Stockport Council Corporate Peer Challenge report published

Stockport Council has published the results of its Corporate Peer Challenge following assessment by colleagues from other local authorities and the Local Government Association (LGA).

In November 2022, Stockport Council invited officer and political peers from around the country to hear about the council’s achievements and get feedback on its processes. The peer team, were on-site at Stockport Council between 1st – 4th November, spending a collective 280 hours determining their findings.

The report, available in full here, praised the council’s strong financial management, its collaborative culture, including relations with the private and charitable sectors, and its place-making regeneration efforts.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, commented:

“We are delighted with the report and the positive conclusions it draws. In particular, the ambition the council has for the whole borough comes through loud and clear. The peer review team asked us lots of searching questions and were very rigorous in their approach. Our ability to get things done and to deliver positive, measurable improvements for Stockport is one of the highlights in the final report.”

The report also makes some recommendations for areas where improvement could be made, particularly around further strengthening our neighbourhood working, the way we work with partners, and building Stockport’s brand further to tackle recruitment challenges faced by the council. In response, Stockport Council has prepared an action plan to address recommendations that will be including in the upcoming 2023/24 Council Plan due to be published in the coming weeks.

Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive at Stockport Council, added:

“The Corporate Peer Challenge has been a very positive experience for the council, giving us a welcome opportunity to reflect on what we do and how we do it. This invaluable feedback, from experienced local government colleagues, will help us shape our future priorities and plans, and develop our approach to working with partners. We will now be incorporating the recommendations from this work into our plans for 2023/2024.”