01 September 2022

West Northamptonshire Council is taking precautionary steps to deal with a fresh wave of significant financial challenges emerging as issues for many local authorities from the continuing cost of living crisis and lasting impacts of the Covid pandemic.

The council’s financial position is not unique and being faced by all councils due to a range of national factors, including rising inflation rates which are driving up Council running costs, construction costs and the cost of services that the council buys, the ongoing impact of Covid on income and on the demand for services.

The challenges, which are particularly evident in the important work the council does in supporting children in care, vulnerable adults, and those needing temporary accommodation, are likely to result in an unpredicted shortfall in its budget this year, with the pressures set to continue into 2023/24. The council is taking swift action to ensure it continues to deliver its ambitions, and meet its duty to provide vital services to local communities.

Finance officers are currently working through the figures to confirm the authority’s future financial projections in time for its Quarter One reporting to both members of Cabinet and Scrutiny Committee later this month. However prudent planning is already under way for a potential shortfall in the range of between £5million and £10million.

Senior managers and Cabinet members continually monitoring budget and spending for the authority, and this week all WNC staff received the latest update on financial pressures and the need to take immediate action to start heading off the issues. New measures include stricter spending controls across teams and a major review of existing budgets to see where further savings and efficiencies can be made. Alongside this, the council continues to drive forward its work to transform services.

Councillor Malcolm Longley, Cabinet Member for Finance at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “Having initially balanced the books in our first year, stabilising services and progressing towards post-pandemic recovery, we find ourselves facing a fresh wave of financial challenges which no-one could have predicted.

"We are not alone in this, with many other councils finding themselves in a similar, if not worse position and we need to act now to start addressing the scale of the challenge ahead in ways that protect services as a priority.

"We have managed our finances robustly and prudently, learning lessons from the legacy of the previous local authorities and we will build on this strong start and act now to tackle these emerging pressures head on.

"A financial review is under way across the authority and we’re putting tighter spending controls in place as early as possible to help mitigate these issues. We will also be looking at additional ways we can work more efficiently and differently to help save money and our staff will be playing an important role in supporting this work."

A report on the Council’s financial position for quarter one of this year’s budget, plus details of emerging future pressures on the authority, will be presented to members of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 19 September and then to members of the Cabinet at their meeting on 23 September.

The reports will be published closer to the meeting dates and viewed on the committee pages of this website.

Next week is @NFCC_FireChiefs Business Safety Week. If you own, run or are responsible for a small or medium business look out for fire safety information and advice by following #BusinessSafety22

Business Safety Week is an opportunity for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), supported by Fire and Rescue Services to make small and medium sized businesses aware of their fire safety responsibilities in the workplace, and is a chance to let these businesses know that there is help and advice available for them all year round.  The aim is to help small to medium sized businesses to work with fire and rescue services to make sure they are complying with fire safety law and reduce their risk of fire. It is vital that fire and rescue services work with Responsible Persons (RPs) to remind them that in managing their full suite of risks, the need to maintain and inform a suitable and sufficient Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) is priority.

Many fires in the workplace are preventable and many businesses never recover after a fire incident. Simple measures on reducing risks and ensuring staff know how to respond if a fire should happen keeps people safe and makes business sense.
At this time of year many businesses will be preparing for the Christmas period and may also be impacted by the current cost of living crisis. Any changes to the way businesses operate can impact fire safety so we urge them ensure they have reviewed Fire
Risk Assessments to reflect any changes.

Many smaller businesses may have accommodation above or adjacent to them and the week will also highlight fire safety for these premises. We encourage residents living above a business to check they are protected from any fire risks and businesses to ensure they don’t compromise people’s homes. Residents and business owners can both approach the fire service for advice.

Gavin Tomlinson NFCC’s chair for protection and business safety said “Fire and rescue services are committed to helping all types of businesses reduce the risk of fire in the workplace and be compliant with fire safety law. We don’t expect businesses to be experts that’s’ why we are here to provide help and advice. We encourage any business to work with their fire service to help prevent fires to help them remain productive, safe and legal.”

30 August 2022

The number of West Northamptonshire unitary councillors is set to change from 93 to 77 at the next local elections in 2025 under proposals announced today by The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE).

The recommendation by the Commission signals the end of the first stage of a planned review of electoral arrangements for West Northamptonshire Council, with residents now encouraged to get involved in the next phase by having their say on how the authority’s voter wards should be shaped around the proposed new number of councillors.

The LGBCE launches its public consultation today and will start with a ‘blank map’ of the West Northamptonshire Council area, asking people to give their views on how the electoral wards should be drawn up.

The consultation runs until 7 November and people can get involved by giving their views on the LGBCE’s website where they will also find useful guidance and maps of the current wards, via email at [email protected] or by post, by writing to the West Northamptonshire Review Officer at: LGBCE, PO Box 133, Blyth, NE24 9FE.

The last electoral review in Northamptonshire took place in 2013 and WNC’s current electoral arrangements are based on those of the previous county council, with 93 councillors serving across 31 wards.

The proposal to reduce the number of WNC councillors by 16 reflects recommendations made by the Council to the LGBCE in June this year to ensure the democratic needs of residents are served as effectively as possible.

Councillor Suresh Patel, Chairman of the Council’s Democracy Standards Committee and the Local Boundary Review Working Group said: “We welcome the Commission’s proposal, which is in line with our own cross-party assessment of the right number of councillors we believe we need to effectively represent communities, deliver council business and provide efficient governance.

"This is the first opportunity in almost a decade to review the electoral arrangements for West Northamptonshire so it’s great news that we’re now moving on to the next stage, and a real chance for our residents and communities to now get involved and help shape our future electoral wards.

"It’s so important that we get the best outcome possible for West Northamptonshire from the Commission’s review so I would encourage as many people as possible to join in the consultation and have their say on these new arrangements, which will lie at the heart of the local democratic process."

The LGBCE consultation, which runs from today until 7 November, is asking residents, local groups and organisations, as well as the Council itself, to suggest how the new ward boundaries should be drawn up by providing evidence such as community interactions, geographical features and local circumstances.

The review is expected to end in late 2023, once the LGBCE has made its recommendations to government and an Order is laid in Parliament to change the legislation and make the new electoral arrangements.

You can access the consultation and see more information and timescales about the review on the LGBCE website.

25 August 2022

Cllr Fiona Baker, WNC Cabinet member for children, families and education, said: “First of all, I would like to say a big well done to every young person in West Northants who has collected their GCSE exam results.

"I would also like to thank teachers, leaders and schools for their hard work, support and partnership in delivering these excellent results.

"GCSEs are a significant milestone in the lives of children and young people, marking the culmination of many years of hard work, and whatever the result there are lots of options available to achieve a bright future.

"If you did not get the results you hoped for, there are plenty of options to continue your learning or start making the first steps towards working life.

"In the first instance you should approach your teacher or school’s careers advisor, but you can also find resources at the National Careers Service.

"I wish all students every success, as they move on to further education, employment or training.”

25 August 2022

A shop sold an e-cigarette to a girl under the legal purchasing age during a test operation carried out by West Northamptonshire Council’s Trading Standards team this month.

Two 16 year-old girls, under the supervision of Trading Standards’ officers, visited 13 shops across Daventry and Northampton in August in order to attempt to buy e-cigarettes and cigarettes. The legal age for purchasing both these items is 18.

12 out of 13 shops correctly asked the girls for ID and refused sale when they could not produce any.

However one shop sold a girl an e-cigarette making no attempt to ask for proof of age from the underage girl, and will now face further investigation.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for community safety and engagement and regulatory services at West Northamptonshire Council, said: "It is encouraging to see that 12 out of 13 shops stopped and asked this girl for ID when attempting to purchase tobacco-based products, however, this operation demonstrates that there is still work to do.

"Asking someone how old they are, or making an assumption about their age is not enough. All shops must have policies in place to challenge young people buying age restricted goods, such as alcohol, tobacco or vaping products."

All of the shops chosen for the exercise were the subject of complaints over underage sales, and shopkeepers across West Northamptonshire are being reminded of the proof-of-age checks they must make before selling tobacco or e-cigarettes.

Most businesses do this by operating a Challenge 25 policy. If a customer looks under the age of 25, proof of age is required, and staff must be trained to verify the customer’s age before selling age-restricted products.

The vape and cigarette test purchases were part of an enforcement project supported by the Department of Health & Social Care that aims to ensure e-cigarettes or e-liquids are not sold to people under the age of 18.

It follows a previous operation in April, when one out of the six shops visited sold e-cigarettes to a 16-year-old girl.

WNC continue its commitment to monitoring the illegal sale of products to those underage in the West of the county. People can report underage sales to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.