During the meeting of North Northamptonshire Council, held on 11 December 2025, councillors approved the Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2024-25, the Northamptonshire Youth Justice Plan 2025-26, and the terms of reference for a Community Governance Review. They also agreed to introduce council tax premiums for long-term empty properties and second homes, and set the council tax base for 2026/27.

Corporate Plan: Our Plan for the Future

The council adopted its new Corporate Plan, titled Our Plan for the Future, which will guide the council's strategic direction until 2029. The plan is structured around four key themes: Family, Community, Prosperity, and Smarter, Faster, Fairer Public Services. It aims to address key areas such as highways, housing, economic development and tackling anti-social behaviour. The plan was amended to include clearer references to looked-after children and corporate parenting.

The development of the plan was informed by a residents' satisfaction survey and a public consultation, the results of which indicated strong support for the proposed priorities. According to the Consultation Analysis Report Summary Report, 90.6% of respondents strongly agreed or tended to agree with the proposals under the 'Family' theme, 89.5% for 'Community', 84.6% for 'Prosperity', and 77.2% for 'Smarter, Faster and Fairer Public Services'.

The Strategic Corporate Planning Framework outlines how the Corporate Plan aligns with other key strategies and plans, including the Budget and Financial Strategy, Workforce Strategy, and Technology and Digital Strategy.

North Northamptonshire Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2024-25

The council approved the North Northamptonshire Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2024-25, which provides an overview of the board's activities and its role in fulfilling its corporate parenting responsibilities. The report highlights the board's commitment to improving outcomes for children in care and care leavers. It also notes the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust's Corporate Parenting Approach, which sets out four key priorities.

Northamptonshire Youth Justice Plan 2025-26

Councillors approved the Northamptonshire Youth Justice Plan 2025-26, a statutory requirement under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The plan outlines the priorities for the Northamptonshire Youth Offending Service, which is delivered by Northamptonshire Children’s Trust. These priorities include:

• Strengthening support for victims, especially young victims.
• Tackling disproportionality, particularly for Black and Mixed children and young people, and those with care experience.
• Preventing serious youth violence.
• Addressing poor educational engagement.
• Expanding youth forums and mentoring schemes.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026-27

The council endorsed a Local Council Tax Support Scheme (LCTSS) for 2026/27 that maintains the current scheme from 2025/26, with adjustments for annual uprating of allowances and premiums, and statutory legislative changes. The scheme applies to working-age claimants, with the government prescribing the scheme for pensionable-age claimants. The council's decision ensures the scheme meets statutory requirements.

Council Tax Premiums – Second Homes and Long-Term Empty Properties

The council agreed to introduce a 100% premium for long-term empty properties after one year, effective from 1 April 2026, and a 100% premium for second homes, effective from 1 April 2027. This decision, detailed in the Council Tax Premiums - Second Homes and Long Term Empty Properties report, aims to encourage owners to bring properties back into use more quickly to address housing shortages.

The council will review the 511 second home cases to ensure the data held is up to date and that they do not fall into one of the legislated exceptions.

The Climate Change Impact Assessment for the decision scored +1, as the proposal aims to encourage empty dwellings to be brought back into use more quickly, to address housing shortages. If successful, this could have the effect of reducing the need for new house building and therefore reduce the carbon emissions associated with the construction of new dwellings.

Council Tax Base 2026/27

The council approved the Council Tax Base for 2026/27 as 119,354, in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and related regulations. This represents a 1.5% increase of 1,769 over the 2025/26 Tax Base. The calculation assumes a Council Tax collection rate of 98.5% for 2026/27. Appendix A sets out the Band D equivalent properties by towns and parish Councils for 2026/27.

Community Governance Review 2025/26

The council adopted the Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review (CGR) of parish arrangements in North Northamptonshire, as detailed in the Community Governance Review 2025-2026 report. The Democracy and Standards Committee was delegated the authority to propose draft and final recommendations arising from the review, subject to final adoption by the full council.

The review, which will encompass the entire North Northamptonshire Council area, aims to ensure that community governance arrangements support effective and convenient local governance and reflect the identities and interests of local communities. The Equality Screening Assessment for the review identified areas for additional consideration, particularly those related to the consultation and engagement phases.

Motions on Notice

The council approved three motions that had been submitted for consideration.

Motion 1 – Pavement Parking

Proposed by Councillor David Baker and seconded by Councillor Kelly Duddridge, the motion addresses the growing problem of pavement parking in North Northamptonshire's urban areas. The council resolved to:

1. Write to the Secretary of State for Transport to request statutory changes that would allow local authorities to more easily prohibit pavement parking, including:
   • Simplifying the process for making Traffic Regulation Orders¹ (TROs).
   • Allowing local authorities with Civil Parking Enforcement powers to enforce unnecessary obstruction as a civil matter.
   • Reviewing the charge levels for Penalty Charge Notices² (PCNs) to ensure they provide a sufficient deterrent.
2. Write to the Local Government Association to request that they also approach the Secretary of State for Transport on this issue.
3. Note the ongoing service review on the use of TROs and request officers to identify practical local options to reduce unsafe pavement parking and improve communications with residents.

Motion 2 – Hanwood Park Secondary School

Proposed by Councillor Ben Williams and seconded by Councillor Elizabeth Wright, the motion concerns the delayed Hanwood Park Secondary School in Kettering. The council resolved to request that the Leader writes to the Secretary of State for Education and the MP for Kettering to:

• Urgently seek a formal decision on the future of the Hanwood Park Secondary School.
• Ask for confirmation that the school remains within the Wave 14 delivery pipeline.
• Request a clear timescale for progressing to detailed design, planning application, procurement and completion date.
• Invite the Department to work at pace with North Northamptonshire Council, Orbis Education Trust and Hanwood Park LLP to align this decision with the rapid growth of the community.

Motion 3 – Sport England

Proposed by Councillor Simon Fairhall and seconded by Councillor Brian Benneyworth, the motion addresses concerns about proposed changes to the planning system that would remove Sport England as a statutory consultee for planning applications involving playing fields. The council resolved to:

1. Ask the Leader to write to the Government in support of the 'Protect where we Play' Campaign of the Sport & Recreation Alliance.
2. Contribute to the formal consultation.
3. Encourage local MPs to support the campaign.