North Northamptonshire Council convened for a Budget Council meeting on Thursday, 19 February 2026, where key financial decisions were made, including the approval of the General Fund Final Budget for 2026-27, the Housing Revenue Account Final Budget for 2026-27, and the Treasury Management Strategy. The meeting also saw the approval of changes to political balance on council committees.

Political Balance on Council Committees

Council approved changes to the political balance on its committees, ensuring a revised allocation of seats for recognised political groups in accordance with statutory proportionality requirements and the Council's Constitution. This decision was made to align the governance structure with the revised political balance of the Council.

General Fund Final Budget 2026-27, Medium-Term Financial Plan and Capital Programme 2026 to 2030

The Council approved its General Fund Revenue Budget for 2026-27, setting a net revenue budget of £891.3m (including the Dedicated Schools Grant). A key decision was the approval of a total Council Tax requirement of £228.948m for the Council's own purposes, resulting in an average Band D Council Tax of £1,918.23. This represents an increase of 2.99% in the 'core' Council Tax and a further 2% for the Adult Social Care Precept. The budget includes £47.3m for pressures, such as the reversal of one-off funding, and £20.1m in savings, efficiencies, and income proposals. The Council also approved its Capital Programme for 2026-30. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and Change to agree any necessary variations to the budget and capital budget prior to 1st April 2026.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Final Budget 2026-27 and Medium-Term Financial Plan

The Council approved the 2026/27 Housing Revenue Account Budget and an increase in dwelling rents of 4.8%, adhering to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) rent setting formula. The Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Plan for 2027/28 to 2030/31 was also approved. The Council noted the forecast reserves for the HRA up to 2030/31.

Treasury Management Strategy

The Council approved its Treasury Management Strategy Statement, which outlines the framework for managing its borrowing, investments, and cash flows. This included approving the Authorised Borrowing Limit for External Debt at £799.664m and the Operational Boundary at £749.664m. The strategy aims to ensure prudent, affordable, and sustainable capital investment plans, proper planning for the financing of the capital programme and cash flow, and appropriate investment of cash balances to generate optimum returns while prioritising security and liquidity.

Council Tax Setting

As part of the budget approval, the Council approved the Council Tax Resolution for 2026-27. This resolution calculates the Council Tax requirement in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Localism Act 2011. The basic amount of Council Tax and the tax for each valuation band were calculated in accordance with Sections 31B and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended. The Council also set the amount of Council Tax for each category of dwellings in each valuation band in accordance with Section 30 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. The average Band D Council Tax for North Northamptonshire Council was set at £1,918.23, representing an increase of 2.99% in the 'core' Council Tax and a further 2% for the Adult Social Care Precept.

The meeting also included discussions and resolutions on the following:

• Minutes of the Ordinary and Extraordinary meetings held on 11 December 2025 and 22 January 2026: The minutes of these previous meetings were approved as a correct record.
• Public Participation: No public questions or petitions were received for this meeting.
• Chair's Announcements: Members were drawn to the Meeting Procedure Rules applicable to the Budget discussions. A Guillotine Motion was unanimously carried to suspend Procedure Rule 10 until the conclusion of all business on the agenda, or no later than 4:00 p.m.
• Motions on Notice: Three motions were debated and approved:
  • A motion calling on the Secretary of State for Transport to make statutory changes to allow local authorities to more easily prohibit pavement parking, and to write to the Local Government Association to request their consideration of this approach.
  • A motion requesting the Leader to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the MP for Kettering to urgently seek a formal decision on the future of the Hanwood Park Secondary School, confirm its inclusion in the Wave 14 delivery pipeline, and request a clear timescale for its progression.
  • A motion asking the Leader to write to the Government in support of the 'Protect where we Play' Campaign of the Sport & Recreation Alliance, to contribute to the formal consultation, and to encourage local MPs to support the campaign, in response to proposed changes to the planning system that would remove Sport England as a statutory consultee for planning applications involving playing fields.
• Councillor Questions: Four councillor questions were received and taken as read, with three supplementary questions asked and answered.

The meeting closed at 2:36 pm.