West Northamptonshire Council has written to the Government asking for the county's legacy debt to be written off, as Woking's was. It names no figure.
West Northamptonshire Council has formally asked the Government to write off debts it inherited from the councils abolished in 2021. The leader, Cllr Mark Arnull, sent the letter on Thursday 29 October. The council says it went to the Secretary of State, Angela Rayner. (West Northamptonshire Council, 29 October 2026)
The council points to Surrey, where the Government has stepped in to help with historic debt ahead of reorganisation there. It wants the same treatment for Northamptonshire.
Neither the council’s release nor the motion behind it says how much debt it wants written off. The letter itself has not been published.
What the council is asking for
When Northamptonshire County Council failed, it and the seven district and borough councils were replaced in 2021 by two unitary councils, West and North Northamptonshire. The council says both inherited the old councils’ liabilities. Neither received debt forgiveness or a comparable support package.
Cllr Arnull said: “Our residents have been paying the price for shouldering the debts of the old councils for far too long. We’re asking the Government to apply the same principle to Northamptonshire that it is now applying in Surrey.”
He added: “We are not asking for preferential treatment, only parity for our residents.”
The letter follows a motion Cllr Arnull proposed at Full Council on 24 September, seconded by Cllr John Slope. Its resolution commits the council to:
- write to the Government seeking “debt relief, debt restructuring or other financial assistance” for historic Northamptonshire local government debt
- ask all of West Northamptonshire’s MPs, of every party, to back the case
- work with neighbouring councils and the Local Government Association
- discuss with the Monitoring Officer whether to commission independent legal advice, including on “the merits of a legal challenge” if comparable councils are treated differently (Council agenda, 24 September 2026, motion 3)
The council says the motion had cross-party backing. The minutes of that meeting are not yet published, and the council’s record of voting for the night does not include the motion.
What happened in Surrey
The Government’s own announcement, in October 2025, said it was committed “to repay in principle £500m of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026-27”. It said Woking was unable to manage the debt locally. Woking’s council is being merged into a new West Surrey unitary. (GOV.UK, 28 October 2025)
West Northamptonshire’s argument is about fairness between councils going through reorganisation: that a successor council should not carry the costs of a predecessor’s failure.
How much the council owes
The council’s latest treasury report, covering April to July 2026, gives its borrowing. It had £831m of external borrowing on 31 July 2026, and £685m once its investments are netted off. (Period 4 Treasury Management Update)
It expects external borrowing of £806m by 31 March 2027:
- £465m for the General Fund, which pays for most council services, down from £523m a year earlier
- £341m for the Housing Revenue Account, the council’s own homes, up from £300m
Housing borrowing is repaid from council tenants’ rents, not council tax. The report says it is rising because fewer homes were sold under Right to Buy, so there is less sale money to fund work.
None of these figures says how much was inherited from the old county council. That is the number the Government will need to see before it can weigh the request.
What it means for you
Debt interest comes out of the same budget as roads, social care and bin collections. Cllr Arnull said: “Money spent servicing historic debt is money that cannot be invested in local priorities such as roads, services for vulnerable residents, economic growth and improving places for our communities.”
Nothing changes for council tax payers yet. The Government has not replied, and the council has not said when it expects an answer.
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