Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

Members to declare any interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at the meeting.

To receive any announcements from the Chair.

To receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council.

(i)       Public Statements

To consider public statements received in accordance with public meeting procedure rule 15.

(ii)       Public Questions

To consider public questions received in accordance with public meeting procedure rule 16.

(iii)      Petitions

To receive petitions qualifying for full Council in accordance with the council’s petition scheme.

To receive any presentations from the Executive in accordance with meeting procedure rule 3.1 (vi).

To seek approval of the Pay Policy Statement for 2025-2026.

RESOLVED

That Council:

a) Approved the Pay Policy detailed in Appendix A.

b) Delegated to the Chief Executive the making of any in-year amendments to the Pay Policy Statement that may be required to complete the Pay Data and Chief Executive Remuneration relative to other Council Employees after 1st April 2025, when the Green Book pay award is agreed.

Reasons for Recommendations

·       It is a statutory requirement under the Localism Act 2011 for the Authority to approve and publish a Pay Policy Statement.

·       Due regard has been given to the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 and associated guidance issued or approved by the Secretary of State, in setting out this Pay Policy Statement.

Alternative Options Considered: As stated, it is a statutory requirement that Council approve and publish a Pay Policy Statement and therefore no alternative options were considered.

To provide an overview of the completion of the 2023/24 Annual Review of the Service Delivery Contract which includes the 2023/24 Annual Report.

RESOLVED

That Council:

a) Noted that the 2023/24 Annual Review of the Service Delivery Contract (SDC) between Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) and West and North Northamptonshire Councils which includes the 2023/24 Annual Report (Appendices A-H) was completed by the Strategic Group in line with the arrangements of Service Delivery Contract.

b) Noted the contents of the 2023/24 Annual Report (Appendices A-H) 3.2.

Reasons for Recommendations: The arrangements to complete the Annual Review and Annual Report are set out in the Service Delivery Contract and provide a procedure through which the Councils can review the Service Delivery Contract and NCT’s performance in delivering its functions. 3.3.

Alternative Options Considered: Do nothing - Failing to complete the Annual Review or produce an Annual Report would not be compliant with the Service Delivery Contract and would not allow the Councils to formally review the contractual arrangements with NCT and agree changes. It should be noted that the Service Delivery Contract contains a process for the Councils to propose changes outside of the Annual Review if required.

To provide the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust Business Plan 2025/26 – 2028/29.

RESOLVED

That Council:

a)    Noted Northamptonshire Children’s Trust Business Plan 2025/26 – 2028/29 at Appendix A and noted that it was completed in line with the Service Delivery Contract and Articles of Association.

Reason for Recommendations: For the Council to discharge their functions as owners of NCT and meet the requirements set out in the Service Delivery Contract and Articles of Association regarding approval of the Business Plan as a Reserved Matter by the Councils.

Alternative Options Considered: To do nothing – however this is not recommended. The recommendations set out in this report will allow the Page 296 Council to fulfil its responsibilities as set out in the Articles of Association and the Service Delivery Contract.

To seek approval for the creation of a Children, Young Persons and Education Scrutiny Committee and revised Scrutiny Procedure Rules

RESOLVED

That Council:

a) Agreed to the creation of a Children, Young Persons and Education Scrutiny Committee to take effect from 1^st May 2025;

b) Adopted the revised Scrutiny Procedure Rules as shown at Appendix A to take effect from 1^st May 2025.

Reasons for Recommendations:

·       The action plan agreed by Council on 5th December 2025 proposed the creation of a Children’s and Young Persons Scrutiny Committee. The proposed committee will include education to align to the Council’s Corporate Plan.

·       The action plan further agreed to reposition the Scrutiny Management Board function (overview and scrutiny) to support scrutiny in undertaking policy development. These revised arrangements support the Council as it moves to being a mature authority.

Alternative Options Considered:

·       The Council could decide not to revise its scrutiny arrangements and not create an additional Scrutiny Committee. This option is not recommended as this would not deliver the recommendations of the Peer Review and the action plan agreed by Council.

·       The Council could also decide not to create a Children’s and Young Persons Committee (omitting Education). This option is not recommended as the name of this Committee should accurately reflect the Committees remit.

To inform the Council on the work of the Audit and Governance Committee during the twelve-month period of 1st October 2023 to 31st September 2024.

RESOLVED

That Council:

a)    Approved the Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report for 2024.

Reason for Recommendations – To comply with the Committee’s terms of reference and best practice guidance on effective audit committees.

To approve the municipal timetable of meetings for 2025/26.

RESOLVED

That Council approved the Municipal Timetable for 2025/2026.

Reason for Recommendations – To provide for approval of the Municipal Timetable in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and to allow for timely planning of meeting dates for members, officers and the public.

Alternative Options Considered – To not to produce a municipal timetable for approval, however this would be contrary to the requirements of the Constitution and contrary to effective planning.

To approve the appointment of a permanent Director of Law & Governance and statutory Monitoring Officer designation for North Northamptonshire Council.

RESOLVED

That Council:

a)    Approved the appointment of Kamila Coulson-Patel to the position of Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer designation for North Northamptonshire Council; with a start date of 4^th April 2025. Kamila is currently the Interim Assistant Director Legal & Democratic at North Northamptonshire Council and has undertaken this role since March 2024. Any final offer of appointment is subject to successful completion of the required pre-appointment checks.

b)    That approval was given to appoint within the Director salary range of £113,435 - £126,166, in accordance with the Council’s agreed pay policy.

Reasons for Recommendations:

·       These recommendations have been made following a comprehensive, inclusive and thorough recruitment and selection process, in accordance with the constitution, to ensure that the right candidate is selected to undertake the Statutory Monitoring Officer designation and Director of Law & Governance duties.

·       Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, requires all Council’s to designate the role of Monitoring Officer to ensure effective and lawful decision making, promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct and reporting any instances of maladministration.

Alternative Options Considered:

·       The role of Monitoring Officer is a statutory appointment which is required to be filled by law.

·       The Council could decide not to permanently recruit to this role. However, the role is critical in leading the council forward to deliver the corporate priorities and ensure that to ensure that the Council complies with its statutory, governance and legal obligations to provide the best possible service and outcomes for its residents and communities.

To consider motions received in accordance with Meeting Procedure Rule 18 as follows:

Motion 1

To be proposed by Cllr John McGhee and seconded by Cllr Elliot Prentice:-

“Corby has a population of going on to 70,000 people, the crimes rates are at present unfortunately high. The situation now is that there is a police hub open two days a week in Corby, North Northants - Police officers moved out of their station in Elizabeth Street to a hub at Corby Cube in 2017. This situation for a town Corby’s size and indeed the unfortunate level of crime and anti-social behaviour is not good enough.

According to recent national report Corby is the most dangerous major town in Northamptonshire and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Northamptonshire's 261 towns, villages. The overall crime rate in Corby in 2023 was 119 crimes per 1,000 people.

This compares poorly to Northamptonshire's overall crime rate, coming in 52% higher than the Northamptonshire rate of 78 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Corby is the 37th most dangerous major town.

The most common crimes in Corby are violence and sexual offences, with 2,884 offences during 2023, giving a crime rate of 55. This is 2.8% lower than 2022's figure of 2,967 offences and a difference of 1.59 from 2022's crime rate of 57.

Corby's least common crime is theft from the person, with 27 offences recorded in 2023, a decrease of 18% from 2022's figure of 33 crimes.

I am sure we all recognise the magnificent work our police do and fully support them; this is by no means a criticism of our diligent frontline officers. This motion recognises the council’s important community safety role and our direct responsibility and influence for the safety of our residents.

The council agree to:

1. Meet or write letter to Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet to address the situation. The current service is clearly insufficient for all the residents of Corby and surrounding villages.

2. We ask that the Chief Constable review resources and set up a police station and a resolute response unit which can meet the demands of our communities in and around Corby as soon as possible.”

Motion 2

To be proposed by Cllr Zoe McGhee and seconded by Cllr Lyn Buckingham:-

“This Council acknowledges the ongoing housing crisis in the United Kingdom, which has left many people in North Northants struggling to find affordable homes. The need for affordable, quality housing has never been greater, and this Council is committed to ensuring that every resident has access to a safe, secure, and affordable place to live. To this end, we resolve to actively work toward delivering homes for all across North Northants, including a commitment to supporting the government’s new plans to build more council homes.

There is a significant and growing need for affordable housing in North Northants, with many residents facing challenges in accessing suitable housing, particularly in the rental and first-time buyer  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14.

To receive questions from members in accordance with meeting procedure rule 17.

RESOLVED

That Council approved the recommendations set out in Appendix A inclusive of the revised allocation of seats for the committees to the recognised political groups, in accordance with statutory proportionality requirements and the Constitution.

Reason for Recommendations – To ensure that the revised political balance of the Council is applied to the governance structure of the Council, in accordance with law and approved guidelines contained in the Council Constitution.

Alternative Options Considered – None, as the revised political balance calculation is required to be reported to full Council under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990.