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Super councils network encouraged to take up the Corporate Peer Challenge
The National Associations of Local Councils (NALC) national network for super councils was encouraged to consider participating in the Corporate Peer Challenge.
At the meeting on 15 November 2023, the network heard from Luke Trevaskis, the clerk at Morecambe Town Council, about the council's experience participating in the Corporate Peer Challenge earlier this year. The challenge helped the council make the case for ensuring it had the capacity and capability to deliver its priorities, improve brand identity, and enhance communication with residents and other stakeholders. Mr Trevaskis commented, "Engaging with NALC helped the council to decide where we wanted to go and be", and urged more councils to participate.
The network also heard from Ruby Dixon from the Office for Local Government (OFLOG) about their work since their creation earlier this year to develop the Local Authority Data Explorer tool for principal authorities. Phase one saw the tool populated with metrics on adult social care, adult skills and waste management. They were now consulting on phase two, which would cover business and economic growth, corporate and finance, planning, roads and fly-tipping.
Additionally, the network discussed an upcoming survey for super councils to shape the network's future and work programme. It follows a similar approach across all of NALC's national network. The survey will gauge awareness of network sessions, help NALC understand levels of engagement, especially on encouraging more councillors to attend meetings, and issues facing super councils to inform the network's work programme over the next two years. The network also received an overview of NALC's analysis of council tax levels of local precepting authorities.
NALC's Larger Councils Committee defines super councils as those local councils with an annual precept of over £1m or annual turnover of over £1.5m.