Corporate peer challenge recommends council conduct monthly ‘golden triangle’ meetings

A Local Government Association (LGA) report has recommended that Stockport Council's 'golden triangle' of statutory officers – the Chief Executive, Section 151 Officer, and Monitoring Officer – meet once a month to share information and issues “in real time”.

The recommendation came as part of an LGA corporate peer challenge, a voluntary programme involving a team of experienced council officers and members spending time with another council to “share learning" and later produce a report and recommendations based on their observations.

Stockport hosted the team of peers for four days in November of last year.

The team's report, which was published yesterday (21 February), made eleven key recommendations, including the suggestion that the council host a monthly 'golden triangle' meeting.

On the 'golden triangle' point, the LGA's peer team noted: "There are good relationships across the organisation and a good understanding of the respective roles of officers and members.

"However, the Peer Team believe that the Council would benefit from further close working between statutory officers of the organisation to management of live issues and risk. [sic]"

The report added: "With this in mind, the team would recommend that to build on the positive working relationships a monthly meeting of statutory officers is implemented to support the 'golden triangle' in sharing information and issues in real time."

Stockport was also urged to develop a comprehensive member development programme to support members with appropriate skills and knowledge for their roles, review the council's constitution to reflect standard practice across the sector, and review the length and structure of its reports to councillors.

In response to the recommendations, the council has developed an action plan which will be delivered across the coming year, and a progress review with the LGA is scheduled for six months from now.

Commenting on the findings, Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive at Stockport Council, said: "The Corporate Peer Challenge has been a very positive experience for the council, giving us a welcome opportunity to reflect on what we do and how we do it. This invaluable feedback, from experienced local government colleagues, will help us shape our future priorities and plans, and develop our approach to working with partners. We will now be incorporating the recommendations from this work into our plans for 2023/2024."

Adam Carey