Agenda item

To seek approval for the proposed approach to carry out an Local Government Association remote recovery and renewal challenge for North Tyneside, alongside the follow up remote visit from the Corporate Peer Review Challenge due to take place between 29 – 30 June 2021.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for the proposed approach to carry out a Local Government Association (LGA) remote recovery and renewal challenge for North Tyneside, alongside the follow up remote visit from the Corporate Peer Review Challenge due to take place between 29-30 June 2021.

As part of the national sector-led improvement programme, the Authority had taken part in a LGA Corporate Peer Challenge from 18 – 21 June 2019 with experienced colleagues and had been led by a serving Chief Executive of a similar Authority and an Elected Mayor.

The Peer Team had presented feedback on 21 June 2019 to Cabinet Members and the Senior Leadership Team.  The Peer Team had made six helpful recommendations for the Authority’s future planning in a written report. The Peer Team written report, and resulting action plan from the Authority, had been reviewed and agreed by Cabinet at its meeting on 14 October 2019.

The Authority’s COVID-19 recovery framework had been agreed by Cabinet on 29 June 2020 and set out an 18-month programme of work to move the Authority and Borough, through three phases of recovery from June 2020 to July 2021.  An end of stage review, for phase 2 of the recovery programme, had been completed in March 2021. Eleven of the programme’s remaining workstreams had been successfully closed as part of this review.  The third and final phase of the Authority’s recovery programme had six remaining workstreams; these mainly related to the reopening of services, in line with Government’s COVID-19 Response, Spring 2021, Roadmap Out of Lockdown.

When COVID-19 national lockdown measures had begun in March 2020, the LGA had suspended the physical delivery of peer challenge work, including their peer challenge programmes. To continue to support councils during this period, the LGA had refocused their offer, adopting a new approach to the peer support offer, focusing on supporting the recovery and renewal of local government and communities.

All work had been undertaken remotely. Appendix 1 to the report showed the action plan and progress made, with the six peer review recommendations. All actions from each of the recommendations had been successfully completed, or, were in place, or, underway.

The follow up visit would help review and assess progress and development in response to the feedback and recommendations made by the peer team, in June 2019, specifically:

·         Had the Authority fully considered the recommendations made by the peer team and delivered against the agreed action plan,

·         identified any barriers or opportunities in progress, as result of the pandemic, and

·         considered any changes in political leadership, as a result of local and Mayoral elections.

The LGA Recovery and Renewal Panel would: consider the Authority’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; review the current priorities for the Borough, as a result of COVID-19, and consider the longer-term impact of the pandemic, on the ambitions of the Authority for the Borough.

In doing so, the review would assess the progress made by the Authority’s recovery programme in relation to Leadership of place, economy and supporting people; and Effective partnership working.

Considerations and planning post July 2021, included:

·         Consideration of the Our North Tyneside Plan priorities and objectives for recovery.

·         Understanding of, and plans to address, impact of the pandemic on socio-economic inequalities.

·         Making the most of new ways of organisational working and new ways of serving our customers, through the Authority’s customer service programme.

·         Protecting recovery and planning for the future; understanding and addressing business and economic impact of the pandemic.

The LGA remote visit and review would take place over two days, 29 – 30 June 2021, and would involve remote meetings with a range of council leaders and teams.  Table 1 in the report showed the draft schedule for the visit, agreed at the time the report had been produced, but might be subject to minor change, as final arrangements for the visit were established.

The Elected Mayor commented that it was fantastic to hear the Peer Team commend the successful regeneration across the Borough and to highlight how much this was valued by residents and partners.

Cabinet considered the following decision options:

Option 1: To note the progress made with the Authority’s action plan (Appendix 1) and follow up visit by the LGA and agree the approach for a recovery and renewal challenge in June 2021.

Option 2: To note the progress made with the Authority’s action plan (Appendix 1) and follow up visit and not agree to undertake a recovery and renewal challenge in June 2021.

Resolved that (1)the updated Action Plan in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(2) the planned follow-up visit in June 2021 be noted; and

(3)  a Local Government Association remote recovery and renewal challenge for

North Tyneside, to take place in June 2021, be agreed.

(Reasons for decision:the action plan and agreement for a follow visit with the LGA was approved by Cabinet at its meeting of 14 October 2019.

When COVID-19 national lockdown measures began in March 2020, the LGA suspended the physical delivery of peer challenge work, including their peer challenge programmes. To continue to support councils during this period, the LGA have refocused their offer, adopting a new approach to the peer support offer, focusing on supporting the recovery and renewal of local government and communities. All work is undertaken remotely.

The proposed approach and schedule for the recovery and renewal panel visit, has been designed with the LGA, lead Members and senior Authority officers.)