Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge progress review report

The Progress Review at Gateshead Council took place on site on 14 October 2025.

The Progress Review focused on each of the recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge, under the following theme headings:

• vision, place and communications
• governance and corporate grip
• financial planning and management
• cultural change and transformation

For this Progress Review, the following members of the original CPC team were involved:

• Denise Park, Chief Executive, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council
• Cllr Roger Harmer, Leader of Liberal Democrat Group, Birmingham City Council
• Judith Badger, Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services, Rotherham Council
• Frances Marshall, LGA Senior Regional Adviser and LGA Challenge Manager.

This report provides a summary of the peer team's reflections on progress made by Gateshead Council against each of the CPC's ten recommendations since November 2024. It is not an exhaustive record of activity undertaken by Gateshead Council since the CPC, or in response to the CPC. It is a high-level summary of the peer team's reflections based on Gateshead provided pre-reading, pre-engagement meetings, fieldwork meetings and a reflections roundtable. The following summary reflects the peer team's views as fellow local government councillors and officers and is focused solely on the CPC original ten recommendations.