Corporate Peer Challenge: Follow Up Visit
The Council is delighted to receive a positive feedback report in response to the Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge follow-up visit.
The first Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge was held in October 2016. In January of this year, a follow-up visit took place to assess the Council’s progress.
The feedback report, released yesterday, states that the Council has made tangible progress in translating its vision ‘to encourage investment and sustainable growth and enhance the quality of life for all’ into reality through the delivery of a number of key projects including the Amelia, Calverley Square and the Local Plan.
The report concludes that the Council has acted impressively since their initial visit and report in 2016 and truly “seized the place leadership mantle, with the drive for economic growth central to this” and that this has “required vision, persistence and carefully managed risk-taking”.
The follow-up visit also found that the Council has made clear improvements over the last two years in its approach to communications. It concluded that councillors are well informed, staff are committed, energetic and enthusiastic and that the Council has good governance arrangements in place.
With all such reviews there are areas to improve on and the Council’s managerial and political leadership will continue to build and progress plans to ensure the organisation remains in a strong position for the future.
Cllr David Jukes, Leader of the Council said:
“I am delighted with the outcome of the Local Government Association Follow-Up Review. They have concluded that the council has acted impressively since their visit in 2016 and that we have created a sense of optimism and excitement about the future for Tunbridge Wells and that the vision and ideas they heard about three years ago are now turning into tangible realities.
“I am extremely proud to lead a Council that is so determined 'to get things done' and for the Peer Challenge team to have concluded that what is being seen in Tunbridge Wells ‘represents place leadership at its best’.”
William Benson, Chief Executive said:
“I am a strong believer that the Council should expose itself to independent and objective challenge and I am extremely pleased with the results of the visit by the Peer Challenge team.
“I am particularly pleased that they recognised the positive atmosphere and culture that exists within the Council and the commitment, energy and enthusiasm of our staff, and with their conclusion that ‘the authority is achieving a lot and this is quite rightly engendering pride and increased confidence in the organisation’.”
