The North Northamptonshire Council Executive met to discuss a range of issues, including housing, transport and leisure. Key decisions included approving a consultation on changes to the Keyways Housing Allocation Scheme, and adopting the North Northamptonshire Statement of Community Involvement.

Keyways Housing Allocation Scheme Review

The Executive approved a six-week consultation on proposed changes to the Keyways Housing Allocation Scheme. The aim is to ensure the scheme remains legally compliant, fit for purpose and supports those in greatest need.

The proposed changes include:

• Removing eligibility for applicants with no defined housing need. This includes those sharing with others without dependants, those seeking sheltered accommodation without a housing need, and those with a local connection to a Section 106¹ site without a housing need.
• Removing eligibility for all homeowners, except those who meet the criteria for sheltered complexes.
• Increasing priority from Band B to Band A for care experienced young people where the council is the corporate parent². Other care leavers will be awarded a Band D.
• Increasing priority from Band B to Band A for adults being accommodated by the council's Adult Social Care service.
• Awarding Band A to domestic abuse victims with a connection to North Northamptonshire, and Band D to all other victims (unless a homeless duty applies).
• Introducing an additional overcrowding criterion in Band A for cases of severe overcrowding (lacking two or more bedrooms).
• Restricting single and couple households to bidding on one-bedroom properties only.
• Increasing autobid³ areas from four to five to reflect the geographical size of the former East Northamptonshire area.
• Enabling autobid for all households in supported accommodation to improve move-on flow and prevent bed blocking.
• Increasing weekly bids from three to five for all applicants.

During the meeting, Councillor Trevor Conway, Chair of the Place and Environmental Scrutiny Committee, highlighted the increasing demand for council housing and the need to support residents in Bands D and E to explore alternative housing options.

Councillor Mark Pengelly raised concerns about the impact of the changes on local residents, particularly couples struggling to find affordable accommodation. He urged the council to consider alternative approaches, including building new council housing and prioritising local connections.

Lynne Buckingham noted that the current draft narrows access and priority rules in ways that could disadvantage disabled people, carers, older residents and survivors of domestic abuse. She stated:

The equality screening attached to this report is a single page, no depth, no cumulative analysis. That's not compliance with the Equalities Act 2010. It's a pretensional breach of it.

Dorothy Maxwell expressed concern that eliminating people from the list means that they have no hope.

David Watts, the Executive Director for Adults, Health, Partnerships and Housing, clarified that couples would still be eligible for one-bedroom properties, domestic abuse victims with a local connection would be awarded Band A, and an additional overcrowding criterion would be introduced in Band A.

Councillor Elizabeth Wright raised concerns about the proposed banding for care experienced young people, distinguishing between those for whom Northamptonshire Council is the corporate parent and those placed from another authority. She said:

Whilst I absolutely recognise the need for clear and fair criteria, we must ensure that no young person leaving care is disadvantaged because of placement decisions made to keep them safe.

Councillor Kirk Harrison supported the review, stating that it would improve transparency and manage people's expectations fairly.

Local Transport Plan Project Plan and Baseline Report

The Executive agreed the stages and timetable for producing the North Northamptonshire Local Transport Plan (LTP) and noted the findings of the public consultation for the LTP Baseline Report.

George Candler, the Executive Director for Place and Economy, noted that the current Local Transport Plan dates back to 2012 and is in need of being updated. He stated that the new plan must reflect the needs of the community, priorities and investment plans for the next five years plus.

Lynne Buckingham said that the report reads like a glossy sales brochure, not a plan to get people where they need to go. She added that rural residents are invisible, home-to-school transport is missing, disabled and social transport networks are an afterthought, health connectivity is absent, and carbon claims without numbers is greenwash.

Dorothy Maxwell said that the buses do not meet the needs of local people. She added that buses do not go to Northampton Railway Station or Wellingborough Railway Station.

Councillor Chris McGiffen said that the current transport plan scripted in the age of steam and released about the time of Henry Ford's Model T, or indeed the London Olympics.

Councillor Ken Harrington said that the current LTP was adopted by the former Northamptons County Council, and it was actually adopted as long ago as 2012.

Kettering Leisure Village – Ongoing Management Funding Agreement

The Executive approved North Northamptonshire Council entering into a new Management Agreement relating to schedule 3 of the underlease with Phoenix Leisure Management Limited for the operation of the Arena Sports element of the Kettering Leisure Village site, and approved the funding commitment for the period of 10 years from 2025 to 2035.

Councillor Steve Geary recognised the extended agreement that's proposed of 10 years to offer additional stability to arena sports, the council and residents. He also recognised that we've limited any annual increases to 5% RPI. He suggested that in more quarterly and annual conversations with arena sports and with PLML that we have an elected NNC representative who happens to live on the St. Peter Ward area to make sure that we have a demonstration of our transparency and willingness to work with the providers and it would allow a more open and a superior level of feedback over and beyond what we're already achieving.

Martin Shepard said that Kettering Leisure Village is not just another facility on our asset list. It's a beating heart of our community. He added that it represents over 30 years of investment in people's health, their well-being, and their sense of belonging.

Lynne Buckingham said that we're about to sign off on a £5 million deal for a facility that the council doesn't actually control. She added that KLV might be leased, but make no mistake, the liabilities sit squarely on our books until 21-16.

Councillor Jim Hakewell said that he agreed with the proposals, and I'm pleased that we're taking such a proactive approach to not only maintaining this contract, but enhancing it and keeping this valued facility available for the communities in North Northamptonshire.

Jane Bethea, the Director of Public Health, Communities and Leisure, said that there's such a passion for KLV, and I've been here two years and came in just after the last issue we really had with KLV, and it's been really apparent to me from day one that this is something that people care hugely about.

Councillor Brian Benneweth said that Kettering Leisure Village is very dear to my heart. I was there when the spades went in the ground in the early 90s, and I've, you know, participated in many activities and managed to lose quite a lot of weight in the gym and enjoy many, many performances at the theatre.

Councillor Kirk Harrison said that he used to catch the bus from my house and I used to go swimming. I used to go and play quasar, bowling, ice skating. To me, it was the greatest place on earth.

Councillor Jan O'Hara said that she loved her football and actually I love paddleboarding as well, but we'll get onto that at another point. But I've spent many hours down there teaching football and actually the recent opening of the new sports facilities in terms of the refurbished 3G artificial sports pitch is absolutely brilliant.

North Northamptonshire Statement of Community Involvement

The Executive adopted the North Northamptonshire Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which outlines how local communities can get involved in the planning process.

Councillor David Brackenbury welcomed the requirements of the Statement of Community Involvement and the concomitant underlying requirements that communities are properly consulted on strategic development which will culminate in the formulation of a sound and workable local plan.

Councillor Jim Hakewell said that engaging communities at the strategic stage of planning is crucial and actually very difficult.

George Candler, the Executive Director for Place and Economy, said that the purpose of the statement of community involvement is to set out a consultation framework and to highlight what consultation will take place with the community on both planning policy documents but also planning applications day-to-day planning applications and principally it sets out who the council will consult with when they will consult with them in the planning process and how it should be carried out.

Councillor Jan O'Hara said that the statement of community involvement is a vital part of our planning framework. It ensures that our local plan and neighbourhood planning processes are shaped by local voices and reflect the priorities of our communities and this is really really important.

Scrutiny - Executive Protocol 2025

The Executive approved the Scrutiny – Executive Protocol 2025.

Councillor Trevor Conway said that the Scrutiny Management Board met on 22nd September and after discussion regarding the Scrutiny Executive Protocol 2025, we are very happy to have approved this protocol.

Councillor Jim Hakewell said that he was personally delighted that so early in the new term of the council that we've created a clear executive scrutiny protocol.

Camilla Coulson-Pattel, director of law and governance, said that scrutiny plays an essential element in the executive model of decision making. and this should be promoted as a positive way to fulfil its statutory role.

Councillor Kirk Harrison said that everyone loves a good governance protocol, don't they? This one's really worth it, I promise.