To consider the findings of the recent Local Government Association (LGA) corporate peer challenge and agree how those findings will be used to inform improvement plans.

The leader of the council introduced the report and commented that the council invited the Local Government Association (LGA)  to conduct a peer challenge.   The key message was that there were many positive activities which the council should be proud of.     

The chief executive stated that since the end of the comprehensive performance assessment, the LGA peer challenge was the most robust form of review and challenge for councils.   It is not a requirement but it was believed that it was essential  that there was a check and challenge on the council.  The challenge had been productive and helpful.     It was noted that there would be a follow up visit in approximately 1 year.

The group leader for the Herefordshire Independents comments the financial situation is now more closely monitored.   It was further commented that the recommendations were ones which the council should have been doing already and very basic. 

The group leader for the Green party commented that it was welcomed that parish councils are included in One Herefordshire.    There was disappointment that there had been no facility to feed formally into the report and would like to formally review the recommendations in six months.

The group leader for the Liberal Democrats commented that the report was so general that the public would not know what the council was doing well or not well.  

The group leader for It’s OUR County commented that the relationship with communities needed to improve as there was considerable suspicion and distrust about the council.  There was an opportunity for the ward councillors who were also parish councillors to use the parish council as the first point of call.   

RESOLVED

That:

(a)       the approach (at appendix 1) to responding to the recommendations from the corporate peer challenge be approved.