Corporate Peer Challenge
In June 2024, Wyre Council invited the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge team to visit our borough, as part of our commitment to continuous development and improvement.
The Local Government Association's Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) is a voluntary, tried and trusted method of improvement used in the public sector. It is a way for representatives from councils nationwide to spend time with another council to evaluate their performance, assess the services they provide for local communities and gauge whether they have adequate resources in place to fulfil key objectives.
The Challenge generally follows a five-year cycle and our last review at Wyre took place in 2017 around the theme of “Healthier Wyre”. In 2024, with the appointment of a new Chief Executive and Leader a year earlier, a new Council Plan in place and an emerging transformation programme, we felt it was an opportune time to put ourselves forward for another Peer Challenge review.
Colleagues, volunteers and key stakeholders from across our networks and partners from local anchor institutions took part in a series of individual interviews and small group discussions with members of the review panel. The team were also given a guided tour of the borough to allow them to understand our diverse geography – both coast and countryside, urban and rural, our distinct character and natural assets.
The CPC was conducted by a team of people from outside the northwest, with a wide range of experience and knowledge about local government. It included senior councillors, one former council leader, a serving local authority chief executive and other senior officers.
The Review Panel
Members of the review panel were:
- Bill Cullen, Chief Executive, Hinkley and Bosworth Council
- Peter Fleming OBE, former Leader, Sevenoaks Council
- Councillor Jewel Miah, Leader, Charnwood Borough Council and County Councillor at Leicestershire County Council
- Peter Stachniewski, Finance Consultant, Local Government Association
- Gabrielle Mancini, Service Director, Transformation, West Berkshire Council
- Andy Wood, Service Lead, Growth, Development and Prosperity, East Devon District Council
- Ellie Greenwood, Shadow Peer and Senior Regional Adviser, Local Government Association
- Cindy Lowthian, Peer Challenge Manager, Local Government Association (LGA)