LGA Corporate Peer Challenge – Progress review: Bath and North East Somerset Council

The council undertook an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) in July 2025 and promptly published the full report with an action plan. 

A Progress Review is an integral part of the Corporate Peer Challenge process. Taking place approximately ten months after the CPC, it is designed to provide space for the council’s senior leadership to:

• receive feedback from peers on the early progress made by the council against the CPC recommendations and the council’s related action plan. 
• consider peers’ reflections on any new opportunities or challenges that may have arisen since the peer team were ‘on-site’ including any further support needs
• discuss any early impact or learning from the progress made to date 

The LGA would like to thank Bath and North East Somerset Council for their commitment to sector led improvement. This Progress Review was the next step in a growing relationship that the council has with LGA sector support.

The Progress Review took place remotely over the course of a couple of hours on Monday 13 April 2026. The following members of the original CPC team were involved: 

• Denise McGuckin, Managing Director, Hartlepool Borough Council
• Councillor Ruth Dombey, London Borough of Sutton (Liberal Democrat)
• Stuart Wright, Director of Place Strategy, South Tyneside Council
• Chris Bowron, LGA Peer Challenge Manager

Those involved from Bath and North East Somerset Council were:

• Councillor Kevin Guy – Leader
• Councillor Mark Elliot – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources
• Councillor Manda Rigby – Cabinet Member for Communications and Community
• Sophie Broadfield – Chief Executive
• Simon Parker – Executive Director for Resources
• Darryl Freeman – Interim Executive Director for People
• Marc Cole – Interim Executive Director for Sustainable Communities
• Ceri Williams – Policy Development and Scrutiny Officer

The Progress Review focused on each of the recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge: 

Recommendation 1

In line with the council purpose of ‘improving people’s lives’, ensure the inequalities and whole geography of Bath and North East Somerset feature much more prominently in the council’s thinking, planning, narrative and delivery.

Recommendation 2

Develop an agreed set of performance and outcome measures to demonstrate delivery and the difference that is being made and which reflect a collectively owned and strategic political direction.

Recommendation 3

Develop a shared place-based partnership narrative for use in influencing at the regional and national level.

Recommendation 4

Ensure the council has the necessary expert capacity for Bath and North East Somerset to capitalise upon the opportunities in the development of the spatial strategy under the West of England Combined Authority, including the Bristol/Bath corridor.

Recommendation 5

Establish a comprehensive programme of on-going elected member development.

Recommendation 6

Establish a single and council-wide transformation programme for the council, linked to the medium-term financial strategy, with clear objectives, timescales and governance arrangements, including appropriate elected member oversight.

Recommendation 7

Linked to the above, ensure there is a robust set of arrangements for the implementation and monitoring of the initiatives to address the gap outlined in the medium-term financial strategy.

Recommendation 8

Provide demonstrable leadership around equalities, diversity and inclusion and ensure it is more actively ‘lived and breathed’ across the organisation.

In response to the corporate peer challenge findings, there is clear evidence of intent, increased focus and a more confident narrative from both the political and managerial leadership, particularly around inequalities, place-shaping and the council’s external engagement. 

However, we would encourage the council to look to enhance the depth and pace in relation to the extent to which change is embedded across the organisation. The move towards a whole‑council approach to transformation, financial sustainability and tackling inequalities will require sustained leadership attention to drive the necessary cultural change, consistency of behaviour and shared ownership. The direction of travel is positive and encouraging but the key test over the coming period will be whether the council can translate intent, structure and narrative into measurable impact, confident delivery and lasting organisational change. Continued focus on implementation discipline, accountability and cultural alignment will be critical to achieving this.

The corporate peer challenge recommended (recommendation 1) that, in line with the organisational purpose of ‘improving people’s lives’, the council ensure the inequalities and whole geography of Bath and North East Somerset feature much more prominently in the organisation’s thinking, planning, narrative and delivery. For the peer team, this recommendation was as much about the demonstration of commitment, obvious focus and appropriately positioned mindsets as it was about strategy formulation and plans.

The council fully accepts the recommendation and the matter has been considered at senior political and managerial leadership away days. The Progress Review saw the leadership talking about a notable shift in their language and approach and the way they are seeking to place the issue of inequalities, improved outcomes and the wellbeing of citizens more at the heart of the council’s agenda going forward. The council’s chief executive was appointed in January 2026, having previously held the role of executive director of sustainable communities. Her background in sustainable communities is seen as important in the growing drive the council is demonstrating in this sphere. An interim executive director of sustainable communities has been appointed, as has an interim executive director for people, with the council looking to appoint permanently to these positions in May. 

The Progress Review discussion revealed the way in which full council meetings now commence with a video from council staff highlighting delivery activities and profiling organisational successes in order to ‘focus minds on what is important’. A similar approach has been adopted with council management team meetings, whereby frontline staff outline ‘real life stories’ of citizens, such as those experiencing homelessness, and the way the council has worked to support and assist them. The leader and chief executive are also now regularly visiting council teams and functions, such as family workers, waste control and libraries. The informal feedback they are receiving is that the organisation is starting to feel increasingly inclusive and positive.

The council undertook a communications peer challenge last year and has subsequently appointed a new head of communications. A shift in approach is being seen with the council focusing more now on communicating with residents around the issues they want to know about rather than what the council wishes to tell them. Social media is playing a more central role than before. Tackling inequalities is a theme that is being woven into the council’s communications, seeking to develop greater coherence between what the council is delivering and the impacts being felt by citizens and in communities.

It was recognised that there are no short-term fixes to the inequalities that exist in Bath and North East Somerset. Two wards locally feature in the bottom decile in the most recent national Indices of Multiple Deprivation – Foxhill North and Twerton. There are also seen to be some other ‘deprivation hotspots’ locally, in places such as Radstock and Midsomer Norton. The council acknowledges it currently understands such areas and the issues within them less well than, for example, in Twerton. A phrase that it is gaining traction in the council is one of ‘developing a disproportionate focus on the most challenged areas’ within Bath and North East Somerset. 

Initiatives are underway, including town centre investment in Radstock and Midsomer Norton and the development of the Somer Valley industrial park with its resulting employment opportunities. ‘Pride in Place’ funding totalling £20m has been secured for Twerton and Whiteway in Bath. The council has established an educational attainment working group to develop insight and approaches to addressing the differentiation in attainment between those children eligible for free school meals and those who aren’t. Also, the council sees opportunities lying with the skills shortages that the local area experiences, such as with engineering and planning, and is keen to develop enabling activity, including apprenticeships, that provides links into, and opportunities for, the cohorts of those with experience of social care and young people not in education, employment or training.

The University of Bath has been commissioned to review wellbeing and prosperity locally and the council is looking to draw together a ‘coalition of the willing’ across partner organisations, crucially including the voluntary and community sector, to develop a plan for the next ten to fifteen years to tackle inequalities. 

Recommendation 2 from the corporate peer challenge was that the council develop an agreed set of performance and outcome measures to demonstrate delivery and the difference that is being made and which reflect a collectively owned and strategic political direction. The managerial executive leadership team held an away day in February 2026 to discuss the government’s new local outcomes framework and how this can combine with existing data the council and partners hold to provide wider and deeper understanding of inequalities across Bath and North East Somerset as a whole. This can usefully inform future strategic direction, such as the council’s next corporate strategy, and strengthen collective ownership. Performance reporting to cabinet is now taking place regularly, including November 2025 and February 2026, and the suite of performance indicators is evolving to incorporate wellbeing measures.

The corporate peer challenge recommended (recommendation 3) that the council develop a shared place-based partnership narrative for use in influencing at the regional and national level. The partnership Future Ambition Board met in September 2025 to consider this and are meeting again this month with a view to taking the initiative forward.

The council is seeking to become more proactive in its engagement nationally and internationally and has commissioned consultants to advise on the capacity required to do so. It will be present at the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure (REiiF) forum this year. 

The council is also becoming increasingly engaged at the regional level. With the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), the leader currently holds a Deputy Mayor role and also chairs the Regional Transport Board. This is one of a number of strategic boards set up by the Regional Mayor and the council is represented at cabinet member level at the WECA Planning Advisory Board and the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) Board. 

Recommendation 4 from the corporate peer challenge was for the council to ensure it has the necessary expert capacity for Bath and North East Somerset to capitalise upon the opportunities in the development of the SDS, including the Bristol/Bath corridor. The council has secured funding from WECA to support project management for the council’s input to the SDS and is considering the resource requirements that will emerge as the SDS progresses. The intention is to consult on the SDS vision and scope in the summer of this year and then the draft document in the winter of 2027. With a year being anticipated for examination, the belief is that the SDS will be adopted in early 2029.

The council has created a new role, and appointed to the position, of Head of Place Shaping and published its ‘Greener Places Plan’ last year. It has also established an elected member board focused on transport. There is a lot to play for with integration between the SDS and the local plan for Bath and North East Somerset, including ensuring a comprehensive and holistic link between new housing allocations, transport infrastructure and jobs.

The council has reset its local plan Options Report in a context of the government target for the number of new homes over the next 18 years having risen from 14,000 to 27,000. The council’s leadership is very aware that achieving this target will be difficult in a context of the nature of the local area but is also conscious of the ‘overwhelming’ need for more affordable housing locally. 

The situation is exacerbated by what the council recognises as some past developments having been delivered without a sufficient level of infrastructure and therefore the thinking around new housing allocations is focusing on places with existing infrastructure or where infrastructure can be provided to help unlock their potential. 

The peer team emphasised the importance of infrastructure being considered in the widest possible terms, including health provision, education provision and community amenities plus the importance of partner input around this to ensure truly sustainable communities. 

The council is intending to submit the local plan for examination by the end of 2026. The indication from the Progress Review is that there has been extensive briefing of elected members on local plan thinking and the council is committed to being able to demonstrate that all options have been considered.

The corporate peer challenge recommended (recommendation 6) that the council establish a single and council-wide transformation programme for the organisation, linked to the medium-term financial strategy, with clear objectives, timescales and governance arrangements, including appropriate elected member oversight. Linked to this was recommendation 7 which entailed the council ensuring that there is a robust set of arrangements for the implementation and monitoring of the initiatives to address the gap outlined in the medium-term financial strategy (MTFS).

A new Finance Director, who holds the statutory role of Section 151 Officer in the council, commenced in post in January 2026. The council is taking this opportunity to reflect on its key finance and budget processes and identify areas for improvement. An example is the planned introduction of budget delegation letters for managers that outline their budgets and related expectations and require their sign-off, thus clarifying responsibilities and enhancing accountability. The council is also currently updating its finance systems. This will provide, amongst other things, strengthened budget monitoring capability.

The government’s three-year financial settlement for local authorities has provided the council with a relative degree of certainty. At the same time, the ‘Fair Funding Review’ has proved challenging for Bath and North East Somerset, leaving the council £12.5m worse off annually by 2028/29 – comprising £2.42m in 2026/27, £5.12m in 2027/28 and £5m in 2028/29. 

The council’s MTFS was approved in November 2025 and provided the context for the budget-setting process (named the ‘Budget Sprint’ in Bath and North East Somerset) that was underway relating to the financial year 2026/27. The MTFS reflected a budget gap of £7.24m for the financial year just started, in which the net revenue budget is just over £193m, and then a further £23m gap over the following two years. 

The budget for 2026/27 was balanced through a combination of cost reductions of £4.65m and increased income targets of £2.59m. The savings have primarily come from the Sustainable Communities Directorate and revisions to the capital programme that have reduced revenue costs. The council indicates that it has traditionally achieved eighty per cent of its annual savings objectives, with the greatest challenges primarily relating to children’s services. Council tax has been increased by 2.99 per cent this year, along with an increase in the adult social care precept of two per cent.

Areas that have been prioritised in the current budget include increased investment in road maintenance, including tackling potholes; improved walking and cycling routes; expansion of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure; keeping streets clean and safe; and improving the local environment and amenities. The latter includes £360,000 for the refurbishment of play areas in local parks and £880,000 for additional indoor and outdoor fitness spaces and improved facilities at Odd Down Sports Ground for families with young children. 

Nearly £10m of additional funding has been dedicated to children’s services and adult social care to reflect the growing cost pressures in these areas. Specific initiatives here include foster care investment of £0.5m over two years to support home improvements; £1.7m of additional Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) funding to help prepare a site at Culverhay for work to deliver new specialist places; and £350,000 for programmes, such as ‘Language for Life’, to help reduce the gap in educational outcomes for children. Investment of £320,000 is also being made to help tackle domestic violence, address anti-social behaviour and tackle crime related to alcohol and substance misuse. The potential for green hydro-electric power at Pulteney Gate is also now able to be explored with an investment of £1.8m for feasibility studies.

The council is anticipating cabinet receiving a ‘transformation update’ in May this year, which will outline the core aspects of a transformation programme aligned with the MTFS. At the heart of this sit what are being labelled as ten ‘transformative opportunities’, including around home to school transport and children’s services provision. Work is currently taking place in children’s services to develop insight and understanding of key areas of spend and, through this, identify areas for savings, help to stabilise the budget and aid the projection of future spend. Examples include analysis of the social care placements management system and areas of ‘off-contract’ spend. 

The council is planning to embark on the budget-setting process for the 2027/28 financial year in May this year and is seeking to have, by July, clarity on where the key challenges will lie. During the Progress Review discussion, the senior leadership of the council reflected on the need for a ‘whole council’ approach to be adopted to delivering against the financial challenges. Senior officers, through management team discussions, have been reflecting on the importance of bringing about related organisational cultural change to support this. Part of this is shifting away from the ‘urgent’ regularly crowding out the ‘important’ when it comes to dedicating the necessary time and effort to the measures necessary to ensure financial sustainability. 

The senior leadership recognises the need to develop organisational understanding and acceptance of the scale, difficulty and shared nature of the financial challenge and facilitate ways in which people from across the organisation can be enabled to help grapple with them. This is about spreading leadership beyond senior managers, capitalising upon knowledge and expertise and strengthening internal challenge. Enhanced internal communication has a role to play within this and the council is currently recruiting a dedicated Internal Communications Officer. 

The council is also keen to ensure external partners are more closely woven into the organisation’s budget and transformation thinking – with it valuing the alternative perspectives, knowledge and expertise that they can inject.

It is positive that the latest IMPOWER Index, released in February 2026, ranked Bath and North East Somerset Council as the fifth most productive council in England. The index benchmarks 149 upper tier and unitary authorities on productivity, which is defined as the value of outcomes achieved per pound spent.

The corporate peer challenge recommended (recommendation 5) that the council establish a comprehensive programme of on-going elected member development. In the intervening period, the Democratic Services function and Political Assistants have worked jointly to identify immediate training needs. This has seen tailored IT training and support being established for individual councillors. 

The council has consciously opted to focus its thinking and attention in relation to elected member development on the arrangements, crucially including induction, for the elected membership that will be in place from 2027 to 2031. However, the peer team have an anxiety that this risks key opportunities being overlooked during the vast majority of the second half of the current administrative term. It is positive that learning is being taken from a situation shortly after the last elections whereby a newly elected councillor experienced difficulties relating to a specific community matter and needed support from the organisation.  

The peer team highlighted that, in planning elected member development, there is good learning and experience that can be drawn in from other councils, potentially through the LGA. Useful dimensions that the peer team highlighted to consider here are around providing councillors with insight beyond just the local authority, with introductions to the role and work of key external partner organisations; how political groups as well as the council can fulfil a role around developing their councillors; and the potential benefit of ‘buddying’ arrangements for new councillors, involving linking them up either with experienced councillors or with senior officers.

Recommendation 8 from the corporate peer challenge related to the council’s senior leadership, both politically and managerially, providing demonstrable leadership around equalities, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and ensuring it is more actively ‘lived and breathed’ across the organisation. The council acknowledges that this is an area that represents a ‘work in progress’. There is a principle of EDI being ‘woven through everything that we do’ in the council and an EDI strategy and equality action plan are in place. However, the senior leadership highlighted to the peer team their recognition of the need for the council to better understand where and how it can make a difference most, both as a service provider and an employer. Stimulating dialogue and discussion across the organisation will be a priority. The council intends to publish a new people strategy in May to catalyse further progress in this sphere.

The LGA would like to thank Bath and North East Somerset Council for undertaking an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge and related Progress Review. 

Under the umbrella of LGA sector-led improvement, there is an on-going offer of support to councils. The LGA is well placed to provide additional support, advice and guidance on a number of the areas identified for development and improvement and we would be happy to discuss this. 

Paul Clarke (Principal Adviser) is the main point of contact between the authority and the Local Government Association (LGA) and his e-mail address is [email protected]