Croydon Council has achieved significant progress – that is the conclusion of a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) published today.

The Local Government Association (LGA)-appointed review team found wide-ranging improvements in Croydon’s leadership, financial management, organisational culture, working with partners – and a new focus on listening to residents and customer care.

The peer review team’s report, published today following an October 2024 visit, noted the scale and pace of change at Croydon since the Council’s well-documented historic financial and governance challenges began in 2020.

They found that the Executive Mayor’s Business Plan has set a clear direction and that: ‘The Council has an ambitious vision for the borough, with clear corporate priorities – namely ‘balancing the books, listening to residents and delivering good, sustainable services’, and restoring pride in Croydon – and is delivering steadily against them.’

The Council’s leadership was cited as a particular strength, with the peer review team noting that: ‘Together the Mayor and Chief Executive are well-respected and provide strong, visible leadership to the Council.’ They described relationships between the political and officer leadership as ‘positive and effective, underpinned by mutual respect for their respective roles and trust.’ They particularly praised the Council’s culture of openness, honesty and transparency, noting that the Council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee is chaired by an opposition Councillor and the Audit and Governance Committee has an independent chair.

The staff the review team met were ‘passionate about delivering quality services to residents and their role in helping the Council to improve’ and ‘they now feel proud to work for Croydon Council.’ They found that Councillors across the political groups are ‘passionate and committed to Croydon the place, and supporting the Council to improve and move to a sustainable footing’.

Successes highlighted in the CPC report include improving housing services for residents, and the Council’s success in levering in external funding to deliver projects, such as London Borough of Culture 2023. Also, Croydon’s work as one of six pilot sites for the government Frontrunners project, with social care teams working closely with health partners to reduce pressure on hospitals.

The review team also noted Croydon’s strong partnership work and that political leaders have ‘successfully rebuilt credibility with investors and partners, which is a significant achievement’. The peer team found that the Council has a strong understanding of Croydon’s communities and their needs and is working to put the borough back on the map at a regional and national level.

Delivered by the LGA, CPC is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool for councils. During their visit the peer team of senior local government Councillors and officers undertook a comprehensive review of finance, performance and governance information from Croydon Council. They visited the Council from 7-10 October, gathering information and views from more than 30 meetings, and speaking to more than 75 people, including Council staff, Councillors and external partners.

The peer review team recognised that despite the Council’s strong progress, it continues to face significant challenges – particularly the Council’s historic debt burden. In their report, the peer team have urged the Government to engage with Croydon on a long-term solution for this.

In addition, the peer team have made several recommendations for Croydon to continue improving. These are set out in the report and range from developing a growth plan for the borough to communicating successes to residents.

The CPC report will be considered by the Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 8 January. An action plan, to respond to the recommendations, will be developed for consideration by Cabinet later in the month.

“As Executive Mayor I have prioritised listening to residents, fixing the finances and restoring pride in our borough, with my Mayor’s Business Plan setting a clear direction.

“This report which provides external independent validation is an important milestone for Croydon. It highlights the extraordinary scale and pace of change and improvement at the Council, and I am pleased that our peers have recognised the positive progress we have made. This is the first time the Council has invited a CPC in many years, which highlights our commitment to openness, challenge and change.

“There is much more still to do. After everything that has happened at Croydon in the past, there is understandably some way to go to rebuild trust with residents. We must do more to communicate with them about the positive changes we are making and ensure that they are seeing this progress in their neighbourhoods and the town centre. We also need to continue to make the case with Government, for a long-term solution to Croydon’s debt, which continues to impact our budget, despite our robust management and governance arrangements.

“Our CPC has highlighted that we need to reclaim the narrative about Croydon – locally and beyond – and put our borough back on the map for the right reasons.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon

Read the CPC report in full here.