North Northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire is one of two main council areas in Northamptonshire. It is a unitary authority area forming about one half of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It was created in 2021, with 15 fewer councillors in line with its fewer residents.[3] Its notable towns are Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden, Raunds, Desborough, Rothwell, Irthlingborough, Thrapston and Oundle. The council is based at the Corby Cube in Corby.[1]

This article is about the district. For the constituency, see North Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency).
North Northamptonshire
Unitary authority area
North Northamptonshire within Northamptonshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Ceremonial countyNorthamptonshire
Admin HQCorby Cube, Corby[1]
Established1 April 2021
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • Governing bodyNorth Northamptonshire Council
 • LeaderJason Smithers
 • Chief ExecutiveRobert Bridge
Area
 • Total380.9 sq mi (987 km2)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total354,477
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
ONS codeE06000061 (GSS)[2]
Websitewww.northnorthants.gov.uk

It has a string of lakes along the Nene Valley Conservation Park, associated heritage railway, 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 existing 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.[4] 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.[5][6]

Council
Council composition as of February 2022:
  Conservative Party: 59 seats
  Labour Party: 14 seats
  Green Party: 3 seats
  Liberal Democrats: 1 seat
  Independent: 1 seat

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.

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.[7]

Settlements and parishes

See also

References
  1. "Corby Cube set to become North Northamptonshire Council headquarters". Northamptonshire Telegraph. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. "Local Authority Districts (April 2021) Names and Codes in the United Kingdom".
  3. "North Northamptonshire shadow unitary council 'in place next year'". BBC News. 20 April 2018.
  4. "Northamptonshire County Council: statement". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  5. "Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved". BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. "AT LAST! Northamptonshire's new unitary councils are made law by parliament". Northampton Chronicle. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. "The peculiar case of Corby's dive-bombing birds".

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