is something the council should reflect and build upon. 

The peer team consider that there is a risk of over reliance on the CEO, and perhaps responsibility for operational delivery could be shared across the wider corporate team, freeing up the CEO to focus on development of strategy. This move, alongside councillors becoming more visible in their local leadership roles will help to ensure responsibility for activities is more widely shared across the council.

There are a number of community ward groups that cover some of the town wards and they link to the council as part of their role representing residents in those wards. The town council should aim to deliver a more consistent approach to engagement and support across the town by building on the existing community ward groups to encourage two way engagement across the whole town area.

Finally, it was reflected to the peer team that a review of the governance of the council would ensure the right model was in place to enable the council to deliver on future ambitions. Whilst a detailed look at governance was not part of this review, there is support and guidance available from both NALC and the LGA should such a review take place.

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:

2.1. Take a more visible leadership role 

As the local representatives across all tiers of local government, enhance the town council role to ensure expectations are met around the Neighbourhood Plan and Town Centre Masterplan, which are key to the ambitions of the town council.

2.2. Rebalance the focus between developing strategy and delivering outcomes

Rebalance focus so that there is resource to deliver the outcomes that the strategies promise.

2.3. Improve external communications

Use a variety of methods to communicate externally, perhaps a review of the website to make it more user friendly and ensure it is kept updated.

2.4. Increase transparency

Decision making and delivery of projects could both benefit from a more transparent approach, for example, a system to report progress on issues raised.

2.5. Become more effective as a listening council

Ensure the council engages and listens more effectively, for example, include comments sections within internal and external consultation surveys. 

2.6. Sharing responsibility

Consider a broader shared responsibility across the council for leadership and delivery to address the possible over reliance on the chief executive officer.

2.7. Make support to ward community groups more consistent

Build on the existing relationships with ward community groups to aim to deliver a more consistent approach of support to these groups across the town. 

2.8. Review the governance structure

The council has ambitions going forwards, a review of governance will ensure that the council structure is the right one to deliver on those future ambitions.

3.1. The peer team

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

• Cllr Sue Baxter – Vice President, National Association of Local Councils
• Joseph Whelan – Town Clerk, Hertford Town Council
• Jonathan Owen – Chief Executive, National Association Local Councils
• Kathryn Trant – LGA, Peer Challenge Manager

3.2. Scope and focus

The LGA and NALC are keen to develop further the peer challenge offer for local councils, which will lead to co-produced peer challenges, utilising the strengths and experience of the LGA and their peer challenge expertise, and delivering this with peers from the town and parish sector, and with NALC engagement and support. 

Rather than retain the format that applies for a Corporate Peer challenge, this report is structured to suit the council’s request for feedback on the following areas:

• What Works Well and Even Better If……, including internal and external communication and engagement
• How effective the council is at responding to local need and delivering priorities and day to day services
• Advice and recommendations that will help shape the long term strategy.

3.3. 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. The team then spent two days onsite at Cirencester, during which they:

• gathered information and views from more than 12 meetings, in addition to further research and reading
• spoke to more than 40 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 peer team asked everyone they spoke to for examples of What Works Well in Cirencester Town Council and the views we collected led us to believe a lot does indeed work well. Everyone reflected on the fantastic Health and Wellbeing week event held in June 2022. The Community Services team were particularly praised for the work they do in respect of organising events and the markets which are seen as valuable in preserving the vitality of the town centre. 

In another example of What Works Well, the peer team heard of the excellent work carried out by the Land and Property team in managing the council’s green space. The town council is responsible for a wide range of community assets including 45+ hectares of land and property, a Norman Arch and cottage, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, allotments, nature reserve, parks and sports facilities. 

The Local Information Centre team are well respected and provide a valuable service to the town and its visitors. The central location of the town council office makes the team accessible. The staff try to resolve queries at the first point of contact, regardless of the public service provider responsible for the issue. In fact, the staff do so well that the peer team heard suggestions for the council to examine the potential to accommodate the district council staff in a ‘One Stop Shop’. This could potentially facilitate longer opening hours (including possible Saturday opening) and provide an even better customer experience. For example, when a query required both town council and district council engagement, if the two councils were in the same place, the query could be responded to even more efficiently so that the person raising the query only had to do so once. This was reflected to the peer team as an example of ‘Even Better If’, although it would require the district council to agree.

Cirencester Town Council supports and works well with a number of community ward groups, which is very positive. The community ward groups link to the council as part of their role representing residents in those wards. The peer team heard and felt that it would be Even Better If there was a more consistent approach in the provision of that support across the existing groups and more broadly to encourage groups across all wards within the town. This will support engagement across the whole town area. Local councillors could engage more with these and other local groups in their local leadership and representational role.

In seeking to meet organisational needs in terms of recruitment, the town council hosted a range of informal recruitment and open days to promote opportunities for employment, volunteering and becoming a councillor. This innovative approach removing the barriers and anxiety that some people face in seeking employment was successful, as staff have been appointed and the number of volunteers increased.  The council makes use of volunteers which Works Well, both as a benefit to the council and to the volunteers themselves. Cirencester Town Council has received a Gloucestershire Inclusive Employer Award for the work they do to build a diverse and inclusive culture.

We found staff at ‘the top their game’. The members of staff that the peer team spoke to were positive and keen to be the best they could be. They were wholly supportive of the ambitions of the council and keen to provide good services for the residents and businesses of Cirencester.

There is a strong and effective learning and developmental culture at CTC. The peer team heard from a number of members of staff that the Town Council is a great place to work. Staff are encouraged and supported to attend training events and there are regular 121s, appraisals and team meetings to ensure staff have the support and resources needed to undertake their jobs successfully. The peer team did hear that there is not a lot of capacity to do more than staff are doing at the moment, and it would be Even Better If the organisation was fully staffed to meet current demands. There should be recognition that additional investment needs to be in place to meet future demands that may arise once the long term corporate strategy is adopted.

The peer team saw how the different services within the council each Work Well as individual teams. Achievement of a one team approach across councillors and staff would be Even Better.  

Internal communications have improved and the regular newsletter from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) plays a part. The peer team heard that it would be Even Better If there could be opportunities for more two way and cross council communication from team to team. This cross council working would help to encourage and in time embed the one team approach as staff learn from and share knowledge with their colleagues across the organisation.

Whilst there have been improvements in respect of internal communication, the peer team also heard from those we spoke to that it would be Even Better If external communications, engagement, and accessibility could be improved. For example, the website could be reviewed as a means of communication, and in terms of engagement, the council could consider including comments boxes on external and internal surveys so that respondents feel that the council is interested in what they have to say, rather than just providing a response to questions the council want answers to.

Finally, the peer team heard a number of times how the CEO works incredibly hard and covers a wide range of responsibilities. From a peer team perspective, it would be Even Better If responsibility for operational delivery could be shared across the wider team. The peer team view is that there may be merit in holding a team building event across the staff and councillor leadership team to assist with this. Councillors being more visible in their leadership role would also help to share responsibility. A desire to see an increase in the visibility of councillors in their leadership and representational roles was reflected to the peer team and this is something the council could reflect and build upon. The current mayor is taking a strong leadership role and is about to begin a regular slot on the local radio station. 

Cirencester Town Council is achieving a great deal for a council of its size. A number of people the peer team spoke to referred to Cirencester as a ‘proper market town’ and there was a genuine sense of civic pride both in the place and in the council for what it does to support the town.

The CTC strategic priorities are:

• Development, Design and Built Environment
• Environment and Climate Change
• Community, Culture and Leisure
• Access, Infrastructure and Transport
• Economy, Business and Retail.

These priorities are supported by a number of actions, some of which are the sole responsibility of the town council, whilst others require co-delivery or partnership working with the district council or county council for example. It is typical of CTC to be striving beyond its own areas of responsibility to achieve for the residents and businesses of the town.

That partnership working approach outlined above is also providing efficiencies in service delivery, for example, working in partnership with Gloucestershire Police to centralise CCTV monitoring has improved service delivery and saved money.

In identifying local need, the town council has commissioned an access audit of the town centre to identify safe accessible routes in and around the town centre and successfully ran a recruitment event to identify barriers to employment for young people. The town council is a disability confident accredited employer.

The peer team were told that the council is doing well in responding to day to day services. The LIC team were mentioned as going above and beyond in dealing with issues on behalf of residents and businesses.  

The Community Services team activities were reflected to the peer team, not just in terms of one off events, but their continuing support to the vitality of the town centre with the organisation of the regular markets. 

In another example, the peer team heard of the excellent work carried out by the Land and Property team in managing the council’s green spaces. This is particularly impressive given the recruitment and retention challenges.

The one area that was reflected to the peer team where improvements may be possible was in consideration being given to some form of ‘ticketing’ system that would allow people to track progress of issues raised, and for the council to keep them informed.  

 

Cirencester Town Council has a short term strategy for two years which was published in 2021. The short term strategy is seen as a ‘positive taster’ ahead of developing the long term strategy.

The outcomes of the Neighbourhood Plan and the Town Centre Masterplan will need to inform the long term strategy, and it will need to meet the aspirations of the new community, including identifying any impact on the town centre infrastructure and services.

Involving the staff and councillors in the development of the long term strategy will help them to see where their activities fit into the council priorities and how they add value. The strategy will align with the council priorities so that there is clarity on where the council will focus support and resources, both in terms of investment and also capacity.  

In terms of delivering those priorities, the peer team heard of the need for the town council to ensure there was balance between developing strategy and delivering outcomes. By way of a practical example, resource goes into developing strategies whilst the public toilets need to be sorted. The strategy will need to identify additional capacity and investment required to deliver the strategy outcomes. 

During the process of developing the strategy, and once adopted when delivering priorities, ensure regular communication to keep people informed and engaged with progress made.

It is recognised that senior political and managerial leadership will want to consider, discuss, and reflect on these findings.

The CPC process includes a six-month check-in session, which provides space for the council’s senior leadership to update peers on its progress against the action plan and discuss next steps.

In the meantime, Paul Clarke, Principal Adviser for the South West, is the main contact between your authority and the Local Government Association. Paul is available to discuss any further support the council requires. [email protected].