Issue - meetings

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the observations and key recommendations made by the Corporate Peer Team to the Council.

2.    Approve the high-level action plan which is the Council’s response to the findings.

Consideration was given to the report which noted this was the first time since the period at the close of intervention that the LGA had been back to Rotherham to conduct an independent assessment of where the Council was. It was clarified that it was not an inspection, but it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the observations and key recommendations made by the Corporate Peer Team to the Council.

2.    Approve the high-level action plan which is the Council’s response to the findings.

The Chair invited the Leader of the Council to introduce Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) Report and Action Plan. It was outlined that authorities were encouraged to have a peer review at least once every five years and the process was a way of assessing where local authorities are in terms of the financial visibility, service delivery and organisational health. CPCs were focused on ensuring that Councils have the capacity, governance, leadership, and finance to deliver their ambition. The process was not an inspection and was designed to be forward-looking to help accelerate and drive improvement.

During the Council’s CPC, the peer team considered the following five themes, which form the core components of all Corporate Peer Challenges:

1) local priorities and outcomes

2) organisational and place leadership

3) governance and culture

4) financial planning and management

5) capacity for improvement.

In addition to these five areas, it was outlined that the council asked the peer team to provide observations and feedback on the council’s progress in the last five years and the work been undertaken to create an inclusive economy.

The CPC was delivered by experienced elected member and officer peers who were selected by the LGA based on their relevant expertise. The review took place in June 2023 and during this time the team gathered information from over 40 meetings; spoke to over hundred people including council staff and members and external stakeholders: reviewed over 70 pieces of evidence and went on a tour of the town centre and parts of the wider Borough.

The CPC feedback report provided a summary of the team’s findings, which noted that the council was an impressive organisation that served the town well.

The report included seven recommendations to support the Council’s continuous improvement journey:

·       Recommendation 1:  that the Council’s achievements be celebrated.

·       Recommendation 2: that an externally facing narrative of place be developed to promote and market the borough and capitalise on Rotherham’s assets. 

·       Recommendation 3: that the significant investments underway be used to support a more inclusive economic future.

·       Recommendation 4: that effective pathways and mechanisms for local people, especially young people, be developed to benefit from inclusive growth to help deliver improved health outcomes and address inequalities.

·       Recommendation 5: that performance management be reviewed to demonstrate impact and an improvement in outcomes in delivering the council’s ambition; and the strong leadership, capacity and capability of the top-team be used to drive and deliver further organisational transformations and change across the borough at pace.

·       Recommendation 6: that the Neighbourhood working model be built upon , to develop a clearer and shared understanding of integrated locality working across the public sector and increase the pace of digital transformation across the organisation to deliver improved outcomes for residents and the customer experience.

·       Recommendation 7: that the medium-term financial strategy be kept under review – testing assumptions and undertaking sensitivity – and reported to Members on a regular basis.

A high-level action plan had been developed in response to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41