West Northants Council looking at case to bring social care management in-house
The council has said it is currently drawing up a business case to assess the costs of bringing the management of its 11,500 social homes back in-house.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has said it is currently drawing up a business case to assess the costs of bringing the management of its 11,500 social homes back in-house.
A notice, which indicated “serious failings” in how Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) was adhering to home safety and quality standards, was issued by the Regulator of Social Housing in September 2024.
In June, the new Reform UK cabinet voted that they were minded to bring social housing duties back in-house and seek the opinions of tenants, leaseholders and members of the public through a public consultation.
Almost 2,700 responses were received from tenants and leaseholders over the eight-week period. According to the council, 60 per cent agreed with the transfer of landlord services to WNC and less than 10 per cent were opposed.
NPH is currently responsible for managing the properties in Northampton, providing various housing services including repairs, maintenance, tenancy management, and supporting vulnerable tenants. It employs around 350 staff and has an annual budget of £67m.
While the work required to meet these standards is delivered by NPH, ultimately, WNC are responsible for compliance and improving the safety and support for tenants.
WNC’s Children, Education and Housing scrutiny panel is set to discuss the next steps of bringing the service in-house next week (Monday, October 20). According to meeting papers, an options appraisal has been created to further explore the benefits and risks of bringing NPH back in-house and a business case is underway to assess the potential one-off costs.
WNC says some benefits include moving from being a “reactive to proactive” landlord, along with much increased enforcement powers, more opportunities for efficiencies so more money will be available for property improvements, and a more streamlined customer experience.
Issues with the landlord service are still present in the most recent quarter one performance report, with the number of properties that do not meet the Decent Homes standard staying at 18 per cent. Satisfaction with the anti-social behaviour (ASB) service also dropped to 51 per cent, and some council properties were listed as overdue for gas safety, asbestos, and lift safety checks at the end of June 2025.
However, WNC also noted successes, including a continued reduction in ASB reports and 100 per cent of emergency repairs, fire risk and Legionella assessments carried out.
After scrutiny from the housing committee, further recommendations will be brought forward to the next cabinet meeting in November.
If a decision is made to bring NPH back in-house, the council will need formal approval from the Secretary of State. An anticipated transfer date by April 2027 has previously been noted, with a phased approach over the next two years.