Peer reviews have proved a popular hit with councils and are arguably the most important and enduring of the legacies of the Improvement and Development Agency.
The Improvement and Development Agency is due to mark its 10th anniversary in April next year but, in its present guise at least, is unlikely to be around to celebrate the occasion.
Launched in a wave of enthusiasm in 1999, IDeA has forged its reputation by developing approaches to council services that stress the importance of self-improvement as a self-conscious alternative to the more daunting prospect of direct Government intervention through the Audit Commission and other inspectorates.
The long-term prospects for IDeA now rest in a major reshaping of its role along with the other sister council organisations – Local Government Employers and their Leadership Centre, LACORS and 4ps - under the leadership of the Local Government Association.Full details of the shake-up are not likely to emerge until autumn, but it is already clear that IDeA’s future direction will depend on its position within a combined ‘Local Government Services’ organisation that will sit alongside the councillors’ membership section of the LGA.
IDeA itself emerged from an earlier review and shake-up of the former Local Government Management Board, which also led to the setting up of a separate employer’s organisation.
The review was led by the then leader of Greenwich LBC Len Duvall, who acknowledged the value of local choices rather than central judgements, but the real motivation behind IDeA came from the chief executive of South Somerset DC, Mel Usher.
An early advocate for a dynamic new agency ‘by local government, for local government’ Mel Usher won political support for his ideas from local government minister Hilary Armstrong and became the first executive director of the new improvement agency ahead of its formal launch.
From the first IDeA, retained the emphasis on training and development work done by the former LGMB, but gave a greater priority to the sharing of expertise between councils and actively promoted more imaginative approaches encouraging councils to be bolder and innovative.
Peer reviews were one of the earliest and arguably most enduring of the new initiatives to be launched by the improvement agency and barely over a year after its inception, the 100th local authority had already signed up for a visit from a small expert team drawn from other councils to review and challenge the strengths and weakness of their organisation.
Though ill health forced Mel Usher to step down after just three years, his pioneering initiatives were continued by John O’Brien and then by Lucy de Groot who has overseen the work of the agency since September 2003, but will stand down as executive director in March next year to make way for the new ‘Local Government Services organisation.
By now IDeA has completed some 620 peer reviews and if anything the system seems to have gone from strength to strength – the heady expectations of Best Value and its successor Comprehensive Performance Assessments may now be in transition to the new Comprehensive Area Assessments but the demand for peer reviews and sharing best practice in on the increase.
Its annual report for 2007/08 shows there were a 120 partnership, corporate and service peer reviews and over the past 12 month alone and IDeA has been busy refining its own feedback and evaluation system using online surveys and telephone interviews with people either receiving or who have been actively involved in corporate peer reviews and challenges.
Over the year there were a total of 47 corporate reviews – 19 in unitary to county councils, 17 among district councils and nine peer challenges designed to help district councils prepare for corporate assessments.
Among chief executives 91% reported that they were satisfied or highly satisfied with the reviews and an even higher 95% said that they would have a long term positive impact on the working of their local authorities. This view is reinforced by the 95% who said they would recommend IDeA reviews to other councils and the even higher 97% who said that taking part in peer review teams gave them improvement ideas for their own councils.
Most peer reviews are a week long in larger single tier authorities and around three days in smaller district councils and the final presentations and reports are an important part of the process.
Assessing the overall quality of the peer review teams, a dazzling 100% of those contacted said their knowledge and expertise was excellent or good while 93% said the quality of the final presentations and report was good or excellent.
Roger Taylor was previously a chief executive at Manchester and Birmingham but welcomed a peer review team to Waltham in his role as interim chief executive and has few doubts about the value of the process.
‘It was totally positive highly successful experience. I was very impressed by the quality of the review team and the very positive non-confrontational way in which they went about their work.
‘They were able to help us look at issues in a new way and to make really useful and positive suggestions for ways in which we work. I was very impressed – it surpassed all my expectations. Peer review have been a really wonderful success story for Lucy and the IDeA team and it is something which councils will want to retain.’
Andy Bates, at IDeA senior improvement manager for the peer reviews, admits he is himself impressed by the time and dedication that members of the review team give to helping their fellow authorities.
‘It never ceases to amaze me that we have such a pool of talented and knowledgeable people who are happy to spend time and take great care sharing their experience and helping their colleagues.
‘This recent research is our own first major review of the whole corporate review process and the results are obviously very encouraging. I think it shows just how strong support is for self-improvement and how much confidence it has gained among councils.
‘Peer review teams are invited into councils, there is no compulsion and I think this helps give them full ownership of the process – sharing knowledge, identifying problems and helping authorities build confidence in their abilities. I can see this being particulary important as they prepare for the CCA.’
