LGA Corporate Peer Challenge – Progress review: Crawley Borough Council

The council undertook an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) during December 2024 and subsequently published the full report with an action plan. 

The Progress Review is an integral part of the Corporate Peer Challenge process. Taking place approximately ten months after the CPC, it is designed to provide space for the council’s senior leadership to:

• Receive feedback from peers on the early progress made by the council against the CPC recommendations and the council’s RAG rated CPC Action Plan.
• Consider peers’ reflections on any new opportunities or challenges that may have arisen since the peer team were ‘on-site’ including any further support needs.
• Discuss any early impact or learning from the progress made to date.

The LGA would like to thank Crawley Borough Council for their commitment to sector led improvement. This Progress Review was the next step in an ongoing, open and close relationship that the council has with LGA sector support.

The Progress Review at Crawley Borough Council took place (onsite) on 21 November 2025. 

The Progress Review focussed on each of the recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge, under the following theme headings: 

• Leadership and Governance
• Performance and Finance
• Housing
• Place.

For this Progress Review, the following members of the original CPC team were involved: 

• Chief Executive Peer – Helen Pluck, Ipswich Borough Council
• Lead Labour Peer – Cllr Richard Henry, Leader of Stevenage Council
• Housing Peer - Michelle Dickson, Chief Officer: Communities and Homes, Rugby Borough Council
• LGA Peer Challenge Manager – Rachel Robinson.

Peers conducted this Progress Review against the backdrop of substantial changes across the local government landscape at a national level, with significant implications in West Sussex. This includes the proposed local government reorganisation following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper for which Crawley has been involved as part of the Sussex Devolution Priority Programme. It was within this changing context that the peer team considered the progress that has been made by Crawley with the implementation of the CPC recommendations.

Crawley’s original CPC report incorporated 10 recommendations, with the subsequent action plan including 35 actions. The council’s RAG rated action plan reports that 34 per cent of these actions are complete, 54 per cent are in progress, 6 per cent have not commenced and 6 per cent are no longer applicable.

The peer team were impressed to see that the council has made good progress with the implementation of the CPC recommendations despite the added pressure and capacity requirements brought about by local government reorganisation (LGR). It was felt that the council had understated the progress that has been made in the documentation shared in advance of the onsite visit, which was highlighted through the various conversations that took place when the peer team visited the council.

Peers were particularly pleased to see the collaborative approach that has evolved across both the Corporate Management Team and Cabinet, both as individual bodies and collectively, that has supported the council to take difficult decisions financially and prioritise strategic areas of focus as the LGR journey takes shape. 

Moving forward, peers were keen to stress the importance of continuing to build on the progress made, including completing the delivery of the CPC action plan, setting a balanced budget and evolving the use of data to support the redesign of services through LGR. 

Critically, the council needs to ensure that there is a focus on positioning Crawley into the future, ensuring the best LGR outcome for the town and maximising the place-based opportunities coming to Crawley through the recently announced expansion of Gatwick airport that creates a strategic land opportunity within the borough of Crawley.

3.1 Leadership and Governance

This includes considering the council’s progress against the following recommendations: 

• Develop a collaborative approach to political and managerial leadership, with clear priorities which are collectively owned and delivered.
• Develop the Corporate Management Team to enable collaboration with Cabinet and increase strategic focus.
• Review governance arrangements ensuring they are in line with good practice elsewhere, ensuring clarity and transparency, and to enable collective ownership and decision making.
• Strengthen the approach to member development.

As noted above, the peer team were pleased to see the progress that the council has made in developing a collaborative approach to political and managerial leadership. Central to this has been the establishment of a Policy Cabinet consisting of the Cabinet and Corporate Management Team that is being utilised for strategic planning, direction setting and financial decision making. A recent focus of activity for this group has been the creation of a new three-year Corporate Plan that has set clear priorities for delivery, which will see the council through the period of local government reorganisation and was approved unanimously by Full Council in October 2025. Peers heard that this is proving to be an effective forum for collective ownership and decision making by both Cabinet and senior officers. Work is now underway to develop the performance management framework and golden thread by which the corporate plan will be monitored. This will include key milestones that will feed through to the Forward Plan. The council is also engaging with the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny to explore how the Policy Cabinet approach can be further strengthened and embedded to maximise its impact and effectiveness.

The establishment of the Policy Cabinet has also supported the delivery of the CPC recommendation to develop the Corporate Management Team to enable collaboration with Cabinet and increase strategic focus. Aligned with this, the peer team were informed that a team building programme, with a focus on LGR has been planned to coincide with the arrival of the new Monitoring Officer in the new year. In addition, two members of the Corporate Management Team have commenced leadership training provided by SOLACE.

During the original CPC, the peer team identified a need for the council to review and assure itself that there is robust and rigorous governance. In response, the council has undertaken an analysis of good practice to identify areas for improvement. This has incorporated a full review of delegations to Cabinet members, which has resulted in changes to rent setting that is now being taken collectively as a Cabinet decision. Awareness training for senior officers on Crawley’s Scheme of Delegations will be delivered in the new year. The council has also moved away from Cabinet members sitting on regulatory committees that fall within their portfolios. A review of the officer governance framework is currently underway following announcements in relation to LGR and findings from the outcome of Crawley’s recent inspection by the Regulator for Social Housing. However, it has to date been found that the broad concept of the methodology is fit for purpose with forthcoming changes anticipated to adapt and update this model.

The approach to member development has been strengthened, driven through the establishment of a member training working group. The council is drawing on the range of training and development courses offered to councillors by the LGA, including for example the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Councillor events and personal safety webinars. LGA mentoring for Cabinet members is also currently being commissioned. Internal training has recently been delivered for Audit Committee members focused on themes such as risk management and local government finance, which peer team members heard is enhancing the effectiveness and value of the committee itself. A wider programme is in progress covering topics such as planning, licencing, Chairs training and local government reorganisation. 

3.2 Performance and Finance

This theme provides an overview of progress against the following recommendations:

• By Christmas, ensure that there is a collectively owned and agreed plan to set a balanced budget.
• Embed equalities more explicitly within decision making and policy development to ensure equitable outcomes across the council.
• Use data and insight to refresh the whole council approach to performance management ensuring performance has a golden thread, is collectively owned, transparent and that it drives decision making and service delivery.

At the time of the CPC in early December 2024 budget decisions for 2025/26 had not been made. It was therefore recommended that the council, by Christmas 2024, ensure that there was a collectively owned and agreed plan to set a balanced budget. This was met by the council within the required timescale. 

A key focus for the 2026/27 budget setting process was to bring forward the timing, which has incorporated the creation of a new Budget Strategy that was agreed in October. This has highlighted a huge variance in forecasts following the fair funding review, with some forecasts predicting a significant increase in government grant. Crawley is not taking this for granted and working collaboratively with Policy Cabinet, multiple savings strategies have been developed ahead of the provisional settlement announcement, so that decisions can be taken quickly once the financial position is understood. Peers were particularly pleased to see the collective engagement that has taken place within Policy Cabinet to progress the council’s financial decision-making process.

The budget strategy highlights a significant £2.5m risk in relation to whether New Burdens funding is renewed in relation to meeting the statutory housing costs of Chagossian arrivals, which the council is lobbying for in partnership with the LGA and other affected councils. 

During the CPC it was recognised that Crawley is a responsive council, with a clear focus on reconnecting communities in Crawley, building on the strong multi-cultural relationships across the town and effective partnership approach to community safety. However, there was a need for equality and diversity to be more explicitly embedded in policy development and decision making. In response, the council has refreshed the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plan and there has been a strengthening of the approach to the completion of equality and diversity impact assessments, supplemented by awareness raising through relevant training. Reducing inequality is also a priority within the new corporate plan. 

In preparation for and following the Regulator for Social Housing inspection, Crawley Homes has been spearheading work at the council to grow the quality and quantity of data (including equalities information) held about tenants and use this (alongside the voice of tenants) to drive better decision and policy making to ensure that services are tailored to meet diverse needs. 

This work interlinks with the final recommendation within this theme; that the whole council approach to performance management is refreshed, ensuring performance has a golden thread, is collectively owned, transparent and that it drives decision making and service delivery. As noted above, following the launch of the new corporate plan, outcomes have been identified and performance metrics developed, so that progress against the priorities within the plan can be measured and effectively monitored. Next steps include ensuring alignment with service plans to establish a clear golden thread.

It has also been the council’s intention to conduct a wider scoping exercise to identify how data and insight can be further developed to inform Crawley’s approach to performance management. However, the peer team were informed that this activity has not commenced due to the emerging data requirements for local government reorganisation, which is impacting upon available capacity. The peer team recognised this challenge and the need for the council to prioritise the evolvement of the use of data to support the redesign of services through LGR.

3.3 Housing 

This theme incorporates recommendations that relate to both Crawley Homes and the strategic housing function at the council.

• Review your compliance against the Social Housing Regulatory requirements to understand the risks.
• Take clear decisions to modernise housing policy, including exploring increased use of private sector landlords to relieve the homelessness duty, application of service charges (HRA) and the administration of the housing waiting list.

As part of the CPC, Crawley Borough Council asked the peer team to provide a view on the council’s readiness to respond to the emerging social housing regulatory agenda and to provide feedback on the interlinked housing challenges facing the borough through homelessness, temporary accommodation, migration and water neutrality. 

The CPC investigations identified that whilst Crawley Homes was adapting to the emerging social housing regime, there was a need for the council to review compliance against the regulatory requirements to understand associated risks. However, shortly after the original CPC, Crawley received notification of the date of their inspection from the Regulator for Social Housing, with the onsite visit occurring in April 2025 and the council receiving a regulatory judgement of C2. Peers heard that some of the findings reflected those identified by the CPC, particularly in relation to the use of performance data. The regulator recognised that the council is self-aware, with corporate commitment to responding to areas for improvement. 

The CPC also led peers to recommend that the council take steps to modernise housing policy including exploring increased use of private sector landlords to relieve the homelessness duty, application of housing revenue account service charges and the administration of the housing waiting list. In response to this recommendation a self-assessment was undertaken, which the council believed demonstrated that the council was further ahead on these agendas than was appreciated by the peer team. However, the council has continued to take action in response to the housing challenges that the borough is facing and the themes raised through the CPC. Peers were pleased to hear about the steps taken to engage with staff on this improvement journey, which is generating shared ownership of the agenda. 

Activity includes a wholesale redesign of the council’s relationship with private sector landlords, including reviewing the tools used to prevent and relieve homelessness such as rent guarantee schemes, hands-on tenant management, a tenancy finder scheme and landlord support. The council has also adopted a targeted approach to parental evictions (one of the leading causes of homelessness in Crawley), including enhanced financial support packages and training of specialist officers to provide early intervention and mediation.

In addition, a £16 million acquisition programme has been launched to secure and develop properties for use as temporary accommodation, with an initial focus on larger properties given the costs of housing larger families. This initiative will have delivered nearly 60 units by the end of 2025/26.

Peers were pleased to hear about the close working relationship between Crawley Homes and the management of the Housing Revenue Account. The council has taken initial steps to increase housing revenue account service charges to meet costs incurred, although Cabinet members have made clear decisions regarding how this should be phased and with clear exceptions. Peers heard how this has been progressed through consultation and engagement with tenants. Crawley Homes is also actively encouraging downsizing among tenants in under-occupied, council-owned homes to support more efficient allocation of housing. 

Crucially, at the end of October 2025 (and following significant lobbying by Crawley Borough Council), the water neutrality restrictions that were limiting development in the borough were withdrawn representing a major step forward for the town in being able to effectively manage housing challenges into the future. 

3.4 Place

The final theme explores progress against the place-based recommendation.

• In partnership, develop a clear and jointly owned vision for the future of Crawley, and work together to deliver it.

The creation of a jointly owned vision for the borough has been highlighted as a key priority within the recently launched corporate plan and acknowledged as critical in advance of the new unitary. Initial steps include the creation of a new draft Growth Strategy between Crawley and West Sussex Councils, alongside a new Economic Strategy being developed by Crawley Council. These will become the basis for a town-wide conversation about the economic future of the town, and the investment proposals for the new Strategic Authority. A key component to these propositions will be the substantial land opportunities for growth with the release of safeguarded land following the Gatwick Development Consent Order decision (granting permission for the upgrading of the northern runway), which at 600 hectares is the largest regeneration opportunity in this part of the South East. Town centre redevelopment opportunities, including strengthening links between the town and the airport, along with wider housing development across the borough will also be incorporated. 

Next steps include extending the borough vision to social and environmental considerations, engaging with appropriate stakeholders and partnerships to ensure ownership. This stream of work is anticipated to take shape early into 2026/27.

In light of local government reorganisation and a priority within the corporate plan to progress key legacy activities that the council is seeking to secure prior to the move to a new unitary, a Community Governance Review is currently underway with the specific proposal for a new town council for Crawley. This is viewed as a key mechanism to represent the town within the new context, but also to retain some of the additional levels of service and community facilities that the ‘new town offer’ has provided.

The peer team were encouraged to see the depth of progress against this recommendation and stressed the importance of the council continuing to plan into the long-term to ensure that there is a focus on positioning Crawley into the future, supporting the best local government reorganisation outcome for the borough.

The LGA would like to thank Crawley Borough Council for undertaking an LGA CPC Progress Review. 

We appreciate that senior managerial and political leadership will want to reflect on these findings and suggestions in order to determine how the organisation wishes to take things forward.

Under the umbrella of LGA sector-led improvement, there is an on-going offer of support to councils. The LGA is well placed to provide additional support, advice and guidance on a number of the areas identified for development and improvement and we would be happy to discuss this. 

Will Brooks (Principal Adviser) is the main point of contact between the authority and the Local Government Association (LGA) and their e-mail address is [email protected]

Further information, support, and resources on LGR/Devolution can be found on the LGA’s devolution and LGR Hub website.