Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, has formally announced that Peterborough City Council’s non-statutory Government intervention has ended.
In a letter received by Council Leader, Councillor Dennis Jones, the minister recognises the council’s improvement over the past three years and in particular, a willingness to continuously improve, the strengthened governance arrangements, and the collaborative culture between members and officers.
The city council voluntarily appointed an Independent Improvement and Assurance Panel in December 2021 following a review of its governance and finances by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The panel was led by experienced former local government chief executive Eleanor Kelly.
In addition, councillors signed off an Improvement Plan which included a number of recommendations to enable the council to reach a sustainable financial footing as quickly as possible. These including strengthening financial and governance arrangements, improving the culture of the organisation and a review of key services including contracts and assets.
The council’s relationship with the Improvement Panel concluded in March, following the setting of the budget for the current financial year. The letter from MCHLG now formally concludes the non-statutory Government intervention.
Councillor Dennis Jones, Leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “This is fantastic news from the Government and testament to the improvements we have made in the past three years.
“As the letter from the minister acknowledges, challenges still exist in relation to our finances, as they do for many councils, but we now have the foundations in place to support the necessary reform in this area.
“I would like to thank everyone who has played such a huge part in our transformation journey, not least our Chief Executive Matt and his leadership team, all council staff, our members and of course the membership of our Improvement Panel who were always supportive and constructive in their advice and challenge.”
Chief Executive Matt Gladstone said: “The council now is unrecognisable to the one I joined three years ago and the transformation in a number of key areas is commendable.
“We now have a three-year financial plan, we’ve reviewed all our companies and brought back in house or disbanded those that are not working for us, and there are strengthened relationships between officers and members including through the cross-party Financial Sustainability Working Group. We know that financial pressures remain and we are developing innovative and creative ways to provide services differently so that they meet the needs of residents whilst supporting our efforts to become financially sustainable.
“This very positive news would not have been possible without an immense amount of hard work, dedication and willingness from our staff to change and adapt and I am grateful to every one of them for their ongoing support and commitment to deliver what is set out in our Corporate Strategy to create a city of opportunity for all.”