Corporate peer challenge

In November 2023 the corporate peer challenge, organised by the Local Government Association, involved a week-long visit by an external team of councillors and senior officers from other local authorities.

They interviewed South Gloucestershire Council staff, partners and members as well as examining the council’s finances, strategies and governance arrangements. This is a process that all councils go through every few years.

Their final report is published here and praises our track record of effective financial management, the positive relationships between councillors and officers and the strong culture of collaboration. It also highlights areas where we can deliver further improvements.

An action plan to address these improvements has been created which was approved by Cabinet on 11 March 2024. 

A progress visit took place in October 2024 and the peer review team have noted the excellent progress made by the council against the recommendations from their original visit in November 2023. The final progress review report is published here and highlights how South Gloucestershire Council remains a well-led council with members and officers responding well to a continually changing national landscape for local government.