Peer review highlights a well-run council

The review, a peer challenge, involved senior executives and leaders of other local authorities undertaking an assessment of what the City Council is doing well and where and how it could do better.

Peers were selected on the basis of their relevant expertise and came from county, city and borough councils around the UK, including Norwich, Lancaster, Cornwall and Hounslow. They spent a week onsite in Oxford interviewing over 150 stakeholders including individual Council Members, employees, representatives of local businesses and partner organisations, and local residents.

Their assessment was undertaken against a standardised LGA methodology. The result is a positive report that stresses the Council’s commitment and success in several areas.

Comment

“We are proud to be a council with ambitions to improve our city, clear objectives, and the focus and dedication to achieve them. We know we are a well-performing council and it’s good to see this confirmed in a peer review. Of course, we also know there are areas where we could do better and the review has shown us where we could improve.

“I want to thank the councillors and staff from the other councils, and the very many participants who gave their time to participate in this exercise.”

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council

A well-run council

The review recognised that Oxford City Council is an ambitious council with a successful track record of delivery. It highlighted the Council’s leading practice in several areas, most notably on net zero.

The Council possesses effective political and managerial leadership, and benefits from highly capable councillors and staff. Relationships between councillors and officers are positive and based on mutual trust and understanding of their respective roles.

Other factors singled out for praise include:

• ambitious plans, a successful record of delivery, and well-understood political messages and priorities
• the calibre, engagement and enthusiasm of Council staff
• being a good employer that prioritises staff wellbeing
• trust in the leadership and management leading to effective service delivery coupled with a respected role in place shaping
• being a leader in licensing homes in the private rented sector to drive up standards
• work on Net Zero

These are considerable achievements, but the peer team noted some areas where more could be done that include:

• working more closely together with key institutions to develop shared outcomes
• ensuring better prioritisation of the Council’s ambitious plans to match resources
• refreshing the performance management framework
• continuing the Council’s campaigning work on the need for an inclusive economy and seeking to demonstrate how regeneration projects can benefit all residents/li>
• putting on more in-person events and team meetings for staff to support effective hybrid working
• strengthening training for new and existing councillors
• benchmarking with other councils with wholly owned companies and considering an independent review to gain assurance on value for money and service quality, ensuring alignment between the Council’s strategy and the business plans of the wholly-owned companies.

Action plan

In response to the findings the Council has started work to develop an Action Plan that it will publish in December 2023. A progress review will be completed with the Local Government Association Spring 2024 nd the cabinet will review progress against the action plan in a year’s time.

The output from the Peer Challenge will help shape the Council’s new Corporate Strategy, 2024 to 2028, and inform the Budget setting process. View the LGA Peer Challenge Final Report.