Have your say on the future housing model for social housing in West Northants

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is reviewing the way we deliver housing services. 

This includes housing services delivered by Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH). The main change we are proposing is to bring the services provided by NPH back into the council.

If you live in West Northamptonshire, we want to know what you think about our proposal for the future of our housing services.

All tenants and leaseholders will be sent a unique link to access the consultation form. If you need your link re-sending, please email [email protected] and include your:

• name
• first line of address
• postcode
• mobile number
• email address

If this proposal goes ahead, it is important to know that this will have little to no impact on how our tenants and leaseholders access services. 

You will continue to pay your rent in the same way and access support as you do now. You are also likely to continue to see and speak to the same people about your home that you do now.

Why is WNC looking at bringing NPH back into the Council?

Northampton Borough Council (NBC) set up NPH in 2015 which helped them access government funding to improve homes. NBC was dissolved in 2021 and WNC took over the ownership of NPH as the new Local Authority. 

In addition, in April 2024, the Government changed the way social housing is regulated. This meant that the Council is held responsible for the way in which services are provided to tenants and leaseholders.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) have previously written to tenants and leaseholders in 2024 about some concerns around the number of homes not meeting the Government’s Decent Homes Standard, and the number of overdue Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) to communal areas. Some of those FRAs were not to the required standard.

These concerns had led WNC (as the landlord) to self-refer to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). As a result, the regulator issued a C3 judgement which means that serious failings had been identified, and significant improvement was needed. Subsequently, NPH and WNC decided to complete all Fire Risk Assessments again to provide assurance about the safety of the homes we provide. 

WNC and NPH have been working hard to improve housing services and ensure compliance. Due to the increase in regulatory expectations, the council believe that having all housing services delivered by a single organisation is the best way to respond.

The council also believe that by bringing NPH back into the council, it will help to continue to improve services for tenants and leaseholders. This change will provide value for money and allow West Northants to continue to invest in Social Housing.

How we deliver housing services

The council own around 11,500 homes in West Northants. 

If you are a council tenant, West Northants Council are your landlord. They are also the freeholder for around 1,000 leasehold properties. 

NPH manages and looks after the homes for the council which includes collecting the rent and providing support services to tenants. 

Some housing services, such as support for homeless people, are delivered by the council, while some services are delivered jointly such as management of the right to buy process. 

Bringing NPH back into the council will join up all housing services. We think this is the best way to continue to improve housing services for tenants and leaseholders.

Repairing and investing in homes is getting more expensive and the council needs to make the best use of the rent we collect, we believe bringing NPH back into the council will support us to do that. 

The way we let and manage homes is open to more scrutiny than ever before and we want to make sure we listen and make changes when they are needed.

Why we want to make these changes

Bringing NPH back into the council will join up all our housing services which will lead to a smoother experience for both current and future tenants. We think this is the best way to improve housing services for our tenants and leaseholders.  

Recent changes to the regulations have seen increased standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing which landlords of social housing like the council must meet. 

Collectively we need to make sure we can respond to those changes.  The council believe that having all housing services delivered by a single organisation is the best way to do this.

The way we let and manage homes is open to more scrutiny than ever before and we want to make sure we listen and make changes when they are needed.

Benefits of the proposed changes

We think bringing NPH back has 4 main benefits:

1. We will be able to meet the needs of our residents more effectively by having all our housing services under one roof. This will help us move towards a housing approach that truly puts residents at the heart of what the council does.
2. By aligning WNC and NPH teams we will be able to use our resources more efficiently.
3. Having a direct relationship with tenants and leaseholders will help the council better understand your needs.
4. The council is held more accountable by the Housing Regulator for the quality of our homes and how they are managed. The staff who deliver these services will report directly to senior council managers and ultimately, our councillors.

What the proposed changes mean for tenants

If NPH is brought back into the council things won’t change.

The council will still be your landlord and you will pay your rent and any service charges in the same way you do now.

The people who deliver your services will instead by employed by the council and will probably be the same people you deal with now. For example, when you call, your calls will still be answered by the council’s customer service centre.

How to have your say

If you are a council tenant or leaseholder, we will be in touch to ask for your views. 

We will use your email in the first instance, with a unique code to enter; this will ensure that one entry per person is captured. We may also follow up with a text, letter or phone call.

If you are a resident of West Northants but not a council tenant or leaseholder you can let us know what you think about the proposed changes.

Closing date

The consultation ends on 7 September 2025.

Last updated 15 July 2025