The West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet was scheduled to meet to discuss a range of topics, including the Sustainability Strategy Review, the Public Health Framework, affordable housing, and the Estates Strategy.

Sustainability Strategy Review

A report on the Sustainability Strategy Review included a proposal to revise the council's climate change targets. The report recommended that the Cabinet confirm its commitment to environmental sustainability, but also approve the proposal to no longer retain the current targets for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and 2045. The report argued that the council should focus its limited resources on matters that directly benefit local people and businesses, such as the delivery of the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme. The report also suggested that the council can achieve better results for local people and for nature by focusing on matters within its control and for which it has significant influence.

The report noted that a recent survey identified that 70% of local government figures had little or no confidence of meeting their targets for net zero, due to a lack of financial resources and political will.

The report presented several options:

• Maintain the 2030 net zero target and develop a fully costed plan for delivery and allocate sufficient budget to ensure delivery.
• Maintain the 2045 net zero target and allocate sufficient budget to develop strong stakeholder engagement with the target.
• Maintain both targets and carry out the related actions, as above.
• Withdraw the current 2030 and 2045 net zero targets and focus on sustainability projects to provide tangible benefits for residents; for example, home energy improvements, increased biodiversity, and solar power generation where the business case supports cost savings.

The report recommended the fourth option.

The report also included an Investors in the Environment accreditation report from July 2024, which highlighted the council's progress in embedding sustainability into its operations. The report noted that the council had published its first sustainability report, linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and that it was actively supporting staff with additional training.

Public Health Framework 2025-27

The Cabinet was scheduled to consider the Public Health Framework 2025-27, which sets out the approach and key priorities for the expenditure of the public health grant in the period 2025-27. The framework outlines how the council will assure that:

• The public health grant is spent in support of strategic priority areas
• Expenditure is demonstrably in line with the grant determination requirements
• Governance processes are robust and adequate
• Public health outcomes are reviewed and monitored

The Director of Public Health (DPH) is assigned as a statutory chief officer and the principal adviser on all health matters to elected members and officers. The DPH has a number of statutory responsibilities, including taking steps to improve the health of the people in its area, exercising functions in planning for, and responding to, emergencies that present a risk to the public's health, and co-operating with the police, the probation service and the prison service to assess the risks posed by violent or sexual offenders.

To support these responsibilities, the DPH is responsible for a public health grant. In 2025/26, West Northamptonshire Council has been allocated £21,629,739 for public health services.

The framework sets out the grant conditions by which the Public Health Grant should be spent, alongside local and national priorities. The framework also outlines measures that are being taken by Public Health officers to ensure a robust governance and approval process is in place for initiatives that may require funding from the grant.

The framework also details existing contracts that are in place and outlines a hierarchy of approval for sums of money above the tolerable threshold for the DPH and officers within Public Health.

Procurement of Delivery Partner for Warm Homes: Local Grant

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the Procurement of Delivery Partner for Warm Homes: Local Grant. The council has been allocated £2.6 million of grant funding for the government's Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) home energy improvement scheme. The purpose of the report was to seek approval to procure a delivery partner for the scheme.

The report noted that reducing home energy use is a significant challenge, but one that must be overcome if the council is to achieve its ambition of reducing fuel poverty. The report also noted that local authorities are key to the distribution of such funding and have an important role to play in efforts to reduce fuel poverty.

The report recommended that the Cabinet delegate authority to the Director of Communities and Opportunities to procure a delivery partner for the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme using a Dynamic Purchasing System or Framework and to negotiate and award a contract to the preferred partner.

Affordable Housing Acquisition

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss an Affordable Housing Acquisition in Brackley. The report sought approval to acquire 8 one-bedroom flats for affordable housing which form part of a new housing development scheme on Land South East of Field View, Brackley.

The landowner currently has planning consent for a scheme of 71 properties, of which 8 are to be made available for affordable housing under a Section 106 obligation. These 8 properties are proposed to form two blocks of 4 one-bedroom flats (8 flats in total).

The report noted that the landowner has been seeking to engage various Registered Providers, but this has proved unsuccessful for a variety of reasons, the principal one being that the scheme is considered to be too small for most Registered Providers.

The report recommended that the Cabinet approve the proposal to acquire the properties subject to satisfactory due diligence having been undertaken and approval by the Chief Finance Officer, and delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Assets and Environment in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, the Portfolio Holder for Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Finance to negotiate and acquire the properties and enter into any documentation required to complete the Acquisition.

West Northamptonshire Council Estates Strategy

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the West Northamptonshire Council Estates Strategy. The report sought approval for the proposed Estate Strategy, which will set the principles around how West Northamptonshire Council will use its extensive property portfolio to deliver its objectives and maximise financial benefits.

The report noted that West Northamptonshire Council owns and operates a substantial portfolio of approximately 1,000 properties, inherited from its predecessor councils. The council's property portfolio is a fundamental enabler of the services that it provides, including operational buildings such as corporate office accommodation, schools, care homes, libraries, children's centres, leisure centres, museums, and depots.

The report recommended that the Cabinet approve the Estate Strategy.

The West Northamptonshire Council Estates Strategy - Appendix A document sets out the council's vision and five guiding principles for the future management of its land and property assets. Within those five principles it provides core areas the council will be focusing on over the next five years. It talks about how implementation and monitoring will work and what success looks like. It emphasises the need for a strategic approach to asset management that promotes sustainability, community engagement, and economic development.

Re-procurement of a Customer Records Management System

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the Re-procurement of a Customer Records Management System. The corporate contract for the Customer Records Management (CRM) system currently provided by Jadu is coming to an end in May 2026, and the report sought approval for the re-procurement of a CRM solution.

The report recommended that the Cabinet approve the process for re-procurement of the corporate CRM system (direct award via the GCloud 14 framework), give delegated authority to the Executive Director for Resources to work with the Assistant Director for Customer and Corporate Services to secure the best contract specifications and value for the organisation, and give delegated authority to the Executive Director for Resources to award a contract to the provider following the outlined process ready to start in May 2026.

Parks Development Strategy

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the Parks Development Strategy. The report sought approval for the proposed Parks Development Strategy for West Northamptonshire.

The report noted that the council owns a large portfolio of parks urban and country, which are immensely valuable, both to people and nature. The report also noted that there are gaps in their coverage, both geographically and in terms of what they offer, and that West Northamptonshire would benefit from there being a clear strategic direction for the parks, to maximise their overall benefits.

The report recommended that the Cabinet adopt the Parks Development Strategy.

The Parks Development Strategy - Appendix A document sets out the council's vision for the parks, which is that West Northamptonshire's parks are places for people of all backgrounds to thrive through exercise and relaxation in the open air, enjoying nature and heritage, building communities, and supporting biodiversity .

The Parks Development Strategy - Appendix B document is a consultation report.

Asset Transactions

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss an Asset Transactions report. The report sought authority to dispose of various assets, including disposals on commercial terms and transfers of various parcels of community land and open space to relevant councils, and also sought authority to acquire parcels of community land and open space.

The report recommended that the Cabinet authorise the Assistant Director Assets & Environment in consultation with the Executive Director Resources and Finance Portfolio Holder to dispose of, register, or acquire each of the following sites, in each case with the ability to enter into any documents or agreements required to facilitate or enable the proposed transaction:

• Disposal of land at the Southfields School (former), Brackley.
• Disposal of land at Heartlands, Daventry.
• Transfer of Cracks Hill, Crick to Crick Parish Council for less than best consideration (nil value transfer), including the authority to consider any objections to the disposal of open space and take a decision whether or not to proceed in light of them.
• Transfer of Land at High Street, Wootton to Wootton Parish Council for less than best consideration (nil value transfer), including the authority to consider any objections to the disposal of open space and take a decision whether or not to proceed in light of them.
• Registration or acquisition of land off Green Lane, Northampton including, if necessary, acquisition of land under compulsory purchase powers.
• Registration or acquisition of land off Old A45, Northampton including, if necessary, acquisition of land under compulsory purchase powers.

The report also recommended that the Cabinet authorise the Assistant Director Assets & Environment in consultation with the Executive Director Resources and the Finance Portfolio Holder to transfer the land proposed for sale at the former Southfields School site, Brackley, to the Council's Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for development of social housing on the basis that a viable council housing scheme has been identified, create a capital budget of £0.5 million from receipts from the sales of estate shops for the acquisition of properties which (taken together) would result in net income to the Council, note that as the Council's estate is reviewed, further sales of commercial properties which do not have a strategic significance and which are not financially worthwhile retaining may be proposed, to be approved, depending on their scale, under delegated authority or under further Cabinet decisions, note that further proposals may come forward to use capital receipts from sales to acquire or develop replacement assets, and approve the exclusion from sale of the 'Theatre' building at the former Southfields School site, Brackley, and, subject to the results of the family hubs consultation, its allocation for community uses including as a Family Hub 'spoke', together with as much land as is reasonably required to enable it to operate (including for parking).

Letting of vacant town centre and high street units

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the Letting of vacant town centre and high street units. The report proposed a way in which the council can operate the new statutory powers to seek lettings of vacant 'high street' properties to best effect.

The report recommended that the Cabinet endorse the proposed approach to the use of powers under Part 10 of the Levelling up and Regeneration Act 2023 set out in Appendix A.

Harlestone Road affordable housing scheme

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss the Harlestone Road affordable housing scheme. The report sought approval to acquire land known as the former Petrol Station site at Harlestone Road, Northampton from Vistry Group Limited (Vistry), agree for the Council to enter into a Development Agreement (DA) with Vistry, on completion of the Development by Vistry, to receive a transfer(s) of the homes into the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) estate, and to enter into a Grant Agreement with Vistry to transfer the Homes England Strategic Partnership funding at the completion of the scheme.

The report recommended that the Council recommend to Council the establishment of the Capital budget as outlined in the Private Appendix A, including Capital expenditure for acquisition, build, fees and interest, and authorise the Director of Communities and Opportunities, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer and Cabinet Member for Housing, to conclude the terms of the acquisition from Vistry Group Limited and enter into the Land and Development Agreement and associated documents to appoint Vistry Group Limited as the Council's development partner for the Harlestone Road housing site.

Safe Accommodation and Support Services for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Abuse

The Cabinet was scheduled to discuss Safe Accommodation and Support Services for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Abuse. The report sought Cabinet approval to undertake a joint procurement process with North Northamptonshire Council for the commissioning of Safe Accommodation (refuge) and Support Services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse (DA), including their children where necessary, across North and West Northamptonshire.

The report recommended that the Cabinet approve the commencement of a competitive procurement process, jointly with North Northamptonshire Council to tender for a Safe Accommodation (refuge) and Support Services to start 4th April 2026 for a period of 3 (plus 1 plus 1) years, and following the completion of a robust procurement process, delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and Portfolio Holder for Housing to undertake the necessary due diligence and to award the contract and take relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of, and entering into, required contracts or other legal agreements with the preferred supplier, as necessary to implement the decision.

The Safe Accommodation and Support Services for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Abuse - Appendix A document is a West Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Needs Assessment Executive Summary 2024-2027.

It is important to note that this summary is based solely on the information provided in the agenda and associated reports. It does not reflect any discussions, debates, or decisions that may have taken place during the actual Cabinet meeting.