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.


The LGA’s Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) offer is effective and well regarded by the sector. The annual peer challenge impact survey, shared with leaders and chief executives following a CPC or FPC, shows that 100 per cent of respondents indicated that that the process of preparing for and participating in the peer challenge has had a positive impact on their council. The survey also shows how 98 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the CPC that their council received.

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.

It is expected that all councils will receive a CPC at least every five years.

Each CPC will cover the five core elements detailed below as well any local needs or specific challenges requested by the council:

  1. Local priorities and outcomes
  2. Organisational and place leadership
  3. Governance and culture 
  4. Financial planning and management 
  5. Capacity for improvement.

There is an expectation that all councils having a corporate peer challenge will commit to publishing the feedback report and an action plan in response within three months of the peer challenge. The LGA will also publish the feedback report on their website.

Around ten months after the CPC, the LGA will organise a progress review visit. This creates space for the council’s senior leadership to explore progress and challenges with peers, and discuss next steps. There is also an expectation that the council will publish the progress review report within twelve months of the CPC taking place.

If you want to discuss a peer challenge in your council then please contact your regional LGA principal adviser. 

"A very heartfelt thanks for a super helpful Peer Challenge. I really am grateful for the strength of the Peer Team, the professionalism of the process and the sheer warmth and good will we got from the team. Thank you for the organisation on the ground, it went really smoothly. This is an absolute ringing endorsement of the peer challenge approach from me and just what we needed to move us forward." 
John Dimmer, Head of Policy, Strategy and Partnerships London Borough of Merton