What will be decided at Northamptonshire County Council cabinet meeting this afternoon?

The important meetings keep coming thick and fast as Northamptonshire County Council tries to balance its books by making up to £70m of cuts.
The cabinet is meeting at One Angel Square this afternoonThe cabinet is meeting at One Angel Square this afternoon
The cabinet is meeting at One Angel Square this afternoon

Last Thursday saw councillors agree the authority’s ‘spending priorities’ which will help determine which services face funding cuts and which will be protected.

This afternoon (August 14) will see the Conservative cabinet meet and while there won’t be any follow-up decisions from Thursday’s meeting, the decisions taken will still have an impact taking into account the council’s dire financial situation.

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Here’s what is expected to be decided at the cabinet meeting at One Angel Square:

AGREE THE SALE OF OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTRE

Cabinet is expected to agree to the sale of the Longtown Outdoor Learning Centre near the Brecon Beacons. The 70 bed residential centre for young people has been owned and operated by Northamptonshire County Council for about 50 years.

Because the outdoor learning centre was a non-statutory service, it could easily have been targeted by service cuts.

But the county council has struck a deal with The Wilson Foundation that ensures staff keep their jobs and that it continues to operate as an outdoor education centre.

APPROVING LAST-MINUTE CAPITAL SPENDING

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Two capital schemes are set to be given approval by the cabinet for extra investment. Council papers say that the money for both is being drawn from funds which are ring-fenced to be spent on them anyway.

Cabinet is being asked to approve £82,500 of capital spending on a 'feasibility design' for several road safety schemes in connection with the HS2 high-speed rail development. The £82k will come out of a £1.65m pot of money from the Department for Transport which was awarded to the county.

They are also expected to approve a £36,722 investment which will fund internal improvement works to classrooms at the Guilsborough Academy. The works will be funded by a small amount of the Section 106 money which was allocated for the school by developers.

WASTE DISPOSAL

Due to the uncertain timescale of the county council being abolished and replaced with a unitary authority, there is also a need to ensure that any waste disposal service continues during the transition.

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Cabinet will be asked to delegate authority to the executive directors and respective cabinet members for the environment and finance to agree terms for an extension of the existing waste contracts to ensure continued service delivery.

At a later date they will be asked to agree the details of the extension.