We asked, you said, we did

The Council sought feedback on the draft proposals for a balanced revenue budget for 2025/27 and the medium-term financial plan for the next three years. The budget consultation period commenced on 16 December 2025 and closed on 23 January 2026.

The budget proposals set out a detailed spending strategy for the authority for the financial year 2026/27 as well as outlining the medium-term financial plan for the next two years. The budget proposed a balance net revenue budget for 2026/27 at £431 million.

The main proposals were:

• 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 £10.9m per year and would represent a Band D level of Council Tax of £1,918.23 for 2026/2027, or the equivalent of £36.89 per week.
• Draft Capital Programme 2026-30.

However, respondents were invited to comment on any proposal within the Draft Budget.

Using the various means available to consultees, local people and organisations contributed to the North Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2026/27 consultation 242 times.

Council Tax increase proposals:

• 47.9% of respondents said they strongly agreed or tended to agree with the proposal to increase core council tax by 2.99%, whilst 42.4% said they strongly disagreed or tended to disagree with the proposal.
• 51.9% of respondents said they strongly agreed or tended to agree with the proposal to add an adult social care precept of 2% to council tax, whilst 35.3% said they strongly disagreed or tended to disagree with the proposal.

For more information about your feedback please see:

Appendix C – Draft Budget 2026-27 Consultation Analysis Report

On Tuesday 10 February 2026, the North Northamptonshire Council approved the 2026 to 2027 budget for North Northamptonshire.

The report before Council presented a balanced revenue budget for 2026/27 as well as outlining the medium-term financial plan for the next three years.

Council Tax: The Council approved an increase in council tax of 4.99%, which includes the 2% adult social care precept and is the maximum increase permitted by Government.

This increase will contribute about an additional £10.9m per year and represents a Band D level of Council Tax of £1,918.23 for 2026/2027, or the equivalent of £36.89 per week.

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.

Capital Programme: Final proposals for capital projects were also approved, over a four-year period from 2026-30 across a number of schemes.

Housing Revenue Account: This year’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) sees a balanced position.

There will also be a rent increase of 4.8% for the next financial year, which accords with the Government’s rent setting policy for 2026/27. 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.

For more information about the budget, please see:

Council papers for meeting held on 10 February 2026

The budget papers for 2026/27 were considered and approved by Full Council on 19 February 2026.

Council papers for Full Council held on 19 February 2026.

We sought feedback on schools term dates for the 2027-28 academic year.

We received 3 responses with some alternative suggestions.

The terms dates for 2027-28 academic year will proceed as suggested and can be found on the NNC website School term dates page.

We sought the views of Hackney Carriage drivers and license holders, and the public, about proposed new fees and charges relating to hackney carriage and private hire driver licences, vehicle licences, and private hire operator licences. 

A total of 7 responses were submitted during the consultation period. In summary, the consultation responses were not in support of the proposed fee levels. This outcome was not unexpected given that some members of the licensed trade will be asked to pay an increased fee.

The full papers and analysis can be viewed via the Licensing and Appeals Committee papers dated 20 January 2026.

The Council’s Licensing and Appeals Committee considered the objections to the harmonised fees and charges proposals on 20 January 2026, and approved the increase.

The new fees will come into effect on 26 January 2026.

Currently, interims harmonised fees and charges apply to ensure parity and fairness for the licensed trade. The interim fees were set at the minimum fee currently charged by any of the four former authority areas and do not allow for full cost recovery.

A six‑week public consultation to gather feedback on 10 proposed changes to the Keyways Housing Allocations Scheme, aimed at keeping the scheme lawful, fair, and focused on households with the greatest housing need.

355 online responses were received, plus 16 consultation-related email contributions (from 37 emails received).

Overall sentiment (online): 57% agree/strongly agree, 19% disagree/strongly disagree, 24% neutral across all proposals. Email contributions (broad view): 25% in support, 44% not in support and 31% neutral.

The analysis shows a clear overall majority support (57%) for the proposed changes, providing evidence to support progression of the proposals. The proposed scheme will therefore be presented to the Council’s Executive at a future date for ratification before a go‑live date for implementation is agreed, if appropriate.

We sought feedback on a proposal to install CCTV in Corby at Oakley Road/ Burghley Drive corner and in the pedestrian/ cycle path tunnels on Oakley Road.

There were 25 responses, mostly supporting the installation of CCTV in the locations proposed and agreeing the CCTV would prevent and deter crime and make them feel safe in the area.

The proposal to install CCTV was well received. An application for planning permission for the CCTV has been submitted.

We sought views from over 65’s on issues such as housing, using the internet, community, health and wellbeing and transport to help shape future services that support healthy ageing and building age-friendly communities.

Public feedback was sought to inform the Health Needs Assessment for Healthy Ageing. This final assessment will be used to plan services, identify priorities, and ensure future efforts to enable healthy ageing are evidence-based.

We received 190 responses in total, including 164 submitted through our online platform and 26 via paper surveys. The insights gathered will be analysed and integrated into the Healthy Ageing Health Needs Assessment.

Key Insights

• Most respondents told us that they felt safe in community environments, though some said that parked cars and scooters obstructing pavements was a cause of stress and anxiety.
• Many reported being current drivers and some respondents shared worries about the potential impact on their health and wellbeing if they had to stop driving.
• Just under half of respondents told us they take part in clubs, and a similar proportion said they volunteered their time at least occasionally.
• Around 9% of respondents reported feeling isolated.
• 1 in 4 respondents expressed an interest in learning more about using digital tools to support their health and wellbeing.
• Among those who experienced a fall in the past year, most reported that it occurred outside the home.

The findings from this survey, alongside additional data and intelligence collected as part of the wider needs assessment and through engagement with key stakeholders, will be used to shape and inform the forthcoming recommendations.

The Health Needs Assessments will be published in Spring 2026. Updates will be shared following publication, outlining how the findings are being used to inform local planning and support actions to help residents lead healthier lives.

We sought the views of residents, stakeholders and interested parties as to whether they were in agreement, or not, to the principle of the proposal to take part in the Government’s High Street Rental Auction programme.

There were 121 responses, with 117 via our online platform and 4 email responses.

• 108 responses were in favour of the principle of the proposal.
• 3 respondents were not in favour of the principle of the proposal.
• 6 respondents indicated that they did not know whether they were in favour
• 4 responses were discounted as they gave no indication as to whether they were in favour or not.

Further work will be undertaken to gather evidence across North Northamptonshire’s four growth towns to propose an area with the greatest eligibility to the scheme.

A formal consultation on the proposed designated street or area will be undertaken once that work has been completed and proposed for adoption by Executive.

The purpose of the survey was to gather views on what supports people to be active, feel healthy, and enjoy activities such as moving more, eating well, and maintaining overall wellbeing. It aimed to improve understanding of the factors that make it easier or more difficult for individuals to be physically active and maintain a healthy lifestyle, the types of support that are most effective, and how local services can be improved.

Public feedback was sought to inform the Health Needs Assessments for Keeping Active and Adult Weight, ensuring that future planning and services reflect the needs of residents.

There were 248 responses, with 224 via our online platform and 24 completed paper surveys. The findings of this survey will be summarised and incorporated into the Health Needs Assessments.

Overall 

• Most respondents recognised the important role physical activity plays in supporting overall health and wellbeing. Awareness of the UK Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for physical activity was also reported to be high.
• The survey identified a range of barriers and enablers influencing participation in physical activity. Key barriers included health-related factors, while common enablers highlighted by respondents were social support and access to appropriate and accessible resources.
• Many respondents reported a strong level of motivation to increase their physical activity levels
• Most respondents thought that there was a relationship between weight and health, and that this was most influenced by psychological factors and environmental factors and least by genetic and biological factors.
• Most respondents felt that their emotions and food labelling frequently influenced their food and drink choices.
• The survey identified that the biggest factor in accessing food was the cost followed by the time required.

The findings from this survey, alongside additional data and intelligence collected as part of the wider needs assessment and through engagement with key stakeholders, will be used to shape and inform the forthcoming recommendations.

The Health Needs Assessments will be published in Spring 2026. Updates will be shared following publication, outlining how the findings are being used to inform local planning and support actions to help residents lead healthier lives.

We sought community opinion about the existing CCTV cameras in the Queensway area of Wellingborough and feedback on the plan to renew for a further 3 years from 2025 to 2028.

There were 8 responses, the majority of whom were happy to keep the CCTV in place for another 3 years.

The present CCTV will remain in place, to help keep crime levels down and for public safety. This is a joint project with Northamptonshire Police.

We sought community opinion about the existing Alley gates in the Queensway area of Wellingborough and feedback on the plan to renew them for a further 3 years from 2025 to 2028.

There were 239 responses, the majority of whom were happy to keep the alley gates in place for another 3 years.

The present Alley Gates will remain in place, to help keep crime levels down and for public safety. This is a joint project with Northamptonshire Police.

In accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) the council publicised the Grafton Underwood Neighbourhood Plan proposal and invited representations on whether, or not, the Plan proposal meets the basic conditions and other matters that an independent examiner is required to consider.

9 representations were received.

Representations received will be considered by an independent examiner who will examine the Neighbourhood Plan against the basic conditions. You can view full updates on the Neighbourhood Plan and its progress via the Neighbourhood Plans webpage.

In accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) the council publicised the Isham Neighbourhood Plan proposal and invited representations on whether, or not, the Plan proposal meets the basic conditions and other matters that an independent examiner is required to consider.

15 representations were received.

Representations received will be considered by an independent examiner who will examine the Neighbourhood Plan against the basic conditions. You can view full updates on the Neighbourhood Plan and its progress via the Neighbourhood Plans webpage.

Adult Social Care in North Northamptonshire reviewed its approach to transport to create a policy to ensure we offer a fair and consistent approach to transport for service users. Transport usage for social care has increased significantly since 2021, prompting a review into how we manage the offer. We sought views to ensure that we are able to offer a transport service that is equitable, and in place only for those who need it. We set a rating system of 1-5 where 1 was the statement is very important / reasonable, and 5 is not important / reasonable at all.

There were 25 respondents. Overall there was relatively strong agreement in the statements put forward. Expecting family members and carers to support with transport, and use of public transport were the two statements that scored closer to neutral. The most common theme from the comments was the need to focus on an individual's circumstances, and not have a one size fits all policy. It was also noted that many raised concerns over lack of available public transport routes when considering transport arrangements for social care.

As a result of the consultation Adult Social Care have drafted a transport policy which will be reviewed by the elected Executive members by the end of the calendar year. In line with our strengths-based approach to social care, The Care Act, and the feedback from the consultation, we have ensured the language within the policy clearly states the need to assess each individual by their circumstances. The draft, which will be considered by Executive Members, includes a set of circumstances for staff to consider when reviewing the need for transport. These include:
- expectation that individuals will make their own arrangements where they have a Motability vehicle
- expectation that individuals will make their own arrangements where there is existing available options to them
- a focus on building independent travel where reasonably possible
- exploring contributions to transport arrangements where reasonable

The Council sought feedback on the draft Corporate Plan 2025-29. The Corporate Plan sets out the high-level strategic direction of the council over the next four years.

The draft Corporate Plan focused on four priority themes:

• Family
• Community
• Prosperity
• Smarter, faster, fairer public services

For each of the above priority themes, the plan sets out:

• What this [theme] means in practice
• Key Commitments [under the theme]
• The change you [residents] will see

There was a total of 494 responses to the consultation. The majority of the feedback was received via a consultation questionnaire, with 476 respondents participating via this method and 18 respondents submitting a written response.

• Family: 90.6% strongly agree or tend to agree with the proposals
• Community: 89.5% strongly agree or tend to agree with the proposals
• Prosperity: 84.6% strongly agree or tend to agree with the proposals
• Smarter, Faster and Fairer Public Services: 77.2% strongly agree or tend to agree with the proposals

Respondents were also invited to share their comments on the proposals. For more information about your feedback please see:

Draft Corporate Plan 2025-29 Consultation Analysis report

Draft Corporate Plan 2025-29 Consultation Analysis report – redacted feedback

The full consultation analysis report and supporting papers were discussed by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 21 October 2025.

Following that meeting, the Draft Corporate Plan 2025-29 was refined and discussed by Executive on 11 November 2025 and subsequently endorsed.

North Northamptonshire Council has formally adopted its Corporate Plan up to 2029 following approval at a meeting of Full Council on Thursday, 11 December.

Full details can be found in the Council meeting papers.

Following the transition to a single hackney carriage zone, the Council consulted on plans to implement new geographical and knowledge testing for drivers of hackney carriage vehicles. The proposed new testing will apply to applicants for a hackney carriage driver licence and combined hackney carriage and private hire driver licence, as well as to existing hackney carriage drivers.

There were 328 responses to the consultation after data cleansing and removal of identified anomalies.

In total, 89 responses were considered. Of these, only 32 provided commentary in support of their response.

The responses show that:

• 71% of responders disagreed that the test was sufficiently rigorous
• 20% of responders agreed that the test was sufficiently rigorous
• 9% of responders were either unsure or did not answer. 

The responses indicate that a significant number of respondents do not feel the test is sufficiently rigorous.

Where the responders disagreed that the test was sufficiently rigorous, most did not identify ways in which the test could be improved or offer a consensus.  There was therefore no data on which to base any changes to the proposed testing format or content.

The new testing regime has been implemented based upon the principles consulted on, with new testing dates being finalised and communicated to applicants.

North Northamptonshire Council proposed to introduce a new Direct Payments Policy to outline and clarify our current approach to the operation of Direct Payments within Adult Social Care. A new policy will enable us to be transparent and consistent with our approach to adults Direct Payments. We sough views to help shape what should be included in our policy.

A total of 92 responses were received either via the on-line consultation hub or directly by email, however only 66 people provided any specific feedback or responded to the questions included.

56% of respondents rated the importance of introducing a Direct Payments Policy as 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being least important and 5 being most important.

Respondents were asked to rank the importance of specific areas being included in the new policy on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being least important and 5 being most important. Of those who commented:

• 81% rated the inclusion of a section on what Direct Payments can be used for as 4 or 5.
• 81% rated the inclusion of a section on the role of the person receiving a Direct Payment as 4 or 5.
• 88% rated the inclusion of a section including information on using a Direct Payment to employ a Personal Assistant as 4 or 5.
• 82% rated the inclusion of a section on Monitoring, Funding and Reclaims as 4 or 5.
• 82% rated the inclusion of a section on what support is available to recipients of Direct Payments as 4 or 5.

Based on the feedback the specific areas identified for inclusion were included in the policy.

Respondents were invited to submit any other subjects they felt should be included in the policy. A range of subjects were suggested. Feedback was considered and included in the policy where relevant. There were two suggested topics which could not be included fully but which were signposted from the document.

The revised Adults Social Care Direct Payments Policy was approved at Executive on 11 November 2025. A Consultation Feedback Report was appended to the committee report which provides full details of the survey feedback and actions taken.

The fully co-produced North Northamptonshire Carers Strategy 2024-2029 was introduced in April 2024. It included feedback, from consultation and engagement, with unpaid carers with lived experience of providing care to family, friends and loved ones.

Following the first year of implementation we sought views on our progress, including what has worked well, any challenges and any achievements.

We received 37 responses.

16 people said they were not aware that we contract Northamptonshire Carers to deliver unpaid carers services on our behalf, 10 said they were aware, 2 responded "not sure", the remainder did not know.

6 responders said we did meet their needs as an unpaid carer, the remainder either told us "no" we did not, they "didn't know", or they did not respond.

5 carers told us it was “fairly easy” to find the support they needed, 11 told us it was “not at all easy”.

5 carers told us they had been offered a carers assessment in the last year, 8 said no, 14 did not answer.

Reflecting on the assessment itself, we gained the following information:

3 carers told us they were signposted to information, but this wasn’t enough. 1 carer received a break, which they found beneficial. 2 carers used the support line/accessed a one stop shop /joined a peer group and created an emergency plan. 4 carers told us that the support groups offered by Northamptonshire Carers were not offered outside of traditional working hours, they felt this was unfair. 2 carers told us they struggled to access respite for their disabled child, an additional carer told us “more respite care needed” but did not provide any context to this. 2 carers told us they felt there were barriers in accessing support as an unpaid carer.

We are grateful to the carers that responded to the online survey, we also gained feedback face to face with carers, which resulted in some clear themes. The survey and face to face feedback tells us that although some good things are being achieved because of the Strategy, we have some identified target areas. These are:

• raising awareness of our partnership and funded contract arrangements with Northamptonshire Carers
• the carers assessment isn’t feely offered, and does not always meet needs
• carers want more offers outside of working hours
• accessing respite is important

What we will do:

• Raise awareness through our social media, and webpages, Local Area Partnerships, the VCSE sector, GP surgeries and hospitals. We will also explore other ways of sharing messaging.
• Through the contract monitoring process, we will work with Northamptonshire Carers on the following:

• Access to carers assessments
• Improving auditing to monitor carer outcomes
• Explore ways of improving offers for carers that work
• Audit the respite offer for adults, that sits within the contract

• Arrange a series of Carers workshops to set out the priorities and implementation of years 2 and 3 of the Strategy, the workshops will be open to carers to feedback their lived experience.

The aim of the survey was to explore current barriers to pharmacies providing emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), and to understand any challenges residents face when accessing EHC and other sexual health services in North Northamptonshire.

Pharmacy providers identified issues with training, funding, and system organisation that impact their ability to deliver EHC.

Stakeholders and residents told us that community pharmacy is often the preferred access point for EHC, but that more public education is needed around how to access it for free.

Transport and geography were also raised as barriers, especially for those trying to reach sexual health services from rural areas.

Survey findings were shared with local stakeholders, sexual health providers and public health leads to highlight key themes and inform future planning.

The insights are being used to guide further work, raise public awareness, and support a smooth transition as emergency contraception is added to the national NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service. This change will enable participating community pharmacies in England to provide free emergency contraception as part of their NHS offer. Local communications and support will be put in place to assist pharmacies and the public through this transition.

North Northamptonshire Council operates 13 cemeteries where residents of North Northamptonshire can choose to be buried. We sought the views of residents and users of services on a proposal to harmonise the management of the cemeteries and the regulations, into one overall set of Regulations.

144 responses were received. 79 supported consistent regulations and 17 disagreed, 20 didn’t express a preference and the remainder did not answer.

More details of responses can be found in Appendix B of the report shared at Executive on 11 November 2025.

In addition to the public consultation, the Place and Economy Scrutiny Committee reviewed the proposed policy on the 9 September 2026. The comments and feedback of the Committee formed part of the public consultation.   

Scrutiny Committee feedback reflected the concerns of the public regarding potential restrictions for families with the closing times. Discussions around the health and safety of users and antisocial behaviour in cemeteries concluded that the regulations would go forward to Executive without amendment.

The Regulations were included in the Executive meeting on the 11 November and was agreed without amendment. The decision was not called in, and the Regulations were implemented on the 19 November 2025.

All residents are encouraged to discuss their questions on cemeteries to either a chosen funeral Director or directly with the Bereavement Services Team at Warren Hill Crematorium office.   

Following the local elections, we wanted to understand peoples experience of the voting process to help us review and improve future election planning.

The survey sought to gather information on participation in the local elections, local electors understanding of the different types of election, whether electors had enough information to make an informed choice, and whether electors had any difficulties accessing the polling station.

89 online survey responses and 1 written response were received.

The responses to this survey will be used to inform the public engagement strategy and election plans.

The public engagement strategy is how we will identify and engage with potential target audiences, details of the communications channels we will use, how we will work with internal and external partners to reach target audiences and how we will raise awareness through advertising and the media. The survey responses will help us to assess what we need to provide to electors and what we can do better.

The election plans will allow us to tailor our communications aiming to improve elector knowledge and to make the elector experience as easy as possible by enhancing voters understanding of the procedures and processes. The responses, alongside other local area data, can be used to inform work to improve responses and electoral engagement in areas with lower levels of engagement.