Corporate Peer Challenge

Next month, Stratford-on-Avon District Council is participating in a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) with the aim of further improving the Council's work.

The review, which is offered to all local authorities by the Local Government Association (LGA), takes place at the beginning of March and will include a three-day site visit from the Review team.

The Corporate Peer Challenge is designed to provide robust, strategic, and credible challenge and support to Councils.

Typically, every Council has a CPC every five years; the District Council's last full CPC was in 2017 with a follow up review in 2019.

The peer team will focus on five core components that underpin good performance that all LGA Corporate Peer Challenges cover:

• Local priorities and outcomes
• Organisational and place leadership
• Governance and culture
• Financial Planning and management
• Capacity for improvement

The peer review team will be made up of the following:

• Lead Member - Cllr Richard Keeling, Teignbridge DC
• Lead Chief Executive - Donna Nolan, Watford BC
• Lead Finance Officer - Andrew Cummings, Strategic Director of Resources (Section 151), Stroud DC
• Peer Officer - Alex Kinch - Chief Officer - People and Policy, Lancaster CC
• Peer Officer - Paula Maginnis - Service Director - Corporate Services, Epping Forest DC

Cllr Susan Juned, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: "This is a welcome opportunity for a new administration to work with officers and the Peer Review team to look at the services that the Council provides to our residents and businesses. We want to learn about best practice elsewhere and how we can improve our own services. Having a critical friend will give us a fresh perspective, which will be very helpful."