West Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2024/25 Consultation - Group Facilitator’s Feedback Form

Overview

Every year West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) plans for the money it will have available and how it should be spent on delivering services in line with the priorities and objectives set out in its Corporate Plan. At their meeting on 12 December 2023, the Council’s Cabinet approved plans to consult the public on WNC's draft budget for 2024-25 and we are now seeking views on these proposals.

Our plans and budget proposals make sure that resources are prioritised and allocated so that the most vulnerable in our local community continue to be supported in the most cost-effective way possible.

Like all councils up and down the country, we continue to experience the financial impact of both increasing costs for the services we buy and provide and the rising demand from people who need our help and support.

Our main financial issues include:

• Inflationary and cost of living pressures impacting directly on the cost of providing services,
• Continued additional demand-led and inflationary pressures within Children and Adult's Social Care services,
• Increasing costs and demand for the services we provide to Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Increasing costs and demand for providing home to school transport,
• Increase in demand for temporary accommodation and increased levels of homelessness.

Our draft budget for 2024/25 aims to address these issues whilst protecting the vital services we deliver to our communities in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Here is a broad overview of our main proposals:

• To increase the average Council Tax by 4.99 per cent, comprising 2.99 per cent general increase and a further 2 per cent specifically for adult social care in line with the limit set by Government.
• To increase fees and charges, where possible, broadly in line with inflation to ensure they reflect and address operational cost and service demand. To increase fees associated with planning services to align with recently introduced national guidance,
• 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.
• A proposed General Fund Capital Programme proposing a £28m increase for the 24/25 financial year.

The Council has also published a draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget for 2024/25. The HRA is a ring-fenced account which records the cost of managing the Council’s housing stock.

Within the HRA are proposals to invest £54m in social housing during the next financial year, which will form part of a total five year capital programme amounting to £279m.

The Council is proposing to increase rents by 7.7%, in accordance with the Government's amended Rent Standard, equating to an average increase of £8.00 per week, and to also increase service charges and garage rents by 7.7%. This proposed increase in rent is critical in funding the maintenance and delivery of ‘fit for purpose’ housing.

In light of the on-going cost of living pressures on residents, any underspend from the previous 2023-24 hardship fund will be rolled forward into 2024-25 to provide support to tenants who may be facing additional financial difficulties as a result of the increase.

Your views on all our draft budget proposals are really important to us. All consultation feedback will be analysed and considered to help councillors make a final decision on the budget, this will take place at WNC's Full Council meeting on 22 February 2024.

This meeting is held in public and anyone wishing to submit a statement to the meeting must contact Democratic Services by 6pm on 21 February 2024. You can do this by email democraticservices@westnorthants.gov.uk, or by post or in person at West Northamptonshire Council, The Guildhall, St Giles' Street, Northampton, NN1 1DE .

Up to three members of the public are permitted to speak for up to three minutes each on any agenda item, although this may be extended at the Chair’s discretion.

Related Documents

Please read the related documents for a better understanding of the budget proposals before you comment on them.

• Cabinet Meeting Draft Budget 2024/25 and Medium Term Financial Plan report, and its appendices:
  • Appendix A – Draft Revenue Budget and MTFP Summary
  • Appendix B – Draft Budget Proposals
  • Appendix C – Fees and Charges
  • Appendix D – Draft Dedicated Schools Grant
  • Appendix E – Draft Capital Programme
  • Appendix E1 - Draft Capital Programme schemes
• 2024-25 Draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan, and its appendices
  • Appendix 1 – Draft HRA Revenue Budget 2024-25 and Medium-Term Financial Plan
  • Appendix 2 – Draft Growth, Efficiencies, and Investment Proposals
  • Appendix 3 – Draft HRA Capital Programme
  • Appendix 4 – Draft Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) Management Fee
  • Appendix 5 – Draft Schedule of Service Charges

Have your say

This form is to help assist a group of respondents to record and provide their feedback as a collective group (for example a community group) to one or more of the consultation proposals.

If you would like to respond to the consultation as an individual, or if you are responding on behalf of an organisation, then we would encourage you to complete the online questionnaire at https://westnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/budget-2024-25 (paper copies available upon request).

The following sections provide further details of the budget proposals that residents and service users may have the strongest views on, however, you can comment on anything within the Draft Budget in the comment boxes. Please tell us your views by completing this questionnaire. You do not have to answer all of the questions or give us your feedback on every section.

You can also access this questionnaire online free of charge at any West Northamptonshire Council library. Please visit https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/libraries or telephone 0300 126 7000 to check opening times.

Alternatively, you can email or send your comments in by post using the contact details below.

If you have any queries, comments or would like a copy of this questionnaire in another format you can contact us by email, post, or telephone. Our contact details are as follows:

Email address: haveyoursay@westnorthants.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 126 7000

Postal address:

• Budget Consultation Response
• West Northamptonshire Council
• The Guildhall
• St Giles' Street
• Northampton
• NN1 1DE

Your feedback will be part of a report with other people’s feedback, so you will not be personally identified.

The deadline for completing this questionnaire is midnight on Tuesday 23 January 2024.

If you prefer you can download the below PDF version of this questionnaire to discuss with your group and email or post the form back to us.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.

Thank you for helping us by completing this questionnaire.

What happens next

Once the consultation period closes on 23 January 2024, we will analyse the results and then final budget proposals will be developed before going back to the West Northamptonshire Council Full Council meeting on 22 February 2024.

Your feedback on this consultation is really important to us. All consultation feedback will be analysed and considered and will help councillors make a final decision on the budget for 2024/25.

The Full Council meeting is held in public. Anyone wishing to submit a statement to the meeting must contact Democratic Services by email (democraticservices@westnorthants.gov.uk), by post or in person (The Guildhall, St Giles' Street, Northampton, NN1 1DE) by 6pm 21 February 2024.

Up to three members of the public are permitted to speak for up to three minutes each on any agenda item although this may be extended at the Chair’s discretion.