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Planned System Maintenance - Limited Service

Sunderland City Council will be carrying out planned system maintenance from 12 noon on Friday 5th June until 7am on Tuesday 9th June. During this period, we will only be able to respond to urgent enquiries. If your enquiry is not urgent, please contact us before or after these times when full services will be available. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

LGA Corporate Peer Challenge Report

Sunderland City Council has received the Final Report from the Local Government Association's (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge LGA Corporate Peer Challenge Feedback Report , which took place from 25-28 November 2025.  

The report highlights the council's strong leadership, clear strategic ambition, and deep organisational pride, while also identifying important opportunities to improve financial sustainability, strengthen community engagement and deepen partnership working. 

A confident, ambitious organisation 

The Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) found that Sunderland City Council is a confident, ambitious and wellled organisation. The council has a clear and widely understood vision for Sunderland's future through the creation of a connected, international city with opportunities for all; with colleagues across the organisation demonstrating a strong sense of pride and commitment to the council's values and behaviours. 

Key strengths highlighted include: 

  • A robust strategic framework through the City Plan 2025-2035 and Corporate Plan 2025-2028 
  • Effective placebased leadership locally, regionally and nationally 
  • A positive organisational culture with high levels of motivation and pride 
  • Strong and stable political and officer leadership.  

Major regeneration reshaping Sunderland 

The report recognises the council's exceptional track record in delivering major regeneration projects, which are transforming the city and attracting substantial investment. Among the initiatives praised are: 

  • Riverside Sunderland 
  • The International Advanced Manufacturing Park 
  • New healthcare, digital and cultural developments. 

These projects are reshaping Sunderland, creating new economic opportunities and helping to drive longterm growth.  

Strong regional partnership working 

The council's reputation as a capable and dependable partner is a significant theme in the report. The council plays a leading role in: 

  • The North East Combined Authority (NECA) 
  • The Sunderland Partnership 
  • The City Board 
  • The city's Health & Wellbeing structures 

These partnerships support shared priorities in regeneration, skills, public health, community safety and economic growth.  

High-performing services with strong external validation 

The report notes the council's strong performance across key services: 

  • Children's services rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted in 2021 and 2025 
  • Adult social care rated "Good" across all nine domains by the CQC in 2025 
  • High tenant satisfaction levels within the council's housing responsibilities.  

These achievements provide a solid foundation for more preventative, community-centred approaches. 

Key challenges and areas for improvement 

The report's six priority recommendations are: 

  1. Develop a more ambitious savings strategy and create a councilwide transformation programme using strict Invest to Save principles 
  2. Co-produce a narrative of belonging with communities and trusted organisations, building on work with the Belong Network 
  3. Deepen the Sunderland Partnership through better data use, SMART targets, shared ownership and rigorous delivery planning 
  4. Complete a comprehensive workforce strategy including talent, succession planning and skills development 
  5. Strengthen management and Member development to support community leadership and consistent organisational practice 
  6. Deliver a crossparty programme of governance reviews, including scrutiny, full council arrangements, area committees and armslength bodies.  

Next steps 

The council will now take forward the following actions: 

  • Publishing the final CPC report within three months of the peer challenge: LGA Corporate Peer Challenge Feedback Report
  • Publishing an action plan within five months of the peer challenge (April 2026), outlining how the council will address the recommendations. 
  • Participating in a progress review by September 2026. 

CPCs are part of the LGA's sectorled improvement programme and support councils to strengthen performance, governance, leadership and financial sustainability. The process also forms part of local authorities' Best Value responsibilities under UK Government guidance. 

Councils should undergo a Corporate or Finance Peer Challenge at least every five years, meaning Sunderland's next CPC should take place by November 2030.