Beyond Transition Corporate Peer Challenge in Practice Judith Hurcombe, LGA October

The purpose of this session This session is about: The overall aim of the LGA’s Corporate Peer Challenge programme, why and how we do it What we did in Belfast City Council What did the independent evaluation of the programme tell us? Critical success factors

Why do we have a corporate peer challenge programme? Councils taking responsibility for their own improvement: “by the sector, for the sector” Absence of formal inspection architecture at corporate level Councils have one for a variety of reasons: –Assurance –Concerns –Change of political and/or managerial leadership –Preparation for austerity –Exploring new ways of working

Core components Peer challenges have 5 core components of: Setting priorities Financial resilience Effective leadership Governance Organisational capacity and optional extras, subject to negotiation and local circumstance

The team Teams are handpicked and tailored to the requirements of the host council The quality of the team is essential if the peer challenge is to work We discuss who might be suitable and make approaches Teams bring a wealth of experience Matching similar councils and issues, most of the time, but not always Usually we bring: –A serving council Chief Executive –A political peer of the same group as the majority party –A senior officer –A peer challenge manager –Optional expertise as required, and subject to discussion Critical friends

Flexibility A bespoke process Tailored to individual councils and the areas they represent Timing is crucial Feedback is based on our judgement, not a score or pass/fail You get out what you put in

What we did in Belfast Tailored to the NI context and “the Belfast agenda” Comprehensive position statement prepared by the Council Team comprised: –Nicola Yates, City Director, Bristol CC –Cllr Sean Anstee, Leader, Trafford Council –Cllr Jon Collins, Leader, Nottingham City Council –Ken Poole, Head of Economic Development, City of Cardiff Council –Sarah Reed, Assistant Chief Executive, Sunderland City Council –Paul Clarke, Programme Manager, LGA

What we did in Belfast (2) 4 days onsite in January 2015: –Saw 120+ people –A wide range of external partners –30+ meetings –200 hours+ to determine findings and feedback Feedback across 3 headline areas of: –Organisational effectiveness and efficiency –Implementing the new powers –Leading the “Belfast Agenda”

How good is it? Cardiff Business School reviewed our programme during 2014: –“So far, so good” –Councils have been very happy with their experiences so far –The core components are broadly supported –Some see it as a safety net –Flexibility of approach is valued –High quality peers on the teams –Delivered professionally –Feedback is challenging but balanced and fair –Informal feedback is especially invaluable –Written feedback is valued Demand from councils is high and we are working to full capacity

What impact do corporate peer challenges have? Councils find the process and preparation can be helpful, over and above getting ready for the onsite work Nottinghamshire County Council: ­ High level consultancy ­ High level action plan ­ Embedded into improvement programme Barnsley Council: ­ Enhanced their corporate plan ­ Identified areas of challenge and improvement ­ More action on economic strategy ­ Greater emphasis on health ­ Review of local strategic partnership

Critical success factors The best peer challenges include: Thinking hard about why and when you want one Making enough time and effort to get the best out of it – preparation is key, as is broad ownership Avoiding an inspection or beauty contest mindset Receiving informal feedback. It can be at least as valuable as formal messages Hearing the feedback (formal and informal) and being prepared to act on it Taking part in programme delivery elsewhere

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