Corporate Peer Challenge concludes the Council has improved rapidly but continued effort is required

Liverpool City Council has published the outcome of a Corporate Peer Challenge by the Local Government Association, which took place in July.

The Peer Challenge is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool that is delivered by the sector for the sector.

 The Peer Challenge team was made up of Councillors and senior officers from other councils, providing a robust assessment of the capacity and capability of the Council, against best practice in local government.

It is one of the measures that the Council committed to undertaking to provide confidence in its ongoing improvement journey, following the end of Government intervention in June 2024.

The process is designed to assist councils in meeting part of their Best Value Duty and it has also given the Council the opportunity to lever in sector expertise to consider where we are, and how we are positioned to continue the improvement process.

The overall finding is that the Council has improved rapidly over the last two years, especially over the last 12 months, but that continued effort is required to reach a level where residents start to experience the benefits.

It focused on five core areas:

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

The team undertook a series of meetings, workshops and visits and met with 155 people, including members, staff, residents and external stakeholders. The Council submitted a position statement with supporting documentation to the team prior to their visit.

The peers have recognised in their report the scale of improvement achieved, including the leadership improvements at the Council.

They also highlighted the continued effort required to ensure Liverpool becomes a Council able to reach a level that is more typical across the local government sector, arriving at a point where residents start to experience the benefits of the improvements made.

The key findings include:

• The peer reviewers saw the professional leadership and culture as central to this positive trend, both from officers and members

• Staff, and partner organisations, are ambitious for further improvement and willing to do the hard work needed

•  The improvement in Children’s Services was described as very impressive, and continued corporate support is needed to build on the existing progress

•  Teams across the Council must stay focussed on financial sustainability, in the short- and medium-term

•  As we move into the next stage of our improvement journey, we should explain more clearly what we mean by transformation and when people can expect to see the benefits

•  The Council must ensure the progress seen through the Commissioners process continues now that they have left

•  It is vital that we have a clear focus on outcomes for residents, including seeking their input on key initiatives, ensuring our case management system is in place and use partners to develop a strong, coherent plan for Liverpool

The team made 12 recommendations to the Council, and an action plan will be published to take these forward.

Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “I am really pleased with this report, which provides clear evidence of significant progress in a short period of time.

“However, we are not complacent, and know we still have a way to go to achieve our ambition of delivering quality, value-for-money services for the people of Liverpool.

“The Corporate Peer Challenge is extremely helpful in helping shape our future direction, and I look forward to meeting them again next April and evidencing further progress.”

You can read the full report here: https://liverpool.gov.uk/corporatepeerchallenge.