Overspend on the rise as North Northamptonshire Council approves £850,000 culture budget

North Northants Council has approved a £856,000 budget for its culture and tourism plans next year, after issuing a financial warning to rein in spending only last week.

The plans will see cash being spent on attractions such as the Chester House Estate, Corby Heritage Centre, the Cornerstone and the North Northamptonshire Greenway Project.

However, Cllr Jim Hakewill (independent) asked NNC’s executive panel if it was ‘acceptable’ to invest the funds into culture and tourism when there are ‘so many other demands in our resources’.

This comes after NNC councillors were told on January 10 that a panel had been created to consider every spend over £500 and have more control over finances.

The projected overspend for this financial year is also on the rise as the council expects an additional spend of £8.5m.

Cllr Lloyd Bunday, executive member for finance, said that the rising costs are due to events ‘beyond the realms of control’ of the council and the volatility of demand-led services.

He also warned of a ‘very real risk’ of a further £3m of savings not being delivered by Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

Cllr Helen Howell, executive member for culture, said that the £850,000 figure was ‘not a great deal of money’ when compared to the council’s £371m budget for 2024/25.

She added: “It’s quite disturbing that one should think we shouldn’t invest and spend any money in this sort of service - it provides an awful lot of things for an awful lot of people.

“Tourism generates economy. It generates income for this council, it generates income for everybody out there and creates jobs. We’ve got some fantastic facilities and it would be an absolute travesty to see them go.”

These proposed projects show a commitment to enhancing facilities, supporting education, preserving historical landmarks, and revitalising North Northamptonshire’s tourism economy.

Chester House is ‘at the forefront’ of the service and is projected to generate an income of nearly £60,000 this financial year, which will be reinvested into other heritage projects.

Cllr Howell also highlighted the work being done on opening up the Cornerstone building in Kettering, saying that it will be up and running ‘as soon as possible’.