'Toughest task yet': WNC announce maximum council tax rise of 4.99 per cent across West Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has announced its plans for a maximum council tax rise of 4.99 per cent from April, as it warned that balancing the books has been “the toughest task yet” in light of severe funding pressures.
The authority is proposing a £458.9m budget for 2026/27, which will be shared between day-to-day spending on services like care for vulnerable adults and children, the collection and disposal of waste, leisure and community wellbeing, highways, planning and housing and support.
The proposed council tax rise will see the bill for a Band D property in West Northants rise by £93.16 for the year, taking the average charge to £1,960.14 annually. This will generate an additional income of £17m for the council.
This figure does not include the precepts set by individual town and parish councils or the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Cllr Mark Arnull, leader of WNC, said: “This has been the toughest budget-setting since our Council was formed five years ago and certainly the toughest, most difficult set of decisions our Administration have had to take since we took over in May.
“We could see the huge scale of financial pressures we inherited and the relentless annual savings the council has made in the light of rising service demand and continued under funding. Despite councillors and officers working hard to unearth many more millions of pounds in efficiencies, we simply can’t find enough to bridge such a huge financial gap.
“So, as with previous years, we must look to other measures once again, like council tax and fees and charges. We know these proposals aren’t going to be popular with everyone but our top priority has to be protecting the most essential services and our most vulnerable people and ensuring we do propose a balanced budget for next year.”
WNC started its budgetary process this year with an anticipated shortfall of £50m for 2026/27 and identified around £20m of efficiencies and savings towards closing the gap.
However, that was not enough to balance the books in itself and other fee increases have been proposed, including a rise in car parking costs and an increase in the annual charge for the council’s garden waste collection service from £60 to £80.
The draft budget has been prepared using the latest financial modelling from central government, however the council says it expects to receive full details of its financial settlement on Wednesday, December 17.
WNC’s finance cabinet member, Cllr John Slope, added: “Whilst we still await our final funding settlement from the Government there is always hope this may shift us towards a more favourable position, but we can’t rely on anything at this stage. We have been prudent and thorough in setting these draft budget proposals and left no stone unturned in doing so.”
A general contingency budget of £7m has also been maintained to cover any future budget risks in 2026/27. WNC has fully used its £11.4m contingency budget set aside for this financial year, however is still forecasting an overspend position of £10.5m.
Further medium-term budget forecasting predicts WNC will face a £12m funding gap in 2027/28, rising to a £50m cumulative gap in 2030/31.
The draft revenue budget will be discussed at a meeting of the cabinet next week on Monday, December 22. If approved, the proposals will go out for public consultation and run for six weeks until February 3, 2026.
The final budget plans for 2026/27 will then be debated and approved by full council later that month.