Northampton Town Council voted into existence

Northampton Town Council was voted into existence by Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils (NCALC), making it the largest community-level council in England.

The council will operate under two unitary councils, which were approved last year to replace Northamptonshire County Council. The authority’s financial problems in 2018 led to a scheme to scrap it and seven other district and borough councils.

Now it has been revealed that a new community council for Far Cotton & Delapre will also be formed, as will a new parish council for Kingsthorpe, but plans to extend the boundaries of Duston Parish Council were rejected. Controversially, many Kingsthorpe residents spoke out against the consultation for the new parish council there, saying they had not received letters.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has said that the town council for Northampton will offer a lower tier of government below the much larger West Northamptonshire unitary council, when it launches in April 2021.

Danny Moody, chief executive of Northants CALC, which represents all the parish and town councils in Northamptonshire, said: "This is a great day for the people of Northampton. The new town council will give them a voice when the existing borough council is dissolved to make way for the unitary council. West Northamptonshire Council will be able to concentrate on strategic matters such as adult social care and highways, and the town council can concentrate on what matters most to the local community of Northampton."