Corporate peer reviews

An overarching peer review designed for unitary authorities and county councils.

Corporate peer reviews and challenges for district councils

The corporate peer review focuses on the council as a whole organisation, in the context of its own priorities, its partnerships and its challenges. In these challenging times it helps local authorities:

• evaluate their capacity
• demonstrate achievements
• make progress with their priorities.

It helps them focus on key challenges  by measuring themselves against the LG Improvement and Development (formerly IDeA) 'ideal council' benchmark.

The review is tailored to meet your council’s needs, focusing on your priorities. It explores a cross-section of areas including:

• leadership
• community engagement
• delivering through partnerships
• performance management
• organisational development.

The peer review reflects good practice in the sector and uses up-to-date tools.

A comprehensive report and recommendations are offered as standard with a full review, though we are happy to discuss other reporting options and help facilitate action planning around our review results.

We also offer:

• peer challenge – a less intensive approach based around self-assessment
• tailored reviews for your specific needs.

LG Improvement and Development's Corporate Peer Review has been an important element of sector-led self-improvement for many years. The review is undertaken by a team of accredited member and officer peers with senior management and political leadership experience selected to meet your requirements. They understand the challenges and opportunities of working in the sector and act as 'critical friends', providing supportive challenge throughout the process.

The team compares the council under review against a benchmark of the 'ideal authority' – the corporate peer review benchmark – in order to identify strengths and areas for improvement. The corporate peer review benchmark has developed and evolved over time to keep up with a fast-changing environment.

As well as providing the basis for LG Improvement and Development peer review, the benchmark and probes provide a useful tool that councils can use for themselves to measure their performance and progress over time.

The latest version of the corporate peer review benchmark and probes are:

• Corporate peer review benchmark (PDF, 35 pages, 1.1MB large file)
• Corporate peer review benchmark probes (PDF, 23 pages, 532KB)
  

Why councils choose LG Improvement and Development

Steve Atkinson, Chief Executive at Hinckley and Bosworth Council, said:

“Two reasons really – in preparation for our corporate assessment and to assist in our change programme. It was LG Improvement and Development because of their reputation on peer review.”

Graham Burgess, Chief Executive at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

“We wanted to benchmark our performance… we chose LG Improvement and Development as we had a good experience of them in the past. LG Improvement and Development are well respected in the sector."

Example corporate peer review reports

Client feedback

Eighty-five per cent of chief executives ‘strongly agree’ that LG Improvement and Development Corporate Peer Reviews provide good value for money.

Ninety-one per cent of chief executives were ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with their LG Improvement and Development Corporate Peer Review.
 
Overall, 95 per cent of chief executive’s said that they would recommend LG Improvement and Development to other councils considering a peer review.

Helen Briggs, Chief Executive, Rutland County Council said:

"The peer review was for us a great opportunity to have a constructive and supportive review of our work. At a time when change is vital it provided us with an external perspective on how we might support change and ensure that we build on strengths and reflect on our weaker areas." 

Simon Eden, Chief Executive, Winchester City Council said: 

"There is much of great value in your report ... you've given us a good mix of reinforcement of things we were already aware of and new issues which your fresh perspective has highlighted."

Councillor Duncan McGinty, Leader of Council, Sedgemoor District Council, said:

"The review delivered exactly what we wanted and was a resoundingly positive experience. The review team were excellent, were well-managed and composed of high-calibre peers.

"I feel the review was of genuine benefit to us and contributed to a successful CAA year one outcome.”

August 2010

Roger Taylor, Interim Chief Executive at London Borough of Waltham Forest, said:

"...it did completely meet our objectives – it was a very intelligent, competent team. It offered constructive criticism and raised issues that we did not pick up on."

Ged Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, said:

"It has provided us with a good health check. The way in which you and your team of peers approached the review meant that the experience was a positive one for all of us who were involved."

Julian Wain, Chief Executive of Gloucester City Council, said:

"Significant impact: it has given us a significant impetus. There is now evidence to support change... it helped us measure progress."

LG Improvement and Development Corporate Peer Reviews are achieving success and meeting objectives

Keith Ross, Leader at West Somerset District Council, said:

“...it was successful, the peer review identified certain strengths and weaknesses and gave us the legitimacy to change.”

Joanna Simons, Chief Executive  at Oxfordshire County Council, said:

“Very successful. The objective was to make sure that we were prepared for the corporate assessment.”

The impact of the peer review on the council’s improvement activity

Kevin Crompton, Chief Executive at Luton Borough Council, said:

“Peer review was made the subject of a report to the executive with an action plan. There was extensive feedback to staff.”

Jeremy Jaroszek, Chief Executive at Erewash Borough Council, said:

“We cascaded the information to all staff and… engaged members about the report… we used the report and verbal feedback to identify gaps, used it as a gap analysis.”

Further details

Find how LG Improvement and Development can help your council or if you have any queries about the corporate peer review please contact:

telephone: 020 7296 6880
email: ihelp@idea.gov.uk

Contact the LG Improvement and Development Regional Associate in your area

Page updated August 2010.