Content

RESOLVED

 

That Council approved:

 

a)    
The 2026/27 Revenue Budget which
includes:

i)                   
a net revenue budget of
£891.3m (£458.8m including the Dedicated Schools Grant)
as set out in Appendix A of the report.

ii)                 
a total Council Tax requirement
for the Council’s own purposes of £228.948m and an
average Band D Equivalent Council Tax of £1,918.23 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 in Appendix D of the
report.

iii)               
pressures of £47.3m,
including adjustments for the reversal of oneoff funding in
2026-27, and savings, efficiencies and income proposals of
£20.1m as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

iv)               
the provisional Dedicated Schools
Grant budget of £458.8m for 2026-27 as set out in Appendix A
of the report

v)                 
the draft planned use of,
contribution to, and movement in reserves is set out in Appendix A
of the report

vi)               
the Council has a Corporate
contingency budget of £2.4m.

vii)             
the recommended Flexible Use of
Capital Receipts Strategy as set out in Appendix A of the
report

viii)           
that Council delegate authority to
the Executive Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) in
consultation with the Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and
Change to agree any necessary variations to the budget prior to 1st
April 2026.

ix)               
that Council delegate authority to
the Executive Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) in
consultation with the Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and
Change to agree the use of the following reserves which will
provide the flexibility to manage the overall budget during
2026-27:

•        
Transformation Reserve

•        
Public Health Reserve

•        
Waste Management
Reserve

•        
Adult Social Care
Reserve

•        
Smoothing Reserve

•        
Business Rates Retention
Reserve

x)                 
notes the forecast financial
position for 2027-28 to 2029-30, noting that this will be reviewed
as further information becomes available and updated as part of the
budget process for 2027-28

xi)               
notes that the financial position
has been based on the Final Local Government Finance Settlement
approved on 11th February 2026.

xii)             
considers the consultation
feedback as summarised in the report and as detailed in Appendix C
of the report

xiii)           
notes the Equality Impact
Screening Assessment as at Appendix B as having been taken into
consideration.

xiv)           
considers the Section 25 Report of
the Executive Director of Finance and Performance (Section 151
Officer) as set out in Appendix A of the report including her
review of the robustness of the estimates and the adequacy of the
reserves.

xv)             
delegates authority to the
Executive Director for Children’s Services and the Executive
Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with
Executive Member for Children, Education and Families and the
Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and Change 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

b)    
The 2026/27 Capital Programme as
set out in this report, which includes:

i)       
the General Fund Capital Programme
2026-30 and HRA Capital Programme 2026-30 as detailed in Appendix A
of the report

ii)     
the Capital Strategy as detailed
in Appendix A of the report

iii)   
delegating authority to the
Executive Director of Finance and Performance (Section 151 Officer)
in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance Efficiency
& Change to agree any necessary variations to the capital
budget prior to 1st April 2026.

 

Council Tax
setting

 

That Council approved:

 

a)    
the Council Tax Resolution
attached as set out in Appendix D of the 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

 

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: 44

•        
Cllr D Baker

•        
Cllr G Beales

•        
Cllr B Benneyworth

•        
Cllr J Bone

•        
Cllr P Brooke

•        
Cllr S Brown

•        
Cllr J Carvetta

•        
Cllr G Cheatley

•        
Cllr S Clark

•        
Cllr K Clarke

•        
Cllr W Colquhoun

•        
Cllr T Conway

•        
Cllr K Dudderidge

•        
Cllr L Duffy

•        
Cllr G Dunsmuir

•        
Cllr M Eglin

•        
Cllr S Fairhall

•        
Cllr J Garner

•        
Cllr l Gibbs

•        
Cllr M Griffiths

•        
Cllr M Haddon

•        
Cllr A Hall

•        
Cllr J Hakewill

•        
Cllr K Harrington

•        
Cllr K Harrison

•        
Cllr J Howe

•        
Cllr B Jameson

•        
Cllr C Kellett

•        
Cllr B Lovell-Moore

•        
Cllr J Lumsden

•        
Cllr E McDonald

•        
Cllr C McGiffen

•        
Cllr D Mclean

•        
Cllr C Munday

•        
Cllr J O’Hara

•        
Cllr M Pengelly

•        
Cllr D Rance

•        
Cllr L Robinson

•        
Cllr P Shackleton

•        
Cllr J Towns

•        
Cllr V Whitrow

•        
Cllr G Wilcox

•        
Cllr B Williams

•        
Cllr E Wright

 

Against the
decision – 11

•        
Cllr W Brackenbury

•        
Cllr D Brackenbury

•        
Cllr H Harrison

•        
Cllr H Howell

•        
Cllr D Howes

•        
Cllr H Howes

•        
Cllr J Humberstone

•        
Cllr B Jenney

•        
Cllr V Jessop

•        
Cllr T
Partridge-Underwood

•        
Cllr J Paul-Carr

Abstentions
– 3

•        
Cllr D Dell

•        
Cllr S Geary

•        
Cllr J Goncalvez

 

Reason for
Recommendations

 

To ensure that the Council
complies with its Constitution and legislative requirements in
setting the budget for North Northamptonshire Council from
2026-27

 

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.