Purpose

Link to Executive decisions:

Decision - Homes for Ukraine Programme - North Northamptonshire Council

Decision - Full Asylum Dispersal Model - North Northamptonshire Council

Decision

In the autumn of 2021, the Home Office announced a commitment to support Afghan refugees under two schemes, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme to provide assistance to current and former Locally Employed Staff (LES) in Afghanistan and under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) to provide support to a wider cohort of people fleeing the Taliban regime. Both schemes attracted a tariff for the Council for each individual resettled.

A previous report was approved by the Executive on 13th January 2022 agreeing to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees and also approved delegated authority to the relevant Executive Member, in liaison with the relevant Assistant Director to take any further decisions and/or actions required. 

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme was launched on 14th March 2022 by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. North Northamptonshire Council is responsible for several functions to support the scheme including the initial sponsor and housing checks, payments to sponsors, safeguarding checks, ongoing support, school places, and information about the local area. 

A previous report was approved by the Executive on the 14th July 2022, agreeing the proposals as to how the Government Local Authority Funding would be used. The Executive also approved delegated authority to the relevant Executive Member, in liaison with the relevant Assistant Director to take any further decisions and/or actions required. 

In May 2022 the Government announced a shift from an opt-in model for asylum dispersal, whereby Local Authorities could choose to be Dispersal areas, to a Full Asylum Dispersal model where asylum seekers will be placed across all LA areas.

A previous report was approved by the Executive on 15th September 2022, regarding the Council’s limited role in supporting asylum seekers housed here under the dispersal scheme and which approved  delegated es authority to the relevant Executive Member for, in liaison with the relevant Assistant Director for Adults, Communities and Wellbeing, to take any further decisions and/or actions required, including use of the funding, to support the dispersal and settlement, temporary or otherwise, of asylum seekers North Northamptonshire.

This decision set out below, and being taken through the delegated authority process, relates to further additional proposed uses for the funding to continue the support of refuges being resettled in North Northamptonshire.

An addition to the already agreed spend plans for 2026/27 to 2029/30 for a proportion of the significant underspend (currently projected at £4m with the already agreed spend taken in to account) sat within the Refugee Resettlement programme, has been developed and agreed by finance colleagues and the Director of Public Health & Communities & Leisure. This is to ensure that funding is directed to projects, activities and initiatives that will benefit the health & wellbeing and resilience of communities across North Northamptonshire, including our refugee and diverse communities.

The overall spend plan for Resettlement funding includes continued direct delivery of the current resettlement programmes with some additional activity and contributions of the grants towards NNC services, which were subject to a separate Decision Notice in November 2025.

This decision relates to wider activities that support delivery across the directorate.

1. Contribution to the mobilisation costs for the opening and initial operation refurbished cultural and community hub at Kettering Gallery and Library for 3 years 2026-2029. (118k, 62k, 64k over each of the 3 years).
2. Year one, 2027/28, one off, transition costs for the transition of NNC Leisure facilities to an all in-house operating model. Leisure facilities act as inclusive centres for all sections of our communities, offering spaces for people to come together to foster a sense of place and community, as well as for targeted health inclusion activities delivered both in facilities and through outreach by the Active Communities service. This includes offers that aim to get those most inactive more active and includes provision for minority groups and newly arrived communities.
3. Funding for an assessment of 4 potential routes that could be adopted as Quiet Lanes to form part of the North Northamptonshire Greenway routes in rural communities. In order to meet the criteria laid out for Quiet Lanes as per the Network Management Plan, the 4 routes identified require traffic volume and speed monitoring to assess whether they meet the relevant criteria. (one off £2k).
4. Small contribution towards the refresh of the Green/Blue Infrastructure Plan along the Nene Valley to catalogue existing heritage, water space, and outdoor activity sites, suggesting ways to leverage the river corridor for recreation, tourism, and transport for the benefit of the whole community. (one off £5k).
5. Contribution to funding to support sports facilities co-ordination across NN towns and villages for 4 years 2026-2030, to ensure consistency of booking processes, maximisation of income opportunities and provision of  support to sports clubs, leagues, schools, town and parish councils and other partners, supporting the development of community use agreements and improving access to local sports facilities for all local communities. (40k p.a.)

One off costs: £197,000

Annual maximum total in addition to the one off costs is: £158,000

The current underspend in the Resettlement grants sits at circa £6m so these proposals are affordable.

For 26/27 some amounts will be pro-rated for the remainder of this financial year. All ongoing programmes and activity will be reviewed annually to inform whether the funding is required into the subsequent year.

All programmes and activity will be reviewed to inform whether the funding is required into the subsequent year.  

Reasons for the decision

 By approving the recommendation, council officers will be able to:

a.     Make effective use of the Resettlement grants underspend for the benefit of all communities across North Northamptonshire to avoid any risk of claw back from central government.

b.     Providing funding to increase staff capacity or bespoke projects in the medium term where required to deliver on the programmes listed above.