Council leader and current chief executive set out goals and plans for 2024

North Northants Council leader Cllr Jason Smithers (Con) says ‘big numbers don’t scare him’ which is lucky as he is responsible for a local taxpayers’ budget of £371.5m.

He was ‘disappointed’ with the latest central government settlement issued just before Christmas that left a budget gap of £748,000 meaning more efficiencies and savings to be found.

But Cllr Smithers is feeling positive about the coming year and has plans to push central government for more funding for North Northants’ statutory services especially social care.

Inherited ‘whack-a-mole’ legacy problems such as the £6.8m for Kettering Library roof and the Geoff Monks compensation case that cost more than £4m have been popping up.

Cllr Smithers said: “I quite often have sleepless nights. It’s part of the business but we are very well capitalised. We aren’t ever going to have a swash of money. Our future is sustainable but it’s going to be very, very challenging.”

Priorities for the Corby, Kettering, Rushden and Wellingborough areas have seen Cllr Smithers and interim chief executive George Candler set out their plans for 2024.

Cllr Smithers, said: “I have got corporate experience with a large organisation. Big numbers don’t scare me.”

Mr Candler added: “It’s a £1.5bn turnover business, with 800 different areas.”

North Northants Council receives money from central government to pay for services including libraries, waste collection and adult and children's social care. The grant is topped up by applying for specific grants – competing for funds against other areas of the country.

Dozens of funding bids for various projects have been submitted for the unitary patch, but those campaigning for the long-awaited Isham bypass face further delays – the traffic flow model used to prepare the business plan has been superseded by a new version by the Department of Transport and needs to be redone.

Cllr Smithers said: “What you want to know is when there will be ‘spades in the ground’. 2026 is the scheduled start of the build and then it will be quick from then with a ribbon cutting late 2027, early 2028.”

Another project that the council is keen to see is the dualling of the A45 between Stanwick and the A14 at Thrapston described by Cllr Smithers as a ‘much-needed piece of infrastructure’.

He said: “We are actively lobbying at the moment but these things take time.”

As budgets tighten, the council buildings are on the table for possible ‘asset disposal’. Offices in the Corby Cube have had staff moved into use the space from other buildings.

Potholes affecting the existing roads, exacerbated by the recent floods and current cold snap, will see North Northants Council continuing to use their thermal road patching machine that melts the road surface and reuses the asphalt to repair the crumbling surfaces.

Attracting new big businesses to the area has been a priority with the recent relocation of Ball and Little Moons to Kettering and modular housing manufacturer TopHat to Corby.

Cllr Smithers said: “We have a team that courts businesses to the area. It also about upskilling the residents. We have been talking to local colleges. The more skilled (the workforce) the better.”

Education of younger residents is also part of the council’s remit. The rapid rise in Special Education Needs (SEN) pupils has seen an increase in demand for resources and supported school places.

Cllr Smithers said: “We are looking at a hospital school so children can receive care."

There are also plans for SEN provision in existing facilities and hopes for a brand new SEN school.

Mr Candler said: “There has been a significant increase in SEN. We are building additional classrooms at schools. What we need is a new school.”

Cllr Smithers has just been elected to the executive of the Local Government Association who are concerned about the £4bn funding gap over the next two years. He is lobbying for a three-year settlement to be made with local authorities so they can budget more effectively and recently had lunch with Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove MP.

He said: “Central government is quite different to local government. Central government needs to understand it. They will listen. I have not gone to the next stage but we need to convert listening into action.”

With the new year bringing more pressures on finances, Cllr Smithers is relishing the challenge.

He added: “I’m feeling positive for the future – always.”