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RESOLVED
 
That Council
 
a)
approved the 2025-26 Revenue Budget as set out in this report,
which includes and sets:
         
i.              
a budget requirement of £828.065m including
the Dedicated Schools Grant of £427.219m resulting in a net
revenue budget requirement for the General Fund of £400.846m
as set out in Appendix A.
 
ii.             
a total Council Tax requirement for the
Council’s own purposes of £214.835m as contained in
paragraph 5.26.
 
iii.            
an average Band D Council Tax of £1,827.06 for
North Northamptonshire Council, representing an increase of 2.99%
in the ‘core’ Council Tax and a further 2% for the
Adult Social Care Precept, as set out within the separate Council
Tax Resolution Report attached at Appendix K.
 
iv.           
pressures of £51.8m, including adjustments for
the reversal of one-off funding in 2024-25, and savings,
efficiencies and income proposals of £26.3m as detailed in
Appendix B.
 
v.             
the provisional Dedicated Schools Grant budget of
£427.2m for 2025-26, as detailed in Appendix C, and
summarised in paragraphs 5.47 to 5.85.
 
vi.           
the draft planned use of, contribution to, and
movement in, reserves as identified in paragraph 5.40, section 9
and Appendix D of the report, subject to the final call on reserves
as a result of the Final Financial Settlement or other
changes.
 
vii.          
corporate budget requirements as set out in
paragraph 8.1, including a contingency sum of £2.8m as set
out in paragraph 8.2.
 
viii.         
the Treasury Management Strategy for 2025-26 as set
out in Appendix H including the Authorised Borrowing Limit of
£749.084m.
 
ix.           
the recommended Flexible Use of Capital Receipts
Strategy as set out in Section 10 and Appendix J.
 

b)   
delegated authority to the Executive Director of
Finance and Performance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with
the Executive Member for Finance and Transformation to agree any
necessary variations to the budget prior to 1st April
2025.
 

c)   
delegated authority to the Executive Director of
Finance and Performance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with
the Executive Member for Finance and Transformation to agree the
use of the following reserves which will provide the flexibility to
manage the overall budget during 2025-26.
 
·      
Transformation Reserve
·      
Public Health Reserve
·      
Waste Management Reserve
·      
Adult Social Care Reserve
·      
Smoothing Reserve
·      
Business Rates Retention Reserve
 

d)   
noted the forecast financial position for 2026-27 to
2028-29, noting that this will be reviewed as further information
becomes available and updated as part of the budget process for
2026-27 onwards.
 

e)   
noted that the financial position has been based on
the Final Local Government Settlement announced on 3rd
February 2025.
 

f)     
considered the consultation feedback as summarised
in the report and attached at Appendix E.
 

g)   
noted the Equality Impact Screening Assessment as at
Appendix F as having been taken into
consideration.
 

h)   
considered the outcome from the Corporate Scrutiny
Committee, as detailed at Appendix G.
 

i)     
considered the Section 25 Report of the Executive
Director of Finance and Performance (Section 151 Officer) as set
out in Section 15, including her review of the robustness of the
estimates and the adequacy of the reserves.
 

j)     
delegated authority to the Executive Director for
Children’s Services and the Executive Director of Finance and
Performance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with Executive
Member for Children, Education and Skills and the Executive Member
for Finance and Transformation to approve North
Northamptonshire’s DSG budgets and Schools Funding Formula
and to finalise the funding allocation for schools, in line with
North Northamptonshire’s Schools Funding
Formula;
 

k)   
delegated authority to the Executive Director of
Finance and Performance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with
the Executive Member for Finance and Transformation to draft the
recommended budget resolution for Council in accordance with the
necessary legal requirements and to take into
account the decisions of the Executive and any final changes
and other technical adjustments that may be required.
 
 
Council Tax Setting
 
That Council:
 
a)
      noted the
legal background to setting the budget and Council tax as set out
in Appendix I.
 
b)
      approved the
Council Tax Resolution attached as Appendix K to this report which
is based on the budget proposals, and which:
 
·      
Calculates the Council tax requirement in accordance
with Section 31A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as
amended by the Localism Act 2011.
 
·      
Calculates a basic amount of Council Tax and an
amount of tax for each valuation band (the Council element) in
accordance with Sections 31B and 36 of the Local Government Finance
Act, 1992, as amended.
 
·      
Sets an amount of Council Tax for each category of
dwellings in each valuation band in accordance with Section 30 of
the Local Government Finance Act, 1992.
 
 
Reason for Recommendations: To ensure that the
Council complies with its Constitution and legislative requirements
in setting the budget for North Northamptonshire Council from
2025-26.
 
Alternative Options Considered – The budgets have been
subject to a formal budget consultation and scrutiny and the
feedback has been considered as part of this process.
 
 
In
accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England)
(Amendment) Regulations 2014, the names of the councillors voting
for the decision, against the decision or abstaining from voting
are as follows:-
 
For
the decision:- (32)

 
Paul
Bell
David Brackenbury
Wendy Brackenbury

Cedwien Brown
Lloyd Bunday
Jon-Paul Carr
Robin Carter
Melanie Coleman
Scott Edwards
Clive Hallam
Helen Harrison
Larry Henson
Helen Howell
David Howes
Philip Irwin
Bert
Jackson
King
Lawal
Graham Lawman
Lora
Lawman
Bill
McElhinney
Paul
Marks
Dorothy Maxwell
Andy
Mercer
Gill
Mercer
Macaulay Nichol
Tom
Partridge-Underwood
Russell Roberts
Mark
Rowley
Jason Smithers
Malcolm Ward
Andrew Weatherill
Lee
Wilkes

 
 
Against the decision:- (12)
 
Jean
Addison
Leanne Buckingham
Lyn
Buckingham
William Colquhoun
Martin Griffiths
Jim
Hakewill
Matt
Keane
Anne
Lee
John
McGhee
Zoe
McGhee
Mark
Pengelly
Simon Rielly
 
 
Abstaining from the decision:- (1)
 
Keli
Watts