Independent review praises Telford & Wrekin Council as a “high performing authority”

The Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge also reported that the accolade of Local Government Chronicle Council of the Year 2025 reflected the “strength of leadership” and “quality of service delivery” at the Council.

The report, prepared following a review undertaken in October, will go before a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet this month (Feb). Councillors will be asked to endorse a wide range of highlights in the report and agree the approach to continued further improvement planned on the back of the visit in the form of eight recommendations to build on work the Council is undertaking.

Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council, said:

“We know the LGA peer team were impressed with what they saw here in Telford. We have a Children’s Services rated Outstanding by Ofsted, adult social care rated Good by the CQC as well as frontline services that thousands of residents access on a daily basis which continue to outperform many other local authority areas. We invited the peer team in as we are always wanting to learn more and gain any further insights to further improve what we do on behalf of Telford and Wrekin residents.

“As a multi-award winning Council with a proven track record of delivering for our residents, we will put actions in place to pick up the suggestions that have been made whilst ensuring we continue to deliver a Council that is efficient but totally focussed every day on delivering for our residents. Protect, care and invest to create a better Borough is more than a slogan – it is actually what we are committed to continuing to do on a daily basis because that’s what our residents demand.”

David Sidaway, Chief Executive of Telford & Wrekin Council, said:

“We were very proud to present the work we have been carrying out for a sustained period of time which has led to outstanding ratings of our services and the honour of being named LGC Council of the Year. We were happy to share this best practice and pleased to know that the peer team will be taking back many of the ideas we have implemented into their own organisations too which is all part of the shared learning process.

Whilst LGA peer challenges don’t provide an overall grade it did report that “overall, Telford & Wrekin Council is a well-led, ambitious, and resilient organisation with a strong foundation for continued improvement and impact”.

The report also stated that economically, Telford is a “regional powerhouse, with a visible pipeline of investable schemes” and that the Council’s “entrepreneurial mindset has enabled significant investment and market intervention”. Also on the financial theme, the LGC report praised the Council’s “strong track record of financial discipline and budget management” whilst it noted that governance arrangements are “robust”.

As is the practice with all LGA peer challenges, recommendations are made in the final report. Council bosses in Telford had already started work on many of the areas that have been identified, which include economic positioning and inclusive growth, continuous improvement culture and innovation and digital transformation.

Councillor Carter added:

“As part of that two-way learning, as well as sharing best practice, we also take on board the reflections of the peer team and we’re pleased to have had external eyes across our work to offer their thoughts and considerations.

“We’re mindful the team were only on site for four days which does give limited time for the Council to fully outline details of the work we’re doing in order for the peer team to have a comprehensive understanding of all activity. For this reason, there are a number of recommendations which overlap with ongoing work we’re already undertaking but we still value the peer review outcomes as providing further assurance that our work is backed up by colleagues from across the country.”

The LGA Corporate Peer Challenge report will go to a meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday 12 February.