Peer induction pack

Thank you for volunteering to be part of the pool of people we can call on as ‘peers’ to support and deliver sector support.

The Local Government Association's sector support offer provides a range of practical support on a free of charge and/or subsidised basis, to enable local authorities to exploit the opportunities that the sector-led approach to improvement provides. This includes support of a corporate nature, such as leadership programmes, peer challenges, productivity, digital, LG Inform (our benchmarking service) and programmes tailored to specific service areas such as children’s, adults’, health, planning and finance.

At the heart of the sector improvement support approach are local government officers and elected members who voluntarily contribute their time and expertise as ‘peers’ to help deliver support to councils, particularly through activities such as peer challenge, member development and political mentoring/coaching support.

Peer-led support to councils represents considerable investment by the sector in its own improvement and provides a range of benefits to all involved. For the individual it can support personal and professional development. For the organisation ‘donating’ peers it can help bring new knowledge and practice. For local government as a whole it can help share learning across the sector.

This guide is intended to be a generic introduction to being a peer. It provides some useful information about the time you will need to commit, payment of expenses and the peer placement process. More specific and tailored guidance and/or training will be provided if and when you are deployed as a peer. All peers are asked to read and observe the Peer Charter.

The charter provides a summary of the key expectations and requirements of being a peer. It covers:

• our relationship with you as a peer
• what we expect and require of you in your role as a peer
• what you can expect from us to support you as a peer.

You are also asked to read the full Peer Support terms and conditions which we expect peers to work in accordance with. 

We have added you to our peer database as someone we know we can call on as a ‘peer’ to deliver sector improvement (peer challenge, peer support, political and officer mentoring, etc). We have done that on the basis of the information you have provided as part of our application process.

We adhere to our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 when managing the information we hold on the database. We will use the information we hold on your knowledge, expertise and experience to match you with potential peer challenge and support projects. We may also share your information with other organisations such as local authorities, fire and rescue services and other partner organisations we work with for these purposes.

Please let us know if any of the information which you provided becomes inaccurate or there are any changes in your circumstances. To review or update your information at any time:

• officer peers – contact the peer placement team: [email protected]
• member peers – contact your relevant LGA political group office.

We reserve the right to remove people as active peers from the peer database and we will consider doing so if:

• we discover that information you have provided is or becomes inaccurate
• you receive a criminal conviction
• we receive an unsatisfactory evaluation or feedback on your performance as a peer
• your circumstances change resulting in you no longer being a serving officer or councillor in local government, the health service or the community or voluntary sector or an organisation that works closely with local government to provide services and advice
• the experience and expertise you offer are no longer in demand
• you are a member peer and have not been a local authority councillor for more than 12 months.

Should we find that we cannot make contact with you, for example receive an “email undeliverable” message, we will make efforts to find out if you have moved to another position and make contact if possible. If that is not the record will be made inactive and retained for two years pending further contact.

The time required from peers varies across the different improvement activities – for example ranging from one to two days to help design and deliver a councillor development module, through to six to seven days for peer challenges.  The time we are asking you to commit will be made clear when we contact you to ascertain your interest and availability for a peer challenge or peer support project. 

Peer challenges

The main component of an LGA peer challenge is a block of three to five days spent onsite at the council receiving the peer challenge (the exact number of days varies depending on the type of challenge and client needs), with the peer team staying in a hotel near to the challenge venue.  All peer challenges will involve some preparation time, including the reading of background information, and discussions with the LGA peer challenge manager and other members of the peer team. There will also be a remote preparation and briefing meeting held as a MS Teams video conference or a telephone conference call – usually taking place a week or two before the onsite dates.  Some peer challenges are also utilizing remote meeting technology to work with the council and partners – holding diagnostic meetings or observing committees in action.  Peers may be required to meet either in their hotel the evening before the onsite visit for a pre-meeting and dinner together as a peer team, or at the council at around lunchtime before introductory meetings with council leadership.  You will be informed of those arrangements when approached about participating in the peer challenge.  This provides an opportunity for the peer challenge manager to cover any emerging issues, re-iterate the ground rules, and for the team to get to know each other and do some final preparations. 

After all peer challenges there will be some further work to do as the peer challenge manager will ask you to comment on the final report (they will put the first draft together).  For corporate peer challenges there is a strict timetable to be met around report comments, drafts to the council and agreement, with the final report being published by both the LGA and the council nine weeks after the completion of the on-site dates.  

Following a CPC, the Local Government Association (LGA) is committed to undertaking a ‘peer led’ Progress Review and publishing the findings within 12 months of the CPC taking place. This usually involves one day on site. involving the lead officer peer and member peer or peers.  The team may also include one or two other peer team members if required.  The progress reviews will be undertaken over two working days The aim is to create space for the council’s senior leadership to update peers on its progress against the action plan, identify any further areas where the LGA can provide support and discuss next steps.  Following the Progress Review, the LGA will produce a short report which reflects the council’s progress, provides examples of good practice, and highlights the initial impact and outcomes. As highlighted above, as part of ensuring an open and transparent process, there is an expectation that the council will both have a progress review and publish this within twelve months after the CPC took place. 

A typical example for a corporate peer challenge

• preparation activity (including pre-reading, telephone briefing/conference call, desktop research and pre-meeting): one and a half days
• onsite activity at the council: three and a half days
• post onsite activity (read and comment on final report, provide feedback on your experience of the process): half a day.
• progress review: one day.

Peer support (mentoring and coaching)

This will typically be a number of days to be delivered over a specified period of time – for example five days over a period of five months. The exact configuration and number of days of the arrangement in terms of activities (eg balance of onsite/face-to-face engagement and remote support) will almost always be left for the peer to determine with the recipient of the support, particularly when it is a one-to-one mentoring arrangement.

A typical example of peer support to a new council leader

• preparation activity (discussion with LGA principal adviser (PA) re context setting, introductory session with leader): half a day
• delivery (four on site, half-day mentoring sessions, email and phone contact throughout, host visit at own council, regular verbal progress reports to PA): four days
• post-delivery (de-brief and evaluation discussion): half a day.

Other peer work

This may include the co-design and facilitation of councillor development modules and top team events, which will usually be one to two days per event/module.

Most sector improvement activity is voluntary and demand-led.  Peers are sourced and deployed in response to a client/council’s requirements and, ultimately, they select from the peer options we put forward.  Therefore we cannot guarantee if and when peer opportunities will be offered.   

We search our database to identify peers with relevant roles, experience and expertise that match the requirements and needs of the client council and then approach them about their interest and availability before putting names forward to the council.  This is why it is really important to ensure we have up to date and accurate information on your skills, experience and expertise – you can ask us at any time for a copy of your peer profile for review and update using our Peer Updates email link, and also be sent links to any online information forms that need to be completed. We work on the basis of only suggesting peers we know are interested and available.  We will always contact you before putting you forward to a council for their consideration.  
 

Our usual placement process for officer peers will involve contact from an LGA peer placement coordinator, regional adviser, senior regional adviser or principal adviser. They will ask you whether or not you are interested in the assignment and available for the dates. If you are not available then a note will be made to that effect on our database.

Our expectation of senior officer peers is that they should be able to undertake one peer challenge or peer review per year. 

Member peer placements follow a similar process, but are handled in the first instance by the relevant LGA political group office (PGO), who will make first contact about interest and availability. Contact to confirm a placement will also come from the relevant PGO, who will also contact unsuccessful peers.  

All reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses incurred while engaged in peer support work will be paid for by the LGA in accordance with our expenses policy  (relevant extracts of which are attached in Appendix 2, below). The LGA project team will organise and pay for hotel accommodation for any onsite work. For peer challenges, the project support officer will send out an administration email four to six weeks before the onsite work starts, containing hotel information, asking for your emergency contacts and any needs you may have, such as dietary requirements or mobility restrictions.

Evening meals will be paid for by the LGA peer challenge manager and lunch will be provided by the client council. We expect peers to organise their travel to and from the location of the peer challenge/other peer work and claim that back via our expenses form, which will be sent to you.

Please note that the LGA does not provide travel insurance.

Please remember to retain tickets and receipts and/or make a note of mileage as these will be needed to make a claim. If you are issued with a purchase order for fees (members) and expenses you should include that on your claim form.

A copy of the LGA expenses policy is available on request, and LGA project support staff will be able to help if you have any queries about expenses including what and how they can be claimed.

Member peers

It is important that member peers ensure the project support officer working on a relevant project are aware if they are on the LGA payroll as board members or in other roles, as different payment arrangements are in place and a purchase order is not issued

Peer challenges tend to follow a process along the lines of:

Pre-on site preparation

• Peers will need to read some background information in advance of the peer challenge. A set of documentation will be sent to the peer team in advance along with a timetable of meetings and other activity arranged by the client council.
• An initial peer team meeting is scheduled for the evening prior to the peer challenge. Peers are required to attend to share initial impressions and views from the prereading, and prepare for the onsite phase of the process.
• It is expected that lead members of the peer team – particularly the Chief Executive or Director peer and the elected member peers – will arrange to speak to their opposite number at the council.
• All peer challenges will have a team video call organised around two weeks prior to the start to discuss the peer challenge and get to know fellow team members.

On site at the council

• The peer team will spend three to five days onsite at the client council. Peers will meet with a wide range of people including officers, councillors and others connected with the council. The process is a dynamic one and requires a high degree of flexibility throughout.
• 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. Paper notebooks or laptops are normally used to record discussions and sticky notes are often used to record and summarise messages under key headings. 
• The onsite phase will finish with a feedback presentation where key findings are discussed with senior people from the council.

Post-on site

• A draft feedback report will be prepared by the LGA peer challenge manager on behalf of the team. Peers will be asked to comment on the draft before it is sent to the council. This is normally within 5-10 days of the onsite visit. Peers will also be asked to contribute to any signposting to practice and people that can support the key suggestions made by the peer team.
• Many LGA peer challenges include a follow up visit involving some or all of the original peer team. For example the Corporate Peer Challenge process includes a progress review (delivered in person over one day) involving some of the original peer team.

1. Prioritise a positive experience for the council

Peer challenge is a people focussed process. It is vital that people the team come into contact with see us as friendly, 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 our feedback. The purpose of the peer challenge is to inform further improvement and learning. It is not a form of inspection. We are there at the invitation of the council.

2. Valuing each others 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.

3. Confidentiality

It is vital for our credibility to establish a climate of trust in which people feel they can be open and honest. All of the information we glean from discussions with people during the course of the peer challenge process is non-attributable to individuals. This must be emphasised at the start of every meeting and respected at all times. (Further specific guidance on data protection is provided below). 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 in nature and, with the world of local government being a small one, it is important that it is not used in any way to undermine the integrity of the peer challenge programme.

Other peer support projects

In most cases an LGA programme manager regional adviser or senior regional adviser or principal adviser will brief a peer on what is required and pass on any contact details needed (for example for mentoring projects). In the case of co-facilitating work for member development events, a programme manager or other member of LGA staff will provide the initial briefing on the event and how to organise the facilitation or presentation role. There are a range of other activities that peers may be approached about, for example providing input to our national leadership.

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

• Developing others – by sharing learning, providing a supportive and non-judgmental environment, and demonstrating a personal commitment to continual development and learning.
• Work effectively with others 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, 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.

Using Social Media (Twitter)

Tweeting is always best done in response to the ‘host’ council’s tweets so we are certain they are happy to have it known there is a peer challenge or peer support work taking place. On peer challenges we also ask that peers check with all members of the peer team to ensure they are happy to be referenced in any tweets. We ask that peers do not tweet opinions about the client council or anything that might be considered confidential or otherwise sensitive. The client council often tweets about an upcoming peer challenge or its outcomes, and it is of course perfectly acceptable to retweet those posts.

Please include a reference to: @LGAPeers and @LGAComms

If you have any queries about the information in this guide, or have any feedback about the contents, please contact: [email protected]

Peer Charter

We value the important and vital contribution peers make to sector-led improvement. 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, this charter clarifies some of the key expectations and requirements of being a peer. It summarises:

• our relationship with you
• what we expect and require of you in your role as a peer
• what you can expect.

Our relationship with you

As a peer you are not an employee of the Local Government Association (LGA). If you are an officer of a local authority then you will continue to be engaged under the terms and conditions of your existing contract of employment and you will continue to be paid by your existing employer.

The organisations we work with specify the skills, expertise and experience of peers they require. The peers we suggest to them will reflect these requirements. We cannot therefore guarantee that any, or any amount of, services will be sought from you as a peer. We regularly review our pool of peers to ensure we can offer peers with the experience and expertise required by the organisations/local authorities we work with.

What we ask of you

You will:

• (As an officer peer) seek permission from your employing organisation/local authority for you to be released as a peer to volunteer your time. This will indicate to us that your employer has agreed for you to be released and will continue to cover your salary (including any tax, national insurance and pension costs) for the period of the peer project.
• Display and advocate the peer competencies and behaviours and perform your role and responsibilities in accordance to the relevant peer role description. As a peer you will carry out your role and responsibilities with the highest level of skill, care and diligence.
• Inform us of any changes in your circumstances including role and employment status so that we can update the information we hold on you to help ensure it remains accurate and up to date.
• Respond promptly to confirm your interest and availability when we contact you about a potential peer project. This allows us to respond quickly to the requests and requirements of local authorities and the other organisations we work with. We ask that you advise us of any political activity or other issue that may cause a conflict of interest with your involvement with the peer project.
• Commit to a peer project by taking reasonable action to ensure you can remain available for the duration of the peer project assignment. We understand that on occasion there will be unforeseen circumstances and legitimate reasons for having to withdraw from a peer project. When this happens we ask that you provide us with as much notice as possible. This provides us with the opportunity to identify a replacement peer
• Respect the confidentiality and sensitivity of the information that you come across during the course of a peer project. We also ask that you check with the LGA project manager before you publicly disclose the peer projects you are involved or have been involved in.
• Act as a champion for sector-led improvement by positively advocating and promoting the role of peers. We ask that peers be willing to provide feedback following a peer project to summarise their experience. From time to time we will ask some peers to be involved in peer development sessions to promote the role of peers.
• Self-assess your performance after each peer project you undertake as part of our evaluation of our peer led support to the sector.

What you can expect from us

We will:

• Ensure that you are offered relevant and proportionate training, development or briefing activity to enable you to undertake your role as a peer effectively.
• Provide as much notice as possible of potential peer projects to maximise the chance of you being available. We will always check your availability and willingness to do the peer project before we pass your details onto the organisation we are working with.
• Provide you with a purchase order, guidance on any expenses and relevant and appropriate guidance that specifies key dates, your fees (if any) and deliverables required, prior to each peer project.
• Cover all reasonable out of pocket expenses such as travel, food and drink and hotel accommodation which have been approved by the LGA project manager, provided these are submitted promptly and supported by relevant receipts and are in accordance with our expenses policy.
• Provide peers with professional liability insurance cover. On occasions we may require peers to arrange their own public liability insurance. We will advise peers if this is required.
• Provide as much notice as possible on the limited occasions that peer projects are cancelled or postponed. If we have to cancel a peer project and your involvement in it, we will do so without any liability to peers for any compensation or payments.
• Adhere to our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 when managing the information we hold on our peer database. We will use the information we hold on your knowledge, expertise and experience to match you with potential peer projects. We may also share your information with other organisations such as local authorities, fire and rescue services and other partner organisations we work with for these purposes.
• Provide regular communication and information about our offer to the sector so that you are kept up-to-date with developments and where possible have an opportunity to inform how it develops.

LGA expenses policy – summary of sections relevant to member and officer peers

1. The expenses include all necessary, proper and reasonable travel and other expenses incurred by the member/officer peer in accordance with this agreement subject to the production of receipts or other evidence verifying such expenditure and provided that all significant expenses contemplated by the member/officer peer shall be approved by the LGA before they are incurred.
2. LGA reserves the right to limit the reimbursement of expenses.
3. Arrangement of any accommodation and travel shall be the responsibility of the officer/member peer unless the project team have informed them they will make those arrangements.

Maximum expenditure for meals: overnight stay with lunch/evening meal, up to £36 per night.

• Accommodation: Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis £90 per night (£150 per night in London) ALL of the above payments will be based on actual expenditure, subject to the maximum amounts shown and to the production of original receipts.
• Rail travel: Train fares will be refunded up to open standard on production of original ticket or receipt.
• Air fare: Might be considered only if there are substantial savings to be made. Only Economy Class fares will be refunded by previous agreement with the LGA.
• Mileage: Business mileage will be refunded at the HMRC rate currently set at 45 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter (for cars).

1 Definitions and Interpretation

1.1 Any reference to “you” or “your”, means you as the Officer Peer or Member Peer, any reference to “we”, “us”, “our” means the Local Government Association (“LGA”) and or the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (“IDeA”).

1.2 In these Conditions the following words have the following meanings: “Assignment” means a peer project or support you have agreed to undertake, or are considering undertaking, such as a peer challenge, mentoring, training or development workshop;

“Charges” means the charges for providing the Services stated in the Contract;

“Client” means IDeA’s client set out in the Contract and/or Purchase Order;

“Confidential Information” means without limitation secret or confidential commercial, financial, marketing, technical or other information (including, without limitation) know-how, trade secrets, council lists, price lists, the Contract, and other information in any form or medium whether disclosed orally or in writing together with any reproductions of such information in any form or medium or any part(s) of this information (and “confidential” means that the information, either in its entirety or in the precise configuration, is not publicly available);

“Contract” means any contract between LGA/IDeA and the Member/Officer Peer for the provision of the Services, incorporating the Purchase Order and these Terms and Conditions and Contract Schedule thereto;

“Contract Schedule” means the schedule and/or information issued by LGA/IDeA confirming the scope of your assignment, timescales for assignment, your fees (if any) and the project code, etc which may take the form of an email or guidance note from the LGA project/assignment manager;

“Intellectual Property Rights” means all intellectual property rights including (without limitation) any patent, copyright, rights in software, database right, moral right, design right, registered design, trade mark, service mark, domain name, know-how, utility model, unregistered design or where relevant any application for the same or any other such right or other industrial or intellectual property right subsisting in any part of the world) created by the Member/Officer Peer in the course of the performance of the assignment and provision of the peer support services; “Local Government Association” is an unincorporated association membership organisation working with Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government;

“Member Peer” means a currently serving local authority councillor who has a high level of experience operating at a senior political level such as: leader; deputy leader; group leader; deputy group leader; cabinet member; chair of overview and scrutiny; and /or chair of regulatory committee who is on our Peer Database;

“Officer Peer” means a person who is employed by a local authority, public bodies, Government Departments, Crown, voluntary and private sector organisation who has volunteered to contribute to an improvement project with the approval of their employer. They are not an elected member working in local government in a political capacity, nor are they freelance consultant;

“Partner Organisations” means other improvement agencies and organisations that we regularly work with to provide peer support, for example the National Policing Improvement Agency, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Welsh LGA;

“Peer Database” means the list of officers and elected members we will draw from when we put together teams and individuals to deliver peer assignments (e.g. peer challenge, mentoring, training and development); “Whistle Blowing Policy” means the policy and procedure which IDeA requires Member Peers and Officer Peers to follow, the current version of which can be provided on request;

“Purchase Order” means the information issued by LGA/IDeA confirming the number of days, duration and timescale of the assignment, fees payable (if any) and the project code;

“Services” is the activity and support to be provided by the Member Peer and Officer Peer as set out in the Contract, Contract Schedule, Purchase Order and/or guidance note or manual issued by the LGA Assignment manager;

“Timetable” means the Timetable for the carrying out of the Services, as set out in the Contract, Contract Schedule, Purchase Order and/or briefing from the LGA Assignment manager.

1.3 References to any statute or statutory provision shall include

(i) any subordinate legislation made under it,

(ii) any provision which it has modified or re-enacted (whether with or without modification), and

(iii) any provision which subsequently supersedes it or re-enacts it (whether with or without modification).

2 Inclusion on the Peer Database

2.1 We have added you to our Peer Database as an accredited peer on the basis of the information provided in your CV, Expression of Interest Form and references and/or you have shown the core competencies during a Peer Eligibility and Assessment (PEA) Event, peer training or assessment event, previous peer work, or similar, and you have subsequently displayed the ability to provide peer support services in Peer review/challenge, Mentoring, training and development, and other peer support roles.

2.2 Subject to condition 3, your inclusion on our Peer Database may be amended based on previous performance and/or your appointment record over a given period.

2.3 We will contact you from time to time to discuss/review the accuracy of the details we hold on you.

2.4 You are required to inform us immediately of any changes to your personal details including any of the issues under condition 3.3 that could affect your inclusion on the Peer Database.

3 Removal from Peer Database

3.1 We may remove you from our Peer Database if:

(a) we discover that any of the information which you have provided is or becomes inaccurate; or

(b) you receive a criminal conviction; or

(c) we receive an unsatisfactory evaluation and feedback on your performance after a peer assignment and consider after an investigation that the feedback is accurate; or

(d) your circumstances change resulting in you no longer being a serving Officer/Councillor in Local Government; or

(e) it is assessed and/or considered that your skills and expertise are no longer in demand; or

(f) you are a Member Peer and have not been a local authority councillor for more than 12 months.

3.2 You must let us know if:

(a) any of the information which you provided in the Expression of Interest Form or CV is or becomes inaccurate; or

(b) you receive a criminal conviction; or

(c) there are any changes in your circumstances which might give us cause to reconsider your accreditation, including any referrals to the Standards Boards for England or Wales or equivalent.

4 Relationship with the LGA/IDeA

4.1 As Member/Officer Peer you are not an employee of the LGA/IDeA, neither will you be an employee of the LGA/IDeA if a Partner Organisation of the IDeA or LGA wishes to appoint you.

4.2 We do not guarantee that any or any amount of services shall be sought from a Member Peer or Officer Peer.

4.3 If a Partner Organisation of the IDeA wishes to appoint you, you will enter into a separate contract direct with that Partner Organisation with its own terms and conditions being applicable.

4.4 If we wish to appoint you to an Assignment, you will enter into a contract with the IDeA.

4.5 If you are an Officer Peer then you will continue to be employed by your existing employer. As an Officer Peer you will therefore continue to work under the terms and conditions of your existing contract of employment and will continue to be paid by your existing employer.

4.6 If appointed to an Assignment, Officer Peers will make arrangements or seek permission from their organisation/authority to be released for the period of the peer assignment. The agreement to undertake a Assignment by an Officer Peer will indicate to us that their employing organisation/authority has released them and will be covering their salary (including any tax and national insurance, pension costs etc) for the period indicated in the Contract.

5 Provision of Peer Support Services

5.1 Whilst the Member/Officer Peer’s method of work is his/her own, the Member/Officer Peer undertakes, represents and warrants to IDeA that the Services shall be carried out with the highest level of skill, care and diligence and in a good and professional manner and strictly in accordance with the requirements and terms as stated in the Purchase Order, Contract and Contract Schedule; The IDeA also require that you: (a) comply with all relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, guidance notes and other requirements of any relevant government or governmental body;

(b) comply with the IDeA/LGA Whistle Blowing Policy and Procedure;

(c) comply with any reasonable directions and restrictions issued by LGA/IDeA from time to time and the safety and security standards and site procedures and codes of LGA/IDeA , Client and any customer of the LGA/IDeA;

(d) comply with all aspects of any policies that may from time to time be published by LGA/IDeA in relation to its e-mail and internet; (e) supply the LGA/IDeA with such information and reports (including copies of such documents and other material) as reasonably required in relation to the provision of the Services.

5.2 Nothing in these Conditions:

(a) requires you to devote your whole time and attention to the Services; or

(b) implies that the relationship between the LGA/IDeA and the Member/Officer Peer is that of employer and employee.

6 Fees, Price and Payment

6.1 Officer Peers will not be paid any fees, daily rate or similar sums for any Assignment undertaken, only necessary, proper, reasonable and approved expenses in accordance with condition 6.3.

6.2 Member Peers will normally be paid a daily fee, which will be specified at the time of agreeing to accept an Assignment. The IDeA reserve the right to change the amount of the fees structure from time to time. The fees will be paid in accordance with the Purchase Order, Contract and Contract Schedule issued for each Assignment.

6.3 The expenses which the IDeA will reimburse to you include all necessary, proper and reasonable travel and other expenses incurred by you subject to the production of receipts or other evidence verifying such expenditure and provided that all expenses incurred by you shall be approved by the IDeA. 6.4 Member and Officer Peers shall issue an invoice for their Services and expenses promptly following the completion of the peer support Assignment and state the project code indicated on the Purchase Order.

6.5 Unless otherwise agreed in writing the Charges indicated in the Purchase Order and/or Contract, Contract Schedule shall be exclusive of any value added tax (VAT) or other similar taxes.

6.6 Officer Peers (or their employer) and Member Peers shall be responsible for paying their national insurance contributions and income tax and any other taxes or payments as may be required from time to time.

7 Insurance

7.1 Member/Officer Peers who are appointed for Assignments or Contracts of under 40 days in one financial year will be provided with Professional Liability Insurance Cover by the IDeA.

7.2 Member/Officer Peers who are offered a long-term Contract (for the purposes of this agreement long term is defined as over 40 days in one financial year) or series of Contracts which together exceed 40 days in one financial year may be required at their own cost to have all insurance required at law, public liability insurance for a minimum of £5 million (or as required from time to time by the IDeA) and a minimum of £1 million of professional indemnity insurance from a recognised insurance company. This requirement will be conveyed to Member/Officer Peers prior to the commencement of the particular Assignment.

7.3 The Member/Officer Peer shall on the written request of the IDeA allow the IDeA to inspect and/or provide the IDeA with full copies of the full policy document for each insurance policy and, on the renewal of each insurance policy, the Member Peer shall send a copy of the premium receipt to the IDeA if requested to do so in writing by the IDeA. Failure to do so will invalidate the Member/Officer Peer and they may automatically be removed from the Peer Database list.

7.4 The Member/Officer Peer shall not during the term of the Contract and for a period of 6 years thereafter act or refrain from acting in such a way as to entitle the underwriter(s) of the insurance policies referred to above to avoid or refute their liability to deal with any claim(s) which would otherwise be covered.

8 Indemnity and Liability

8.1 The Member Peer and or Officer Peer irrevocably and unconditionally agree to indemnify the LGA/IDeA, and/or its employees, subcontractors and agents (who shall have no duty to mitigate their loss) in full and on demand and keep them so indemnified against all claims, demands, actions, proceedings and all direct and indirect damages, losses, costs and expenses (including legal and other professional advisers' fees, economic loss, loss of profit, future revenue, reputation, goodwill, anticipated savings) and any consequential loss made against or incurred or suffered by any of them and whether wholly or in part resulting directly or indirectly from the matters listed below whether or not such losses or the consequences of the matters listed below were foreseeable at the date of the entering into the Contract:

(a) any claim, action or demand by a third party that the provision of the Services by the Member/Officer Peer or the use by IDeA of any materials generated or created or procured or used by the Member/Officer Peer in supplying the Services infringes the intellectual property rights of that third party;

(b) any claim, action or demand by the Member/Officer Peer that they are an employee of IDeA and/or any finding by a court that the Member/Officer Peer is an employee of IDeA.

8.2 Nothing in the Contract shall exclude or limit a party’s liability for death or personal injury caused by his/her negligence or for fraudulent misrepresentation.

8.3 The LGA/IDeA shall not be liable to the Member/Officer Peer for any economic loss or loss of profit (direct or indirect), or any indirect, special or consequential loss or damage howsoever caused, or any liability arising to any third party.

9. Data Protection

9.1 The Member/Officer Peer agrees that personal data (other than sensitive personal data) as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998, relating to the Member/Officer Peer processing of Assignments may to the extent that it is reasonably necessary in connection with such appointment or the business of the IDeA:

(a) be collected and held (in hard copy and computer readable form) and processed by the IDeA; and

(b) may be disclosed or transferred:

(ii) to employees of the IDeA;

(iii) to Partner Organisations; or

(iv) as otherwise required or permitted by law.

9.2 The Member/Officer Peer agrees that the IDeA may process sensitive personal data relating to you, including details of gender, race and ethnic origin. Personal data relating to gender, race and ethnic origin will be processed by the IDeA for the purpose of monitoring the IDeA’s equal opportunity policy with a view to enabling equal opportunity to be promoted and maintained.

10 Confidentiality

10.1 Each party shall keep and procure to be kept secret and confidential all Confidential Information belonging to the other party disclosed or obtained as a result of the relationship of the parties under the Purchase Order/Contract Contract Schedule and shall not use nor disclose the same save for the purposes of the proper performance of the Contract or with the prior written consent of the other party.

10.2 The obligations of confidentiality in this condition 10 shall not extend to any matter which the Member/Officer Peer can show is in or has become part of the public domain other than as a result of a breach of the obligations of confidentiality under these conditions; or was in their written records prior to the date of the Contract; was independently disclosed to it by a third party; or is required to be disclosed under any applicable law, or by order of a court or governmental body or other competent authority.

11 Warranty

11.1 If the Member/Officer Peer has failed to perform the Services (or any part of them) in accordance with the Contract, IDeA shall be entitled (without prejudice to any other rights or remedies it may have):

(a) at its option:

(i) to require the Member/Officer Peer to remedy such breach by reexecuting the relevant part of the Services free of charge; or

(ii) to require the Member/Officer Peer to repay or credit to IDeA that part of the Charges paid by IDeA to the Member/Officer Peer relating to the provision of the relevant part of the Services (exclusive of any value added tax); and

(b) suspend payment of the fees and Charges until such time as the Member/Officer Peer recommences the provision of the Services in accordance with this Agreement.

12 Intellectual Property

12.1 All Intellectual Property Rights shall belong to LGA/IDeA and the Member/Officer Peer shall disclose full details of such Intellectual Property Rights to us their creation. In consideration of the Charges, the Member/Officer Peer hereby assigns to LGA/IDeA as legal and beneficial owner with full title guarantee all such Intellectual Property Rights whether existing now or created in the future, together will all rights of action, remedies, powers and benefits relating to such Intellectual Property Rights and the right to be registered as the proprietor of any applications for registered protection of such Intellectual Property Rights.

12.2 The Member/Officer Peer agrees at the request of IDeA to do all further acts and execute all documents that may be necessary under the law of any country to ensure a complete and effective assignment of the Intellectual Property Rights under condition 12.1.

13 Cancellation and Termination of the Assignment and Contract

13.1 IDeA may cancel and or terminate an assignment and or contract at any time prior to the commencement of the Contract and or the Peer Assignment without any liability to the Member/Officer Peer for any compensation or payments.

13.2 Either party may terminate the Assignment and Contract by written notice of

at least 28 days if:

(a) the other becomes or is reasonably likely to become insolvent;

(b) the other materially breaches the Contract ; or

(c) the other fails to remedy, where it is capable of remedy, or persists in any breach of any of its obligations under the Contract after having been required in writing to remedy or desist from such breach within 5 days.

13.3 IDeA may at any time terminate the Assignment and or Contract on 28 days or less written notice.

13.4 In case of termination of the Contract or Assignment under condition 13.1 and/or 13.2 IDeA will be liable for the Charges for the Services provided in accordance with the Contract and Contract Schedule up to the effective date of termination.

13.5 IDeA may terminate the Assignment and/or Contract immediately by written notice where the Member/Officer:

(a) is guilty of fraud or dishonesty, whether in the course of the provision of the Services or otherwise and whether relating to the IDeA or otherwise;

(b) is guilty of conduct that could bring the IDeA into disrepute; or (c) is convicted of a criminal offence.

13.6 On termination of the Assignment and/or Contract under condition 13.5, IDeA shall not be liable for the payment of any compensation payments, Charges, fees and/or reimbursement of expenses to the Member/Officer Peer.

14 Subcontracting, Assignment and Third Party Rights

14.1 The Member/Officer Peer shall not be entitled to assign, charge, subcontract or transfer the Contract or any part of it without the prior written consent of the LGA/IDeA.

14.2 LGA/IDeA may assign, charge, subcontract or transfer the Contract or any part of it to any person.

14.3 The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 shall not apply to these conditions. A person who is not a party to the Contract (including any employee, officer, agent, representative or sub contractor of either party) shall not have the right (whether under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act or otherwise) to enforce any term of the Contract which expressly or by implication confers a benefit on that person without the express prior agreement in writing of the parties.

15 Political Restriction and Conflict of Interest

15.1 If you are considering an Assignment or enter into an Assignment as a Member Peer or Officer Peer and you are also engaged in any political activity which may conflict with that Assignment you must declare this in writing to the IDeA. In addition, any direct and significant personal interest (whether financial or non-financial) that could reasonably be considered to conflict with the interests of the IDeA and or any Partner Organisations must also be declared.

16 Feedback

16.1 As part of the review process we will request that both you and the LGA Assignment manager provides feedback on your performance during the Assignment with either the IDeA or Partner Organisations.

17 Variations

17.1 Any variation to these Terms and Conditions and any representations about the Services shall have no effect unless expressly agreed in writing and signed by the parties.

18 General

18.1 This Contract, Contract Schedule and Purchase Order sets out the entire understanding between the parties in relation to the provision of Services and supersedes all agreements and representations made by you or the IDeA whether oral or in writing.

19 Law and Jurisdiction

19.1 This Contract shall be governed by English law and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts to which the parties irrevocably submit.

This page was last updated on 08 December 2023.