East Northamptonshire | |
---|---|
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | East Midlands |
Non-metropolitan county | Northamptonshire |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Thrapston |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | East Northamptonshire Council |
• Leadership | Alternative - Sec.31 ( ) |
• MPs | Tom Pursglove (Con) Gen Kitchen (Lab) |
Area | |
• Total | 196.8 sq mi (509.8 km2) |
Population (2019) | |
• Total | 94,527 |
• Density | 480/sq mi (190/km2) |
• Ethnicity | 98.3% White |
Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
ONS code | 34UD (ONS) E07000152 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | TL0192784659 |
Website | www |
East Northamptonshire was a local government district in Northamptonshire, England, from 1974 to 2021. Its council was based in Thrapston and Rushden. Other towns included Oundle, Raunds, Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers. The town of Rushden was by far the largest settlement in the district. The population of the district at the 2011 Census was 86,765. [1]
The district bordered onto the Borough of Corby, the Borough of Kettering, the Borough of Wellingborough, the Borough of Bedford, the City of Peterborough, the District of Huntingdonshire, South Kesteven District and the unitary authority county of Rutland.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Higham Ferrers, with the urban districts of Irthlingborough, Oundle, Raunds and Rushden, along with Oundle and Thrapston Rural District, and Newton Bromswold from Wellingborough Rural District.
Much of the district was home to Rockingham Forest, once a Royal hunting forest which takes its name from the village of Rockingham where William I built a castle.
The district was home to several of Northamptonshire's airfields including Spanhoe, King's Cliffe, Deenethorpe, Polebrook, Chelveston and Lyveden.
In March 2018, following suspension of the County Council arising from its becoming insolvent, due to financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers, 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. [2] 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 Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts. These new authorities came into being on 1 April 2021. [3] Elections for the new authorities were due to be held on 7 May 2020, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]
There were six towns in the district. Rushden was by far the largest with a population of 29,272. It is situated in the very south of the district and forms a single urban area with the neighbouring town of Higham Ferrers which has a population of 7,145. The second largest town in the district was Raunds, population 8,641 followed closely by Irthlingborough, population 8,535. The smallest town in the district was Thrapston where the HQ of the East Northamptonshire council was located. Oundle is a historical market town with many ancient buildings, including St Peter's parish church with the tallest spire in the county and a large public school. Higham Ferrers, which is part of Rushden's urban area, was the birthplace for Henry Chichele and home of Chichele College. Irthlingborough was home to Rushden & Diamonds Football Club before its liquidation.
There were no railway stations in East Northamptonshire. There is one College in East Northamptonshire.
2019 no election in any of the Northamptonshire districts, following a budgetary overspending crisis and subsequent plans to merge East Northamptonshire local authority with three other districts/boroughs to form a unitary authority of North Northamptonshire. In the meantime, councillors terms of office were extended at least up to 2020. [5]
2015 (total 40 seats)
Conservative - 37 seats (+2) Labour - 1 seats (-1) Independent - 2 seats (-1)
2011 (total 40 seats)
Conservative - 35 seats (-4) Labour - 2 seats (+2) Independent - 3 seats (+2)
2007 (total 40 seats)
Conservative - 39 seats (+ 6) Labour - 0 seats ( - 3) Independent - 1 seat
2004 (total 36 seats)
Conservative - 33 seats (+ 12) Labour - 3 seats (- 12)
Northamptonshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town.
Wellingborough is a market town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is 65 miles (105 km) from London and 11 miles (18 km) from Northampton, and is on the north side of the River Nene.
Raunds is a market town in North Northamptonshire, England. It had a population of 9,379 at the 2021 census.
Rushden is a town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, around 18 miles (29 km) east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, 12 miles (19 km) north of Bedford.
Kettering is a market and industrial town in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It forms a civil parish called Kettering Town. Kettering is located 67 miles (108 km) north of London and 15 miles (24 km) north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place of Ketter's people ".
Irthlingborough is a town on the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England. As of 2021, it has a population of 9,325, and was at one point the smallest town in England to have had a Football League team, Rushden & Diamonds F.C., before the promotion of Forest Green Rovers in 2017. The parish church, St Peter, has a lantern tower, unusual for Northamptonshire churches, which was built to guide travellers across the Nene valley in foggy weather. It also has doors at the four cardinal points and has eight misericords in the chancel.
The history of Northamptonshire spans the same period as English history.
Corby is a constituency in Northamptonshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Tom Pursglove of the Conservative Party.
Wellingborough is a constituency in Northamptonshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat is currently held by Labour MP Gen Kitchen, after the recall of MP Peter Bone in December 2023 which resulted in a by-election in February 2024.
Chelveston is a small village in North Northamptonshire. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Higham Ferrers and 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Wellingborough on the B645 from Higham Ferrers to St Neots. To the south is the hamlet of Caldecott and the settlement of Chelston Rise which together comprise the civil parish of Chelveston cum Caldecott. The population is now included in the civil parish of Chelveston cum Caldecott.
The A605 road is a main road in the English counties of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.
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. 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.
Higham Ferrers is a market town and civil parish in the Nene Valley in North Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single built-up area with Rushden to the south and had a population of 8,827 at the 2021 census. The town centre contains many historic buildings around the Market Square and College Street.
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the line was authorised by Parliament in 1843 and the 47 mile line opened in 1845. The line largely followed the river Nene, and for the economy of construction, it had many level crossings with intersecting roads, rather than bridges. In 1846 the L&BR joined with other companies, together forming the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).
The Northamptonshire Football Association, also simply known as the Northamptonshire FA, is the governing body of football in the English county of Northamptonshire.
The Higham Ferrers branch line was a short railway branch built in Northamptonshire, England, by the Midland Railway to serve the industrial towns of Rushden and Higham Ferrers. It was originally intended to continue the line to Raunds, but that was frustrated by the refusal of a landowner to release his land.
Higham Ferrers Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Square in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England. The structure, which serves as the offices and meeting place of Higham Ferrers Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.