North Northamptonshire
Unitary authority area
Kettering, the district's second largest town
Kettering, the district's second largest town
North Northamptonshire within Northamptonshire
North Northamptonshire within Northamptonshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Ceremonial countyNorthamptonshire
Established1 April 2021
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority
Area
 • Total380.9 sq mi (986.6 km2)
 • Rank25th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total360,381
 • Rank23rd
 • Density950/sq mi (370/km2)
  • Rank201st
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
ONS codeE06000061 (GSS)[1]

North Northamptonshire is one of two local government districts in Northamptonshire, England. It is a unitary authority area forming about one half of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire. It was created in 2021.[2] Its council is based in Corby, the district's largest town. Other notable towns are Kettering, Wellingborough, Rushden, Raunds, Desborough, Rothwell, Irthlingborough, Thrapston and Oundle.

It has a string of lakes along the Nene Valley Conservation Park, associated heritage railway, the village of Fotheringhay which has tombs of the House of York as well as a towering church supported by flying buttresses. This division has a well-preserved medieval castle in private hands next to Corby – Rockingham Castle – and about 20 other notable country houses, many of which have visitor gardens or days.

History

North Northamptonshire was created on 1 April 2021 by the merger of the four non-metropolitan districts of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough. It absorbed the functions of these districts, plus those of the abolished Northamptonshire County Council.

In March 2018, following financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers at Northamptonshire County Council, the then Secretary of State for Local Government, Sajid Javid, sent commissioner Max Caller into the council, who recommended the county council and all-district and borough councils in the county be abolished, and replaced by two unitary authorities, one covering the West, and one the North of the county.[3] These proposals were approved in April 2019. It meant that the districts of Daventry, Northampton, and South Northamptonshire were merged to form a new unitary authority called West Northamptonshire, whilst the second unitary authority North Northamptonshire consists of the former Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough districts.[4][5]

The Council logo depicts Rockingham Castle, the River Welland and a Red kite - a bird of prey that has become strongly associated with the county of Northamptonshire and is particularly commonplace in the north-eastern parts of the county around Corby and Rockingham Forest.[6]

Governance

North Northamptonshire Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Barbara Jenney,
Conservative
since 25 May 2023[7]
Jason Smithers,
Conservative
since 26 May 2021[8]
Adele Wylie
since 27 January 2024[9]
Structure
Political groups
Administration (56)
  Conservative (56)
Other parties (22)
  Labour (16)[10]
  Green (3)
  Independent (2)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
Elections
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
1 May 2025
Meeting place

The Cube, George Street, Corby, NN17 1QG[11]
Website
www.northnorthants.gov.uk
Corby, the administrative centre and largest settlement in North Northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire Council provides both county-level and district-level services. The whole area is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.[12]

Political control

Since its creation in 2021, the Conservatives have held a majority of the seats on the council:

Party in controlYears
Conservative2021–present

Leadership

The leader of the council from its first meeting following its creation in 2021 has been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jason Smithers Conservative26 May 2021

Russell Roberts, outgoing leader of the old Kettering Borough Council, had served as leader of the shadow authority set up to oversee the transition to the new arrangements.[13]

Composition

As at December 2023, the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Conservative56
Labour16
Green3
Independent2
Liberal Democrats1
Total78

Elections

Elections for a shadow authority were due to be held on Thursday 7 May 2020, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These elections were instead held on 6 May 2021 and the Conservatives won a majority of seats. The Council comprises 78 councillors elected across 26 wards.

Premises

The council inherited four sets of offices from the predecessor authorities, being the Corby Cube, the Kettering Municipal Offices, Swanspool House in Wellingborough, and the old East Northamptonshire District Council offices on Cedar Drive in Thrapston. The Corby Cube was chosen as the main meeting place.[11] The other buildings serve as area offices.[14][15]

Settlements and parishes

The parish councils for Burton Latimer, Corby, Desborough, Finedon, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Kettering, Oundle, Raunds, Rothwell, Rushden, Thrapston and Wellingborough have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council".[16]

Population pyramid of North Northamptonshire
Wellingborough, the third-largest settlement in North Northamptonshire
Rushden, the fourth-largest settlement in North Northamptonshire

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Local Authority Districts (April 2021) Names and Codes in the United Kingdom".
  2. ↑ "North Northamptonshire shadow unitary council 'in place next year'". BBC News. 20 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Northamptonshire County Council: statement". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved". BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "AT LAST! Northamptonshire's new unitary councils are made law by parliament". Northampton Chronicle. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "The peculiar case of Corby's dive-bombing birds" – via www.northantstelegraph.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2023". North Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Council minutes, 26 May 2021". North Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Council appoints new Chief Executive". North Northamptonshire Council. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Long-standing Corby Tory quits party, fires parting shot, and crosses floor to join Labour". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Corby Cube set to become North Northamptonshire Council headquarters". Northamptonshire Telegraph. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Ward, Sarah (16 April 2020). "Government appoints Kettering Council leader to head up new unitary council". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "Corby Cube set to become North Northamptonshire Council headquarters". Northamptonshire Telegraph. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Visiting the council and our addresses". North Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Parish council contact details". North Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
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