The Scrutiny Management Board of North Northamptonshire Council met on Monday 24 August 2026, approving the Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/26 and the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026/27. The Board also resolved to establish a Task and Finish Panel to scrutinise the operation of the Highways Maintenance Contract.

Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/26 Approved

The Board approved the draft Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/26, which will be submitted to the Council meeting on 24 September 2026. A key decision made was to ensure that the recommendation tracker will inform the Scrutiny Annual Report for 2026/27, including a measure of recommendations made, accepted, and implemented, along with their resulting outcomes. This aims to provide a clearer demonstration of the impact and added value of scrutiny work.

During the discussion, resident Lynne Buckingham highlighted the need for a golden thread from recommendation to outcome to evidence the added value of scrutiny. Councillor Jim Hakewill, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, countered that the report demonstrated effectiveness, citing 30 recommendations from budget scrutiny that were all accepted by the Executive. Councillor Helen Howell echoed Ms Buckingham's call for tangible outcomes and evidence of benefits to residents. Chris Stephenson, Scrutiny Manager, explained the development of a recommendation tracker, described as a simple project tracker with a RAG rating, which will be used to build content for future annual reports. Councillor Ben Williams proposed an amendment to formalise the inclusion of recommendations made, accepted, implemented, and resulting outcomes in next year's annual report, which was unanimously approved.

Task and Finish Panel to Scrutinise Highways Maintenance Contract

The Board approved the establishment of a Task and Finish Panel to scrutinise the operation of the Highways Maintenance Contract. The panel will comprise nine members, initially drawn from the Place and Environment Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, with membership open to the wider scrutiny community if needed. The findings and recommendations of the panel will be reported to the Place and Environment Scrutiny Committee before being presented to the Executive. A key aspect of the review will be to ensure resident engagement and evidence are included from the outset.

During the debate, Councillor Leon Gibbs raised concerns about the exclusion of examining the contract or its contractual terms from the scope, questioning how value for money could be determined without this. Chris Stephenson explained that parts of the contract were commercially sensitive, and legal advice would be sought on examining these aspects. Councillor Helen Howell proposed an amendment to ensure resident evidence is gathered from the outset, rather than only if necessary, which was accepted and approved. The panel's membership arrangements were also amended to allow for wider council membership if the initial committees could not fill the nine positions.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2026/27 Approved

The Board reviewed and approved the updated Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026/27. This includes considering items from the Executive Forward Plan for pre-scrutiny. The Board also noted that the recommendation tracking process would be enhanced, with individual scrutiny committee work programme items amended to include a section showing the progress of recommendations.

Chris Stephenson, Scrutiny Manager, provided an update on the Scrutiny Prioritisation Tool, noting it was in its early stages and helping officers think more strategically about scrutiny items. Councillor Helen Howell raised concerns about the monitoring of planning enforcement, highlighting significant issues and years-long delays. Chris Stephenson confirmed this was not currently in the terms of reference of any committee but would be taken away for a written response, suggesting it might fall under the remit of the Planning Improvement Board. Councillor Ben Williams noted that the Planning Improvement Board had limited meetings left.

The Board unanimously approved the updated Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026/27.