Plans approved to bring council housing services back in-house to WNC

Published On: November 12, 2025By Gemma Bailey

Plans to bring council housing services back in-house to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) control were approved at a Council Cabinet meeting yesterday. NPH currently provide housing services for around 11,500 homes across West Northants on behalf of WNC who is your landlord.

The phased plan that was approved at the Cabinet meeting sets out that some back-office and corporate functions will transfer to WNC in 2026, and all housing services currently provided by NPH will be brought in-house by April 2027. You can see the Cabinet papers here on WNC’s website. The move aims to improve safety, transparency, and long-term service quality for residents across the area while strengthening accountability and compliance with new national housing regulations.

The plan to transition services in a phased manner will ensure service continuity while allowing the Council to embed lessons from recent inspections and improvement programmes. During the transition process NPH will continue to operate and work closely with the Council to ensure a smooth, safe transition for residents and staff.

Cllr Charlie Hastie, WNC Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said:

“Bringing our housing services back into the Council will give us the stronger oversight and accountability needed to meet the new regulatory standards and to deliver the improvements residents expect.

“We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the recent consultation. The feedback shows clear support for this direction and gives us a strong foundation to move forward, focusing on improving safety, communication, and the overall tenant experience.”

The decision to bring housing services back in-house reflects a national trend – many councils across the UK are choosing to bring Arm’s Length Management Organisations like NPH back in-house to strengthen control, improve efficiency, deliver more joined-up services for tenants and support compliance with the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which introduced a tougher regulatory regime and a requirement for greater transparency and assurance from all housing providers.

We will continue to keep you informed about the transition process. In the meantime, please be assured it is business as usual – you can continue to contact NPH in the usual way by calling our Contact Centre on 0300 330 7003 for any housing-related enquiries or support.