36-515: West Northamptonshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire , England, and was created in 2021. It contains the county town of Northampton , as well as Daventry , Brackley and Towcester ; the rest of the area is predominantly agricultural villages though it has many lakes and small woodlands. The West Coast Main Line and the M1 and M40 motorways pass through
72-516: A few locations), but share strategic functions with joint boards and arrangements. On the other hand, the City of London Corporation and the 32 London borough councils, although they have a high degree of autonomy, share strategic functions with the directly elected Mayor of London and London Assembly . Unitary authorities should not be confused with another formation in English local government,
108-571: A local authority in England is 170,000, three times that of Europe. Most unitary authority areas are divided into a number of multiple member wards from which councillors are elected in the same way as in two-tier district council elections. The exceptions, which are divided into electoral divisions as in county council elections, are Cornwall, County Durham, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire. Districts are usually named after
144-530: A number of districts were split off from their associated counties. The changes caused the ceremonial counties to be defined separately, as they had been before 1974. The review caused 46 unitary authorities to be created. A further review was initiated in 2007 and was enacted in 2009. The review established Cornwall and Northumberland as counties of a single district; established unitary authorities in County Durham , Shropshire and Wiltshire covering
180-554: A single large town or city, while those created since 2009 often cover entire non-metropolitan counties. The term " unitary authority " was first used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969 in its current sense of a local government authority which combines the functions of a county council and a district council. Strictly speaking, the term does not necessarily mean a single level of local government within an area, because in some cases there are also parish councils in
216-401: A town, city, geographical area or county (historic and or ceremonial). With no effect on powers or functions, districts can have the status of royal borough , borough or city . A district having a charter is dependent on the charter's wording: as a charter trustee to a place in the district; having joint charter to the place and district or to the district itself. Notes The Council of
252-530: Is also covered by civil parishes , which form a second tier of local government. Since its creation in 2021, the Conservatives have held a majority of the seats on the council: 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
288-473: Is as follows: Unitary government has been criticised for damaging local democracy. Opponents to unitary authority criticise the 'bigger is better' assumption and highlight that larger councils breed mistrust of councillors and reduction in public engagement and voter turnout. Outside the UK, multi-level local government is the prevailing system, with major towns normally having a local authority. The average size of
324-638: Is served by BBC South and ITV Meridian broadcasting from the Oxford TV transmitter. 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 . 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. The district includes
360-505: 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. Council meetings are generally held at Northampton Guildhall , with the nearby former Northamptonshire County Council offices at One Angel Square serving as
396-487: The Local Government Act 1992 , which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to allow the existence of non-metropolitan counties that do not have multiple districts. Most were established during the 1990s , with more created in 2009 and 2019–23 . The size of the areas governed by unitary authorities varies greatly; the authorities created in the 1990s were generally created from single districts and covered
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#1732773309067432-603: The combined authority . Northampton Guildhall Northampton Guildhall is a municipal building in St Giles' Square in Northampton , England. It is a Grade II* listed building . The first guildhall in Northampton was a 12th-century building at the junction of Gold Street and Horsemarket. The second guildhall was an early 14th-century battlemented structure at the corner of Abington Street and Wood Hill; it
468-622: The Exchequer Rachel Reeves outlined that a forthcoming English Devolution Bill would include plans for "working with councils to move to simpler structures that make sense for their local areas", suggesting that a new round of local government reorganisation could be likely. The process of changing from a two-tier local government to a structure based on unitary authorities is called 'restructuring'. The Secretary of State responsible for local government invites proposals from local areas to restructure into unitary authorities, and
504-461: The Isles of Scilly is a sui generis single-tier authority, created in 1890 and since 1930 has held the "powers, duties and liabilities" of a county council. It thus is not a unitary authority as those are such authorities created under the Local Government Act 1992 . The 36 metropolitan borough councils are also the sole elected local government units in their areas (except for parish councils in
540-672: The Secretary decides whether or not the change should be implemented. The restructuring is carried out by an Order. There are no examples in the UK of councils restructuring back into a two-tier system. Unitary authorities combine the powers and functions that are normally delivered separately by the councils of non-metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. These functions are housing, waste management, waste collection, council tax collection, education, libraries, social services, transport, planning, consumer protection, licensing, cemeteries and crematoria. The breakdown of these services
576-665: The West, and one the North of the county. 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. West Northamptonshire Council provides both county-level and district-level services. The whole area
612-416: 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. West Northamptonshire remains part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire for
648-499: The borough councils and joint boards. A review in the 1990s was initiated to select non-metropolitan areas where new unitary authorities could be created. The resulting structural changes were implemented between 1995 and 1998. Bristol, Herefordshire, the Isle of Wight and Rutland were established as counties of a single district; the district councils of Berkshire became unitary; the counties of Avon , Humberside and Cleveland were broken up to create several unitary authorities; and
684-554: The ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire has been composed of two unitary authority areas. 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 changes would see the existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place. One authority, West Northamptonshire , would consist of
720-614: The council's headquarters. 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. The West Northamptonshire population was estimated to be around 406,733 people in 2020, in 2011, off of previous administrative boundaries,
756-468: The district, and it includes the site of the Roman town of Bannaventa and the grade I listed Althorp House and its estate. West Northamptonshire was formed on 1 April 2021 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
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#1732773309067792-518: The existing districts of Daventry , Northampton and South Northamptonshire and the other authority, North Northamptonshire would consist of Corby , East Northamptonshire , Kettering and Wellingborough districts. This was confirmed in May 2019, with the new councils being created in April 2021. In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023,
828-549: The front elevation between the windows on the first floor. A modern extension to the east, built to accommodate the expanding office needs of Northampton Borough Council , was completed in 1992. Inside, the great hall displays murals of famous local men, painted by Colin Gill in 1925. It also contains murals of The Muses Contemplating Northampton , painted by Henry Bird in 1949. A statue by Sir Francis Chantrey of Spencer Perceval , Member of Parliament for Northampton and
864-489: The new council areas were formed ahead of their creation on 1 April 2019 . Buckinghamshire County Council and the non-metropolitan districts of Aylesbury Vale , Chiltern , South Bucks , and Wycombe in Buckinghamshire were replaced by a single unitary authority known as Buckinghamshire Council on 1 April 2020. The existing unitary authority of Milton Keynes was not affected; from 1 April 2020, therefore,
900-451: The non-metropolitan counties of Cumbria , North Yorkshire and Somerset would be reorganised into unitary authority areas. The new authorities, Cumberland , Westmorland and Furness , North Yorkshire Council and Somerset Council were first elected in May 2022 and formally assumed their powers on 1 April 2023. The Labour Party returned to power following the 2024 general election , and in her Autumn budget statement , Chancellor of
936-594: The non-metropolitan district of Christchurch , the other would be composed of the remainder of the county. In November 2017, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid stated that he was "minded to approve the proposals" and a final decision to implement the two unitary authority model was confirmed in February 2018. Statutory instruments for the creation of two unitary authorities, to be named Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council , have been made and shadow authorities for
972-462: The only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated, was originally unveiled in 1817 and is also on display inside. A plaque on the eastern extension marks the fact that Diana, Princess of Wales , was made a Freeman of the Borough of Northampton in 1989, marking her and her family's strong connections with the town and with Althorp where she was brought up and is buried. The plaque below
1008-442: The part of the county that was not already split off in the 1990s review; and divided the remainder of Bedfordshire and Cheshire into two unitary authority areas. The review caused nine unitary authorities to be created. In 2017, it was proposed that two unitary authority areas be formed to cover the ceremonial county of Dorset . One of the authorities would consist of the existing unitary authorities of Bournemouth , Poole and
1044-540: The population of the West Northamptonshire area was around 375,101 people, with it being 345,589 people in 2001. In 2020, there was around an estimated 202,004 men and 204,729 women. In terms of television, West Northamptonshire is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia with television signals received from the Sandy Heath transmitter. However, some southwestern parts of the area such as Brackley
1080-444: The purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty . 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
1116-656: The same area. Although the term was not applied to them, county boroughs between 1889 and 1974 were effectively unitary authority areas, that is, single-tier administrative units. Before 1889, local government authorities had different powers and functions, but from medieval times some cities and towns had a high degree of autonomy as counties corporate . Some smaller settlements also enjoyed some degree of autonomy from regular administration as boroughs or liberties . The Local Government Act 1972 created areas for local government where large towns and their rural hinterlands were administered together. The concept of unitary units
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1152-412: The shadow authority set up to oversee the transition to the new arrangements. Following the 2021 election and subsequent changes up to May 2024, the composition of the council was: Four of the six independents sit together as the 'Independent Group'. The next election is due in 2025. Elections for a shadow authority were due to be held on Thursday 7 May 2020 but were postponed until 6 May 2021 due to
1188-515: The site of the Roman fortified town of Bannaventa , and the grade I listed stately home Althorp House and its estate. Unitary authorities of England The unitary authorities of England are a type of local authority responsible for all local government services in an area. They combine the functions of a non-metropolitan county council and a non-metropolitan district council, which elsewhere in England provide two tiers of local government. Unitary authorities are constituted under
1224-483: Was abandoned with a two-tier arrangement of county and district councils in all areas of England, except the Isles of Scilly where the small size and distance from the mainland made it impractical. In 1986 a broadly unitary system of local government was introduced in the six metropolitan counties and Greater London , where the upper-tier authorities were abolished and their functions were split between central government,
1260-402: Was installed in 1867, along with a hemispherical bell to strike the hours. The building was extended to the west to the designs of A W Jeffrey and Matthew Holding in 1892, creating a frontage of 14 bays with arcading on the ground floor and windows above on the first floor. The sculptor R.L. Bolton was commissioned to design 14 statues of monarchs and other famous people which were erected on
1296-491: Was sold in 1864 and subsequently demolished. The current building, the third guildhall, designed by Edward William Godwin in the Gothic Revival style , was officially opened on 17 May 1864. The original part of the building was symmetrical with three first-floor windows either side of the main entrance, above which rose a clock tower with a steeply pitched roof. The clock, by J. Moore & Sons of Clerkenwell,
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