School admission arrangements must be determined annually and consulted must be carried out if changes are proposed. We asked for comments on the proposed admission arrangements for the 2023/24 academic year for community and voluntary controlled (local authority maintained) schools as we plan to reduce a small number of schools' Published Admission Numbers (PANs). In addition, each year, all local authorities must formulate and publish on their website, a scheme to co-ordinate admissions to the normal year of entry for all publicly funded schools within their area. Applications are processed in accordance with the timetables set out in these schemes. We asked for comments on the proposed Primary and Secondary co-ordinated schemes for the 2023 intake.
There were no comments or objections to the proposals.
As no comments were received in the consultation, we plan to determine the admission arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools in West Northamptonshire as proposed.
Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes (LCTRS) were introduced from April 2013 when Council Tax Benefit was abolished and replaced by locally agreed schemes. Those of pensioner age are protected by the prescribed regulations set out by central government.
By law, councils are required to have a scheme to help people on low incomes to pay their Council Tax. Each year councils needs to approve a LCTRS for the following 12 months. Where there are changes proposed, it is necessary for a public consultation to take place.
West Northamptonshire Council set its first Council Tax Reduction Scheme as a new unitary council for the financial year 2021 to 2022. The scheme is aligned for West Northants area and the level of minimum Council Tax contribution that working age claimants must pay is 20% of their Council Tax liability.
Proposal for changes to the LCTRS for 2022 to 2023.
The consultation ran from 20 September 2021 until midnight 17 October 2021 and included an online form open to all residents, stakeholders and people representing organisations.
The West Northamptonshire Council Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) Consultation 2022-23 received 310. 306 respondents participating via the questionnaire, three responses were received via social media, and there was one oral response via telephone.
Feedback on the proposals:
War widows and war disablement:
Care leavers:
For more information about the feedback received, please see the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2022 to 2023 Consultation Analysis Report and its Appendix.
On 9 November 2021, the West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet:
a) Noted the contents of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2022 to 2023 Cabinet report.
b) Recommended to Council a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2022-2023:
c) Recommended to Council that delegated authority would be given to the Executive Director Finance to make any changes to the LCTRS up to and including 31 January 2022 in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance.
REASONS RESOLVED:
To enable a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme for West Northamptonshire Council to be approved for the financial year 2022-2023 and for the final scheme to be in place by 31 January 2022.
For more information please see the West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet meeting papers of 9 November 2021.
West Northamptonshire Council proposed to make land owned by the Local Authority, to the West of Thorpeville, Moulton, known as ‘Wantage Farm’ available to the Department for Education (DfE) for delivery of a new secondary free school.
New free schools are funded and delivered by the DfE and WNC’s involvement in this matter is limited to providing the site for the proposed new school.
The ‘Proposal by West Northamptonshire Council to make Land West of Thorpeville, Moulton, available to the Department for Education for delivery of a new secondary free school’ consultation ran from Wednesday 4 August to midnight on Friday 3 September 2021.
At the point the period of consultation concluded on 3 September 2021, 688 responses had been received, broken down as follows:
Responses received to the consultation clearly emphasise that respondents agreed with WNC’s assessment that
However, responses in respect of questions relating to whether or not stakeholders believed Wantage Farm to be the right location for a new school were mixed.
The 34 written responses in the form of letters and emails are not included in the numerical analysis above. Of these, 29 expressed general opposition and 5 expressed general support.
On Wednesday 15 September 2021, West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet authorised the Assistant Director Assets and Environment to enter into an Agreement for Lease which would commit the Council to granting a 125-year lease for the construction, and ongoing use, of the site for new secondary school at Wantage Farm, Moulton, Northampton.
Reasons for the decision
For more information about the proposal, consultation and decision, please see the agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday 14 September 2021.
The proposed Cabinet decision would in no way impact on the consideration of the proposed planning application. That would provide a forum where issues such as transport and the impacts on the local area would be resolved.
We asked residents to give their views on proposals requesting changes to parking restrictions on streets in The Mounts area of Northampton:
For information about each proposal, please see the supporting information for the Traffic Regulation Order: The Mounts, Northampton activity.
We received 28 responses in total for the Traffic regulation order: Spring Boroughs, Northampton and the Traffic regulation order: The Mounts, Northampton activities.
There was majority approval for each proposal and so all proposals were submitted to the Highways department to be reviewed at the annual Traffic Regulations panel.
We asked residents to give their views on proposals requesting changes to parking restrictions on streets in the Spring Boroughs area of Northampton:
For information about each proposal, please see the supporting information for the Traffic Regulation Order: Spring Boroughs, Northampton activity.
We received 28 responses in total for the Traffic Regulation Order: Spring Boroughs, Northampton and the Traffic Regulation Order: The Mounts, Northampton activities.
Following feedback from Traffic Regulation Order: Spring Boroughs, Northampton activity:
The remaining proposals deemed acceptable have been submitted to the Highways department to be reviewed at the annual Traffic Regulations panel. Only responses where there was majority approval were included in the final submission.
Update on 14 May 2021: The links below have been updated following the transfer of committee meetings to the West Northamptonshire Council Moderngov website.
The first draft budget for West Northamptonshire Council was approved for consultation by the Shadow Executive on 5 January 2021.
The following summarises the main features of the proposed draft budget:
The draft budget was subject to a full public and business consultation exercise which ran for four weeks from 6 December 2021 and closed on 2 February 2021.
The consultation focused on the draft budget proposals that would likely affect residents and service users. However, respondents were invited to comment on anything within the draft budget.
Using the various means available to consultees, local people and organisations contributed to the West Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2021-22 Consultation 457 times.
Council Tax harmonisation proposals:
Council Tax increase proposals:
Housing Revenue Account (HRA) proposals:
For more information about the responses to the West Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2021-22 Consultation, please see Appendix I – West Northamptonshire Council Draft Budget 2021-22 Consultation Analysis Report from the West Northamptonshire Shadow Authority meeting on 23 February 2021.
On Tuesday 23 February 2021, the West Northamptonshire Shadow Authority approved a budget of £326.6 million to provide services to residents and businesses in West Northamptonshire.
For more information about the 2021 to 2022 budget for West Northamptonshire, please see the:
Update on 14 May 2021: The links below have been updated following the transfer of committee meetings to the West Northamptonshire Council Moderngov website.
From April 2013, each Local Authority has been required to determine a LCTRS, which replaced the national Council Tax Benefit scheme.
Prior to 1 April 2021, each District and Borough in West Northamptonshire had a different LCTRS that gives different levels of support to working age people. From April 2021, the current schemes will end and a new scheme will need to be agreed.
At the meeting on 27 October 2020, the Shadow Executive agreed six proposals, for consultation purposes only, and approved a consultation period of six weeks.
The consultation ran from Monday 2 November 2020 until midnight on Sunday 13 December 2020 and included an online form open to all residents, stakeholders and people representing organisations.
The proposals that were included in the consultation are shown below:
The West Northamptonshire Council Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) Consultation 2021-22 received 368 responses of which 309 were fully completed.
159 responses were from Local Council Tax Reduction recipients and 123 from other Council Taxpayers. The remaining responses were from people representing organisations and housing associations or from people who preferred not to say.
Feedback on the six proposals:
1. Level of contribution for working age:
2. War Widows and War Disablement:
3. Family Premium:
4. Child allowance in the calculation of LCTRS:
5. Minimum self-employed income:
6. Non dependant deductions:
For more information about the feedback received, please see the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) Consultation Results report.
A greater level of feedback was received to proposal one, the level of contribution of 26.5% to be paid by working age customers. There was a moderate level of support for this proposal as detailed in the report on the consultation outcome.
Having considered the consultation process and the ongoing economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a 20% scheme was recommended for adoption moving forward.
On Tuesday 26 January 2021, the West Northamptonshire Shadow Executive Committee:
a) Noted the contents of this report and the previous report received by the Shadow Executive on 5 January 2021;
b) Agreed, under 3.2.2 of the report, the following proposals:
c) Granted delegated authority to the Section 151 Officer to make amendments as required to the Local Council Tax Reduction Regulations up to and including 31 January 2021 including the income uprating announced by MHCLG.
For more information about the West Northamptonshire Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2021-2022, please see the West Northamptonshire Shadow Executive Committee meeting papers of 26 January 2021.
Update on 14 May 2021: The links below have been updated following the transfer of committee meetings to the West Northamptonshire Council Moderngov website.
The West Communications & Engagement Task and Finish Group were given a Brief, in June 2020, to come up with ideas for a Visual Identity / logo for the new West Northamptonshire Council.
The Consultation Hub was utilised to facilitate a widely publicised survey for residents, members and staff to give their opinions and suggestions on the 3 shortlisted draft logos.
The ‘Have your say on the new West Northamptonshire Council logo’ survey ran for 3 weeks from 17 August to 6 September 2020.
The ‘Have your say on the new West Northamptonshire Council logo’ survey received 1,740 responses.
539 respondents did not give a preference.
The preferred design was that of four interlinked rings, but as to be expected, there were also some very useful comments and suggestions which were used to create the final version of the logo.
Suggested amendments following survey comment analysis:
For more information on the ‘Have your say on the new West Northamptonshire Council logo’ survey, please see:
On Tuesday 24 November 2020, the West Northamptonshire Shadow Executive Committee:
Amendments following survey comment analysis:
Update on 14 May 2021: The links below have been updated following the transfer of committee meetings to the West Northamptonshire Council Moderngov website.
Prior to 1 April 2021, each sovereign council in the West Northamptonshire area had their own customer services opening hours.
In June 2020, the Programme Delivery Group approved in principle the harmonisation of hours for customer services opening hours for the North and West Northants subject to consultation with the public on preferred hours.
The consultation was limited to four options to manage expectations and enable the customer services opening hours to be harmonised with minimal impact on resources. Respondents had the options of:
The ‘Customer Services opening hours in the new Northamptonshire unitary authorities’ survey took place from the 27 July to 23 August 2020.
In total, the ‘Customer Services opening hours in the new Northamptonshire unitary authorities’ survey received 1,225 responses from residents of Northamptonshire.
Feedback on preferences:
There was a clear preference of 9:00am to 5:00pm from respondents in West Northamptonshire.
On Tuesday 27 October 2020, the West Northamptonshire Shadow Executive Committee approved the recommended customer services opening hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm for West Northamptonshire Council.
The analysis of consultation feedback alongside the telephony call volume data informed the recommended opening hours.
For more information about the approval of the customer services opening hours for West Northamptonshire Council, please see the: