West Northamptonshire’s decision to close its ALMO and bring 11,500 council homes back in-house has triggered a cross-party challenge, opening up a wider debate about transparency, financial risk and the future of arm’s-length management models.
Earlier this month, the Reform UK-led cabinet voted unanimously to wind down Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH), the ALMO responsible for managing council homes in Northampton. The move followed a report last year identifying “serious failings” in how NPH met basic home safety and quality standards — a finding that added pressure for structural change.
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The council argues the solution is to take direct control of housing services by April 2027, subject to Secretary of State approval. But opposition members from the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats have now triggered a formal call-in, citing concerns over the robustness — and visibility — of the evidence behind the decision.
Their challenge will be considered on Monday by the authority’s children, education and housing overview and scrutiny committee.
The core of the dispute is not whether improvement is needed — few appear to contest that. Instead, councillors say the cabinet pushed through a major governance change without providing meaningful financial detail. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, scrutiny members repeatedly asked for information including:
- projected costs of bringing services in-house
- anticipated savings or efficiencies
- delivery timelines
- key financial risks and contingency plans
But those requests, they say, were “inadequately addressed”, leaving scrutiny unable to carry out its role effectively.
The scrutiny committee can request that the cabinet revisit its decision and consider a range of recommendations, however it has no power to overrule the administration’s decision on NPH or demand any action.
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