Council proposes tax rise and new parking charges

Parking charges could be introduced at Sixfields Reservoir, the Racecourse and the Claret Car Park on Edgar Mobbs Way

New parking charges and an increase to fees for garden waste collections are among a council's draft budget proposals for 2025-26.

West Northamptonshire Council, which said in October that it was facing a shortfall of £72m by 2026, is also proposing a 4.99% increase in council tax as part of its £933.8m budget for 2025-26.

Parking fees could be introduced at Sixfields Reservoir, the Racecourse and the Claret Car Park on Edgar Mobbs Way, while the annual subscription fee for garden waste collection could rise from £58 to £60.

The Conservative-controlled council will meet to discuss the draft budget on Tuesday before launching a six-week public consultation ahead of the final budget going before the full council in February.

The proposed increase in council tax would mean an average rise of £1.71 a week on a band D property.

New parking charges

Under the proposals, parking at Sixfields Reservoir, which is close to Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium, will be charged at £1 an hour, rising to £6 on matchdays.

The Claret Car Park, which serves as a park-and-ride location for visitors to the University of Northampton, will be £2 a day, and there will be a £7.50 "event day charge" owing to its proximity to both Sixfields Stadium and Northampton Saints' Franklin's Gardens.

The Racecourse car park, accessed via Kettering Road, will cost £1 an hour up to a maximum of four hours. Any stays above that will incur a charge of £5 for every extra hour.

An overnight charge of £2 will be in operation between 18:00 and 10:00 GMT.

The council said these moves, along with its wider programme of fees and charges, would raise about £28.5m.

West Northamptonshire Council is planning its budget for next year

Malcolm Longley, the council's cabinet member for finance, said that setting the draft budget had been "both challenging and complex".

He said that "the needs of residents remain at the forefront" of the council's decisions and actions.