Issue - meetings

Cllr Mark Hawthorne reported the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) recent Corporate Peer Review of Gloucestershire County Council.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

Formally record its thanks to the team that undertook the Corporate Peer Challenge in November 2023.

Accept the findings and recommendations arising from the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Review of Gloucestershire County Council and supports the development by officers of an action plan to be brought back to Cabinet for approval on 10 April 2024.

8.1     Cllr Mark Hawthorne reported the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) recent Corporate Peer Review of Gloucestershire County Council.

8.2     It was explained that the Council had invited a team of peers from across Local Government to undertake a Corporate Peer Challenge of Gloucestershire County Council. Corporate Peer Challenges were facilitated by the Local Government Association, and are one of the ways in which the sector could hold itself to account and drive improvement.

8.3     In addition to assessing the strength of our governance, our financial stability and our capacity to deliver our priorities, the Council asked the LGA to assess two key areas:

o   How well are we leading partners in delivering growth in Gloucestershire

o   How effectively are we using our corporate resources to drive improvement in our priority areas.

8.4     The report gave the Council substantial assurance that the Council was well run, understood its communities, and had a clear vision and priorities for the council and County. Importantly, in an environment where lots of councils were struggling with financial viability it found that the Council’s financial management was robust and the Council was building on a stable foundation.

8.5     As expected, the peer team also made some recommendations as to how the Council could improve and take plans to the next level. The Leader outlined those recommendations and the steps being taken in relation to them as detailed in the report.

8.6     With regards to ICT, there had been a challenging period of transition, strengthening infrastructure against the demands of the pandemic. The Council continued its commitment to improve and develop ICT and had established an Oversight Board.

8.7     The Leader thanked the Members and Officers who gave up their time to be part of the peer team.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

Formally record its thanks to the team that undertook the Corporate Peer Challenge in November 2023.

Accept the findings and recommendations arising from the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Review of Gloucestershire County Council and support the development by officers of an action plan to be brought back to Cabinet for approval on 10 April 2024.