The Place and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Monday 27 April 2026 to discuss the council's financial position, performance against key targets, and the work programme. The committee reviewed the provisional outturn for the 2025-26 financial year, which indicated an estimated overspend of £5.9 million, primarily driven by significant overspends in adult and children's social care. Members also discussed the council's performance report for the third quarter of 2025-26, highlighting concerns about the timeliness of data and the need for clearer metrics in areas such as economic growth and highway maintenance.

Revenue Monitoring and Medium Term Financial Strategy Update

The committee received an update on the council's financial position for the 2025-26 financial year, which is currently in its provisional outturn period. The initial reported overspend of £7.9 million has been reduced to an estimated £5.9 million, representing a net improvement of £2 million. This improvement was attributed to various factors, including additional income from adult social care client contributions and business rates, alongside underspends and mitigations in other services. However, significant overspends were noted in adult social care (£12.5 million) and children's social care (£16.5 million).

The council's savings requirement for 2025-26 was £24.6 million, with an estimated delivery of £20.4 million, or 84% of the target. This leaves approximately £4 million in unrealised savings, with about half of this being mitigated, resulting in a £2 million hit to the financial position.

The projected £5.9 million overspend is to be funded from the council's risk reserve, which will leave £6 million remaining in that reserve. This is the first time the council has ended a financial year in an overspend position, necessitating the use of reserves.

Looking ahead to the 2027-28 financial year, the council is projecting a deficit of £23.4 million. This figure will be updated in the summer based on the first quarter's financial results. The council's medium-term financial plan includes £64 million of budget growth for 2026-27, accounting for inflation, demographic demand, and structural deficits.

Concerns were raised about the impact of service overspends on those departments that manage their budgets effectively, with the suggestion that this could lead to resentment. The council's approach to managing overspends involves a council-wide view, with other directorates attempting to mitigate the impact.

One West Northamptonshire Plan Performance Report

The committee reviewed the One West Northamptonshire Plan Performance Report for the third quarter of 2025-26. Members expressed concerns about the timeliness of the data, noting that the report covered a period that had already concluded, making it difficult to influence current actions.

Priority 1 – Productive, Inclusive and Enterprising:

• Supporting the Local Visitor Economy: The report highlighted efforts to promote Northamptonshire as a tourist destination, including the launch of a new Tourist Information Point at Northampton Museum, an interactive tool for visitors, and an influencer campaign. Events such as the Harley Davidson run and Makers Markets were also mentioned.
• Economic Growth and Inward Investment: The team is aligning activities with the economic growth strategy, supporting initiatives like the Fuelling Innovation Campaign led by the University of Northampton. The Invest in West Northants brand is gaining momentum, with Marks and Spencer announcing a significant investment in a new distribution centre in Daventry. The Connect to Work programme, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), aims to support 8,100 individuals over its lifetime, with West Northamptonshire having a target of 1,565 individuals.
• Skills and Employment Support: The Connect to Work programme is preparing for launch, with an information session held for potential delivery partners. The SEGRO Employment and Skills Steering Group is working to ensure local residents benefit from the estimated 7,500 jobs created at the Northampton Gateway development.

Priority 2 – Accessible and Connected:

• Highways Defects: Performance in repairing highways defects is strong, with 98.3% of Priority 1 and 2 repairs completed within the specified timeframes in October, and 100% in November. Priority 3 and 4 repairs also performed well, with 95.7% completed within timescales in October.
• Electric Vehicle Charging Points: As of October 2025, there were 375 public charging devices in West Northamptonshire, with 125 being rapid chargers. The number of charging points per 100,000 population is higher than the East Midlands average but lower than the England average.
• Potholes: Members expressed concern that the data presented for highway defects did not reflect the reality of the pothole situation experienced by residents, particularly in rural areas. This was attributed to the reporting timescales, with the current data predating the severe winter weather. A members' briefing on this issue is planned for May.

Priority 3 – Thriving Towns and Neighbourhoods:

• Waste Recycling: The percentage of waste sent for reuse, recycling, or composting remained consistent, with an increase in composted waste in the second quarter.
• Residual Waste Treatment: 98.5% of residual waste was treated in the second quarter, an improvement on the previous quarter and the same period last year.
• Fly-tipping: The third quarter saw a decrease in fly-tipping incidents compared to the previous quarter and the same period last year, with 4,828 incidents cleared. However, concerns were raised about the council's poor national ranking for fly-tipping, which was attributed to differing methods of counting incidents compared to other councils. The need for increased enforcement was also highlighted.
• Library Visitors: Physical library visitors increased by approximately 35,000 compared to the previous year, while virtual visitors also saw an increase.
• Museum Visitors: Visitor numbers to Northampton Museum & Art Gallery and Abington Park Museum were above expectations, with an increase of approximately 6,600 visitors compared to the same period last year.

Priority 4 – More and Better Quality Homes:

• New Council Homes: No new council homes were delivered in the third quarter, and the cumulative total for the year remained at 28, as expected handover dates were not met.
• Affordable Homes: 219 affordable homes were delivered across West Northamptonshire in the third quarter, primarily from sustainable urban extension sites.
• Planning Applications: Performance in processing planning applications has improved, with 100% of major applications processed within agreed timescales in the third quarter. For non-major applications, 91.5% were processed within timescales.
• Homelessness Prevention: The council achieved successful homelessness prevention in 8.9% of cases under the Prevention Duty and 34.5% under the Relief Duty. Work is underway to improve these figures, with a focus on capturing data on earlier prevention efforts.

Priority 5 – Best Place to Grow up:

• Children's Services: Concerns were raised about the significant overspend in children's social care and the financial sustainability of the Northamptonshire Children's Trust. The committee discussed the complexity of the trust's finances and the need for further in-depth scrutiny. The projected increase in funding for the Children's Trust in 2026-27 was also noted.
• Education: The report highlighted a concerning increase in suspensions for children in Key Stage 1, reflecting a national trend linked to the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. Measures are in place to address this, including targeted support and training. The number of Electively Home Educated (EHE) children continues to grow, with West Northamptonshire having a higher rate than the national average.

Priority 6 – Best Place to Live & Age Well:

• Safeguarding Enquiries: Performance in achieving desired outcomes from safeguarding enquiries remains strong, with 90.3% of enquiries resulting in fully or partially achieved outcomes.
• Residential and Nursing Care Admissions: Admissions to residential and nursing care homes for those aged 18-64 and 65+ are below national averages.
• Care Act Assessments: 581 Care Act assessments were completed in the third quarter, a slight decrease from the previous quarter but an increase compared to the previous year.
• Carer Assessments: 156 carer assessments were completed in the third quarter, a reduction compared to the same period last year.
• Smoking Quit Rates: 51.4% of smokers who set a quit date successfully quit at four weeks, an improvement on the previous quarter but below the national average.
• Weight Management: 52% of individuals completing a 12-week weight management course achieved at least a 5% weight loss.
• Drug and Alcohol Treatment: Successful completion rates for opiate drug users (7.2%) and adults with alcohol dependence (26.9%) were reported, with the former exceeding the national average.
• NHS Health Checks: 8.8% of the eligible population received an NHS Health Check in the third quarter, lower than the previous quarter but slightly higher than the same period last year.
• Falls Admissions: There were 816 emergency hospital admissions for falls in those aged 65+ up to the end of November, an increase from the same period last year.
• Leisure Centre Visitors: Leisure centres had 531,586 visitors in the third quarter, a decrease from the previous quarter and the same period last year.

Priority 7 – An Efficient and Enabling Council:

• Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction levels remain around 71.4%, with a change in data collection now reflecting overall council interactions rather than just customer services.
• Unavoidable Contacts: 92.7% of calls to Customer Services were deemed unavoidable.
• Complaints: The proportion of complaints escalated to stage 2 was 19%, and 43% of complaints were partially or fully upheld.
• Council Tax and Business Rates Collection: Council Tax collection stood at 82.96% at the end of Q3, slightly under target but an improvement on the previous year. Business Rates collection was at 82.95%.
• Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction Scheme Processing Times: Processing times for new applications and changes in circumstances for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction have significantly improved since the implementation of a new system.
• Agency Staff Spend: £1.74 million was spent on agency staff in the third quarter, a decrease from the previous quarter.
• Employee Numbers and Sickness Absence: The council's headcount increased slightly to 2,881 employees, while full-time equivalents also saw a small increase. Sickness absence is trending higher than pre-pandemic levels, with actions in place to address this.
• Staff Turnover: Staff turnover was 9.8% over the past 12 months, which is below the East Midlands average.

Review of Committee Work Programme

The committee discussed its work programme for the upcoming months. Key items include a detailed scrutiny of the Children's Trust, a review of the budget scrutiny process, and a discussion on preparedness for winter. The committee also agreed to include a review of adult social care sustainability and the Section 106 Agreements/Community Infrastructure Levy Task and Finish Panel's report in its future agenda. The provisional outturn position for the 2025-26 financial year will be discussed in June, following its presentation to the Cabinet.

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

The committee endorsed its draft Annual Report for 2025/26. The report highlights the committee's work throughout the year, including its scrutiny of the budget, performance against corporate targets, and the Local Plan communications strategy. It also notes the establishment of new task and finish groups and the committee's role in providing constructive challenge to the Cabinet.

Section 106 Agreements / Community Infrastructure Levy Scrutiny Review

The committee noted that the Section 106 Agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy Task and Finish Panel had commenced its work. The initial target for reporting back to the committee in June was deemed unfeasible, and a revised timescale for a report in September was considered. The committee agreed to a verbal update in June.

Urgent Business

No urgent business was raised.