Agenda item

To receive questions from members.

Question 1

A question had been submitted by Councillor Lee which read -

“How many vacancies does North Northants Council have in each directorate, and have these numbers increased or decreased since May 2021?”

Councillor Jason Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded –

“On 1^st April 2021, the staffing establishments from each predecessor authority were migrated to the new Council. All vacancies at that time were included and did not necessarily reflect the requirements of the service or indeed whether the posts were funded in the longer-term.

The Council is currently undertaking a review of the staffing establishment, which will include posts highlighted as vacant, to determine whether posts are funded and still required.

The vacant posts that were reported on the Council’s establishment back in May totalled 786.  This figure included vacant relief posts, elected member posts as well as employee posts. 

A report produced by the Council’s systems this week shows that there has been an increase in the number of vacant posts, which total 939. This figure also includes a range of different types of vacant post.

Given the number of staff the Council employs, the number of vacant posts will change upwards and downwards regularly reflecting the transitionary nature of the organisation’s workforce and the related recruitment activity.

A breakdown of the vacant posts as reported by the Council system this week has been provided below:

Question 2

A question had been submitted by Councillor John McGhee which read -

“Will Councillor Smithers as Leader of North Northants Council join West Northants Council and a great number of charities and residents by writing to the prime minister to ask that the government stop the proposed cut to universal credit and working tax credit?

This cut will affect thousands of our residents already struggling and goes against the levelling up agenda. Indeed, this cut will put many people in to further debt and poverty at a time when the cost of living is rising dramatically.” 

Councillor Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded. In his response Councillor Smithers noted the measures taken by Government during the pandemic to ensure that citizens were provided additional financial assistance where required. Councillor Smithers indicated that he would write to the Government congratulating them on the measures taken to date.

Question 3

A question had been submitted by Councillor Jim Hakewill which read -

"What are the initial predictions for increased expenditure with the announcement of new National Insurance (NI) taxation for both NNC and external contractors working for the Council? This to be based on this year’s NI bills projected forward for the financial year 2022-23".

Councillor Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded -

“The initial forecast cost of implementing the new funding levy for Health and Social Care, which is equivalent to 1.25% of National Insurance (NI) contributions, is estimated as circa £0.7m for the employer NI rates associated with the Council’s own staff. 

Inevitably it is recognised that there will also be an impact on external contractors providing services to, and on behalf of, the Council. However, assessing the potential effect that this will have on the Council finances will take longer to progress as it is influenced by the nature of the service provision, existing contractual arrangements, and commissioning decisions.  Officers will be reviewing the position as part of the budget setting process which will be fed back through Members.”

Question 4

A question had been submitted by Councillor Jim Hakewill which read -

"Writing to objectors to a recent planning application at Weekley Hall Wood, the Portfolio Holder for Finance advised that to refuse the application would bear the risk of appeal costs being awarded against NNC.  How much did the previous sovereign Councils pay out in appeal costs between 2016/16 - 2020/21?"

Councillor Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded -

“The previous sovereign councils paid out the following amounts in appeal costs between 2016/17 and 2020/21:

Corby                                      Nil

Kettering                                 £17,500

Thrapston                               £61,500

Wellingborough                       £80,550

Total                                        £159,500”

As a supplementary question, Councillor Hakewill sought clarification as to why the Executive member for Finance had made the statement at the recent Kettering Area Planning Committee. The Leader agreed to provide a written response to the supplementary question.

Question 5

A question had been submitted by Councillor Jim Hakewill which read -

"How many homes has North Northamptonshire promised for the settlement of Afghan refugees recently airlifted from their home country?"

Councillor Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded -

“The Council issued a public statement on the 10^th September 2021 setting out its firm commitment to support a minimum of 10 Afghan families resettle in the North Northamptonshire area.

The Council will provide the associated support and work closely with partner agencies to help achieve this commitment.

The Council also made the commitment that following the resettlement of 10 families, it will continue to identify opportunities to extend its pledge, exploring how the Council can support a greater number of families.

The resettlement of Afghan citizens requires joint working with partner agencies such as Education, Health, DWP Adult Learning, the wider Voluntary Sector and with the private housing sector. It is therefore not a question of how many homes North Northamptonshire Council can promise, rather what it can do to help facilitate and support the resettlement across a range of housing providers, including the use of its own housing stock where appropriate.

The Council has reached out to private landlords and the initial response has been positive. The information received is being reviewed so that the necessary due diligence can be undertaken around any properties we are considering offering up as part of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.

The Council has set up a project group chaired by the Executive Director of Housing, Communities and Wellbeing to help ensure it honours the commitment made.”

As a supplementary question, Councillor Hakewill asked how many properties had actually been identified and how many of these were currently occupied by refugees.The Leader agreed to provide a written response to the supplementary question.

Question 6

A question had been submitted by Councillor Valerie Anslow which read -

“The former four sovereign Boroughs had differing levels of support for those sleeping rough during the winter months. Kettering, Corby, and East Northants had shelters that were managed in partnership with the voluntary sector. Wellingborough relied solely on a local charity to house rough sleepers between October and March. What plans do the Council have to provide shelter during this winter in Wellingborough so that there is parity across North Northants.”

Councillor Smithers (Leader of the Council) responded -

“North Northamptonshire Council remains committed to the Government’s ‘Everyone In’ initiative to provide an offer of accommodation to every verified rough sleeper.

Through Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) funding the Council is expanding its team of Rough Sleeper Workers to conduct street outreach, support rough sleepers off the streets and help them to sustain accommodation. The Council has undertaken recruitment and are on track to deliver a single North Northamptonshire Rough Sleeping team that operates consistently across North Northamptonshire. This expanded and harmonised service will significantly improve the Council’s ability to respond quickly and robustly to reports of rough sleeping and the Council aims to launch the new team towards the end of October.

The Council does not currently plan to facilitate any night shelters that provide shared sleeping spaces this winter. Due to Covid-19, Government recommends against the use of such facilities in favour of self-contained emergency accommodation.

The Council has supported the shelters in Rushden and Corby to enable them to be remodelled / relocate in order to provide self-contained accommodation.

The Council are working hard to expand accommodation options available to rough sleepers this winter across the unitary area. In addition to a bid for capital and revenue funding via the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme (RSAP), the Council is also exploring the feasibility of a proposal to provide ‘winter crisis houses’ that will serve as short-term rapid assessment centres to enable us to support rough sleepers off the streets whilst we undertake assessments of their needs and work to secure them more settled accommodation.

The Council does recognise that successful efforts to reduce rough sleeping require a multi-agency response. In this respect we welcome the support of partners and would be open to a conversation with faith and community sector partners in Wellingborough to further explore how we can work together to meet this local need.

A Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) for the Council is also in draft format; this sets out the Council’s commitment to accommodate all rough sleepers in periods of severe weather. This has been superseded by our commitment under ‘Everyone In’ but nonetheless provides an additional safety net to ensure we safeguard all rough sleepers in extreme weather.”

As a supplementary question, Councillor Anslow requested further details of the options being investigated to address this issue. The Leader agreed to provide a written response to the supplementary question.

The Chair thanked councillors for their questions and the Leader for his responses.