North Northamptonshire Council's executive has approved its 2026/27 budget and medium term financial plan
North Northants residents face a 4.99 per cent rise in their council tax bills if the authority’s budget is approved next week, as the executive has endorsed its financial plans for 2026/27.
On Tuesday morning (February 10), the council’s senior political body discussed the proposed £432.4m budget for running day-to-day services across North Northamptonshire.
Introducing the report, executive member for finance, Cllr Graham Cheatley, said the budget had been created at ‘one of the most challenging financial contexts local government has faced in decades’.
The planned council tax rise will see the bill for an average band D property rise to £1,918.23, an annual increase of £91.17. The council expects to raise £227.8m from council tax in 2026/27, which represents nearly 53 per cent of its total funding.
NNC says this will help fund £47m of further investment to protect vital services and fund improvements, as well as allowing for increased demand and higher costs in providing statutory services such as adult social care and children’s.
Cllr Cheatley added: “Demand for essential frontline services continues to rise sharply, particularly in adult social care and children’s services.
“Despite this, the budget before you is balanced, responsible and firmly aligned with our corporate plan ambition of delivering faster, smarter, fairer public services.”
Although NNC said it welcomed the government’s multi-year settlement, which covers the period 2026/27 to 2028/29 and gives councils more certainty for future funding, it criticised changes in funding assumptions, which it said resulted in lower funding than expected for the needs of North Northamptonshire.
The council’s Core Spending Power (CSP), which is a government measure of the total resources available to deliver services, is forecast to rise by 14.5 per cent over the three-year settlement.
However, this assumes maximum council tax increases each year. Without this, NNC says its overall funding is expected to increase by 7.9 per cent.
NNC leader Martin Griffiths told the executive chamber: “I can remember when the discussions started, almost on the night of the result of the elections, when everybody was saying ‘you’ve got all these new councillors, what’s it going to be like’?
“Well, actually, it’s made a huge difference, because we’ve looked at everything completely differently and the scrutiny is part of that journey.
“We welcome the government’s multi-year settlement, but, members, it is far from a fair settlement. This is a budget that is responsible, pragmatic, and one that delivers the services and also our corporate plan.
“It’s a budget with no gimmicks, but one that delivers on the challenges we face.”
The council’s corporate contingency budget for 2026/27, which is used to cover unforeseen costs and overspends, is set at £2.4m. This year’s contingency was £2.7m, which will go towards offsetting NNC’s forecast overspend of £15.4m, according to its latest reports.
Full council will consider the final budget next Thursday, on February 19, before the programme can be formally adopted.