Archive for category: News

Members of the Cabinet met last night (Tuesday, 12 Dec) to discuss a range of saving and efficiency proposals which will allow the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to balance its books, while protecting the most vulnerable in our community and tackling the rise in costs and demand for services.

The proposals are now open to public feedback for six weeks until midnight on Tuesday, 23 January. The final budget will be presented to the full Council in February 2024.

People can have their say on the budget proposals by completing the survey on our Consultation Hub. The survey can be accessed online for free at libraries across West Northants, or you can request a copy in another format by emailing haveyoursay@westnorthants.gov.uk or phoning 0300 126 7000.

Councillor Malcolm Longley, Cabinet Member for Finance at West Northamptonshire Council, said:

“We have worked hard to shape a robust, balanced draft budget that prioritises our resources to support our most vulnerable residents and protect frontline services in the most cost-effective way possible.

“Your feedback is very important to us, as it empowers us to make informed decisions and drive positive changes in our communities. So, please take the time to tell us what you think. You don’t have to answer all of the questions or provide feedback on every section, you can choose to focus on the areas that are most important to you.”

The budget proposals for next year are made up of a £409.2m net revenue budget (excluding grant-funded schools’ expenditure of £451m) and also include £25.7m of efficiencies through planned improvements in productivity and additional income generation.

To help WNC balance the books whilst continuing to protect services during its fourth year as a unitary authority, the draft budget proposals include:

• Increasing fees and charges broadly in line with inflation, to ensure they continue to properly reflect today’s operating costs.
• Proposing to raise Council Tax by 4.99% This increase equates to an average rise of £1.63 a week on a Band D property.
• Continuing to review services and restructure teams within the organisation, introducing new, more efficient ways of working to make back-office savings without impacting on how services are delivered to residents.

During 2024/25 the Council also plans to invest a total of almost £143m in its capital programme, to improve local infrastructure and assets such as land, buildings and equipment.

It is also set to spend an estimated £20m in public health funding from the Government in the year ahead to progress a range of schemes aimed at improving residents’ wellbeing, reducing health inequalities and continuing to support communities through the ongoing cost of living challenges.

Within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) there are plans to invest £54m of capital funds in social housing during the next financial year, which forms part of a total five-year capital programme which amounts to £279m. Also built into the plans is investment in decarbonisation which is estimated to impact on 500 homes.

The capital investment in 2024-25 includes:

• £7m on external improvements
• £11m on internal works improvements
• £2.3m on disabled adaptations
• £24m on new build programmes and major projects; and
• £10m on buying back social housing and for spot purchases of suitable properties.

In addition to this the Council will spend approximately £65m on managing and maintaining the existing housing stock which is funded primarily by Housing Rents received from current tenants.

To ensure this can be achieved, the draft budget proposals include an increase in rents in our rented housing of 7.7% in line with the Government’s amended Rent Standard.

Cabinet will consider the final budget for 2024/25 on Tuesday, 13 February 2024 for recommendation to the full Council meeting on Thursday, 22 February 2024; subject to any changes made following consideration of the consultation feedback, the Local Government financial settlement and the latest financial position.

These stalls are a bespoke design with unique features, designed specifically for the needs of the Northampton Market traders. They are made of heavy-duty steel frames with robust cladding, which provides a sustainable and robust product. They include automated shutters which provide customers with shelter when up and security for traders when closed; this high level of security was requested by traders, so they are able to securely leave their produce in the units.

Although there are different types of units – some with a counter, some with a shop front and others that are fully open – all stalls can be fitted to the needs of individual traders, have space for their branding and signage and have access to utilities such as power, lighting and water. There will also be semi-permanent stalls in the Market Square to provide a mix of options for traders with different needs and encourage a greater variety of products and services for customers.

The market stalls have been installed, this will allow the supporting infrastructure and paving surrounding these to progress. Traders, who have been involved with in the design of the stalls, will have an opportunity to visit them in the new year.

Councillor Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at West Northamptonshire Council said:

“I am thrilled to see the first of Northampton’s new market stalls being delivered this week. Working closely with our partners Stepnell, it is great to see the project progress and reach important milestones such as this.

“We will continue to liaise with market traders and keep encouraging everyone to visit the temporary market on Commercial Street with events such as the free outdoor ice-skating taking place there this winter.”

The stalls were designed and manufactured by Asteco Industria (Prestige Kiosks) who won the contract to supply the stalls after a competitive tendering process which included UK based and European suppliers. Prestige offered the best quality product and best value for money following this process.

To stay up to date with regeneration across Northampton visit www.wearenorthampton.com

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is progressing proposals to relocate the majority of its office workers to its base in One Angel Square (OAS), Northampton.

The Council will also continue to enhance its locality hubs at The Abbey in Daventry and The Forum, Towcester whilst also building on the success of its recent Customer Service drop-in events for residents of Brackley.

The moves follow a thorough review which identified the Council has significantly more office space than it requires, along with a need to change how it uses its buildings to better support residents.

Council staff currently based in the modern part of the Guildhall in Northampton and some teams currently working from The Forum in Towcester will relocate to OAS in stages during 2024 and early 2025 and Northampton’s One Stop Shop will also move from the Guildhall to the lower ground floor of OAS, resulting in a more modern and accessible service for residents.

The Council will retain the older, historic Guildhall and it will continue to house the Coroner’s Office, committee and meeting rooms.

The plans follow the successful relocation of services from Lodge Road, Daventry in the summer, and development of the nearby Abbey Centre into a locality hub including Adults, Children’s and other frontline WNC services joining community and voluntary partners.

Councillor Jonathan Nunn, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council said: “Changes to the way we work and how we deliver our services mean we have a lot more office space than we need, so it makes real sense for us to review our buildings and it’s what taxpayers would expect us to do.

“Bringing more of our colleagues together into a central Northampton office will enable us to collaborate and innovate to deliver better services for all our residents. As we continue moving towards our commitment to become net zero by 2030, it will also help us reduce our carbon footprint as well as our running and maintenance costs to improve value for money for our residents.

“To align with the changing needs of our community, we are also reshaping how we provide services in localities across West Northants, by working with our partners in places such as locality hubs, warm and welcoming spaces, libraries and with outreach teams. An important part of these proposals is around further developing our locality hubs in Towcester and Daventry and considering additional hub locations for the future.

“Our plans for a modernised and progressive One Stop Shop at One Angel Square will offer better facilities and support for both our residents and our staff and will add further value to our existing offer, which already includes customer drop-in sessions across West Northants.

Once services have relocated from the modern part of the Guildhall during 2024 and 2025, the Council will be looking at disposal options for these surplus offices as it seeks to achieve efficiency savings for taxpayers. The historic part of the Guildhall is not included in these proposals.

Northampton Town Council will continue to operate from the old part of the Guildhall under the current lease arrangements which run until April 2025. WNC will then require the space to accommodate its committees, meetings and other services and will be working with the Town Council to explore suitable alternative locations for the authority when the current lease ends.

Further financial information around the future office proposals will be presented to Cabinet members at their meeting in January.