Council presents balanced budget for 2025-6

04 February 2025

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has released details of its final budget plans for 2025-26 ahead of the matter being considered by Cabinet and Full Council later this month. 

Pressures caused by increasing cost and demand for both children’s services and adult social care continue to present significant challenges for councils across the country, including WNC. 

Despite this, the Council is proposing a balanced revenue budget of £959.6 million (£431.8 million excluding the Dedicated Schools Grant). 

The budget includes a Council Tax increase of 4.99 per cent, generating extra funding of around £19.2m – with 2 per cent of the increase going towards funding adult social care and representing an average increase on a Band D property of £88.73 a year, the equivalent of £1.71 a week. 

The budget has been the subject of a full public consultation exercise with comments received considered as part of the formulation of the final proposals. 

WNC’s planned £100m capital programme for the coming year incorporates a range of measures designed to improve infrastructure, support residents, and encourage sustainable growth. 

These include: 

• More than £12m on highways improvement 
• £2m for the creation of Family Hubs in Daventry and Northampton 
• £3.8m on the Northampton North-West Relief Road 
• £10m on temporary accommodation acquisitions and £10m on relocatable temporary accommodation. 
• £2m as part of the ongoing development plans for the regeneration of the Four Waterside site 
• £5.3m for the development of a new mortuary for the area 
• £11.1m for a new crematorium 

Despite increasing challenges, the Council is also anticipating a balanced Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget of £67.4m, which is funded through social housing rents. This includes an average rent increase of 2.7 per cent in line with rent regulator and government guidance. 

This increase also applies to service charges and garage rents, allowing the council to invest around £1 million in regulatory and health and safety requirements for managing its council housing. 

Additionally, the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme includes: 

• Continued investment of £25.8m in existing properties to improve and maintain them, with £2.6m to start addressing fire safety issues. The medium-term plan includes a further £21m for this purpose. 
• New build investment of £14.3m to deliver new homes, with 80 expected to be available in 2025-26 
• £10m for a property acquisition programme, including a grant-funded scheme from the Local Authority Housing Fund 3 
• £2.3m for additional disabled adaptations 

“We started our budgetary process this year with an anticipated £53m gap, so to be able to present a balanced forecast at this point is satisfying.

“We continue to see significant pressure and increase in demand on services, particularly in adult social care and children’s services, and our aspirations in these areas are just not matched by the available funding.

“And while the Government has provided some additional funding for social care in this year’s settlement, this is needed to offset the pressures currently being faced in these areas.”  Cllr Malcolm Longley, Cabinet Member for Finance

The final draft budget will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday 11 February and by Full Council on Thursday 20 February. Further details can be found on the Council website.