Council hopes to boost number of available homes

A council has been seeking approval to use £18m of funding to boost its supply of homes over the next four years.

The move comes as North Northamptonshire Council revealed there were more than 7,000 applicants on its housing waiting list.

Corby and Kettering had the highest level of housing need within the authority's area.

If approved the work would begin immediately to identify potential properties or land, the council said.

A report that will be presented on Tuesday will request it become a delegated authority decision to allow officers to purchase land and/or properties, the council said.

The authority added it would use Right to Buy capital receipts to invest in new affordable housing and increase the supply of suitable, good‑quality homes

As of March 2026, there were almost 7,300 applicants, with the highest levels of housing need in Corby and Kettering and with the greatest pressures for up to three-bed properties.

The council consulted last year on proposals to cut the waiting list in half by removing all applicants in the lowest band and other changes to its qualification criteria.

It was anticipated that a report on the changes would go to the executive in May for the final scheme to be considered and approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The report suggested new homes would bring other financial benefits by reducing liabilities in older houses.

The council's Housing Revenue Capital Programme for 2026 to 2030 was approved in February and allocated £4.5m each year to be put towards the delivery of new housing.

If the executive approves the report, the authority would start work to identify properties and/or land in north Northamptonshire to support the delivery of the new housing.

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