Councillors to discuss proposed adjustments to housing budget
03 December 2024
West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Cabinet will meet next week to discuss plans to consult over housing budgets for 2025/26.
Funding from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is spent on maintaining and improving social housing, including building new homes.
Within the HRA there are plans to invest £77m in social housing during the next financial year, which forms part of a total five-year capital programme amounting to £261m.
The investment in 2025-26 includes:
- £8m on external improvements
- £7m on internal improvements
- £6m on structural works and compliance
- £3m on energy efficiency, heating and ventilation, and window improvements
- £2.3m on disabled adaptions
- £39m on new build programmes and major projects
- £10m on buying back social housing and acquisitions of suitable properties.
The Council has submitted a draft budget proposal for 2025-26 proposing an increase of 2.7% in accordance with the government’s amended rent standard, with effect from 1 April 2025. This is expected to see the average rent increase from £111.79 to £114.80 per week.
At their meeting next week (Tuesday, 10 December), Cabinet members will initially consider the draft proposals, with a six-week public consultation launching the following day (11 December) enabling residents to have their say ahead of the final budget going to Full Council in February.
We understand the pressures the rising cost of living places on our residents, and we do not take any proposed rent increase lightly. However, rent income is vital to maintaining and improving the quality of our current homes and delivering much-needed new housing across West Northamptonshire.Cllr Rosie Herring, Cabinet Member for Housing
This proposed 2.7% increase aligns with the Government’s amended Rent Standard and ensures we can continue to invest in vital projects, from energy efficiency upgrades and structural improvements to the development of new homes.
We encourage all residents to share their views during the consultation process, and we remain committed to balancing affordability with the responsibility of providing safe, quality housing for our communities.
The Cabinet will consider the draft budget proposal during their meeting at The Forum, Towcester, from 6pm on Tuesday, 10 December. This can be watched live via our YouTube Channel
The full 2025/26 draft budget reports are available to view online
Public consultation on the proposals will launch on Wednesday, 11 December, when further information on how to get involved will be available on our Consultation Hub