Issue - meetings

In November 2021 the Local Government Association (LGA) carried out a Corporate Peer Challenge of BCP Council.

The peer team was made up of eight ‘critical friends’ which included two lead members, four senior officers from other local authorities and two LGA advisors.

The Peer challenge focused on:

1.      Local priorities and outcomes

2.      Organisational and place leadership 

3.      Governance and culture

4.      Financial planning and management

5.      Capacity for improvement

and at the council’s request:

·        Transformation

·        Partnership working

·        Summer response

An action plan in response the final feedback report was approved by Cabinet in April 2022.

Members of the peer team visited the Council on 1 December 2022 to review progress since the last visit and a summary of their findings is presented in the report appended to this paper.

RESOLVED that Cabinet received the Corporate Peer Challenge Progress Report and provided any comments.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth, Regeneration and Transformation

Reason

A peer challenge presents opportunities for councils to receive endorsements from other local authorities about how well services are being delivered but also to learn how things could be done differently to best meet the needs of the council and the wider community.

The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth, Regeneration and Transformation presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that in November 2021 the Local Government Association (LGA) had carried out a Corporate Peer Challenge of BCP Council, and that the peer team had been made up of eight ‘critical friends’ which included two lead members, four senior officers from other local authorities and two LGA advisors.

Cabinet was informed that the Peer challenge had focused on:

1.       Local priorities and outcomes

2.       Organisational and place leadership

3.       Governance and culture

4.       Financial planning and management

5.       Capacity for improvement

And at the councils request had also focused on:

·          Transformation

·          Partnership working

·         Summer response

Cabinet was advised that an action plan in response to the final feedback report had been approved by Cabinet in April 2022, and that members of the peer team had visited the Council on 1 December 2022 to review the progress since the last visit, and that a summary of their findings had been presented in the report appended to this paper.

RESOLVED that Cabinet received the Corporate Peer Challenge Progress Report and provided any comments.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth, Regeneration and Transformation

Reason

A peer challenge presents opportunities for councils to receive endorsements from other local authorities about how well services are being delivered but also to learn how things could be done differently to best meet the needs of the council and the wider community.