A report has praised North Tyneside Council for being well led and delivering effective regeneration of the borough.
The authority took part in a Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge in June this year which involved senior colleagues from other councils spending time in North Tyneside to review all aspects of the organisation.
The feedback report described the authority as being “well led and well managed, providing quality services for residents which has produced high satisfaction levels among service users.”
The peer team collectively spent more than 280 hours to determine their findings – the equivalent of one person spending more than seven weeks in North Tyneside Council.
They spoke to more than 80 people including a range of council staff, councillors, residents and external partners.
Elected Mayor Norma Redfearn, who was re-elected for a second term in 2017, was singled out for her leadership of the authority.
The report says: “The Elected Mayor has a particularly strong connection with residents and is highly respected.
“She is viewed by residents as approachable and committed to improving the lives of local people.”
The peer review team included an Elected Mayor, Ros Jones of Doncaster Borough Council, and Jim Taylor, the Chief Executive of Salford City Council.
Their report praised the authority for its role in shaping the look and feel of the local area.
The report reads: “The Borough of North Tyneside is an attractive and vibrant place with outstanding natural assets which have been enhanced in recent years by effective council regeneration interventions.
“The council has intervened strategically and tactically to make the most of the natural assets of the local area and this comes across clearly in both the look and feel of the place.
“The council’s leadership role in place-shaping is based on a deep understanding of the local context and it is evident that members, staff and strategic partners know the place and its people very well.”
Welcoming the findings the Elected Mayor said: “I’m delighted that the team found so many positive things to say about the work we have been doing.
“It is testament to the hard work of all our staff that the team found so many great things to say about our fantastic borough and council.”
The report also gave a number of helpful recommendations for the authority.
The recommendations focussed on four important areas; how the organisation explains its plans and aligns its enabling services against those plans; ensuring regeneration work is inclusive; making sure a four-year medium term financial plan is in place to deliver the priorities of the Mayor and Cabinet and maximising participation and influence in the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
A report to Cabinet on October 14 detailed the peer challenge feedback report and agreed an action plan, in part in response to the feedback report but also aligned to the priorities of the Elected Mayor and Cabinet.
ENDS
