Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities acknowledges progress at combined authority by issuing revised best value notice
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has issued Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority with a revised best value notice.
The Department previously issued a best value notice for the combined authority a year ago (January 2023) over internal cultural problems at the combined authority and called for change to be delivered against an improvement framework it had set.
In the revised notice, the Department acknowledged steps taken by the combined authority to address the "serious issues at the Authority" since January 2023, recognising that it had made permanent appointments to its senior leadership team in a "robust and timely manner".
It also noted the conclusion of an investigation into member code of conduct breaches, which marked an "important milestone" for the authority.
"However, as you know, embedding cultural change across the organisation and ensuring that it is having the desired, long-term impacts is likely to take time and will require sustained effort from both officers and, indeed, members at CPCA," the Department said.
It added that the Department remains concerned that more work is needed to ensure effective partnership working between all levels of the combined authority and its constituent authorities.
"We note that, whilst the Improvement Board continues to draw assurance from the work of the officer team within [CPCA], this needs to be matched by the actions of the [Combined Authority] Board itself," the letter said.
The renewed best value notice set out a list of expectations which call on the authority to:
- Continue with the independent Improvement Board, making full use of its support and engaging with its recommendations over the next six months.
- Continue to implement and embed the changes agreed by the Combined Authority Board as part of the improvement plan.
- Continue to implement and monitor cultural change across the organisation, for both officers and members, with a focus on measurable outcomes.
- Commit, through strong partnership working at both officer and member level, to develop the strategic priorities and aspirations for the area that will benefit local residents, and a credible delivery strategy for progressing these. "We hope that this can be achieved through consensus but, if not all stakeholders are ready to fully engage, the opportunity should be left open for them to do so when they feel ready to." This work is also important in informing CPCA's approach to further devolution.
- Continue to engage regularly with the Department at official level throughout the period of this notice.
The Department said it will consider whether a further notice needs to be issued six months from now.
It also encouraged the combined authority to continue engaging with the Local Government Association to make use of the full range of support it has to offer.
Commenting on the notice, Rob Bridge, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Chief Executive, said: "The revised Best Value Notice acknowledges the progress the Combined Authority has made and continues to make since January 2023.
"This progress includes being the first Combined Authority to adopt, following approval from DLUHC, a Single Assurance Framework, adopting a new Member Officer Protocol, the transformation of our procurement function and making permanent appointments to the senior leadership team."
He added: "I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff at the Combined Authority, who's hard work has made this progress possible.
"There is of course still more work for us to do and I look forward to working in partnership with our Constituent Councils and the Independent Improvement Board to continue to deliver for the businesses and communities of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough."
Adam Carey
