WNC Leader's column: 'Independent Review shows that West Northamptonshire Council has made a solid start'
An independent review of West Northamptonshire Council carried out by the Local Government Association has said that "much has been achieved at pace" and "there is a thoughtful and people-centred approach undertaken". The review, known as a Corporate Peer Challenge, or Peer Review, is considered best practice during a new Council's first term and was instigated by the Council's leadership.
The purpose of a review is to provide a "critical friend" to Councils from independent assessors, by highlighting those things that are going well and areas for improvement. In their review of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) the peer team found that "a great deal of change has been delivered already, with more planned", and the Council's senior political leaders in the Cabinet "know their subject matter well and show good leadership of their portfolios." The latter is crucial in being able to go further in delivering on your priorities, and a key reason why as a new leader I have sought to maintain as much stability as possible. Change for change's sake, or kneejerk responses to issues do not serve the public well in the long term, and it is vital that we look after the long term interests of our area.
Our peer review also highlighted some of the key challenges that we need to confront in the months and years ahead, such as improving some of our strategic relationships and developing "a compelling long-term vision for the area". I'm delighted to say that work is already underway on these issues, as we seek to build on the foundations we've laid over the past three years and look to a future where West Northamptonshire attracts inward investment that will secure well-paid jobs for the area, sees an improved offer in our town centres, and the Council provides services that work better and more efficiently with each other, delivering on your priorities.
Three years in and after creating key joint strategies working with partners and residents, we will be bringing them together to create a new 5-year business plan that sets out how we will achieve the vision our stakeholders agreed when we started “making West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive” and the actions we will be taking with our partners to deliver this vision. We will set out an area-wide strategic approach to housing and economic growth alongside partnership ambitions for improving services for children to help them get the best start in life and ensuring older residents age and live well.
Despite attempts by the Labour group on the Council to misrepresent the peer review's findings, what we got from the LGA was a balanced and constructive report which sets out plenty that we can be proud of, but also says very clearly that now is the time to draw a line in the sand, look to the future and start thinking bigger and bolder on behalf of everyone who lives in the District. We are intent on rising to that challenge and ensuring that we have places to be proud of where we are all happy to live, work, and raise our families.