The process
The Peer Team followed five themes which form the core components of all Corporate Peer Challenges and are critical to performance and improvement.
- Local priorities and outcomes - Are the Council's priorities clear and informed by the local context? Is the Council delivering effectively on its priorities?
- Organisational and place leadership - Does the Council provide effective local leadership? Are there good relationships with partner organisations and local communities?
- Governance and culture - Are there clear and robust governance arrangements? Is there a culture of challenge and scrutiny?
- Financial planning and management - Does the Council have a grip on its current financial position? Does the Council have a strategy and a plan to address its financial challenges?
- Capacity for improvement - Is the organisation able to support delivery of local priorities? Does the Council have the capacity to improve?
Here at Wyre, we asked the team to pay particular focus and provide feedback on our economic development work including regeneration, tourism and business support and our emerging plans for transformation and change.
The Peer Challenge team gathered information and views across two intense days of online and face-to-face meetings both individually with Council staff, volunteers, councillors and external partners as well as during wider focus group discussions. Collectively they spoke to more than 88 people both within and outside the Council.
This enabled them to gain valuable insight into the organisation, our borough, our challenges, achievements and future ambitions and propose recommendations for areas to develop to our Leadership team at the end of the process.