The Corporate Scrutiny Committee for North Northamptonshire Council met on Tuesday 21 October 2025, at Corby Cube. The agenda included the election of a vice-chair, reviewing the minutes from a previous meeting, and updates on the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, Council Tax premiums, the Corporate Plan, and a residents' survey. The committee was also scheduled to discuss its work plan.

Election of Vice Chair

The committee was scheduled to elect a vice chair.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Local Council Tax Support Scheme (LCTSS) for 2026/27. The report pack included an update on the LCTSS for 2025/26, covering claimant caseload, expenditure and council tax collection performance. The report pack noted that the Executive would be asked to recommend to the Council that the LCTSS for 2026/27 should remain the same as the scheme in place for 2025/26, with the exception of annual uprating of allowances and premiums, and any required changes to reflect changes in legislation.

The report pack stated that there were 17,016 claimants in receipt of Local Council Tax Support in North Northamptonshire, of whom 58% were of working age and 42% of pensionable age. The current LCTS expenditure for 2025/26 was estimated to be £18.4 million. The report pack also noted that historically, concerns have been raised about a person's ability to pay the minimum 25% contribution towards their Council Tax, and that the council has a Council Tax Discretionary Discount scheme in place to mitigate any unforeseen or exceptional hardship.

The report pack included a climate change impact assessment, which indicated that the adoption of the proposed LCTSS for 2026/27 would have no positive or negative impacts.

Council Tax Premiums – Second Homes and Long Term Empty Properties

The committee was scheduled to consider proposals to introduce a premium for long-term empty properties, and for second homes. The report pack noted that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 contains a provision to amend the definition of long term empty homes, so that from 1 April 2024, unfurnished properties that have been empty for one year or more can be charged a premium. The act also contains a provision to introduce a second homes premium from 1 April 2025.

The proposals included introducing a long term empty premium from 1 April 2026 once a property has been empty for one year (rather than the current two years), and to introduce a second homes premium of 100% from 1 April 2027.

The report pack stated that at the time of writing, the council had 3138 properties that have been determined as empty, of which 453 are long term empty based on the current criteria (empty for more than two years). It was estimated that an additional 218 properties would be subject to the long term empty premium if the qualifying period was reduced to one year. This was said to equate to 187 band D equivalents, which would generate additional income in the region of £336,500, effective during the financial year 2026/27.

The report pack also stated that the council had 511 dwellings that have been determined as second homes, equating to 447 band D equivalents. This would generate additional income in the region of £804,000 (maximum), effective during the financial year 2027/28.

The report pack detailed a number of legislated exceptions where the premiums would not apply. These included:

• Military accommodation
• Annexes
• Properties undergoing probate
• Properties being actively marketed for sale or let
• Properties requiring major repairs
• Job related dwellings
• Occupied caravan pitches or boat moorings
• Seasonal homes

The report pack included an Equalities Impact Screening Assessment, which resulted in no positive or negative impacts being identified. The report pack also included a climate change impact assessment, which indicated that the adoption of the proposed council tax premiums scores +1, because it could have the effect of reducing the need for new house building and therefore reduce the carbon emissions associated with the construction of new dwellings.

Draft Corporate Plan

The committee was scheduled to discuss the draft Corporate Plan for North Northamptonshire Council, alongside the results of a public consultation. The report pack stated that the Corporate Plan sets out the high-level strategic direction of the council over the next four years, and that the draft plan sets out the council's future focus against four priority themes:

• Family
• Community
• Prosperity
• Smarter, faster, fairer public services

For each of the above priority themes, the plan sets out:

• What this [theme] means in practice
• Key Commitments [under the theme]
• The change you [residents] will see

The report pack stated that a public consultation was carried out on the draft Corporate Plan during September 2025, and that there was a total of 494 responses to the consultation. The majority of the feedback was received via a consultation questionnaire, with 476 respondents participating via this method, and 18 respondents submitting a written response. Of the questionnaire respondents:

• 82.2% said they were local residents
• 28.3% said they were employees of NNC
• 16.7% said they were service users

The report pack noted that the public consultation showed very clear support for the priorities set out within the draft Corporate Plan. The summary below shows the percentage of questionnaire respondents who said they agree or strongly agree with the proposals set out within the draft Corporate Plan:

• Family: 90.6%
• Community: 89.5%
• Prosperity: 84.6%
• Smarter, Faster and Fairer Public Services: 77.2%

The report pack also included a consultation feedback report, which provided more detail on the consultation methodology, how the consultation was promoted, and the number and types of responses received.

Residents' Satisfaction Survey

The committee was scheduled to consider the results of a residents' satisfaction survey. The report pack stated that in response to recommendations from the Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge review conducted in the autumn of 2024, North Northamptonshire Council commissioned a residents' satisfaction survey to deepen engagement and strengthen the voice of residents in shaping the council's vision and priorities. The survey, conducted by Yonder Data Solutions in July 2025, used the LGA's standard methodology and questions, and gathered insights from a representative sample of 500 residents via telephone interviews. A parallel, self-selecting online survey was also conducted by the council to ensure broader resident participation.

The report pack summarised the findings of the CATI survey as follows:

• Local Area Satisfaction: 68% of residents were satisfied with their area as a place to live, slightly below the national average of 74%.
• Council Performance: 41% expressed satisfaction with how the council runs things, compared to 56% nationally. Older residents and women reported higher satisfaction.
• Value for Money: Only 28% felt the council provides good value for money, below the national average of 36%.
• Responsiveness: 37% believed the council acts on residents' concerns, significantly lower than the national figure of 53%.
• Service Satisfaction:
  • Waste collection (77%) and parks / green spaces (68%) are broadly aligned with national averages.
  • Street cleaning (48%), library services (48%), and sports/leisure services (45%) were below national benchmarks.
  • Road maintenance (13%), pavement maintenance (34%), and services for young and older people (32% each).
• Communication: Only 33% felt well informed about council services, compared to 47% nationally.
• Decision making: 78% of North Northamptonshire residents stated they would prefer local councillors to make local decisions.

The council's own online self-selecting survey tended to mirror the findings of the CATI survey, but tended to report lower satisfaction across all areas.

The report pack also included a long form report produced by Yonder Data Solutions, and qualitative data responses from the survey.

Corporate Scrutiny Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to consider the Corporate Scrutiny Work Plan.