Councillors call for review over decision to close Northampton Partnership Homes due to 'lack of detailed financial information'
West Northamptonshire councillors have called for a review into a decision to bring the management of its 11,500 social homes back in-house.
The Reform UK-controlled cabinet voted unanimously to close down Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) at a meeting earlier this month, after a report last year that found serious failings in its compliance with home safety and quality standards.
The authority said the phased move of the housing service over the next two years back to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will improve safety, transparency, and long-term service quality for tenants, while strengthening compliance with new national housing regulations.
However, a call-in on the decision, which has been jointly signed by seven elected members from the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrat group, will be discussed at a children, education and housing overview and scrutiny committee meeting next Monday.
The call-in criticises a “lack of detailed or transparent financial information” presented to the scrutiny committee or all councillors before the decision was made by cabinet, including matters such as projected costs, expected savings and delivery timelines, and financial risks and contingency provisions.
It also says that previous requests at scrutiny meetings for such detailed financial data were “inadequately addressed, hampering effective scrutiny and informed decision-making”.
“The council’s Constitution Part 11 (Call-In Procedure Rules) requires decisions to be made with transparency and full consideration of financial, operational, and community impacts. The current lack of adequate financial scrutiny undermines this principle,” it continued.
Concerns around the same matter were also raised by opposition councillors present at the cabinet meeting, with Councillor Sally Keeble branding the options in the report “a binary choice of in or out based on very little information”.
According to a public report shared at the cabinet meeting, one-off costs for the transfer phase are estimated at £1.6 million to manage the move, backfill existing staff, and cover other costs such as legal advice. WNC says the move could create potential annual savings of 85,000 from 2027 onwards.
The scrutiny committee can request that the cabinet revisit its decision and consider a range of recommendations, however it has no power to overrule the administration’s decision on NPH or demand any action.
The call-in goes on to request that the cabinet provide an itemised financial appraisal, including detailed cost projections, risk analysis, and contingency plans before proceeding with implementation of the transition.
It added that the overview and scrutiny committee should also receive all financial documentation to “conduct robust review and monitor ongoing costs and risks” while social housing is brought in-house.
The scrutiny meeting will be held at One Angel Square, Northampton, from 6pm on Monday December 1.