Archive for category: News

Following on from the success of the Healthy Active Ageing event held in April 2024, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Northamptonshire Sport are launching a Healthy Active Ageing Network for people across Northamptonshire.

The Healthy Active Ageing Network are core group of stakeholders who have a professional role and/or interest in promoting the health and wellbeing of older people, and especially in reducing any health inequalities that they might experience.

The network contributes to the shared ambition of Move Northamptonshire (A Framework For Active Lifestyles In Northamptonshire), and to the ‘Live Your Best Life’ Strategy – specifically ambition 3 ‘Opportunity to be fit, well and independent’.

The launch of the network coincides with the celebration of International Day of Older People, taking place on 1 October in recognition of the contribution older people make to our local communities.

WNC and the Healthy Active Ageing network will be working with Professor Sir Muir Gray to develop a local programme aimed at promoting healthy ageing in our community.

Sir Muir Gray is a physician, academic, and health system innovator, who has held senior positions in the NHS, and has overseen national health screening and NHS RightCare programmes. This initiative will enable us to share national and international best practice across our local networks and coordinate our efforts to make Northamptonshire a great place to live and be active.

Cllr Matt Golby, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Public Health and Regulatory Services at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We all know that older people are an amazing asset to our local communities in West Northamptonshire. They often contribute their skills, experience and expertise in a variety of ways, sometimes in paid work or through volunteering, being active community members, caring for others, making and creating, and having full, active lives. We really appreciate their contribute to our communities and want to support and celebrate this.”

WNC and the Healthy Active Ageing network are encouraging older people to “Be Active – physically, cognitively, and socially” and will be inviting them to share their stories about what healthy active ageing means to them.

Join us in celebrating and supporting our older population to live healthier, more active lives! For more information on how to submit your stories and future events, please follow the West Northants Council and Northamptonshire Sport social media channels and websites for more information.

An action plan is underway to improve performance of services for social housing tenants in West Northamptonshire.

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) social housing provider Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) is embarking on an improvement plan to address performance issues with the support of the Local Authority after recently falling short on targets.

It follows significant changes to how the social housing sector is regulated nationally, with WNC responsible for ensuring stringent new standards and legislation are met to improve safety and support tenants. WNC are also required to ensure the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is kept informed on performance and any potential breaches of standards, regular communication is maintained with RSH where appropriate.

NPH was set up by WNC (formerly Northampton Borough Council) in 2015 for an initial period of 15 years and is responsible for providing essential landlord services including delivering new housing developments, investing in existing stock, tenancy support, housing management, and repairs and maintenance.

Given the current levels of underperformance and the increased requirements for the Council to ensure compliance with regulatory standards, WNC have commissioned an independent assessment of landlord services’ current levels of compliance, carried out by Jarteign Housing Associates.

The assessments has begun looking at current performance, policy, practice and assurance frameworks and will provide an independent view on compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Following completion of the independent assessment, WNC will present the findings and recommendations report alongside an associated action plan to Cabinet later this year. Additionally, a Housing Compliance working group chaired by WNC’s Director of Communities and Opportunities is meeting weekly to review progress on key workstreams.

Cllr Rosie Herring, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “NPH’s recent performance update to members showed they are falling short of targets, however work is already underway to address this and the Council is closely monitoring the situation.

“We have made it clear to the NPH Board that this is not acceptable and it is critical that an improvement plan must be implemented to fix this. The Council will continue to monitor NPH’s progress to ensure we receive assurance as a landlord and Registered Provider that our housing stock is being managed efficiently in line with ours and our tenants’ expectations, and in accordance with relevant legislation and regulation.

“We are working closely with partners to outline a clear timeline of actions which will improve housing performance and ensure tenants in all areas receive the best service possible. We endeavour to provide improved transparency around these actions and the improvement plan will be shared in due course. We are working closely with the regulator to ensure we meet the required standards as soon as possible.”

Casual Vacancy Notice – Christopher Prior-Jones

Plans to invest over £9.5million on building new homes that will tackle pressures on the local housing market and an increased demand for temporary accommodation are set to move forward.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has successfully secured £4.089 million from the third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF), which it will spend alongside £5.488 million of capital funding to deliver over 30 properties over the next two years.

The properties will provide immediate support for homeless families needing temporary accommodation or resettlement while contributing to the Council’s general housing stock in the medium to long term, ensuring that these assets continue to serve the community for years to come.

The Council previously delivered the full targets for rounds one and two of the LAHF funding, acquiring 40 properties between 2023 and 2024 with a grant underspend of approximately £850,000.

Cllr Rosie Herring, Cabinet Member for Housing at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “This funding represents a significant investment in the future of our community. By expanding our stock of quality temporary and resettlement housing, we are not only addressing the immediate needs of vulnerable families but also ensuring that these assets contribute to the long-term sustainability of our local housing market.

“This initiative is a key part of our strategy to support those in need, reduce the financial burden on the Council and our reliance on expensive nightly let accommodation, and provide a stable foundation for residents to build their lives by providing sustainable housing solutions which will support the Council’s housing and homelessness responsibilities for the remainder of the properties’ lifetime.”

A report to move forward with the LAHF funding was discussed by councillors at WNC’S Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 17 September and will now go on for further consideration at Full Council on Thursday, 26 September.

Parents and carers of children living in West Northamptonshire can now apply for a reception place in a primary or infant school, a year 3 place in a junior school, or a Year 7 place in a secondary school, for the September 2025 intake.

Parents and carers can apply for a place in reception if their child will be four years old on or before 31 August 2025. The closing date for applications for places in reception (and year 3 at junior school) is 15 January 2025 at midnight.

The closing date for applications for Year 7 places is 31 October 2024 at midnight.

All applications, whether postal or online, must be received by the closing date to be considered as on time. Late applications will not be processed until after National Offer Days and will be processed in monthly rounds.

All on-time applicants will receive an offer of a school place on National Offer Days – 3 March 2025 for secondary places and 16 April 2025 for reception/junior school places. Applicants will then be provided with information on the next stage of the process.

There is a separate application process for children who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, details of which can be found on theSEND admissions page.

Cllr Fiona Baker, WNC’s Cabinet member for children, families and education, said: “It is a big decision choosing the preferred school places for your children, whether it is for reception, year 3 or year 7 – all just as important but equally exciting for your child / children in the next step of their education journey.

“If you are unsure of how the process works, or are not sure where to start please do look at the information available on our website.”

An independent admission appeals process is available for families who wish to appeal against refusal of a place at any school for which they have applied.

To find out more about applying for a school place in West Northamptonshire and to submit an application, visit: www.westnorthants.gov.uk/school-admissions.