West Northamptonshire

Last updated

West Northamptonshire
Unitary authority area
All Saints Church (geograph 7247736).jpg
Daventry, High Street and Market Square and market cross (resize)- geograph.org.uk - 1729537.jpg
Brackley Town Hall (geograph 4247452).jpg
Watling Street passes Towcester Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3451184.jpg
Northampton, Daventry, Brackley and Towcester
Arms of West Northamptonshire.svg
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Ambition, Pride, Unity, Prosperity
West Northamptonshire UK locator map.svg
West Northamptonshire shown within Northamptonshire
Coordinates: 52°14′13″N0°53′42″W / 52.237°N 0.895°W / 52.237; -0.895
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country England
Region East Midlands
Ceremonial county Northamptonshire
Incorporated1 April 2021
Administrative HQ Northampton
Government
[1]
 • Type Unitary authority with leader and cabinet
 • Body West Northamptonshire Council
 •  House of Commons
4 MPs
Area
[2]
 • Total530 sq mi (1,380 km2)
 • Land532 sq mi (1,377 km2)
 • Water1 sq mi (3 km2)
 • Rank 16th
Population
 (2022) [3]
 • Total429,013
 • Rank 15th
 • Density810/sq mi (311/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[4]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[4]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area
NN
Dialling codes
  • 01327
  • 01604
ISO 3166 code GB-WNH
GSS code E06000062
ITL code TLF24
GVA 2021 estimate [5]
 •Total £13.2 billion
 •Per capita£30,905
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate [5]
 •Total£14.7 billion
 •Per capita£34,385
Website westnorthants.gov.uk

West Northamptonshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, created in 2021. West Northamptonshire Council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.

Contents

By far the largest settlement in West Northamptonshire is the county town of Northampton. Its other significant towns are Daventry, Brackley and Towcester; the rest of the area is predominantly agricultural villages though it has many lakes and small woodlands and is passed through by the West Coast Main Line and the M1 and M40 motorways. The district includes the site of the Roman town of Bannaventa, and the grade I listed Althorp House and its estate.

History

West Northamptonshire was formed on 1 April 2021 [6] through the merger of the three non-metropolitan districts of Daventry, Northampton, and South Northamptonshire. The new West Northamptonshire Council therefore absorbed the functions of those districts' councils, plus those of the abolished Northamptonshire County Council. These changes were implemented by creating a new non-metropolitan district and a non-metropolitan county covering the area, both called West Northamptonshire. There is no county council; instead the district council performs county-level functions, making it a unitary authority. [7] West Northamptonshire remains part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. [8]

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. [9] 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. [10] [11]

Governance

West Northamptonshire Council
West Northamptonshire Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Jo Gilford,
Conservative
since 16 May 2024 [12]
Adam Brown,
Conservative
since 16 May 2024 [13]
Anna Earnshaw
since 2020 [14]
Structure
Seats93 councillors
UK West Northamptonshire Council 2021.svg
Political groups
Administration (61)
  Conservative (61)
Other parties (32)
  Labour (20)
  Liberal Democrats (6)
  Independent (6)
Elections
Last election
 6 May 2021
Next election
1 May 2025
Meeting place
One Angel Square, Northampton.jpg
One Angel Square, 4 Angel Street, Northampton, NN1 1ED [15]
Website
westnorthants.gov.uk

West 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. [16]

Political control

Since its creation in 2021, the Conservatives have held a majority of the seats on the council: [17]

Party in controlYears
Conservative 2021–present

Leadership

The leader of the council from its first meeting following its creation in 2021 was Jonathan Nunn, who was the last leader of the old Northampton Borough Council. Ian McCord, outgoing Conservative leader of the old South Northamptonshire District Council, had served as leader of the shadow authority set up to oversee the transition to the new arrangements. [18]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jonathan Nunn [19] Conservative 20 May 202118 April 2024
Adam Brown Conservative 16 May 2024

Composition

Following the 2021 election and subsequent changes up to May 2024, the composition of the council was:

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 61
Labour 20
Liberal Democrats 6
Independent 6
Total93

Four of the six independents sit together as the 'Independent Group'. [20] The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

Elections for a shadow authority were due to be held on Thursday 7 May 2020 but were postponed until 6 May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New ward boundaries have been drawn up to take effect from the 2025 elections, which will reduce the number of councillors from 93 to 76, to be elected from 35 wards each electing one, two or three councillors. From 2025 elections will be held every four years. [21]

Premises

Council meetings are generally held at Northampton Guildhall, with the nearby former Northamptonshire County Council offices at One Angel Square serving as the council's headquarters. [22] The council also inherited offices at The Forum in Towcester from South Northamptonshire District Council and Lodge Road in Daventry from Daventry District Council. The Forum continues to be used as additional offices and for some council meetings, whilst Lodge Road has closed, being replaced by a smaller area office in Daventry. [23]

Demographics

Population

Population pyramid in 2020 West Northamptonshire population pyramid 2020.svg
Population pyramid in 2020

The West Northamptonshire population was estimated to be around 406,733 people in 2020, in 2011, off of previous administrative boundaries, the population of the West Northamptonshire area was around 375,101 people, with it being 345,589 people in 2001. [24]

Gender

In 2020, there was around an estimated 202,004 men and 204,729 women. [24]

Ethnicity

Ethnic Group1991 [25] 2001 [26] 2011 [27]
Number%Number%Number%
White: Total301,94096.1%326,51394.5%336,93389.8%
White: British ––315,12791.2%314,92484%
White: Irish ––4,9964,011
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller ––––214
White: Other ––6,39017,784
Asian or Asian British: Total6,2682%7,2242.1%16,0634.3%
Asian or Asian British: Indian 2,9183,9156,471
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 5639151,789
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 1,2151,8183,474
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 8471,4952,005
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian7255762,324
Black or Black British: Total4,7461.5%5,0781.5%11,5983.1%
Black or Black British: Caribbean 2,8773,0776,837
Black or Black British: African 5131,4653,298
Black or Black British: Other Black 1,3565361,463
Mixed or British Mixed: Total––4,4121.3%8,8232.4%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean––2,0093,819
Mixed: White and Black African––3531,241
Mixed: White and Asian––1,1301,947
Mixed: Other Mixed––9201,816
Other: Total1,2830.4%8670.3%1,6840.4%
Other: Arab––––579
Other: Any other ethnic group1,2830.4%8671,105
Total314,237100%345,589100%375,101100%

Age structure

Age distribution of West Northamptonshire in 2020 [24]
0-9 years10-19 years20-29 years30-39 years40-49 years50-59 years60-69 years70-79 years80+ years
52,45348,85745,49452,91954,38757,32243,18134,67617,865

Media

In terms of television, West Northamptonshire is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia with television signals received from the Sandy Heath transmitter. [28] However, some southwestern parts of the area such as Brackley is served by BBC South and ITV Meridian broadcasting from the Oxford TV transmitter. [29]

Radio stations for the area are:

The area is served by these local newspapers: Northampton Chronicle & Echo , Daventry Express and Banbury Guardian which covers Brackley.

Settlements and parishes

For a county-wide list for Northamptonshire see List of places in Northamptonshire

West Northamptonshire is entirely covered by civil parishes, of which there are 166. [30]

Locations

The district includes the site of the Roman fortified town of Bannaventa, [31] and the grade I listed stately home Althorp House and its estate. [32]

Arms

Coat of arms of West Northamptonshire
Arms of West Northamptonshire.svg
Notes
Granted in May 2023. [33]
Crest
On a Wreath Or and Vert in front of a Mount Vert thereon a Tower triple-towered Argent the portcullis raised Or three Garbs banded and two Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper.
Escutcheon
Vert on a Bend wavy on the upper edge Or four Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper between a Lion's Face and a Garb Or banded Gules. [34] [35]
Supporters
On the dexter side a Lion guardant Or resting the interior hindpaw on an Escallop Argent and on the sinister side a Bull guardant Sable gorged with a Collar and Line reflexed over the back Or and resting the interior hindleg on a Horseshoe Argent.
Motto
Ambition, Pride, Unity, Prosperity
Badge
A Lion sejant guardant supporting a Garb Or thereon four Roses palewise Gules barbed and seeded proper.
Symbolism
The Dexter supporter, a golden lion, is taken from the arms of Northampton, with the scallop on which it stands, a reference to the arms of the Spencer family, owners of the Althorp Estate. The black bull in sinister, is taken from the former Northamptonshire County Council's arms. The four roses on the escutcheon stand for the towns of Daventry, Brackley, Towcester and Northampton. [36] [37]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Councillors and democracy". West Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics . 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics . 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – West Northamptonshire Local Authority (E06000062)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  5. 1 2 Fenton, Trevor (25 April 2023). "Regional gross domestic product: local authorities". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Northampton's parks and historic buildings may be managed by another council after unitary changes". Northampton Chronicle . 17 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2020/156, retrieved 14 July 2024
  8. ↑ "Lieutenancies Act 1997". legislation.gov.uk . The National Archives. 1997 c. 23. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Northamptonshire County Council: statement". 27 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved". BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "AT LAST! Northamptonshire's new unitary councils are made law by parliament". Northampton Chronicle. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "West Northamptonshire Council welcomes new Chairman". West Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Lincoln, Nadia (17 May 2024). "New leader of West Northamptonshire Council officially voted in at annual meeting". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Calkin, Sarah (11 August 2020). "Shadow unitary appoints first chief". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Council, Northampton Borough. "Councillors agree next steps towards shadow authority preparations". www.northampton.gov.uk.
  16. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  17. ↑ Area, West Northamptonshire Council-Northampton. "7 May 2020 Elections". www.northampton.gov.uk.
  18. ↑ "Northamptonshire councillor wins appeal over Conservatives expulsion". BBC News. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  19. ↑ Lincoln, Nadia (24 April 2024). "Conservative HQ responds to calls to remove whip from former West Northamptonshire Council leader". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  20. ↑ "Your councillors by party". West Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "The West Northamptonshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2025/65, retrieved 24 January 2024
  22. ↑ "Contact us". West Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  23. ↑ Heath, Martin (22 January 2024). "Office move 'will save £350k per year' - West Northants Council". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  24. 1 2 3 "West Northamptonshire (Unitary District, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  25. ↑ 1991 census data taken from NOMIS which was extracted using the 'local authorities: district / unitary (prior to April 2015)' geography type.
  26. ↑ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  28. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  29. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  30. ↑ "West Northamptonshire - with parishes". City Population. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  31. ↑ Historic England. "Site of Bannaventa (1003879)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  32. ↑ Historic England. "Althorp House (1356626)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  33. ↑ "Coat of Arms". West Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "Coat of arms (crest) of West Northamptonshire". Heraldry of the World. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  35. ↑ "CIVIC HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND WALES - EAST MIDLANDS REGION". www.civicheraldry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  36. ↑ Holland, Kris (23 May 2023). "West Northamptonshire Council: New coat of arms". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  37. ↑ "West Northamptonshire Council unveiled its new Coat of Arms | West Northamptonshire Council". www.westnorthants.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
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