Northampton Borough Council
{{Short description|Former non-metropolitan district in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color =
| text_color =
| name = Northampton Borough Council
| native_name =
| transcription_name =
| legislature =
| coa_pic = Arms-Northampton.png
| coa_res =
| coa-pic =
| coa-res =
| house_type = Non-metropolitan district council
| jurisdiction = Northampton
| houses =
| leader1_type =
|succeeded_by=West Northamptonshire Council
Northampton Town Council| leader1 =
| last_election1 = 7 May 2015
| session_room = File:Northampton Guildhall01.JPG
| session_res =
| meeting_place = Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton
| website = [http://www.northampton.gov.uk/ www.northampton.gov.uk]
| footnotes =
}}
Northampton Borough Council was the local authority for Northampton in Northamptonshire, England. Northampton had a council from medieval times, which was reformed on numerous occasions. From 1974 until its abolition in 2021, the council was a non-metropolitan district council. The council was based at Northampton Guildhall. In 2021 the council was abolished and succeeded by West Northamptonshire Council, a unitary authority, and Northampton Town Council, a parish council.
History
Northampton was an ancient borough. It was granted its first municipal charter in 1189 by Richard I. The borough was given the right to appoint a mayor in 1215 by King John.{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=William |title=A History of the County of Northampton |date=1930 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=1–26 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol3/pp1-26 |access-date=12 June 2025 |chapter=The Borough of Northampton}} The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Northampton", which was generally known as the corporation, town council, or borough council.{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act |date=1835 |page=457 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/456/mode/2up |access-date=12 June 2025}}
When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Northampton was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level functions, and so it was made a county borough, independent from Northamptonshire County Council. It comprised 6 wards from 1898, 9 wards from 1900 and 12 wards from 1911.{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66252|title=British History}} The borough boundaries were enlarged several times as the town grew.{{cite web |title=Northampton Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10109279 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=12 June 2025}}
County boroughs, including Northampton, were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A non-metropolitan district called Northampton was created instead, subordinate to Northamptonshire County Council. The new district covered the area of the former county borough plus adjoining areas within the designated area for the New Town expansion of Northampton.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=12 June 2025}}{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=3 March 2023}} The district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the council to take the name Northampton Borough Council and letting the chair of the council take the title of mayor, continuing Northampton's series of mayors dating back to 1215.{{cite web |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |website=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) |access-date=4 December 2021 |date=28 March 1974}}{{cite book|title=Local Government in England and wales. a Guide to the New System.|year=1974|publisher=HMSO|location=London|isbn=0117508470|pages=15–109|chapter=Table III(a)}}
Many former county boroughs regained their independence from county councils during local government reforms in the 1990s by being made unitary authorities. Northampton Borough Council also sought to be made a unitary authority at that time, but was unsuccessful. It was decided that "the separation of Northampton from its county would have a significant and detrimental effect."{{Cite news|title=Councils fight on for unitary status: Three authorities miss out on all-purpose target|work=The Guardian|date=27 September 1995|last=Meikle|first=James}}{{Cite news|title=Nine cities 'need greater powers'|work=The Independent|date=20 December 1995|last=Schoon|first=Nicholas}}LGCE. Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester Upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin. December 1995.{{cite hansard|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199596/ldhansrd/vo960314/text/60314w01.htm|title=Local Government: Structure|column_start=WA71|column_end=WA74|house=House of Lords|date=14 March 1996}}
In March 2018, an independent report commissioned by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire. These proposals saw the existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place.{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-40610349 | title=Troubled council 'should be scrapped'| work=BBC News| date=2018-03-15}} One authority would consist of the existing districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire and the other authority would consist of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts.{{Cite web | url=http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-03-15/northamptonshire-county-council-should-be-split-up-finds-damning-report/ | title=Northamptonshire County Council 'should be split up', finds damning report}}
In 2021 the council was abolished and succeeded by West Northamptonshire Council, a unitary authority, and Northampton Town Council, a parish council. This was done, in part, due to failing a corruption probe into the disappearance of over £10 million.{{Cite news|date=2018-07-24|title=Northampton Town and the missing millions: A timeline of events|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-36342097|access-date=2021-08-20}}
Political control
{{see also|Northampton Borough Council elections}}
Political control of the council from the 1974 reforms until the council's abolition in 2021 was as follows:{{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/34uf.stm | title = Northampton | accessdate = 2009-09-15 | work = BBC News Online}}{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=21 May 2025 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Northampton" in search box to see specific results.)
| class="wikitable" | |
| colspan="2"|Party in control | Years |
|---|---|
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} | 1974{{ndash}}1976 |
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} | 1976{{ndash}}1983 |
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | 1983{{ndash}}1987 |
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} | 1987{{ndash}}1991 |
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | 1991{{ndash}}1995 |
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} | 1995{{ndash}}2003 |
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | 2003{{ndash}}2007 |
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}} | 2007{{ndash}}2011 |
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} | 2011{{ndash}}2021 |
=Leadership=
{{see also|List of mayors of Northampton}}
The mayor of Northampton was the ceremonial figurehead for the borough council, and tended to be held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership was provided instead by the leader of the council. The leaders from 2000 until the council's abolition in 2021 were:
Jonathan Nunn subsequently became the first leader of the replacement West Northamptonshire Council.{{cite web |title=Council minutes, 20 May 2021 |url=https://westnorthants.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=142&MId=162 |website=West Northamptonshire Council |access-date=12 June 2025}}
Arms
{{Infobox COA wide
|escutcheon = Gules on a mount Vert a tower triple-towered Argent the portcullis raised Or supported by two lions rampant guardant of the last.
|motto = Castello Fortior Concordia (Peace Is Stronger Than A Fortress)
|notes = Recorded at the 1617 visitation.{{cite web|url=http://civicheraldry.co.uk/east_midlands.html |title=East Midlands Region |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England |accessdate=5 March 2021}}}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Northampton|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northampton, Local government in}}
Category:Former non-metropolitan district councils of England
Category:Local authorities in Northamptonshire