Final budget for 2026-2027 approved by North Northamptonshire Council
19 February 2026
Final budget proposals for North Northamptonshire Council for the next financial year were approved at a meeting of the council earlier today.
Draft proposals were initially agreed by the Executive on December 16, and these were subject to a detailed consultation process and scrutiny before final proposals went before Executive earlier this month.
Overall, the net revenue budget for 2026/2027 is £432.5 million, excluding the Dedicated Schools Grant. This money provides a range of services to residents and businesses across the area including care to vulnerable adults and children, education, the disposal and collection of waste, highways maintenance, economic development, housing and support for those that are homeless.
A commitment to maintain vital service provision has seen the Council invest an additional £47 million into services, including £17.7 million into adult social care and £12.2 million into children’s services to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and address growing demand for these vital services.
These pressures are, in part, offset by savings, efficiencies and further income of £20.3 million. Taken together with an improvement in funding expected from business rates, Council Tax and government grants the Council has been able to set a balanced budget for 2026/2027.
Council fees and charges have been reviewed for 2026-2027 and set in accordance with the Council’s constitution.
This includes a change to the annual charge for the council’s garden waste service so that the income received pays fully for the delivery of the service. This will see the charge increased to £62 for a 12-month subscription, from April 1, 2026.
The Council also has a programme of capital investment totalling £278m over the four-year period 2026-2030 across a number of schemes including investing over £135m into highways, £61m for continued investment into housing stock, £44m for investment into schools, £10m to support facilities for those with disabilities and £6m in improving digital infrastructure.
I’m delighted that we’ve been able to approve the budget for the next financial year, marking the end of a thorough process to ensure that we can provide quality services despite financial challenges.Cllr Graham Cheatley, the Council’s Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and Change
The proposals had been unveiled in December and many residents had their say on them. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their vital feedback.
As councillors we represent the people of North Northamptonshire. We want to work as hard as we can to make sure every penny is well spent.
The budget is pivotal in enabling us to deliver our Corporate Plan, and robust financial management is essential to safeguarding our vital services.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of the Council
I’m proud of how we have risen to the challenges we face and how we continue to plan positively for the future. However, we remain clear that North Northamptonshire deserves funding that better reflects the significant demand for our services.
This year we have challenged the way Government funding has been calculated and we will continue to lobby for a fairer funding deal overall.
I’d like to thank everyone involved in delivering this budget — our staff, councillors, partners and residents — and I look forward to working together to make our area the best it can be.
Council Tax
Government has permitted local authorities such as North Northamptonshire Council to increase the Council Tax rate by 4.99%, including 2% for the adult social care precept, in recognition of the difficult financial climate.
The authority will increase Council Tax by 4.99%, the level assumed by Government in its funding calculations.
This increase will contribute around an additional £10.9m per year towards inflationary and demand lead pressures to enable services to be maintained and would represent a Band D level of Council Tax for North Northamptonshire Council of £1,918.23 for 2026/2027. This means that North Northamptonshire Council’s Council Tax rate will be in the lower third for unitary councils.
This is an annual increase of £91.17 (equivalent to £1.75 per week) from the Band D Council Tax level set in 2025/2026.
Increasing Council Tax has the advantage of providing stable funding for the future, helping to further protect services, and will provide the Council with a degree of certainty around funding.
This Band D figure does not include the Council Tax for individual Town and Parish Councils or the Council Tax set for the Fire and Police by the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
There is no change to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme which will continue at 25%.
Housing Revenue Account
The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is a separate ring-fenced account within the Council for the income and expenditure associated with its housing stock.
The HRA does not directly impact on the Council’s wider general fund budget or on the level of council tax. Income to the HRA is primarily received through the rents and other charges paid by tenants and leaseholders.
The 2026/27 budget for the HRA, which was also approved at Full Council, is balanced, as is the medium term position for the HRA covering 2027/28 to 2030/31.
There will also be a rent increase of 4.8% for the next financial year, which is consistent with the Government’s rent setting policy for 2026/2027. Any funding received by the HRA is retained within the HRA and will be used to support investment into the Council’s housing stock through improvements and maintenance.