The Place and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 16 June 2026 to discuss the financial challenges and strategic direction of West Northamptonshire Council's Children's Social Care services. The committee also reviewed the provisional budget outturn for 2025/26, received an update on the Waste Collections and Cleansing Review, and discussed improvements to the budget scrutiny review process and the committee's work programme.

West Northamptonshire Council Children's Social Care Strategy, Impact and Future Options

The committee received a comprehensive presentation on the current state of children's social care services, highlighting significant financial pressures and strategic priorities. Melanie Barnett, Director of Children's Services, Colin Foster, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Children's Trust (NCT), and Andrew Tagg, Director of Finance and Resources at NCT, outlined the challenges and proposed solutions.

A key concern raised was the increasing demand for children's social care, particularly the rise in residential placements. Andrew Tagg explained that the number of children in residential care had increased by 94% nationally, leading to a significant rise in local authority spending. In West Northamptonshire, there was a £17.4 million pressure for 2025/26, with 88% of this attributed to placements. The number of residential placements had risen from 153 at the start of the year to 198 by the end, with an average weekly cost of £6,000 per child.

Several factors were identified as driving these costs:

• Increased use of residential care: A shortage of foster carers and increasing complexity of children's needs meant a greater reliance on more expensive residential placements.
• Market pressures and cost inflation: Limited placement availability, pricing pressures within the provider market, and increased National Insurance contributions had driven up costs.
• Placement sufficiency challenges: A lack of local provision meant a greater reliance on out-of-area placements, which were often more expensive.

Despite these challenges, mitigating actions were being taken. These included efforts to attract and retain a permanent workforce, regular placement reviews, and a focus on developing local sufficiency through a £20 million capital investment programme for children's homes. A change to fostering payments, making them needs-led rather than flat-rate, had already doubled the number of enquiries from potential foster carers.

The committee heard that the current financial pressures and challenges faced by Northamptonshire were aligned with national trends, unlike in the past when the county was an outlier. The statutory direction issued in 2019, requiring improvements in children's services and Ofsted judgments, was also a significant factor.

Councillor Fiona Keeble raised concerns about the cost of youth justice accommodation and the lack of government grants to support councils with high demand in this area. Councillor Jonathan Harris questioned the slow progress on the £20 million capital programme for children's homes, noting that only one home was open after three years. Stuart Timmiss, Executive Director Place, Economy & Environment, explained that finding suitable properties and conducting feasibility studies had taken time, but four new homes were expected to open later in the year.

A significant point of discussion was the cost of children remanded into local authority care, which currently falls to the council and cannot be recharged to the Ministry of Justice. The committee resolved to recommend that the Cabinet lobby the Ministry of Justice on this issue. Concerns were also raised about the potential for private equity-owned children's homes to make excessive profits, with a recommendation that these profits should be capped.

The importance of early intervention to reduce the demand for children's social care services was repeatedly stressed. The development of Family Hubs, which would offer integrated access to GPs, school nurses, and health visitors, was highlighted as a positive step. However, councillors expressed a desire for greater pace in implementing these strategies.

The committee acknowledged the differing profiles of children in care between West and North Northamptonshire, with West Northamptonshire having a higher proportion of teenagers and young adults. This difference in profile was noted as impacting costs, although the exact financial implications were still being worked through.

Ultimately, the committee made three key recommendations:

• That the West Northamptonshire Local Plan should include a Supplementary Planning Document or a policy for the provision of children's residential care facilities.
• That the Cabinet should lobby the Ministry of Justice regarding recharging local authorities for the cost of young people remanded into secure accommodation.
• That while acknowledging the overall direction for children's services, the committee encouraged that this development be pursued with greater pace.

Provisional 2025/26 Budget Outturn

The committee noted that the provisional outturn for the 2025/26 budget had been considered by Cabinet on 9 June 2026 and would be presented to the full Council on 25 June 2026. No further discussion took place on this item.

Waste Collections and Cleansing Review - Update

The Executive Director for Place, Economy & Environment provided a verbal update on the Waste Collections and Cleansing Review. He reminded the committee that the Cabinet's decision had recently been called in and that no further action had been taken by the committee. The Chair highlighted that the communications plan for the changes was crucial for their success. The committee noted the update.

Budget Scrutiny Review Process

The committee discussed how to improve its budget scrutiny process. It was agreed that starting the process earlier in the year, potentially in September, would be beneficial. The current process was seen as too concentrated in the later stages, limiting its impact. The committee also agreed that scrutiny should be more focused on high-risk areas rather than attempting to cover all services. A Teams meeting was scheduled for late July to identify specific areas for scrutiny, with detailed work commencing in the autumn.

Review of Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme and agreed to several additions and amendments. These included adding the Waste Collections and Cleansing Review communications plan, scrutinising progress on the £20 million capital funding for children's care homes, and reviewing the governance of capital projects. The committee also agreed to remove the Proposed DOGE activity item from the work programme. A specific focus on the £20 million capital programme for children's homes and its link to the local plan and communication strategy was suggested for further work.

The committee also discussed the Section 106 Agreements/CIL workstream, noting that the Task and Finish Panel was ongoing and would report back later in the year. Concerns were raised about the deliverability of Section 106 agreements, particularly regarding social housing and education provisions. The committee also agreed to scrutinise the governance of capital projects, following a referral from the Audit and Governance Committee regarding projects that had gone over budget.