Friday brief: No DOGE action so far at West unitary
Here's a selection of news from across the county
No information from West Northamptonshire Council has yet been shared with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams, a Freedom of Information request has found.
According to information obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) as of October 13, no due diligence requests have been responded to, no legal agreements have been signed and no data has been shared.
When the new Reform UK administration was elected at WNC, big announcements were made about how teams picked by the central party would be going into councils to make savings. WNC was supposed to be one of the first, but as yet nothing has happened.
A WNC spokesperson commented:
“At this time, there have been no further discussions and there is no further update as the council is waiting for the return of due diligence documents and will not progress unless checks are complete.
“In the meantime, the council continues to progress its own plans to drive efficiencies and seek savings through transformation ahead of the budget setting for next year.”
The council is currently undergoing its annual ‘star chambers’ process to look to eliminate the £50m shortfall for 2026/27 and set a balanced budget going into the new financial year.
According to an update given by chief finance officer, Martin Henry, at a Place and Resources Overview and Scrutiny meeting on Wednesday, the internal star chambers process has “delivered a significant amount of efficiencies”, but “it doesn’t close the gap entirely”.
A draft budget is due to go to cabinet in December, so the finance proposals can go out to public consultation before the final budget is voted on in February 2026.
WNC leader, Mark Arnull said cabinet members are still going through star chambers to identify what efficiencies they can achieve without making drastic changes to essential services. He previously told NLive Radio on its weekly politics show that council tax is ‘highly likely’ to go up next year due to rising pressures on services.
The Reform UK council leader told the LDRS: “The challenge becomes ever greater, as the gap between revenue received and the cost and demand for services widens. Much of the low-hanging fruit in WNC has already been picked, although with the new Reform UK administration comes different skills and experience, and as such we are applying our own internal DOGE programme to look at things differently.”
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
News in brief
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has a backlog of over 2,000 overdue food hygiene inspections in restaurants, cafes and takeaways.
The council is responsible for carrying out inspections on all food premises, with the highest risk locations supposed to have a visit at least every six months.
The food safety team has been unable to address a backlog of 2,061 food hygiene inspections, including 585 new, unrated premises that have never received an official visit by an inspector.
In 2024/25, just 973 inspections and interventions were carried out. WNC has indicated that the total number required to take place from April 2025 to March 2026 is almost 2,500.
Cllr Andrew Last, cabinet member for HR, corporate services and regulatory services, told members that the significant backlog was a result of inspections not taking place throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
During April 2025, the Food Standards Agency formally requested the development of a timebound action plan to address their concerns about the backlog.
Labour group leader, Cllr Sally Keeble, told members at the cabinet meeting that she was “really concerned” about the backlog of inspections, which coincided with an increase in the number of food complaints and foodborne infectious diseases.
The number of complaints about food and hygiene safety in West Northants has risen from 301 complaints in 2023/24 to 386 in 2024/25. These could include anything from foreign objects in food, such as wood, metal, insects, or mould, to undercooked food, lack of protective clothing or lack of hand washing.
The number of infectious disease cases also rose from 245 to 274 in the same period.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A pedestrian has been killed in an accident close to the A43 in Kettering.
The man in his 40s was found by a member of the public lying in undergrowth at 8am yesterday morning on the southbound carriageway. He was declared dead at the scene after sustaining fatal injuries.
Northants Police would like anyone who saw a pedestrian in the area anytime between 7pm on Wednesday and 6.50am yesterday to come forward. They would also like anyone with relevant dash cam footage to contact them.
Detective Sergeant Sebastian Greschner of SCIU, said:
“This is a very busy dual carriageway linking the north of the county to the A14 and we are keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened, particularly if you have dash-cam footage which could assist with our enquiries. Even if you have not seen anything we need your dash-cam footage of the journey from Rockingham Road and the A14.
“It is also vital that we trace the driver of the vehicle to not only check on their welfare, but to find out what happened, and we would appeal to them or anyone who can help identify them to please get in touch.”
Anyone with information is asked to email CollisionAppeals@northants.police.uk or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615, or Northamptonshire Police on 101.
The incident number to quote is 25000607632.
A delegation of officers and councillors from Corby Town Council has made a visit to a neighbouring council to inspire its own creation of services.
The authority, which is led by Cllr Simon Rielly, says it is ‘aspiring’ to provide more support to Corby. The authority was formed in 2021 and since then has only provided events and grants and has not taken on any specific services from the larger North Northamptonshire Council.
It raises £600,00 each year in a precept charged to local residents. It has not held a full council meeting since July, with one scheduled for next month.
North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has approved plans to enter into a fresh 10-year agreement to ensure Kettering Leisure Village’s (KLV) sporting facilities remain in community use.
Facilities including the arena sports hall, studio, sports lounge and café, the national volleyball centre and meeting rooms are currently run by Phoenix Leisure Management (PLM) in partnership with NNC.
The council says the new decade-long agreement with PLM will ensure KLV remains fit for purpose and includes an ongoing capital investment plan for the facilities so they continue to thrive for future generations.
NNC’s executive panel were told at a meeting on Tuesday that a break clause in the management agreement allowed them to review and refresh the contract to ensure the ‘best provision’ for residents.
Cllr Brian Benneyworth, Executive Member for Health and Leisure, said:
“I’m extremely pleased to support this proposal for the ongoing management of the arena sports contract of our much-loved and valued Kettering Leisure Village.
“This secures community access to high-quality sports facilities for the next decade and protects it for future generations.”
Since September 2023, PLM has operated the Leisure Village directly. Local residents were in uproar when its former sub-contractor Compass Leisure announced they were pulling out and threatened the sports facilities’ closure for good.
Illustrating how much the sporting facility means to residents, Kettering local Martin Shepherd told councillors that KLV was “the beating heart of our community”.
He said:
“It’s where young people find purpose, older residents find connection and families come together in ways that build healthier and stronger communities.
“Like many parents, I spent hours watching my children in sporting endeavours and many many hours in the theatre doing the same. We all know the pressures that residents face in the rising cost of living, health inequalities and decline in social spaces. Facilities like Kettering Leisure Village help us tackle all of these at once.
“I urge the executive to see this not merely as a contract renewal, but as a commitment to the people of Kettering. Let’s ensure KLV continues to serve, inspire and unite our residents for the next generation, just as it has for the last three decades.”
Part of the agreement secures continued investment in the facilities from Phoenix Leisure, including a requirement to carry out works to refresh the paintwork of the venue, upgrade squash courts and the sports arena, and look to update floor markings to incorporate new sporting opportunities such as pickleball.
Director of Public Health for North Northants, Jane Bethea, added:
“It’s the beginning of what we can do within this really positive partnership. We’re really committed to the arrangement and we have a really positive relationship with Phoenix Leisure.
“We will make sure that we have really clear deliverables going forward. We also want to make sure that that site looks really appealing, has got all the right facilities there and that’s part of the capital programme.”
The council provides an annual grant to support the sports facilities, paying out £371,982 in 2024/25. Annual inflation of the contract has now been capped at a maximum of five per cent to ensure it remains affordable going forward.
It is estimated that the total cost to the council over 10 years, if the grant increased by the maximum amount each year, would be £5.1m. These costs will be met from the Leisure Service revenue budget.
The new agreement will next be up for review after a period of 10 years, in 2035.
Report by Nadia Lincoln
Please stop using the word ‘accident’ to report incidents such as the one you reported today.
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