LGA Corporate Peer Challenge 2026

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, the Council asked the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) in March 2026. A CPC is an independent, sector-led review that provides strategic challenge and support to Councils, resulting in a report and suite of recommendations. The review was delivered by experienced external peers and gathered evidence from 132 stakeholders through 35 meetings.

The CPC found Darlington Borough Council is well run and high performing, with a strong reputation, positive culture, and trusted partnerships, consistently delivering impact beyond its size. Staff are proud and empowered, leadership is financially disciplined, and there are significant opportunities for growth supported by strong partner confidence. It also recognised that capacity is stretched and delivery often relies on staff goodwill, there are opportunities to improve some systems and processes, and the Council should consider demonstrating how ambitions will be translated into measurable outcomes. In response to the CPC report and its recommendations, the Council is required to create and publish an action plan, details of which can be found below.

• Corporate Peer Challenge - Cabinet Report (pdf document)
• Corporate Peer Challenge – Local Government Association (LGA) Report (pdf document)
• Corporate Peer Challenge – Action Plan (pdf document)
• Corporate Peer Challenge – Position Statement (pdf document).