Council welcomes Corporate Peer Challenge report
Castle Point Borough Council has thanked the Local Government Association for its Corporate Peer Challenge Report, recognising the improvements made within the Council in recent years.
A Corporate Peer Challenge is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool that is delivered by a team of senior local government councillors and officers undertaking a comprehensive review of key finance, performance and governance information and then spending three days at a Council to provide robust, strategic and credible challenge and support.
The thorough report, which was requested by Leader of the Council, Cllr Dave Blackwell and Chief Executive, Angela Hutchings, additionally acknowledged that there was still a lot more to do in order to “restore the council to good health and place it on a sound financial footing and ensure resilience”.
The report sets out a number of recommendations for the Council which can be found on the Council’s website, including clarifying its financial strategy and developing a clear business change programme, corporate plan and maximising opportunities for effective scrutiny.”
Cllr Dave Blackwell said: “The peer team recognised that we have had to make a number of difficult decisions, as well as address some major issues and challenges.
“We have already made progress on some of the key recommendations and look forward to welcoming the peer team back in a year to demonstrate our further progress.”
Cllr Warren Gibson, Deputy Leader, added: “We are determined to deliver the required improvements and welcome the peer team’s recommendations.
“We are also grateful for their recognition of the scale of the challenge this administration has faced, and its commitment to the council and its residents.”
The full report can be read here, with the Council’s action plan included as an appendix.