LGA Corporate Peer Challenge – Progress review: North Northamptonshire Council

The council undertook an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) during 17 to 20 September 2024 and promptly published the full report with an action plan. 

The Progress Review is an integral part of the Corporate Peer Challenge process. Taking place approximately thirteen 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 North Northamptonshire 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 North Northamptonshire Council took place (onsite) on 13 October 2025. The Progress Review focussed on each of the recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge. 

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

• Lead Peer: Anne-Marie Bond (Chief Executive at Torbay Council)
• Member Peer: Izzi Seccombe (former Leader of the Council at Warwickshire County Council)
• Senior Officer Peer: Sam McVaigh (Director of People Services at the Information Commissioner’s Office & former Director of People and Inclusion at Bury Council)
• LGA Peer Challenge Manager: Ernest Opuni (Senior Regional Advisor) was substituted by Satvinder Rana (Senior Regional Advisor).

Out of the CPC’s seven recommendations, the council’s RAG rated Action plan reports that 100 per cent of the 31 agreed actions are completed or are being progressed. 

The peer team found strong evidence that the council has made real and meaningful progress in all seven of the recommendations set out in the CPC. This is particularly impressive given the recent political changes, which brought in a new Administration and 47 newly elected Members. The council has continued to move forward with purpose and positivity.

The council has embraced the peer team’s recommendations, taking them on board fully and is acting upon them. Progress has been seen across multiple key areas, showing a clear commitment to improvement, good governance and service delivery. This demonstrates the council’s commitment to learning from external feedback, adapting positively and working to deliver better outcomes for residents and communities.

At the same time, there is recognition within the council that there is still more to do. Being open about areas that need further attention shows maturity and self-awareness. The peer team encourages both the council’s managerial and political leadership to ensure that staff and Members are proactively engaged in co-designing solutions. This collaborative approach will ensure that change is not only well planned but also supported and owned by those responsible for delivering it, taking advantage of the skills and experience within the staff and Member cohort.

The new Administration has quickly established itself as a strong and cohesive team. They have built positive and trusted relationships with senior officers, which is essential for effective decision-making and for turning strategic goals into real results. A good working relationship between Members and officers creates the foundation for a stable and high-performing council.

North Northamptonshire, like all councils, continue to face significant financial challenges. The council has responded proactively and positively to the peer team’s previous recommendations to strengthen financial governance and oversight, and the new administration understand the criticality of effectively managing this position. It will be important that the focus remains here and that, through the evolution of the One Council Board, enhanced focus and coordination is given to both in-year and longer-term transformation and savings activity.

The new corporate plan that is due to be approved in December 2025 provides a great opportunity for the council to build on its progress, supported by the soon-to-be-appointed director of transformation and strategy. The plan provides a shared vision and clear direction for the future. With it, the council can continue to make improvements, strengthen services, foster strong relationships with strategic partners and achieve even better outcomes for the people it serves.

3.1 Recommendation 1 - Strengthen the council’s focus, prioritisation and planning

The council has developed a strengthened corporate planning framework to create a clearer ‘golden thread’ linking strategies, plans, and individual roles. A new annual delivery plan is to be introduced. The One Council programme has advanced with detailed project plans, improved risk reporting, and delivery of some ‘brilliant basics’ such as IT upgrades and access improvements to buildings, thereby enhancing staff productivity.

The formal approval of the new corporate plan represents a pivotal moment for the council – both for the Executive and for officers. It provides a clear strategic direction and a shared vision that can strongly align political ambition with operational delivery. This is a key opportunity to strengthen leadership, align priorities, and ensure that all parts of the organisation are working together to achieve long-term goals.

For the Executive, it provides a strong platform for visible and confident political leadership. It enables Members of the executive to demonstrate clear strategic ownership of the council’s priorities and to communicate a consistent message about the council’s purpose, direction and ambitions. Clarity of purpose gives staff and partners confidence in the council’s vision, helps maintain focus during periods of change and ensures accountability for progress and outcomes.

For officers, the corporate planning framework offers the opportunity to embed the ‘golden thread’ throughout the organisation, ensuring that all service plans, team objectives, and individual targets connect directly to the council’s overall strategic priorities. Achieving this alignment will be critical to ensuring everyone understand how their work contributes to wider goals, strengthening both motivation and performance. However, to realise this fully, careful planning and genuine co-design with staff will be essential. Involving employees in shaping how the framework works in practice will build shared ownership and ensure that the approach is practical, inclusive and effective and continues to evolve to support delivery.

The council’s decision to appoint a director of transformation and strategy will help in joining up the council’s work and drive long-term success. Effective operational leadership is key to ensuring that transformation activity is well-coordinated, evidence-based and strategically aligned. However, this role will only achieve its full potential if sufficient time and capacity are dedicated to driving transformation both strategically and practically to ensure that this work is purposeful and impactful, not fragmented nor reactive. Investing in strategic capacity enables the council to anticipate challenges, plan ahead and deliver meaningful and lasting change.

The council’s growing maturity means that it should focus on its regional and national presence to enhance its influence and reputation widely. However, to maximise this potential, the council needs a clear and compelling ‘elevator pitch’ – a concise statement that articulates its unique strengths, priorities, and ambitions. Simple and clear messaging will enable the council to speak with one voice, attract investment and partnerships, and position itself as a confident, forward-looking organisation within the wider local government and regional landscape.

Furthermore, proactive engagement in the devolution agenda through focused and determined political leadership will be essential in bringing benefits to North Northamptonshire. Focused leadership and strong relationships with key stakeholders will help the council influence the wider regional agenda, secure local benefits, and ensure that decisions about the area are made closer to the communities affected.

3.2 Recommendation 2 - Enhance financial planning and ownership

Budget monitoring reports have been simplified for better understanding, and a monthly budget, performance and risk board fosters cross-directorate engagement and mitigation discussions. Training programmes for budget managers have been rolled out, and a skills-gap analysis in finance has supported capacity building with tools like predictive analytics. The One Council programme is evolving into a strategic transformation plan linked to the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

This provides clear evidence of an improved understanding of the budget across the council. This growing awareness demonstrates stronger financial literacy, better alignment between services and corporate priorities, and a shared sense of responsibility for the council’s financial position. However, there is still an opportunity to strengthen this further by ensuring even greater ownership and oversight from the corporate leadership team (CLT). Senior officers play a crucial role in modelling collective financial accountability and ensuring that financial discipline is embedded across all levels of the organisation.

The creation of the budget board represents a positive and proactive development. It provides a structured forum for open discussion, challenge and monitoring of financial performance. This arrangement should be used to support better-informed decision making, promote transparency, and ensure that financial risks and pressures are identified and addressed at an early stage.

There is strong political awareness and oversight of the council’s budget position. This demonstrates that Members are actively engaged in understanding the financial challenges and are taking an informed approach to the difficult choices that they must make. This political engagement is vital - it ensures that financial decisions are aligned with strategic priorities and that the implications for residents, services and staff are fully understood and debated.

The council has demonstrated its ability to manage complex and challenging budgets effectively. This is a significant strength and reflects both resilience and sound financial management. However, it is important that the council maintains its focus and does not allow this discipline to weaken, even when immediate pressures appear to ease. Continuous vigilance is essential to safeguard financial stability and to plan for the future. Going forward, there are two areas where the peer team believe further focus is required:

1. Greater clarity and transparency of mitigating actions for in-year financial positions: It is important that the Council clearly sets out the actions being taken to address financial pressures during the year. Transparent reporting builds trust and ensures that both officers and Members have a shared understanding of how risks are being managed.
2. A pipeline of preventative actions to deliver long-term sustainability: The council should continue to develop early, preventative approaches that address the root causes of financial pressure. This forward-looking focus will help to build a more sustainable financial position over time, reducing the need for reactive measures and short-term fixes.

Members will need to remain brave and bold in their decision-making to deliver the system-wide changes required for long-term financial sustainability and CLT must work and act collectively in considering the council’s budget as a whole in addressing financial challenges and seizing opportunities. This may involve making difficult choices about priorities and ways of working. However, strong leadership, underpinned by transparency and collaboration, will be essential to ensure that the council can continue to deliver high-quality services within a financially sustainable framework. Continued close collaborative working with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust will be crucial as this is an area where demand is creating a level of financial uncertainty. 

3.3 Recommendation 3 - Clearly define and establish the boundaries between member and officer functions

A comprehensive Member induction and development program has been delivered to help clarify roles. Council meetings have become more collaborative through layout changes and positive behaviours. Endorsement of key strategies like BIG50 and the draft corporate plan demonstrates Member focus on corporate priorities. Delegations have shifted from Members to officers for implementation.

The induction of a large number of new Councillors was a momentous task for the council. Managing such a comprehensive induction programme required significant planning, coordination and resource. The officers should be commended for delivering an effective and well-structured programme that has provided Members with a strong foundation upon which to build their roles. This early investment in learning and development is important, as it supports confident and informed decision-making, strengthens governance and helps establish a positive and cohesive culture among Members from the outset.

For the Executive, there is a need to balance two distinct but equally important roles. As community leaders, Executive Members represent and advocate for the interests of their wards, ensuring that local voices are heard and community needs are met. At the same time, they hold collective responsibility for the strategic leadership of the council. This involves taking a broader, borough-wide perspective and making decisions that serve the long-term interests of all residents. Achieving this balance requires discipline, self-awareness and a clear understanding of how local and strategic responsibilities intersect. Strong and consistent political leadership at both levels is essential for the council’s credibility, cohesion and overall effectiveness.

The peer team would also encourage the Leader of the Council to consider how best to bring opposition group leaders together on a regular basis, in the shared interest of the council and its residents. Building constructive cross-party relationships fosters trust, improves communication and helps to depoliticise key strategic issues. Regular dialogue between group leaders can strengthen collective ownership of major decisions so that the council speaks with one voice on matters of significant importance to the area. It also supports stability, effective governance and a more resilient political environment in which all Members can contribute positively to the council’s success.

3.4 Recommendation 4 - Strengthen North Northamptonshire Council’s leadership of Children and Young People’s Services

The Director of children’s services seconded from the Children’s Trust has enhanced integration of approach for children. Revised governance structures have been implemented to allow the chief executive and senior officers across the council to have better oversight and influence on the system. A dedicated children, young person, and education scrutiny committee has been established with a forward plan focused on outcomes. A draft lifelong corporate parenting strategy has been developed and training on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and corporate parenting is planned. This demonstrates the strengthening of the relationship between the council and the Children’s Trust. 

The peer team observed a partnership between the council and the Trust built upon mutual respect, trust, and a shared understanding of purpose and the collective challenges faced. There is a clear commitment from both organisations to work collaboratively in the best interests of children and families. Importantly, there is now a strong sense across the council that responsibility for children’s social care does not rest solely with the Trust, but is a collective endeavour shared by Members, officers, and partners alike. This whole-council approach is vital to securing sustained improvement and achieving better outcomes for children and young people in North Northamptonshire.

The Director of children’s services has played an instrumental role in this progress and has brought stability, focus and clarity - providing an effective bridge between the council and the Trust and seeking to better engage and involve colleagues in the improvement journey. 

There is now a clear and collective focus on joint working to ensure that the statutory direction is lifted. This shared determination demonstrates a renewed sense of accountability and ambition for improvement. 

The alignment between social care and SEND services is improving, and there are positive signs of greater collaboration. However, the current structural model does not support seamless integration, which can limit the effectiveness of joint working. A review of the model and further consideration of how to strengthen this alignment would help ensure more coherent and child-centred pathways for families.

The peer team recommends that the council progresses work to develop a clearer understanding of the actual cost of delivering social care services in North Northamptonshire. Gaining accurate insight into service costs is essential for effective financial planning, informed decision-making and ensuring value for money. This deeper understanding will also support better forecasting and sustainability as demand pressures continue to rise.

Progress on the corporate parenting strategy is positive and encouraging. The peer team suggests that consideration be given to elevating this strategy to a policy framework document, ensuring it receives appropriate political prominence and oversight. Ongoing monitoring of the associated delivery plan by the Executive will be important to maintain focus and accountability. The Care Leavers Hub is an excellent example of collective commitment and innovative practice in this area, demonstrating how effective collaboration can deliver tangible improvements in outcomes for young people.

Absolute focus is needed on a suite of preventative actions designed to improve outcomes for children and young people in North Northamptonshire while also delivering positive financial benefits. A truly effective Family Help offer will be central to this – enabling earlier intervention, reducing the need for costly reactive services and promoting better life chances for children and families. Investing in prevention is both morally and financially sound - it strengthens resilience, improves wellbeing and supports long-term sustainability across the children’s system.

3.5 Recommendation 5 - Strengthen the delivery and impact of overview and scrutiny

Following the election, a comprehensive scrutiny training programme was delivered for Members. This has provided a strong foundation for effective overview and scrutiny across the council. Further training will help Members to develop a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and powers within the scrutiny process. 

The council benefits from dedicated scrutiny officers who work closely with scrutiny chairs and their deputies to develop meaningful and well-structured work programmes. The officers also support Members in refining their questioning strategies, enabling scrutiny sessions to be focused, purposeful and impactful. This should be encouraged to ensure that scrutiny work is well-informed, evidence-led and adds real value to policy development and service improvement.

The scrutiny management board provides a valuable reflective space for planning and coordination. It helps ensure that scrutiny work across different committees is strategically aligned, avoids duplication and maintains focus on the most significant issues facing the council. 

The new corporate plan presents an important opportunity to further strengthen and enhance the forward plan for overview and scrutiny. Aligning the scrutiny work programme with the priorities and objectives of the corporate plan will ensure that scrutiny remains strategically relevant and focused on outcomes that matter most to residents. The peer team also encourages consideration of how elements of the BIG50 can be incorporated into the overview and scrutiny forward plan. Doing so would ensure that the council’s major strategic initiatives receive appropriate Member oversight and that scrutiny continues to play a vital role in driving ambition, accountability and improvements across North Northamptonshire.

3.6 Recommendation 6 - Embed a council-wide culture of being outward looking

The draft corporate plan emphasises partnership commitments, with initiatives like the BIG50 board, website, and celebration week promoting co-design. An economic strategy has been launched through stakeholder engagement, focusing on business, people and places. A residents’ satisfaction survey was conducted, benchmarking against national data and informing priorities, with over 1,000 volunteers recruited for future involvement.

The establishment of the BIG50 board, led independently of the council, is a welcome and positive development. This independent leadership approach brings fresh perspectives, fosters collaboration and helps to ensure that the initiative benefits from a wide range of voices across sectors and communities. The board’s focus on celebrating local successes, alongside the development of a structured communications plan, is also encouraging. Promoting achievements and telling the area’s story in a consistent and engaging way helps to build civic pride, strengthen community identity and enhance the reputation of both the place and partner organisations.

While the BIG50 vision provides a clear and ambitious framework for local growth and improvement, the peer team would encourage the council and its partners to consider how this vision is being communicated and utilised beyond North Northamptonshire’s borders. A stronger external focus would help raise the profile of North Northamptonshire more widely - regionally and nationally - supporting inward investment, partnership opportunities and overall place branding. Reputation and perception are powerful drivers of confidence and growth, and a well-articulated vision that reaches external audiences can amplify the area’s economic and social potential.

The residents’ satisfaction survey provides an important baseline measure and a valuable barometer of how residents perceive the council and its services. Understanding these perceptions is crucial to building trust, improving responsiveness and shaping future priorities. The peer team would encourage the council to see the survey findings as a first step in re-focusing and deepening its enduring engagement with residents, ensuring their views actively inform the ongoing design and delivery of services. 

3.7 Recommendation 7 - Sharpen the council’s focus on workforce and organisational development

Human Resources has been restructured with a new organisational development team focusing on workforce strategy and culture. Initiatives like staff awards, One Council conferences, and pulse surveys have supported improved engagement and morale, with turnover reduced significantly. This has underpinned the significant practical achievements of the One Council programme, including a shared ID card for all staff and Information technology (IT) and workspace upgrades which have been well received by staff. These changes show a proactive response to the pain points raised frequently during staff focus groups during the original peer challenge visit. 

It is clear to the peer team that the council has taken deliberate and effective steps to strengthen its organisational foundations, demonstrating a genuine commitment to supporting, valuing and engaging its workforce. This progress provides a strong platform upon which to build further improvement and transformation.

The council should take the time to celebrate its achievements in relation to pay and grading and the delivery of some of the ‘brilliant basics’ which means so much to staff. By addressing these fundamentals, the council has shown that it listens to its employees and acts on their feedback. Fair pay, clear structures, and consistent employment practices helps to build trust, attract and retain talent and foster a positive organisational culture.

The One Council programme is set to morph into a broader transformational change programme, marking an important next stage in the organisation’s development. This presents a significant opportunity for the council to include Members and staff in the co-design of transformation opportunities. Engaging Members and employees directly in shaping transformation not only enhances the quality and practicality of solutions but also increases ownership and commitment to change. 

The planned development of a new workforce strategy, as part of an integrated corporate planning framework, provides a timely opportunity to continue and embed this focus. Aligning workforce planning with corporate priorities will help ensure that the council has the right people, skills and capacity to deliver its ambitions both now and in the future. This will be critical to the organisation’s ongoing success, enabling it to adapt effectively to future challenges, drive innovation and continue to deliver high-quality services for residents.

The LGA would like to thank North Northamptonshire 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. 

(Further information, support, and resources on LGR/Devolution should you need it, can be found on the LGA’s devolution and LGR Hub website.)

Mark Edgell (Principal Adviser) is the main point of contact between the authority and the Local Government Association (LGA) and his e-mail address is: [email protected]