North Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2025/26 Consultation

Overview

The draft revenue budget for North Northamptonshire Council was approved by the Executive on 19 December 2024 and we are now seeking views on our proposals for the next financial year.

The consultation phase is a very important one in the budget setting process as it’s essential that we get the views of all the people the proposals effect before we can shape the final plans in February.

North Northamptonshire Council’s budget proposals set out a detailed spending strategy for the authority for the financial year 2025/2026 as well as outlining the medium-term financial plan for the following three years.

Protecting and investing in our local frontline services against a backdrop of continued national financial uncertainty is the focus of North Northamptonshire Council’s budget proposals for the next financial year (2025/2026).

The proposed net revenue budget for 2025/2026 is £400.93 million. This money provides a range of services to residents and businesses across the area including care to vulnerable adults and children, education, the disposal and collection of waste, highways maintenance, economic development, housing and support for those that are homeless.

A commitment to maintain vital service provision has seen the Council invest an additional £51.9 million into services, including £23.7 million into adult social care and £6.2 million into children’s services to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and address growing demand for these vital services.

These pressures are, in part, offset by savings, efficiencies and further income of £26.3 million. Taken together with an improvement in funding expected from business rates, Council Tax and government grants the Council has been able to set a balanced budget for 2025/2026.

Council fees and charges have been reviewed for 2025/2026 and set in accordance with the Council’s constitution.

The Council is also proposing a programme of capital investment totalling £180.4m over the four-year period 2025-2029 across a number of schemes including investing over £43.6m into highways, £36.6m for continued investment into our Housing Stock, £27.9m for investment into schools, £8.1m to support facilities for those with disabilities, £8.2m in improving digital infrastructure and £2.6m for Electrical Vehicle infrastructure.

Council Tax

Government has permitted local authorities such as North Northamptonshire Council to increase the Council Tax rate by 4.99%, including 2% for the adult social care precept, in recognition of the difficult financial climate.

The authority is proposing an increase allowed by Government in council tax of 4.99%.

This increase would contribute around an additional £11m per year towards inflationary and demand lead pressures to enable services to be maintained and would represent a Band D level of Council Tax for North Northamptonshire Council of £1,827.06 for 2025/2026. This is an annual increase of £86.84 (equivalent to £1.67 per week) from the Band D Council Tax level set in 2024/2025.

This means that North Northamptonshire Council’s Council Tax rate will be in the lower third for unitary councils.

Increasing Council Tax has the advantage of providing stable funding for the future, helping to further protect services, and will provide the Council with a degree of certainty around funding. This is important as there will be a review of how government grants are distributed from 2026/2027.

This Band D figure does not include the Council Tax for individual Town and Parish Councils or the Council Tax set for Fire and Police by the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

There is no change to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme which will continue at 25% (minimum contribution towards Council Tax).

Next steps

This consultation will run from 19 December 2024 until 23:59 on Friday, 24 January 2025, with the Executive then meeting on 6 February 2025 to consider the final budget proposals for recommendation to Full Council on 20 February 2025.

The main proposals are:

• To increase Council Tax by 4.99%, comprising a ‘core’ Council Tax increase of 2.99% covering all services and a further 2% for the adult social care precept, which is the maximum amount permitted. This would contribute an additional £11m per year and would represent a Band D level of Council Tax of £1,827.06 for 2025/2026, an increase of £86.84 from £1,740.22 in 2024-25, which is equivalent to a weekly increase of £1.67.
• Draft Capital Programme 2025-29.

Your feedback on this consultation is really important to us. All consultation feedback will be analysed and considered and will help inform Councillors of residents' and stakeholders' views when making a final decision on the budget at the North Northamptonshire Council Full Council meeting on 20 February 2025. This meeting is held in public and anyone wishing to speak at the meeting must contact democraticservices@northnorthants.gov.uk once the agenda is issued on the Council's website on 12 February 2025. Details of how the public can address the meeting will be given on the agenda.

Related Documents

Please read the related documents to gain a better understanding of the budget proposals before you comment on them.

• Draft Budget 2025/2026 and Medium-Term Financial Plan, and its appendices:
  • Appendix A and B - Draft Budget Summary 2025/2026 and list of budget pressures and saving proposals
  • Appendix C - Dedicated Schools Grant
  • Appendix D - Reserves Strategy 2025/2026
  • Appendix E - Equality Screening Assessment
• Capital Programme 2025-2029, and its appendices:
  • Appendix A - Capital Programme 2025-2029
  • Appendix B - Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme 2025-2029
  • Appendix C - Development Pool

Housing Revenue Account

The following Housing Revenue Account (HRA) report is being presented to Executive as part of the council's budget papers. 

The HRA is a separate ring-fenced account within the Council for the income and expenditure associated with its housing stock.

The HRA does not directly impact on the Council’s wider general fund budget or on the level of council tax. Income to the HRA is primarily received through the rents and other charges paid by tenants and leaseholders.

This year’s Draft Budget for the HRA is in a balanced position while crucially the medium-term is also showing a balanced position.

There is also a proposed rent increase of 2.7% for the next financial year, which accords with the Government’s rent setting policy for 2025/2026. Any funding received by the HRA is retained within the HRA and will be used to support investment into the Council’s housing stock through improvements and maintenance.

Council tenants will be consulted via a targeted consultation on the HRA proposals via their respective Tenant Advisory Panel.

• Housing Revenue Account Draft Budget 2025/2026 and Medium-Term Financial Plan Proposals
• • Appendix A – Draft HRA Budgets for 2025/2026
  • Appendix B – Draft HRA Medium Term Financial Plan
  • Appendix C – HRA Summary of Reserves

Have your say

It’s important our residents get the opportunity to comment on these proposals and it would be great to hear from as many people as possible from a variety of backgrounds. We would encourage you to have a look at the proposals and give your feedback.

Please tell us your views by completing this questionnaire. You do not have to answer all of the questions or give us your feedback on every section. If you do not wish to answer a question or give feedback on a specific section, then you can skip those questions and move on to the next section.

This questionnaire focusses on the key new proposals for the draft budget 2025/2026 that will likely affect residents. However, there is opportunity to comment on anything within the Draft Budget in the comment boxes towards the end of the questionnaire.

Your feedback will be part of a report with many other people’s feedback, so you will not be personally identified.

You can also access this online questionnaire free of charge at any North Northamptonshire Council library. Please see the Library website or telephone 0300 126 3000 to check opening times.

Alternatively, you can email or send your comments in by post using the contact details below, or by handing it in to one of North Northamptonshire Council’s libraries.

You can also hold your own group discussion with others and provide your joint feedback either by completing the online Group Facilitator’s Feedback Form or by downloading the PDF version below and emailing or posting the form back to us.

If you have any queries, comments or would like a copy of this questionnaire in another format (including paper, easy read or large print) you can contact us by email, post or telephone. Our contact details are as follows:

Email address: YourVoiceMatters@northnorthants.gov.uk 

Telephone: 0300 126 3000

Postal address:

• Budget Consultation Response
• North Northamptonshire Council
• Sheerness House 
• Meadow Road
• Kettering
• NN16 8TL

The deadline for completing this questionnaire is 23:59 24 January 2025.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.

Thank you for helping us by completing this questionnaire.