LGA Corporate Peer Challenge – Progress Review: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

The council undertook an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) during 2-5 June 2025 and promptly published the full report with an action plan.

The Progress Review is an integral part of the Corporate Peer Challenge process. Usually 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 RAG rated CPC 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
• any early impact or learning from the progress made to date

The LGA would like to thank Kingston Council for their commitment to sector led improvement. This Progress Review was the next step in an ongoing, open and close relationship that the council has with LGA sector support.

The Progress Review at Kingston Council took place (onsite) on 15 April 2026

The Progress Review focussed on each of the recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge, under the following theme headings: 

1. Prioritisation: Prioritise the priorities – recognise the capacity restraints across the organisation.​ 
2. Collaboration: Collaborative behaviours need to be modelled by SLT (Senior Leadership Team), WLT (Wider Leadership Team) and all managers, to break down silos. The council needs to foster greater strategic collaboration across all departments. ​ 
3. Shared Services: Strengthen the enabling shared services –review, refresh, build in feedback on performance from customers (staff). ​ 
4. Process and practice: Accelerate the current review of processes and practice. Clearly communicate with staff how they can get involved​ and keep staff informed about the benefits of the changes made, as and when they are realised.  
5. Engagement: Develop a mechanism which draws from the engagement already being done, so that Kingston has an overall sense of how the community feel about the council and it services.​ 
6. Partnership: Strengthen the Kingston Partnership around the place agenda to capitalise on the energy of partners. 
7. Climate Change: Climate change needs a whole systems approach – wider policy creation and appropriate resource is needed to achieve this.​ 
8. Housing: Given the corporate importance of housing, ensure the senior leadership of the council continues to focus on the oversight of the housing service, including the development of the new housing strategy beyond 2025 and compliance with regulatory requirements.  

For this Progress Review, the following members of the original CPC team were involved: 

• Chief Executive Peer: Kim Wright, Chief Executive, London Borough of Brent  
• ​Lead Member Peer: Liberal Democrat: Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath and North East Somerset ​Council
• Senior Officer Peer: Place and Housing: Ajman Ali, Executive Director for Neighbourhood Services, Sheffield City Council
• Shadow Peer, Charlotte Morton, Impact Graduate, Local Government Association
• LGA Peer Challenge Manager: Sophie Poole, Senior Regional Advisor for London and South East, Local Government Association​  ​  

Out of the CPC’s 8 recommendations, the council’s RAG rated Action Plan reports that 100 per cent of actions are completed/are progressed.

Prioritisation: Prioritise the priorities – recognise the capacity restraints across the organisation

Since the peer challenge in June last year, the council has strengthened its approach to prioritisation with the principle of “prioritising the priorities” clearly being understood by those the peer team spoke to. The council has refreshed its service planning approach, focusing on key priorities, risks, and key performance indicators through redeveloping its corporate performance and risk board and engaging with staff to better understand service-level risks. A road map has been developed for next year’s priorities with a strong corporate focus on the role of prevention and the part it plays in managing demand and addressing inequalities across the borough. Data is also being used to take a more informed approach to identifying and responding to need. 

As a result the council is focusing on a smaller number of key priorities and critical performance indicators at service level, with a direct link between the council plan and individual performance through the Personal Development Review process. The peer team were told that early feedback from staff suggests that the model is more practical and empowering, making expectations clearer while maintaining a focus on cross-cutting priorities such as transformation, collaboration, climate action and inclusion. 

The transformation programme has also been refreshed to concentrate on areas most likely to “shift the dial” organisationally. This has involved removing or decentralising improvement work that is better managed within services, while ensuring that transformation activity remains visible and meaningful to staff. Efforts to improve communication—including the use of case studies and storytelling—have helped to bring the programme to life. 

Recognising the broader context of local government reorganisation, the council has also sought to maximise opportunities through its partnerships, particularly across the South London Partnership. This includes exploring collaborative approaches to commissioning and shared transactional services. The council’s “Stronger Together” ethos underpins much of this work. 

In terms of outcomes, it is too early to measure the full impact of these changes. However, initial feedback suggests that there is now improved clarity and focus within service planning. Over the medium term, the council will use staff survey results and evaluation of the “golden thread” from strategy to delivery to measure impact.

While the framework for prioritisation is now much clearer, the organisational confidence and discipline required to consistently stop, reduce or pause work remains an area for continued focus.

Collaboration: Collaborative behaviours need to be modelled by SLT (Senior Leadership Team), WLT (Wider Leadership Team) and all managers, to break down silos. The council needs to foster greater strategic collaboration across all department.

The council has worked hard to introduce the ‘Stronger Together’ organisational culture which is clearly strongly embedded across the council. Interactive staff roadshows held in various locations across the borough were attended by a number of services, showcasing the work of different teams across the council and resulted in an increase in learning and development opportunities taken up, greater connectivity across departments and 90 per cent satisfaction from attendees.

A draft workforce strategy is underway with the aim of further cultivating the ‘Stronger Together’ ethos. Other tools have been implemented such as the leadership hub, leadership and management frameworks and a pilot leadership mentoring programme. A variety of sessions have been delivered to prepare managers for coaching, having difficult conversations and preparing for the new Employment Rights Act.

The council has made significant progress in promoting and embedding collaborative behaviours across the organisation. The “Stronger Together” ethos has been a central vehicle for this, providing a clear cultural framework that is increasingly visible in leadership behaviours and organisational activity.

The peer team were told that senior and wider leadership teams have taken active steps to model collaboration, including through cross-organisational engagement such as staff roadshows, leadership development programmes and organisational events that bring together services. These initiatives have helped break down silos, improve understanding of different service areas, and foster a shared sense of purpose.

Leadership development interventions, including 360-degree feedback and DISC personality profiling, have contributed to greater self-awareness and encouraged more collaborative leadership styles. There is also evidence that collaboration is becoming more embedded operationally, with increased cross-service working and greater visibility of different functions. The council also recently held their staff awards to celebrate achievements across the organisation, with a new category recognising ‘Collaboration’.

Embedding these behaviours at all management levels and across all parts of the organisation, and ensuring they are sustained over time, will be critical to achieving the full benefits of this work.

Shared Services: Strengthen the enabling shared services –review, refresh, build in feedback on performance from customers (staff).

A review of shared services took place looking at how the shared services operate across boroughs, specifically clarity of roles, expectations and accountability of staff who work for those services. Feedback from the review indicated a recurring disconnect between what staff perceive the role of shared services to be and how those services are intended to operate in practice. The peer team were told that the council has made addressing this gap a priority, alongside communicating the purpose, expectations and value of shared services. The council is also strengthening its feedback mechanisms to understand how staff experience shared services, supported by service level data and upcoming staff survey activity.

The peer team were told that differences in policies and processes were largely communications issues rather than systemic weaknesses, and the council has addressed any gaps to ensure shared services staff are better integrated to receive internal information.

The peer team were also told that perceptions of under-resourcing within shared services noted at the corporate peer challenge in June 2025, were driven in part by vacancies and interim staffing arrangements. These arrangements affected continuity and confidence, particularly in how services were understood by internal customers. The peer team were told that shared service posts have now been filled, to improve stability and help reset relationships with internal stakeholders.

While it is clear that progress has been made, variability in the internal customer experience was still evident from those the peer team spoke to. Therefore while the developments are positive, continuing to be alive to internal customer feedback is crucial to ensure a consistent, customer-focused approach across all shared services. 

Process and practice: Accelerate the current review of processes and practice. Clearly communicate with staff how they can get involved and keep staff informed about the benefits of the changes made, as and when they are realised.

The council has responded positively to this recommendation by bringing together a coordinated a transformation programme aimed at improving organisational effectiveness.

The peer team heard clear examples of progress, particularly in areas such as procurement, where the council has simplified processes, reduced bureaucracy and introduced proportionate approaches aligned to risk. These changes are expected to significantly reduce timescales and improve efficiency, demonstrating the tangible benefits of the review.

Work is also underway to improve governance frameworks, develop a more user-focused approach to internal systems, and redesign processes to better meet staff needs. The council has involved services in co-designing improvements, helping to ensure that changes are grounded in operational reality. A good example of this is the work around low value procurement, where simplifying the procurement process has estimated to save six weeks.

Overall, good progress has been made with staff clearly involved in the ongoing changes for both the procurement and governance case studies. The peer team would encourage the council to continue to communicate the benefits of improvements identified as a result of its processes and practices review in its regular communication to promote and embed an organisational culture of efficiency.

Engagement: Develop a mechanism which draws from the engagement already being done, so that Kingston has an overall sense of how the community feel about the council and it services.

The council has made progress in enhancing its approach to community engagement and is developing a more comprehensive understanding of community views. Rather than relying on a single mechanism, it has brought together multiple sources of insight, including resident panels, targeted engagement, customer contact data and thematic consultations.

The introduction of the Community Engagement Framework and the development of the Participation Network represent significant steps forward. These initiatives are helping to coordinate engagement activity, share insight across the organisation and reduce duplication.

The peer team also heard evidence of more sophisticated use of insight, including combining different data sources and feeding engagement findings into strategy development, such as the Inclusive Kingston work.

While the council is gathering a large volume of data and intelligence about individual services, the peer team still felt the council could benefit from looking at how this data provides a clear, overarching view of how residents feel about the council overall.

Partnership: Strengthen the Kingston Partnership around the place agenda to capitalise on the energy of partners

The council has made good progress in strengthening its partnership approach and capitalising on the energy and commitment of partners. Governance arrangements have been reviewed and refined, with the strategic partnership board restructured to provide clearer focus on key themes such as homes, jobs and wellbeing.

There is increasing evidence of a more outward-looking and collaborative approach, with the council engaging partners earlier in the process and co-developing priorities. Work through the South London Partnership has also strengthened, enabling the council to collaborate more effectively at a sub-regional level and extend its influence on issues such as skills as well as transport and the improvements at Clapham Junction station - the main commuter station through which all trains to Kingston travel from.

The peer team heard that the council is also beginning to take a more strategic approach to place-based opportunities, such as the visitor economy, recognising the potential to better leverage the borough’s assets through partnership working.

The council should continue to strengthen the delivery role of partnerships, ensuring that governance structures translate into tangible outcomes and shared accountability.

Climate Change: Climate change needs a whole systems approach – wider policy creation and appropriate resource is needed to achieve this.

The council has made good progress and refreshed its approach to climate change, with revisions to governance and team structure enabling further capacity. A new project management approach has been taken to the council’s 2030 carbon neutral goal, focussing on assets and social housing. A new environmental impact matrix has been added to committee reports, giving greater visibility to the environmental impact of decision making for members. Recruitment has taken place to enable the council to progress work on retrofit as well as provide external advice and support to businesses and residents. Kingston has taken a cross-cutting approach to embedding climate into other services areas, such as climate officers contributing to the new housing strategy, bringing staff members from the economic growth team to work within the net zero team and embedding sustainability requirements into the council’s procurement process.

The council has made meaningful progress in adopting a more coordinated, whole-systems approach to climate change. Governance has been strengthened, with clearer structures for both the council’s operational target (2030) and the wider borough ambition (2038), helping to improve focus and accountability.

The peer team heard that climate considerations are increasingly embedded into corporate processes, including service planning and committee reporting, where environmental impacts are now systematically assessed. The council has also enhanced capacity within the climate function, including introducing new roles and bringing together expertise from across the organisation.

Challenges remain in relation to funding and the scale of the transformation required. While the strategic direction is clearer, further work is needed to fully translate ambition into deliverable, costed plans and to strengthen partnerships to deliver borough-wide outcomes.

Housing: Given the corporate importance of housing, ensure the senior leadership of the council continues to focus on the oversight of the housing service, including the development of the new housing strategy beyond 2025 and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Housing remains a key focus for the council and work continues on the transformation programme. The council has refreshed their transformation programme to ensure work has a wider focus beyond temporary accommodation and includes work on prevention. There is strong collaboration between the housing team and other services such as adults’ and children’s services with a focus on collective pressures. The housing team are focussing on workforce development and have recently brought a graduate into the team. Early outcomes, such as reductions in temporary accommodation levels, indicate positive impact.

In preparation for the Regulator of Social Housing inspection, the council has had a refreshed assessment completed by an independent consultant to identify further work to ensure readiness for inspection. A plan for a stock condition survey is in place to inform a new investment plan for the properties and address levels of non-decency in their housing stock.

The council is working with neighbouring boroughs to learn from their experiences of inspection and has prepared an evidence suite with all relevant documentation. The council’s residents group have been regularly engaged with, and a shared action plan is updated on at a quarterly housing services group, which is chaired by the housing portfolio holder.

The new housing strategy has been commissioned, and consultation will take place over the summer, with an aim of publication in early 2027. This provides an important opportunity to set a clear long-term direction for housing in the borough. The council was preparing for the introduction of the new Renters’ Rights Act while the peer team were on site, working with the London Borough of Sutton to ensure the readiness of their shared service through a joint project group.

Since the peer team were originally on site in June 2025, the council has completed the first phase of its new housing build scheme, with residents moving into 42 new council homes in the Cambridge Road Estate. Further new housing delivery is planned, to continue to meet the borough’s needs which will be challenging against the backdrop of financial and demand pressures that the council is striving to address. Sustained corporate focus will be essential, along with continued progress on regulatory compliance, data quality and service improvement.

Overall, the council has made strong and credible progress across all eight recommendations. The next stage will require a continued focus on consistency, delivery and impact, ensuring that the improvements made are fully embedded across the organisation.

The LGA would like to thank Kingston Council for undertaking an LGA CPC Progress Review.  We appreciate that senior managerial and political leadership will want to reflect on these findings and suggestions in order to determine how the organisation wishes to take things forward.

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. 

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