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16 January 2023

Every year the Council plans for the money it will have available and how it should spend it in line with the priority objectives set out in its Corporate Plan.
At a meeting held on 20 December, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet approved for consultation its draft budget for 2023-24 and launched a six-week consultation seeking people’s views on a series of savings proposals to address a significant funding gap, whilst still protecting essential services.
The public consultation runs until midnight on Tuesday 31 January 2023 and the council wants your feedback on the proposals, and for you to encourage your friends and family to also have their say.
The Council successfully delivered a balanced budget for its first year of operation within 2021/22 and set a balanced budget for the current year (2022/23).
However, like all councils up and down the country, there have been a number of unprecedented financial issues throughout this financial year which have significantly increased the cost-of-service delivery.
The main financial issues include:
- inflationary and cost of living pressures impacting directly on the cost of providing services
- ongoing financial impact of COVID allied with the withdrawal of significant COVID funds previously received
- continued additional demand led and inflationary pressures within the Children’s Trust
- continued additional demand led pressures within the Adult Social Care
- additional operator costs in providing school transport for children
- cost of living pay award expected to be significantly greater than the amount included at the time of setting the budget based on the latest national pay award offer made by the employers’ organisation
You can take part in the consultation by completing the online survey..
If you have any queries, comments or would like a copy of this questionnaire in another format (including easy read or large print) you can contact us by email, post, or telephone. Our contact details are as follows: Email address: [email protected] Telephone: 0300 126 7000
Postal address: Budget Consultation Response, West Northamptonshire Council, The Guildhall, St Giles Street, Northampton, NN1 1DE.
Comments will be considered, and the final budget report will be brought back before Cabinet on 13 February prior to final approval at Full Council on 22 February 2023.
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13 January 2023

Future improvements and revised parking charges at Daventry and Brixworth country parks and Northampton Racecourse will be considered at the cabinet meeting of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) on Tuesday, 17 January.
The current methods of paying for parking in Brixworth and Daventry country parks are inconvenient for users, do not offer a choice of periods, and are vulnerable to abuse and non-payment. The machines are also aging and prone to failure.
While the Racecourse car park tends to be used by people who then walk to the town centre, meaning it is not fully available for its intended purpose.
At the cabinet meeting, councillors will consider proposals to provide new ANPR based parking payment systems (using automatic number plate recognition) and new tariffs at the country parks and the Racecourse.
Overall, it is anticipated that the arrangements will generate an additional £176k pa in revenue, with an installation cost of £144k.
"Daventry and Brixworth Country parks and The Racecourse provide beautiful spaces for our residents and visitors to enjoy.Cllr Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for environment, transport, highways and waste at WNC."The existing car parking equipment is not fit for purpose and it is essential we bring this up to date for our users.
"Increasing fees enables us to invest in our car parks, and ensure that they’re accessed by people using these facilities. We have worked hard to consider all options and keep the costs to a minimum as much as possible."
The Council also plans to introduce a special season ticket for Park Run participants.
"The Council recognises the value of Park Run as a way people of all ages and backgrounds can get into running, making themselves healthier and making friends at the same time.Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for housing, culture and leisure at WNC."So even in these challenging financial times we wanted to support the Park Runs at Brixworth, Daventry, and Northampton Racecourse."
Existing country park parking charges:
- Daventry, all day £2.20
- Brixworth, up to four hours £3.50
- Brixworth, up to eight hours £5.50
- Brixworth, up to twelve hours £7.50
- Brixworth only season ticket £38.00
- Dual park season ticket £70.00
- Racecourse: no charges
Proposed for country parks parking charges:
- Up to two hours £3.00
- Up to four hours £4.00
- Up to six hours £6.00
- Up to eight hours £8.00
- All day £12.00
- Single park season ticket £70.00
- Dual park season ticket& £100.00
- Park Run season ticket (8:30-10:30 Saturday mornings) £5.00
Racecourse proposed charges:
- Monday to Friday (Max stay 3 hours)
- Up to 1 Hour - £1.10
- Up to 2 Hours - £2.20
- Up to 3 Hours - £3.30
- Evening Overnight - £2.20
- Saturday - £2.00
- Sunday £2.00
If Councillors agree to implement the improvements to the car park and increased car parking costs, the new fees will be introduced by April 2023 and it is anticipated that the ANPR system will be introduced by summer 2023.
To find out more and view the cabinet report browse the online agenda for next week's Cabinet Meeting.
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14 January 2023

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has welcomed the Home Office’s decision not to pursue its current plans to temporarily house up to 400 additional asylum seekers in the area.
In December the Home Office informed the Council of its intention to use a former hotel as a fourth site for asylum contingency accommodation in West Northants, with the possibility of it becoming operational this month.
However yesterday evening (Friday 13 January) Home Office officials notified the Council that it had decided not to pursue use of the accommodation at present.
The move comes after WNC expressed its concerns over the unsuitability of the proposed location and the added strain that providing access to essential services would place on already-stretched health, education and social care.
West Northamptonshire is currently supporting more hotel guests than any other area in the East Midlands with around 600 including 250 Afghan guests across 2 hotels, with the remainder in three of the Government’s asylum contingency accommodation. In addition, around 500 Ukrainian refugees, who also need access to local services, are staying with hosts in the area.
We welcome the Home Office’s rethink on currently using this former hotel as a fourth site for asylum contingency accommodation in West Northants. Its location is totally unsuitable, in close proximity to two of the other sites and would place unprecedented pressure on local health services and GP surgeries, cause capacity issues in nearby schools and additional strain on adult social care.Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Leader of the CouncilWe are incredibly proud of how residents across West Northants have welcomed hundreds of refugees fleeing persecution and conflict, and the fact we already support the largest number of guests in our region is testament to the kindness and generosity of our communities. But we must have sufficient resources in place to meet their essential needs and the kind of commitment West Northants has made needs to be equally spread across the UK.
I am pleased that our representations to the Home Office expressing serious concerns about their proposal have been taken on board and I would like to thank members of the local community, WNC councillors and staff for their involvement and support.Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Engagement, and Regulatory ServicesWe will continue to closely follow the Home Office’s future plans around accommodation support for asylum seekers and keep communities engaged and updated.
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More than 1,000 premises were visited by Fire Protection officers in 2022 to help significantly reduce the risk of fires in buildings where people live, work and visit.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue has also reached out to property owners across the county to ensure they meet their legal requirements.
Among those to have been targeted recently are landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupancy. HMOs are properties where at least three unrelated people rent out rooms in the same home.
There are more than 3,000 HMOs in Northamptonshire, and HMO owners are being urged to book visits with the Fire Protection department, as are owners of B&Bs, guest houses, AirBnBs, flats and caravan owners.
The Protection Department offers specialist advice to landlords to ensure they meet the latest safety regulations. Fire crews have also received training to conduct HMO visits so as to extend the reach NFRS has and allow Protection Officers to focus on complex work in higher risk areas.
Scott Richards, Head of Protection at NFRS, said: “HMOs present themselves as a high-risk premises in comparison to dwellings that are occupied by a single family.
“If you live in a HMO you are six times more likely to die in a fire rather than a single family house, and 16 times more likely to suffer serious injury if the building is three-storeys or more.
“The main causes of fires in HMOs tend to be faulty electrical appliances, overloaded sockets, the use of candles and cooking.
“We want to work with landlords so that they can reassure residents that their properties are as safe as they can possibly be, and also so that they can help their tenants to understand fire risks as well and how to reduce those risks.”
The Fire Service has regulatory powers that apply only to the common and shared areas of HMOs such as kitchens but are happy to advise on safety throughout a property.
As well as HMOs, Scott is also urging owners of residential care and nursing homes to make sure they are making their properties as safe as possible for residents.
He added: “Generally, premises that have a sleeping risk, such as HMOs but also care homes, nursing homes and hotels, are the ones that need to prioritise.
“We would urge owners or managers of premises to review their emergency evacuation procedures, ensure staff are fully trained and to regularly check and maintain both fire doors and fire alarm systems.”
Businesses can contact the Protection Team at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service for specialist advice, and to receive a bespoke safety approach by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
They can also call 01604 797 000 and ask for Fire Protection, or request a visit from Protection Officers by clicking here.
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12 January 2023

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Cabinet is set to discuss plans to support the creation of a new Active Quarter in the heart of Northampton at their meeting next week.
The report, which will be considered by members at their meeting on Tuesday (17 January) details how a new Active Quarter in the town would use and transform existing green and urban spaces and nearby waterways to improve people’s health and wellbeing, at the same time uniting communities, aiding regeneration and improving safety.
The vision is to create an Active Quarter in the southwest area of the town to encompass Midsummer Meadow, Beckets Park, Delapré Abbey, Delapré Park Golf Centre, Brackmills and the neighbouring Pocket Parks.
The Active Quarter is supported by a collaborative group of stakeholders including the University of Northampton (UON), WNC, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, Northamptonshire Sport, Brackmills Business Improvement District (BID), West Northants Public Health and British Cycling.
The group are working towards a collective ambition to create a recognised Active Quarter brand in the future.
Progress has been achieved already with the delivery of projects such as the recently-opened award-winning Northampton Mountain Bike Park, wheelchair accessible angling platforms around the Nene Valley water-skiing lake, and a partnership between UON and Public Health to develop Waterside as an ‘Active Campus’ for staff and students.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with local organisations to develop this new initiative in the heart of Northampton.Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for housing, culture and leisure."The proposed Active Quarter covers an area of over 900 hectares – including extensive areas of green space and water, miles of footpaths, cycle routes, and sport and leisure facilities.
"It is well evidenced that accessible, high quality, safe, open space supports people in living healthier lives. This project will play an important role in protecting and enhancing a valuable recreational space and shaping the future health and wellbeing of communities in Northampton and the surrounding areas."
The Cabinet meeting starts at 6pm on Tuesday, 17 January and can be viewed online at the Council’s Youtube Channel @westnorthants. View the full Cabinet report paper on the WNC website.
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