The Cabinet of West Northamptonshire Council were scheduled to meet to discuss a range of issues, including a proposed Public Spaces Protection Order to address car cruising, the recommissioning of support services at Oasis House, and the renewal of Microsoft software licensing. The meeting was scheduled to be held at One Angel Square, Northampton.

Car cruising PSPO

The cabinet were scheduled to consider a report about whether to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) across West Northamptonshire, in order to tackle anti-social behaviour related to car cruising.

The report pack included a draft of the proposed order, which states that:

All persons are prohibited at all times from the following within the Restricted Area;

1. Participating in any car cruising activity as a passenger or driver of a motor vehicle.
2. Congregating to spectate any cruising activity undertaken in the restricted area.

The report pack defines car cruising as a number of activities including: driving at excessive speed, revving engines, sudden acceleration, driving in convoy, racing, leaving engines running while stationary, performing stunts, sounding horns, playing amplified music from a vehicle, and causing an obstruction.

The report pack notes that Northamptonshire Police react to reports of car cruising, and on occasion prosecute road traffic offences. It notes that these events often occur late on Friday or Saturday nights, which is a time of peak demand on police resources. The report pack also notes that many neighbouring local authorities have PSPOs in place, displacing the issue into West Northamptonshire.

The report pack included a summary of 129 responses to a public consultation on the proposals. Of those responding to the consultation, 61% agreed with the making of the order, 23% disagreed and 16% did not know or offered no opinion.

The report pack included a table of incidents reported to Northamptonshire Police between 2020 and 2025. Some of the locations mentioned in the table include: Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT), Swan Valley, Sixfields, Red Lion Truckstop, Crick Industrial Estate and Moulton.

Support services at Oasis House

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report seeking approval to begin the process of commissioning a support provider for people with a history of rough sleeping, or those at risk of rough sleeping, who are accommodated at Oasis House.

The report pack notes that this follows a decision by the cabinet in March 2025 to acquire Oasis House after Midland Heart decided to move away from providing supported housing in West Northamptonshire.

The report pack states that the commissioned service would begin on 1 October 2025, and would be funded from the government's Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant.

The report pack notes that the council had previously commissioned Midland Heart to deliver housing support services to residents at Oasis House. The contract was due to expire on 31 March 2025, but was extended to 30 September 2025 to allow time for the council to acquire Oasis House and ensure continued support.

The report pack states that consultations, including workshops and surveys, would take place with internal and external stakeholders and service users to inform the recommissioning process.

The report pack recommends that a block contract is awarded to the preferred supplier for a period of 3 years 6 months, with a possible one-year extension.

The report also notes that although a support provider would be commissioned to deliver housing support for residents at Oasis House, the day-to-day housing management of Oasis House would be delivered through Northamptonshire Partnership Homes.

Microsoft software licensing

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report seeking approval to continue licensing the use of Microsoft software by West Northamptonshire Council, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and Northamptonshire Partnership Homes.

The report pack notes that the existing three-year Microsoft Enterprise Subscription Agreement (ESA) ends on 30 June 2025. The report recommends entering into another ESA to continue using the software and receiving support, including security patches and updates.

The report pack states that the use of Microsoft software has grown within the council, particularly new technologies around artificial intelligence, data, and cloud computing.

The report pack notes that the Microsoft software portfolio includes products such as Microsoft Server, Microsoft SQL Server¹, Windows 10 and 11, Microsoft 365², Microsoft Fabric³, Azure⁴ and Power Platform⁵.

The report pack considers the option of not renewing the software licenses, but notes that access to all Microsoft applications would cease, as well as access to files and data stored in the cloud, with the likelihood that these items would be deleted automatically.