Simon Bowers
Council: West Northamptonshire
Committees:
Activity Timeline
Meetings Attended Note this may include planned future meetings.
12 meetings · Page 1 of 3
West Northamptonshire Schools Forum - Tuesday 3rd February 2026 2.00 pm
West Northamptonshire Schools Forum - Monday 8th December 2025 2.00 pm
The West Northamptonshire Schools Forum met to discuss school and early years funding for the 2026-27 financial year, agreeing to increase the amount of funding passed directly to early years providers, and to continue transferring 0.5% of funding from the schools block to the high needs block. The forum also reviewed and approved the updated West Northamptonshire Council Section 19 Policy Statement, which outlines the council's duty to provide education for children unable to attend school. The Schools Forum also noted updates on the Schools White Paper, the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) monitoring for 2025-26, and high needs provision.
West Northamptonshire Schools Forum - Tuesday 14th October 2025 2.00 pm
The West Northamptonshire Schools Forum met to discuss Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) monitoring, school funding, and early years funding for the upcoming financial year. The forum endorsed consultation proposals for both schools and early years funding for 2026-27, with minor additions to include questions around falling rolls funds and deprivation rates. They also noted the forecast outturn position for the year ending 31 March 2026 and the forward plan, with additional items to be added around education white paper review, changes around requirements of the Education Act S19[^2], draft sufficiency strategy update, and forecasting numbers/place planning.
Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm
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.
West Northamptonshire Schools Forum - Tuesday 1st July 2025 2.00 pm
The West Northamptonshire Schools Forum was scheduled to meet to discuss the Dedicated Schools Grant provisional outturn for 2024-25, the deficit management plan, and the administrative arrangements for allocating central government grants in 2025-26. They were also scheduled to elect a chair and vice-chair for the upcoming year. Maintained school members were expected to approve the carry forward of school balances above 10% of their budget.
Decisions from Meetings
57 decisions · Page 4 of 12
Affordable Housing Acquisition
From: Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm - July 16, 2025
...to increase the provision of Council-owned housing, the Cabinet approved the acquisition of affordable housing properties in Brackley, subject to due diligence and the Chief Finance Officer's approval, and delegated authority to relevant officers to negotiate and complete the acquisition.
Recommendations Approved
Public Health Framework 2025-27
From: Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm - July 16, 2025
...to ensure complete awareness and transparency around the usage of the Public Health Grant, they approved the adoption of the refreshed Public Health Framework 2025-27 and noted that any spend above £500k, deemed a key decision, would be recommended to Cabinet for approval.
Recommendations Approved
Provision of Financial Data
From: Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm - July 16, 2025
...to approve the sharing of specific financial data with third parties, subject to due diligence and legal agreements, to identify potential efficiencies and savings for the council, while also delegating authority for further data sharing within defined parameters.
Recommendations Approved
Sustainability Strategy Review
From: Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm - July 16, 2025
...to focus its limited resources on matters directly benefiting local people and businesses, the council approved the proposal to no longer retain the current targets for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 for its own operations and by 2045 for residents and businesses, while continuing to progress the Sustainability Project,
Investors in the Environment accreditation, and annual Sustainability Report.
Recommendations Approved
Re-procurement of a Customer Records Management System
From: Cabinet - Wednesday 16th July 2025 6.00 pm - July 16, 2025
...to re-procure a corporate Customer Records Management system via direct award through the GCloud 14 framework, delegating authority to the Executive Director for Resources to secure the best contract and award it to the provider, with the new contract starting in May 2026.
Recommendations Approved
Summary
Meetings Attended: 12
Average per Month: 0.5
Decisions Recorded: 57