NALC pilots first Peer Review in Chippenham

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) today arrived at Chippenham Town Council in Wiltshire to pilots its first-ever Peer Review.

This exciting joint initiative between NALC and the Local Government Association (LGA), part of their joint work on sector-led improvement, helps to showcase the strong ambition within the sector to rise to the challenge of devolution and to raise the standard, starting with some of the largest local (parish and town) councils.

NALC's Peer Review is a performance improvement programme which involves a small team of local government officers and councillors spending time with a local council and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders connected to the council to help with the improvement and learning of the council, with immediate feedback and a report to follow.

Cllr Sue Baxter, chairman of NALC, said: "We are thrilled to be working with the LGA, Chippenham Town Council and the review team to deliver this first-ever Peer Review. We are showing that our largest councils are rising to the challenge of devolution by not only taking on new services but opening themselves to scrutiny. It is a testimony to how the sector is evolving that we can embrace the sector-led improvement approach developed by the LGA and bring it to our local councils.”

The review team visiting Chippenham Town Council consists of Paul Clarke, LGA, Charlotte Eisenhart, NALC, David Ashlee, Dunstable Town Council and Harvey Siggs, formerly of Mendip District Council.