The Leader Decisions meeting on Wednesday 29 July 2026 resulted in the delegation of authority to the Chief Executive to finalise grant agreements for the distribution of South Midlands reserves. This decision, involving approximately £4.5 million in non-ringfenced funding, was previously endorsed by the South Midlands Authorities Board in March 2026.

South Midlands Reserves Distribution

Authority has been delegated to the Chief Executive to enter into grant agreements with other South Midlands constituent authorities to facilitate the distribution of approximately £4.5 million in non-ringfenced South Midlands reserves. This decision was endorsed at the South Midlands Authorities Board meeting in March 2026, attended by Councillor Mark Arnull, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council, who agreed with the proposal. The meeting considered options for distributing these reserves among the six South Midlands authorities: Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Luton Borough Council, Milton Keynes City Council, North Northamptonshire Council, and West Northamptonshire Council. The unanimous preferred option was to distribute the £4.5 million equally among these six authorities, in line with the original grant funding conditions. This decision was recorded on the Record of Decision Form for Executive Decisions, with Councillor Arnull signing off on 29 July 2026. The decision is not considered a Key Decision and is not subject to call-in. The relevant background papers considered were the March 2026 South Midlands Authorities Board paper and minutes. Vicky Hlomuka, Head of Economic Growth and Inward Investment, is the officer to contact for background papers.