Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided a summary of the council’s approach to continual improvement, including in relation to Best Value (BV) standards.

The report also informed Cabinet of the Council’s participation in the Local Government’s Association’s (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) which was scheduled for week commencing 6th October 2025.

The report then provided an update on preparations for the Corporate Peer Challenge and self-assessing the Councils performance against Best Value standards (for copy of report, see file of minutes).

The Leader of the Council was particularly pleased to highlight the up and coming participation in the local government association's corporate peer challenge, having recently been involved as a peer on an LGA corporate peer challenge. Councillor Hopgood personally endorsed the immense value of such an approach and there was no doubt in her mind that it provided a robust framework for self-assessment and external evaluation would offer invaluable insights and constructive feedback from peers. The process would be instrumental in helping celebrate successes and address any areas where improvement might be made.

Durham County Council had always prided itself in being a high performing organisation and the dedication to evolve and enhance services was testament to this. Maintaining high standards required constant vigilance and a proactive approach to identifying areas for improvement. Rigorous testing against Best Value standards would ensure that operations remain efficient, effective and economically sound. The commitment would not only help to deliver the best possible services to the communities of County Durham but would also reinforce accountability and transparency.

Councillor R Bell, Deputy Leader of the Council said that it was a very timely report off the back of comments he made earlier in relation to budgetary provision and transformation going forward. This was an opportunity for continuous improvement and obtain best value out of the transformation program.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.