A review of Bolton Council has found the authority to be a “proud and caring council with a strong commitment to delivering improved outcomes for people, families, and communities”.
In July this year, the council welcomed a delegation from the Local Government Association as part of the Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) process.
CPCs take place every four to five years and are carried out by a team of senior councillors and officers from local authorities across the country.
The team spent four days in Bolton reviewing key finance, performance and governance information and interviewing more than 150 people.
The final report, which was published today and can be read in full online, is overwhelmingly positive.
It highlights the council’s skilled and dedicated workforce, its strong links with the voluntary sector and its prevention-based approach to social care challenges.
The review team heard how “the focus is on the residents of Bolton and there is a dedication and passion to deliver the right outcomes for them”.
During reviews like this, the LGA uses a comparative tool known as “statistical neighbours”.
This groups Bolton Council with other local authorities in the UK, which may not be geographically close, but share several key similarities.
The CPC report finds Bolton compares favourably to these statistical neighbours in areas including finance, the number of households in temporary accommodation, affordable home delivery and recycling rates.
When speaking to elected members, the review team noted a “Bolton first, politics second” approach and found evidence of strong cross-party working.
Overall, CPCs are a supportive measure designed to help councils identify areas where they can improve.
The report makes 13 recommendations on areas such as risk management, performance, finance, assurance and governance.
Bolton Council is now working on an Action Plan is response to the recommendations which will be published before the end of the year.
The Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Nick Peel, said:
“These are challenging times for councils across the UK, so we are pleased that colleagues from other local authorities have recognised that Bolton continues to perform well.
“What shines through in this report is our commitment to providing caring and supportive services for local people, families and communities.
“This report shows that this council, including elected members from all parties, will always put Bolton and our residents first.”
Bolton Council’s Chief Executive, Sue Johnson, said:
“I know how hard working and passionate all Bolton Council officers are when it comes to delivering for our residents.
“However, it is incredibly gratifying to see this highlighted by external experts as part of the review process.
“There is a lot to celebrate in this report but, as a council, we are always looking at ways to improve.
“We are already working towards implementing these 13 recommendations so that we can build on this success.”