Maximum tax rise plans for second Northants council

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) planned to raise its council tax by the maximum of 4.99%, saying balancing the books has been "the toughest task yet" due to severe funding pressures.

The proposed £458.9m budget for 2026/27 will be shared between day-to-day spending on care, waste disposal, leisure, highways and housing services.

The proposed council tax rise in April 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, generating an additional £17m income, the council said.

The news came after North Northamptonshire Council planned for the maximum possible tax rise in 2026.

Mark Arnull, WNC leader, said there was a "huge scale of financial pressures".

"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 has had to take since we took over in May," he said.

He added: "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."

The council 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.

But 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 are proposed to balance the books.

While the draft budget has been released, full details of central government funding were expected on Wednesday.

John Slope, cabinet member for finance, said: "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."

The council 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 cabinet meeting next week on Monday. 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.

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