Peer ambassador communications toolkit

• www.local.gov.uk/cpc
• Corporate peer challenge is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool, delivered by local government for local government.
• This strengthened offer will remain paramount in ensuring all evidence, knowledge and good practice is captured for the sector, to enable better understanding and sharing of good practice.
• The LGA’s regional teams work closely with local authorities experiencing significant challenges to provide support when it is most needed.
• Corporate peer challenge teams are carefully matched to each council, drawing on a diverse pool of trained, experienced peers - with final approval from the LGA to ensure the right skills and insight every time.

• Corporate peer challenge is an improvement and assurance tool which provides focus on five core areas of assessment:
  
  • local priorities
  • leadership
  • governance
  • financial planning
  • improvement capacity.
• Our strengthened corporate peer challenge now has a greater emphasis on finance, data, performance, and governance.
• An LG Inform report – the LGA’s benchmarking tool for local government – is shared with peers and the local authority in advance of all corporate peer challenges. This shows how the council’s performance compares to their nearest statistical neighbours.

• All local authorities are expected to have a corporate peer challenge every five years, with a follow-up progress review within twelve months of their peer challenge.
• Corporate peer challenge reports are evidence-based, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement, with clear recommendations that local authorities are expected to act upon - ensuring transparency and accountability at every step.
• Increased transparency with peer challenge reports and action plans published online by the LGA and recipient council.

• The LGA’s most recent evaluation revealed:100 per cent of chief executives and leaders said their peer challenge had a positive impact on their council.
• 100 per cent of chief executives and leaders said they were satisfied with their corporate peer challenge or finance peer challenge.

• www.local.gov.uk/peer
• Supported by the LGA through online training, face to face training and, crucially, through the relevant peer challenge manager.
• Councillors and experienced officer peers are at the heart of the peer challenge process.
• Peers provide a 'practitioner perspective' and 'critical friend' challenge.
• Working as a team, and supported by an experienced LGA peer challenge manager, peers spend time onsite at a local authority to help with it with its improvement and learning.
• Peers help build capacity, confidence and sustainability by challenging practice and sharing knowledge and experience.
• Peers help local authorities to reflect on current processes and practice and champion change and improvement through their own actions and by recognising and celebrating excellence in others.
• 100 per cent of peers who responded to our latest survey said that taking part in a peer challenge had a positive impact on their own learning and development.
• Being a peer is a recognised and valued way of making an active contribution to the sector and ultimately to residents and communities.
• Delivering peer challenge is an opportunity to see and experience other places providing personal learning and transferable practice.
• Being part of a peer team provides opportunities to build networks, relationships and collaboration with others.
• Delivering peer challenge enables peers to share learning and practice across local authorities and the sector.
• Through peer challenge, peers can reflect on their own practice and take learning from other local authorities back to their own authority.

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Thanks to [@CouncilName] for hosting our [@Local Government Association] corporate peer challenge team.

The collective experience of #LGAPeer teams means we really understand the challenges faced by councils and bring credibility and trust to the robust improvement and assurance process. 

It was an inspiring week and a great pleasure to meet so many dedicated staff, councillors and partners.

Find out more about peer challenge: www.local.gov.uk/cpc

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I am proud to be an #LGAPeer delivering corporate peer challenge. 

Our peer team are the heart of the peer challenge process. It's a real privilege to share my knowledge and experience with councils, but also to learn and reflect on my own practice. 

Thanks to [@TagPeerTeam] for your good company and expertise this week. 

Learn more about being a [@Local Government Association] peer: www.local.gov.uk/peer

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Thanks to [@Local Government Association] for supporting me as a valued LGA peer undertaking corporate peer challenge.

I felt well prepared and supported by the LGA before, during and after the peer challenge. The whole process was well organised and I know that our recommendations will make a real difference to the council.

I’d encourage anyone thinking about becoming a peer to apply!

Find out more about how to become a peer: www.local.gov.uk/peer

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Thanks to [@CouncilName] for welcoming [@Local Government Association] to consider the progress made in the implementation of their corporate peer challenge recommendations. 

The #LGAPeer team is thrilled to see the value that peer challenge has brought to the council and how the council are striving to achieve even more.

Thanks to [@TagPeerTeam] for your work and expertise this week. 

Learn more about being a [@Local Government Association] peer: www.local.gov.uk/peer

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Thanks to [@CouncilName] for hosting our [@Local Government Association] corporate peer challenge team. 

Did you know that the government’s best value guidance expects that councils should have a corporate peer challenge at least once every five years?

It has been an inspiring and insightful week full of learning and inspiration for the #LGAPeer.  It was a pleasure to meet so many committed staff, councillors and partners.

Find out more about peer challenge: www.local.gov.uk/cpc

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Thanks to [@CouncilName] for hosting our [@Local Government Association] corporate peer challenge team. 

I saw how the whole process was robust and constructively challenging covering finance, leadership, governance, performance, capacity to deliver and much more. It was great to see how the council embraced the opportunity to hold a mirror up to themselves in this way. 

It has been a week where I’ve learned so much as an #LGAPeer. Thank you to [@CouncilName] for embracing this corporate peer challenge.

www.local.gov.uk/cpc

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Thanks to [@CouncilName] for hosting our [@Local Government Association] corporate peer challenge team.

As a council preparing for local government reorganisation, it was great to see how you are using the CPC to help in your preparedness.

It has been a week where I’ve learned so much as an #LGAPeer.

Thank you to [@CouncilName] for embracing this corporate peer challenge.

www.local.gov.uk/cpc

The Local Government Association (LGA) encourages all local authorities to support their continuous improvement by engaging with sector-led support, including corporate peer challenge. The Best Value standards and intervention statutory guidance sets out an expectation that all local authorities will have a corporate or finance peer challenge at least every five years. Where local authorities are preparing for LGR, a corporate or finance peer challenge will help to identify issues which should be considered and addressed in preparing for LGR in relation to leadership, governance, finance, and capacity. There is also the potential for the corporate peer challenge to have an additional focus on readiness for LGR. 

In preparing for LGR it is important that each authority has a clear understanding of its strengths, risks and areas for improvement, with particular reference to leadership, governance, finance and capacity. These will continue to be and become even more relevant in the context of LGR – either when planning for transition or in understanding the resources and challenges which will come forward into the new authority. A corporate peer challenge will identify those strengths, risks and areas for improvement across these key areas, and can be targeted to focus particularly on preparedness, capacity and capability for LGR. The report can also provide helpful insights and reflections about opportunities, risks and priorities for any new unitary. 

The LGA brings together teams of member and officer peers to deliver constructively challenging and robust messages to support improvement and provide assurance. Peers are drawn from local authorities across the country, bringing a range of expertise, both in terms of the ‘core’ themes such as finance and governance, and with specific experience of LGR. 

By working in partnership with the sector, the LGA understands the pressures faced by local authorities and the capacity and resources required to undertake significant transformation such as LGR. CPC is delivered by the sector for the sector, using experienced member and officer peers, so we understand. We work with local authorities to minimise the burden of preparing for a CPC, using existing documentation wherever possible. Feedback from local authorities which have received CPCs demonstrates CPCs deliver excellent outcomes for local authorities and their communities. 

Visit the LGA’s corporate peer challenge webpages or speak to your Principal Adviser.

There is a stronger focus on local authority performance, governance and culture, to reflect the current challenges to the sector and the current draft statutory guidance on best value authorities.

There has been increased investment in our peers through a new programme of training, development, and accreditation for LGA member and officer peers. Each peer team is independent and, where appropriate, there will be more than one member peer on the team.

A new report structure has been introduced to be more authoritative and direct in content, with local authorities invited to correct factual errors or inaccuracies.

There is an increased approach to openness and transparency with an understanding that the LGA and the local authority will publish the corporate peer challenge report alongside an action plan.

For local authorities preparing for change following the English Devolution White Paper, a corporate peer challenge can help to help identify issues which should be considered and addressed in relation to leadership, governance, finance and capacity when preparing for devolution or local government reorganisation.

The LGA encourages all local authorities to support their continuous improvement by engaging with sector-led support, including corporate peer challenge. The Best Value standards and intervention statutory guidance sets out an expectation that all local authorities are expected to have a corporate peer challenge every five years, with a follow-up progress review within twelve months of their peer challenge.

Where local authorities are preparing for local government reorganisation (LGR), a corporate or finance peer challenge will help to identify issues which should be considered and addressed in preparing for LGR in relation to leadership, governance, finance, and capacity. There is also the potential for the corporate peer challenge to have an additional focus on readiness for LGR.

In preparing for local government reorganisation (LGR) it is important that each authority has a clear understanding of its strengths, risks and areas for improvement, with particular reference to leadership, governance, finance and capacity. These will continue to be and become even more relevant in the context of LGR – either when planning for transition or in understanding the resources and challenges which will come forward into the new authority. A corporate peer challenge will identify those strengths, risks and areas for improvement across these key areas, and can be targeted to focus particularly on preparedness, capacity and capability for LGR. The report can also provide helpful insights and reflections about opportunities, risks and priorities for any new unitary.

The LGA brings together teams of member and officer peers to deliver constructively challenging and robust messages to support improvement and provide assurance. Peers are drawn from local authorities across the country, bringing a range of expertise, both in terms of the ‘core’ themes such as finance and governance, and with specific experience of local government reorganisation.

By working in partnership with the sector, the LGA understands the pressures faced by local authorities and the capacity and resources required to undertake significant transformation such as local government reorganisation. Corporate peer challenge (CPC) is delivered by the sector for the sector, using experienced member and officer peers, so we understand. We work with local authorities to minimise the burden of preparing for a CPC, using existing documentation wherever possible. Feedback from local authorities which have received CPCs demonstrates CPCs deliver excellent outcomes for local authorities and their communities.

Visit the LGA’s corporate peer challenge webpages or speak to your Principal Adviser.

The LGA's devolution and local government reorganisation hub has information and resources for public and local authorities.

All corporate peer challenges cover five core areas, with peer teams undertaking a strategic review of:

• local priorities and outcomes
• organisational and place leadership
• governance and culture
• financial planning and management
• capacity for improvement.

This is in addition to any local priorities or focus which will be discussed at the scoping meeting.

To support local authorities to meet their best value duty by having a corporate peer challenge (CPC) at least every five years, the LGA will maintain a detailed timetable for all local authorities aligned to this expectation.

The LGA’s Chair and Group Leaders will write an annual letter to local authorities due to receive a CPC, setting out a timeframe window. Principal advisers will remain in regular dialogue with the local authority about their own CPC timeframe.

There will also be a requirement to have a peer led progress review and publish the subsequent report no later than 12 months after the CPC. This provides the LGA peer team with an opportunity to review the council's action plan and assess progress being made.

The LGA has developed an improvement and assurance framework to assist local authorities in providing assurance of the performance of local government. The strengthened corporate peer challenge (CPC) offer will support this work.

CPCs also assists local authorities to meet their best value duty; the UK Government expects all local authorities to have a corporate or finance peer challenge at least every five years, to publish the outcomes and deliver on the recommendations of that review.

Corporate peer challenges are funded by UK Government and are available, at no direct cost, to all English local authorities.

Corporate peer challenges usually require around three to six months lead-in time from the scoping meeting, including the time required to secure the peer team.

To request a corporate peer challenge (CPC), local authorities should contact their LGA Principal Adviser. They will work with local authorities to arrange an initial scoping meeting, with the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive.

This provides the opportunity to discuss the approach and share local authorities' priorities and challenges, which will inform the focus of the CPC and subsequent composition of the peer team. This will be detailed in a concise Scoping Document which sets out the terms of engagement and agreed upon before commencing.

The LGA encourages all local authorities to have a corporate peer challenge every five years and to publish their reports online.

To ensure corporate peer challenge (CPC) is robust and independent, the LGA will discuss the required skills and experience of the peer team and identify independent, trained and experienced member and officer peers to make up a diverse peer team. The LGA will have final approval of the team composition.

Peers will be selected from the LGA’s accredited pool of peers, and the team composition will depend on the scope and focus of the CPC and include serving councillors, Chief Executives and senior officers from local authorities with similar challenges to the local authority receiving the CPC.

To ensure the peer team can cover all of the five core areas adequately, the corporate peer challenge is undertaken across four key phases:

• preparation and engagement
• on-site delivery
• post on-site
• progress review.

During the preparation and engagement phase, the peer team prepare for the on-site corporate peer challenge (CPC) delivery by undertaking a desk-based review of the data and Information pack.

The pack contains a detailed finance briefing prepared by an LGA finance adviser, a comprehensive performance and benchmarking report using LG Inform data and a review of key governance information, plus a suite of local authority documents including the council’s position statement.

Throughout this phase, the LGA peer challenge manager will remain in close contact with the local authority to help the local authority prepare and develop the on-site timetable.

The peer team will also undertake some early engagement with the local authority receiving the CPC by contacting relevant councillors and officers and by observing key meetings.

The council’s position statement is a key document for the corporate peer challenge. It gives the local authority the opportunity to tell its own place-based story by setting out its successes, priorities, and challenges.

The position statement should be an honest appraisal of the council’s performance, identifying areas where it recognises where it needs to improve and identifying the council’s future plans and priorities.

This is the most important phase of the corporate peer challenge (CPC), where the peer team spend up to four days in person at the council, meeting with a wide range of internal staff and members and external partners and stakeholders.

This enables the team to get a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the council, so they can provide robust, strategic, and credible challenge and support.

The CPC peer team adopt a ‘no surprises’ policy; at the end of each day on-site, they will share their emerging findings with the Chief Executive and Leader. On the final day of the on-site delivery, the peer team deliver verbal feedback to the council.

Once the on-site delivery has been undertaken, the peer team will collate all the data and evidence gathered on-site and produce a detailed feedback report.

The report will identify areas where the local authority has performed well, but also areas for improvement. It will contain a series of clear and concise recommendations that the local authority will be expected to respond to.

A draft report will be shared with the local authority within three weeks of the corporate peer challenge taking place.

The report is evidence based and although the LGA peer team welcome amendments on factual errors or inaccuracies, they will not accept any other changes.

If the local authority does not accept any of the recommendations, then it can make this clear when publicly responding to the peer challenge with its action plan.

The LGA expects the local authority to publish its corporate peer challenge (CPC) report alongside an action plan within three months of the CPC taking place.

If the local authority is unable to publish the action plan at the same time as the report, it must be published within five months of the CPC.

The LGA will also publish the report on the LGA website within these timescales, irrespective of whether the local authority publish.

If the local authority does not accept any of the recommendations, then it can make this clear when publicly responding to the peer challenge with its action plan.

Approximately 10 months after the corporate peer challenge (CPC), the peer team will revisit the local authority to undertake a progress review.

The progress review will provide space for a council’s senior leadership to update the peer team on the progress made against the CPC recommendations, discuss early impact or learning and receive feedback on the implementation of the action plan.

Progress reviews will usually be delivered in person on-site at the local authority and will include a full review of the council’s action plan against each of the CPC recommendations.

Following the progress review, the peer team will provide a short report detailing their findings and assessing progress the local authority has made against its action plan.

The local authority is required to publish the report. The LGA will also publish the report, irrespective of whether the local authority does. This report should be published no later than 12 months after the CPC.