The Place and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee of West Northamptonshire Council is scheduled to meet on Monday 27 April 2026. The meeting's agenda includes an update on the council's financial position and the One West Northamptonshire Plan performance report. The committee will also review and potentially approve its Annual Report for 2025/26 and discuss its work programme.

Revenue Monitoring and Medium Term Financial Strategy Update

A verbal update is scheduled from the Corporate Director of Finance & Procurement regarding the council's latest revenue monitoring position. This will also cover the progress of the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy. The report pack indicates that the forecast outturn for 2025-26 is an overspend of £9.5 million, even after utilising £11.4 million from general budget contingencies. This overspend represents 2.2% of the net budget. The report also highlights that £31.0 million of debt owed to the authority is overdue by at least 90 days, a slight increase from the previous year.

One West Northamptonshire Plan Performance Report

The committee is set to consider the One West Northamptonshire Plan Performance Report for the third quarter of 2025-26. This report aims to inform ongoing performance management scrutiny. The report details performance against the seven priorities outlined in the One West Northamptonshire Plan 2025-2030.

Key performance indicators discussed in the report include:

• Productive, Inclusive and Enterprising: This section covers metrics such as the number of apprentices employed by the council, apprenticeship starts in West Northamptonshire, and the proportion of young people aged 16-18 who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). It also details efforts to support the local visitor economy, town centres, and address vacant high street properties in Brackley and Towcester. Economic growth initiatives, including inward investment and business growth, are also highlighted, alongside skills and employment support programmes like Connect to Work .
• Accessible and Connected: This priority area includes data on highway defect repairs, the percentage of the routine maintenance budget spent, and the number of public electric vehicle charging points. The report notes that West Northamptonshire has 87.4 charging points per 100,000 population, which is higher than the East Midlands average but lower than the England average.
• Thriving Towns and Neighbourhoods: Performance metrics here include the percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling, or composting, and the percentage of residual waste treated. The report also details the number of fly-tipping incidents cleared by the council, showing a decrease compared to the previous quarter and the same period last year. Library visitor numbers (both physical and virtual) and museum visitor numbers are also presented, with museums consistently exceeding targets.
• More and Better Quality Homes: This section covers the number of new council homes built and affordable homes completed. It also reports on the processing of planning applications, noting that all 18 major planning applications processed in the third quarter were completed within agreed timescales. The report also addresses homelessness prevention and relief duties, indicating ongoing work to increase successful outcomes.
• Best Place to Grow up: This priority includes data on health visiting services, the percentage of young people maintaining or improving their emotional wellbeing after counselling, and the completion of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The report highlights a significant increase in the number of children with EHCPs, both locally and nationally. It also details exclusion and suspension rates in primary and secondary education, and the number of children being electively home-educated. Data from the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is also presented, including the number of contacts received and referrals made to social care and early help.
• Best Place to Live & Age Well: This section covers admissions to residential and nursing care homes for different age groups, and the percentage of concluded safeguarding enquiries where outcomes were achieved. It also reports on the number of completed Care Act assessments and carer assessments. Data on smoking quit rates, weight management success, and successful completion of drug and alcohol treatment programmes are also included. The report also tracks NHS Health Checks and emergency hospital admissions for falls in those aged 65+.
• An Efficient & Enabling Council: This priority area includes resident satisfaction with customer services, the percentage of unavoidable contacts received by customer services, and the proportion of complaints escalated and upheld. It also details the collection rates for Council Tax and Business Rates, and the average time taken to determine housing benefit and council tax reduction scheme applications. The report also presents the projected outturn for the revenue budget, the amount of overdue debt, and the percentage of invoices paid within 30 days. Finally, it provides figures on the number of employees, both headcount and full-time equivalent, and average days lost due to sickness absence.

Annual Report 2025/26 of the Place and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The committee is scheduled to approve its Annual Report for 2025/26. The draft report highlights the committee's work throughout the year, including scrutinising the delivery of the 2025/2026 budget and the development of the draft budget for 2026/2027. It also mentions reviews of the One West Northamptonshire Plan performance, housing delivery, and the Local Plan communications plan. The report notes that the committee provided constructive challenge on various issues and acknowledges the support of council officers.

Review of Committee Work Programme

The committee will review and note its Work Programme. The report pack indicates that the Section 106 Agreements / Community Infrastructure Levy Task and Finish Panel is scheduled to report back to the June meeting of the committee. A joint working group with the Adult Social Care, Health and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee is also to be set up to oversee the Adult Social Care Sustainability Plan.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at the G01ab, One Angel Square, Northampton.