• Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge Report published
• LGA Peer team highlights Council’s ambition to Build a Fairer Newham
• Council’s draft Action Plan responds to 11 recommendations
• Draft Action Plan to be finalised and published by the end of May 2024 following engagement with councillors, the wider workforce at the Council, partners and stakeholders in the borough
Newham Council today published the findings of a comprehensive Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge, a review that looked in detail at how the Council works as an organisation.
An LGA peer team, led by Paul Dennett, the Mayor of Salford and Andy Donald, the Chief Executive, London Borough of Haringey, interviewed 130 Newham Members, staff and partners over three days in November last year.
Although not an inspection of the Council, a number of observations and suggestions have been translated into 11 recommendations; which are addressed in the Council’s draft Action Plan which has also been published today.
Abi Gbago, Newham Council’s Chief Executive, said: “The Corporate Peer Challenge has provided an invaluable opportunity to benchmark our performance as an organisation, applying an independent perspective from a highly experienced peer team on what we do well and where there are opportunities to strengthen our approach.
“We remain committed to continuous learning and development, ensuring that we are working in collaboration across the borough to meet our priorities, facing the challenges head-on to support our residents and communities.
“While recognising the Council’s bold and ambitious vision to Build a Fairer Newham, and the excellent work of staff that continues to provide and transform services, the recommendations identify areas where we need to strengthen our efforts – these will be our absolute focus over the coming months. We want to work get to work immediately, addressing areas of improvement as quickly as possible. This is why we’ve published a draft Action Plan today, with a final Action Plan to be published in May.
“Alongside the draft Action Plan, I have been working in lockstep with colleagues from across the organisation to define our strengths and identify opportunities for future transformation, while our staff conferences allowed hundreds of staff to input into our Action Plan. I’m looking forward to updating the Local Government Association on our progress as we transform the Council together.”
Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: “The LGA Corporate Peer Challenge has helped to highlight some of the extraordinary work that staff are undertaking, particularly amid unprecedented financial challenges facing Newham. There are areas where we need to focus our efforts, and working alongside Members and our executive team, we will work to address the recommendations immediately while building on our strong foundations of service delivery. I would like to thank all staff, managers, leaders, members, partners, and stakeholders who contributed to the Peer Challenge."
The Corporate Peer Challenge spans across five core themes: Local priorities and outcomes; Organisational and place leadership; Governance and culture; Financial planning and management; and Capacity for improvement.
The LGA peer team praised the clear and ambitious vision in the Building a Fairer Newham Corporate Plan; the good service delivery across various council departments; the Council’s substantial house building programme with the development of over 1,000 homes; the work to manage the temporary accommodation crisis; and the launch the UK’s first Just Transition plan for net-zero target by 2045.
A number of recommendations were also highlighted, these include: more clarity on the short, medium, and long term priorities in a backdrop of continued service and financial pressures; stronger working relationships between political and managerial leaders; and the development of a longer-term financial strategy to support financial planning. The team also recommended the development of a workforce strategy, which is being addressed.
The Council has published it’s LGA Corporate Peer Challenge report and a draft Action Plan in response to the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge recommendations. A final Action Plan will be published in May.
To read the full Peer Challenge Report and draft Action Plan, visit the Newham Council website: Newham’s 2023 Corporate Peer Challenge – Report and Action Plan – Newham Council