An introduction to the peer challenge process and the role of peers

Thank you for volunteering to be an LGA peer and to play a role in supporting local government improvement as part of our Peer Challenge Programme.

Peer challenge is an important part of the support we offer to help councils strengthen accountability and improve services.

Peers are at the heart of peer challenges – which are managed and delivered by the sector for the sector, with peers providing a practitioner perspective and 'critical friend' challenge. Working as a team managed by an experienced LGA peer challenge manager, peers spend time with a council to help it with its improvement and learning.

Peers help build capacity, confidence and sustainability in local government by sharing knowledge and experience, enabling the transfer of learning across the sector. They help councils to reflect on current processes and practice and champion change and improvement through their own actions and by recognising and celebrating excellence in others.

ind out more about our sector support and peer challenge offers.

A brief history

Peer challenge emerged as a response to a desire within local government for councils to be able to informally test their effectiveness and learn from others. It has traditionally been applied on a corporate basis, although over the years many service-based and thematic models have emerged, for example:

• planning
• children and young people
• adults
• equality, diversity and inclusion.

Peer challenge is a tried, tested and trusted way of supporting local government improvement. We manage the delivery of more than 120 peer challenges a year.

While distinct from formal inspection, peer review / challenge has in the past been used in preparation for it. The current focus is on sector improvement so there is a need to ensure the peer-led approach looks and feels different to inspection.

Our Corporate Peer Challenge offer

Peer challenge is one of several tools made available by the LGA to support sector improvement.

Key principles and design features

We offer all councils a Corporate Peer Challenge every four to five years on a fully subsidised basis. The key design features and principles of the offer are:

• the peer challenge can be delivered at a time of an authority’s choosing – recognising that there are different drivers, challenges and considerations in different places
• the challenge is proportionate and flexible – the focus of the challenge (within, or in addition to, the core components) is agreed with each individual council to reflect their local needs and requirements
• peers are at the heart of the process – they spend time with a council to help it with its improvement and learning by providing a practitioner perspective and critical friend challenge.

The peer challenge will focus on areas that provide reassurance about performance and the ability and capacity to deliver on future proposals and ambitions, as well as other areas agreed with the authority receiving the challenge.

The five high-level questions (the core components) considered by all Corporate Peer Challenges are:

• Local priorities and outcomes – Are the council’s priorities clear and informed by the local context? Is the council delivering effectively on its priorities? 
• Organisational and place leadership – Does the council provide effective local leadership? Are there good relationships with partner organisations and local communities?
• Governance and culture – Are there clear and robust governance arrangements? Is there a culture of challenge and scrutiny?
• 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?
• Capacity for improvement – Is the organisation able to support delivery of local priorities? Does the council have the capacity to improve?

The purpose of the peer challenge should be to inform further improvement and learning. It is designed to be forward looking, facilitative and problem solving. Whilst it can be used to provide an external ‘health-check’, the peer challenge will not deliver a detailed diagnosis or scored assessment. As such, there is a strong emphasis on peers providing practical advice and suggestions.

How local authorities are using the peer challenge process

Local authorities are using the peer challenge process to:

• provide an external perspective of major change and transformation programmes – to inform and challenge options for the future
• explore and test thinking on new ways of working, service delivery and relationships with citizens and or partners
• provide feedback and observations on the realism, robustness and relevance of plans to support key priorities such as economic growth
• inform the corporate strategy, comment on the council’s readiness for the future, and its current trajectory and rate of change
• provide feedback on how the council is working with partners, and harnessing internal capacity and leadership, to deliver priorities
• provide external perspective, observation and critical friend challenge on the financial strategy
• assess the impact of joint working between two councils in terms of improved service delivery and efficiency gains.

Scoping the peer challenge

Following the request for a peer challenge, there will be a scoping meeting between the LGA principal adviser, peer challenge manager, and the host authority (normally with the chief executive and leader). This meeting will discuss and agree:

• scope and timing of the peer challenge
• composition of the peer team
• methodology and approach to stakeholder engagement
• background information required
• practical arrangements and preparation
• communications pre- and post-challenge.

Assembling the peer challenge team

The peer challenge team will then be recruited. The make-up of the team will reflect the requirements and the context of the local authority receiving the peer challenge – as discussed at the scoping meeting. Peers will be recruited to the peer team from our database of peers on the basis of their expertise, knowledge and experience. The information you provided via the application process will be used to inform our search for peers and help determine the people we suggest to the authority.

You will be contacted by either the LGA peer challenge manager or one of our peer placement coordinators. If you are a councillor peer you will be contacted by a representative of your relevant political group office. They will check your interest in, and availability for, the peer challenge. You will be given as much notice as possible (typically we suggest to authorities that the scoping meeting occur four to six months prior to the peer challenge). We will then put you forward as part of a suggested peer team.

The role of peers

Once you have been confirmed on a peer challenge team, there are three main phases of activity involving peers:

• pre-onsite preparations
• onsite at the council
• post-onsite.

As part of our peer induction pack, a peer role description sets out the key roles and responsibilities for peers throughout the peer challenge process (see below section on 'Peer role description and responsibilities'. 

You will receive a comprehensive briefing from the peer challenge manager and receive a ‘peer team briefing note’ ahead of any peer challenge you are to be involved in. 

In addition to the activity listed above, there will also be a progress review six months after the peer challenge final report has been finalised – undertaken either on-site or remotely. This normally includes some or all of the original peer team.

Post-onsite phase

• A draft feedback report will be prepared by the LGA peer challenge manager on behalf of the peer team. Peers will be asked to comment on the draft before it is sent to the authority. Where possible we try to include signposting to examples of practice, people and places that might help a authority develop its thinking further. Peers can add value to the feedback report by providing notable and other practice examples.

Progress review:

• The Corporate and Finance Peer Challenge offers include a progress review approximately 10-12 months after the original peer challenge. The purpose of the review is to help the authority demonstrate impact and progress. Some or all of the peer team will be invited to participate in the review, which may happen on-site or remotely. 

Peer role description (for officer and councillor peers)

The following role description is applicable both to officer and councillor peers who are part of a peer challenge team.

Peer challenges are managed and delivered by the sector, for the sector. Peers are at the heart of the peer challenge process. They provide a practitioner perspective and ‘critical friend’ challenge. Working as a team, and supported by an experienced LGA peer challenge manager, peers will spend time with an authority or partner organisation to help it with its improvement and learning.

Peers help build capacity, confidence and sustainability in local government by sharing knowledge and experience and enable the transfer of learning across the sector. They challenge inappropriate processes and behaviour, and champion change and improvement both through their own actions and by recognising and celebrating excellence in others.

Peer challenge teams will be recruited from our pool of peers and that team will reflect the requirements and the context of the authority receiving the peer challenge. Peers will be recruited to a peer challenge team on the basis of their expertise, knowledge and experience.

Peer responsibilities

Peers on a peer challenge team are expected to:

• undertake pre-reading in advance of the peer challenge: peers will be sent a small amount of information and documentation that they will need to read before meeting up with the peer team the evening before the peer challenge
• attend and participate in a video conference and an initial peer team meeting: peers will need to be in a position to share their initial impressions and views from the pre-reading, and prepare for the onsite phase of the process
• facilitate interviews and discussion whilst onsite at the authority: a timetable of activity will be arranged in advance, including meetings, focus groups and site visits (Peers are expected to gather information via these, record and share key findings with the peer team. Peers will need to facilitate discussions with officers, members and other stakeholders to prompt new ideas and potential solutions.)
• draw on their relevant skills, knowledge and experience: peers are expected to demonstrate specific know-how and share examples of best practice from their own experience to provide insights into how the council is performing and how it might accelerate the achievement of its ambitions
• analyse key messages throughout the process: peers need to recognise and incorporate different stakeholders’ perspectives, gather, analyse and communicate information in order to suggest realistic and credible solutions to challenges
• work with others in the peer team to develop and deliver a feedback presentation: the presentation will normally be led by the peer team leader (chief executive or lead professional) with input from other peers in the team
• contribute to the draft feedback report within agreed timescales: peers will be asked to comment on the draft developed by the peer challenge manager on behalf of the team
• undertake additional or specialist roles on the peer team: some peers will be recruited to the team to undertake a specialist or additional roles – such as peer team leader, or an expert adviser role
• to better understand the peer role you may also wish to review our introduction to the peer challenge process and role of peers, the Peer Charter and peer competencies.

In carrying out the roles and responsibilities listed above, peers are expected to display the following competencies and behaviours:

• developing others by sharing learning and providing a supportive and non-judgmental environment, and demonstrating a personal commitment to continual development and learning
• working effectively with others in the peer team to achieve a common purpose through valuing the contributions of others and recognising and including diverse viewpoints
• providing challenge by being able to positively and constructively challenge individuals and groups in an effort to help them to improve – peers should be able to perform the role of a ‘change agent’ sensitively and inclusively
• planning and communicating effectively by analysing requirements and coordinating activity and priorities and providing evidence to support ideas
• political and organisational awareness by understanding the local context and overcoming political and organisational differences to work collaboratively with different stakeholder groups.

We value the important and vital contribution that our peers make to improving the sector. Peers volunteer their time to provide a ‘practitioner perspective’ and ‘critical friend’ challenge to help organisations and their people learn and improve.

To help maximise this experience, we have set out in our Peer Charter some of the expectations and requirements of being a peer. The Charter summarises some of the key contractual obligations contained in the Peer Terms and Conditions which we ask you to familiarise yourself with. 

Our relationship with you

As a peer, you are not an employee of the Local Government Association (LGA). If you are an officer peer you will continue to be employed by your existing employer. You will continue to work under the terms and conditions of your existing contract of employment and will continue to be paid by your existing employer. If you are a member peer you are entitled to our councillor peer allowance in addition to the reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs offered to all peers.

The benefits and value of being a peer

People who have taken on the role of peer suggest that the benefits of doing so are wide, varied and sometimes personal. Peers provide positive feedback on the benefits and value of being involved in a peer challenge. These include:

• a recognised and valued way of making an active contribution to the sector
• an opportunity to see and experience other places providing personal learning and transferable practice
• opportunities to build networks, relationships and collaboration with others
• sharing of learning and practice through peers, and across authorities and the sector.

Find out from LGA peers about their experiences of being an LGA peer

The practical stuff

Once confirmed as a member of a peer challenge team, before the project commences you will receive an email setting out the practical details and arrangements for the peer challenge, including:

• details of who else is on the peer team
• contact details of the peer challenge manager
• hotel confirmation and travel information.

You will also be issued with a purchase order, which will provide a project code and an expenses form template which you can use to claim back your travel expenses.

You will receive a comprehensive briefing from the peer challenge manager and receive a ‘peer team briefing note’ ahead of any peer challenge you are to be involved in.  

In addition to the activity listed above, there will also be a progress review approximately 10 to 12 months after the peer challenge final report has been finalised. This will take place over one or two day and normally includes some or all of the original peer team. 

Pre-onsite preparations

Peers will need to read some background information in advance of the peer challenge. A set of documentation will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks in advance of the team being on-site at the local authority. The information is likely to include a short ‘position statement’ prepared by the local authority. This will serve as a brief and terms of reference for the team. You will also receive other information relevant to the chosen areas of focus and the core components.

Peers should familiarise themselves with the authority and the specific issues they have asked us to look at. In doing so, peers should think about their own experiences and examples and bring these along ready to use them (if appropriate).

Peers should be prepared to network with others from the sector who have similar professional backgrounds to bring in further learning to the peer team.

There will be a video conference one to two weeks before the team going on-site. This is an opportunity to share initial perceptions from the background information and consider the timetable.

On-site at the council

The peer team will meet with a wide range of people including officers, councillors and others connected with the local authority. A timetable of activity is organised in advance by the council to enable this. The process is a dynamic one and requires a high degree of flexibility throughout. Meetings are an opportunity to explore issues and ideas with a range of stakeholders not just about evidence gathering. Peers should stimulate discussion within the council about how it might accelerate the achievement of its ambitions.

The peer team will normally split into pairs to facilitate the meetings/discussion sessions so there can be two or more streams of activity running at the same time. The peer team will collate, analyse and triangulate the key messages from these meetings which will then be used to develop and deliver feedback to the council.

You will be required to keep a record of the discussions you are involved in. Post-it notes will normally be used to record and summarise messages under key headings. Notes will need to be stored and managed appropriately (in line with the guidance on data management) until the feedback report is finalised and signed off by the authority.

The onsite phase will finish with a feedback session. This often takes the form of an informal round-table meeting where key findings are discussed with senior people from the council.

The peer team’s feedback is presented by the peer team leader (chief executive or other senior officer team leader) with agreed input from other peers in the team. The audiences for the feedback session vary – some local authorities invite everyone who has participated in the process, while others choose a smaller audience such as the senior management team and cabinet. 

Post-onsite phase

A draft feedback report will be prepared by the LGA peer challenge manager on behalf of the peer team. Peers will be asked to comment on the draft before it is sent to the authority. Where possible we try to include signposting to examples of practice, people and places that might help a authority develop its thinking further. Peers can add value to the feedback report by providing notable and other practice examples.

Progress review

Our Corporate Peer Challenge offer includes a progress review 10 to 12 months after the peer challenge took place. The purpose of the review is to help the authority demonstrate impact and progress. Some or all of the peer team will be invited to participate in the review, which may be undertaken on-site or remotely.

Peer challenge ground rules

The following ‘ground rules’ help ensure we are clear about what is expected while carrying out a peer challenge. Peers are asked to adhere to and advocate these as they participate in the peer challenge process:

Prioritise a positive and supportive experience for the council

Peer challenge is a people-focused process. It is vital that people the team come into contact with sees us as friendly and courteous and as having listened. The questions posed by the team may be challenging at times, but it is important to ensure people we meet do not feel this challenge is directed against them personally. The impression the team makes is very important. This will make a difference to how they receive and respond to the team’s feedback. The purpose of the peer challenge is to inform and support further improvement and learning. It is not a form of inspection. Peers are there at the invitation of the local authority.

Value each other’s input

People on the team come from different walks of life and professional backgrounds, and will have been recruited to the team by virtue of the different views, perspectives and knowledge they have to offer. It is important to respect and value these. Assimilating the views of several people into a feedback presentation at the end of the process can be challenging in the tight timescale available. Achieving it will require everybody to listen and engage in constructive debate, to be prepared to challenge and be challenged and to feel they can be open.

Confidentiality

It is vital that we establish a climate of trust in which people feel they can be open and honest. One of the key motivations for being a peer is the opportunity to learn from others. People are encouraged to return to their own organisation at the end of the process and talk about their experiences. But in doing so, we need to respect that some of the information we come across may be sensitive and confidential in nature and, with the world of local government being a small one, it is important that it is not used in any way that may undermine the council or integrity of the peer challenge process.

Email [email protected] for more information on peer working, peer challenge and our full sector support offer.