Local government in Northampton

Northampton Borough Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district council of Northampton
Leadership
Leader	Mary Markham, Conservative Since 2015
Deputy Leader	Jonathan Nunn, Conservative Since 2016
Mayor	Christopher Malpas, Conservative Since 2016
Deputy Mayor	Gareth Eales, Labour Since 2016
Structure
Seats	45
Political groups	Conservative Party (26)      Labour Party (17)      Liberal Democrats (2)
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	7 May 2015
Meeting place
The Guildhall, St. Giles Square, Northampton
Website
www.northampton.gov.uk

Northampton Borough Council is the borough council and non-metropolitan district responsible for local government in the large town of Northampton in England. The leader and cabinet model of decision-making has been adopted by the council. It consists of 45 councillors, representing 33 wards in the town, overseen by a mayor, leader and cabinet. It is currently controlled by the Conservative Party and has been led by Mary Markham since her election on 7 May 2015. The main council building is Northampton Guildhall.

History

Northampton was granted its first town charter in 1189 by King Richard I and was permitted the appointment of a mayor in 1215 by King John. Northampton first existed as an ancient borough in medieval Britain before being one of the 178 boroughs to be reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act in 1835. Under the Local Government Act, it was then recognised as a county borough of 6 wards from 1898, 9 wards from 1900 and 12 wards from 1911.^[1] Northampton was granted modern borough status in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as Northampton Borough Council, a non-metropolitan district council under Northamptonshire County Council.^[2][3]

Northampton is now the most populous urban district in England not to be administered as a unitary authority, a status it failed to obtain in the 1990s local government reform.^[4] During the Local Government Commission for England (1992), Northampton was rejected from becoming a unitary authority because it was decided that "the separation of Northampton from its county would have a significant and detrimental effect."^[5][6][7] The government announced its acceptance of these recommendations in March 1996.^[8] In 2000, Northampton applied unsuccessfully for city status, held to celebrate the new millennium.

Governance

The leader and cabinet model of decision-making, adopted by the borough council under the Local Government Act 2000, is similar to national government. The council appoints the Leader (usually a member of the group with the political majority) and he or she appoints up to five other councillors to serve on the cabinet. The cabinet members assume responsibility for different key areas of local governance including environment; community engagement; housing; planning, regeneration and enterprise; and finance.

The full council meets various times a year. The full council set the annual budget and the council's overall policies. It also has responsibility for amendments to the council's constitution and is responsible for appointing the leader, the executive, and the committees of the council.

Cabinet members

Political control

Political control of the non-metropolitan district has been held by the following groups:

The council comprises 45 councillors who represent the borough. Each councillor typically serves for a four-year term, representing an electoral ward. Each ward elects between one and three councillors by the first past the post system of election.^[9] The current composition of the borough council, following the 2015 election, and subsequent by-elections, is 25 Conservative councillors, 17 Labour councillors, and 3 Liberal Democrat councillors. The next election will take place in May 2019.

See also

• List of Mayors of Northampton
• Northamptonshire Credit Union

References

The Borough of Northampton
Suburbs and villages	Abington Billing Collingtree Collingtree Park Cotton End Dallington Duston East Hunsbury Far Cotton Hardingstone Kingsthorpe Queen's Park Round Spinney Sixfields St. James End Upton West Hunsbury Weston Favell Wootton
Governance	Constituencies East Midlands Northampton North Northampton South South Northamptonshire Local government in Northampton Northamptonshire County Council
Culture	Places of interest 78 Derngate All Saints' Church Doddridge United Reformed Church (1695) Delapré Abbey National Lift Tower The Holy Sepulchre Northampton Castle Northampton Cathedral Northampton Guildhall Northampton Museum and Art Gallery Entertainment The Roadmender Royal & Derngate Cultural Quarter Sol Central Sixfields Shopping Grosvenor Centre Parks Abington Park Billing Aquadrome Hunsbury Hill The Racecourse Victoria Park Events Northampton Balloon Festival Northampton Carnival St Crispin Street Fair
Education	Northampton College University of Northampton
Sport	Teams Northampton ON Chenecks FC Northampton Saints Northampton Sileby Rangers FC Northampton Spencer FC Northampton Town FC Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Venues County Cricket Ground Franklin's Gardens Sixfields Stadium
Transport	A43 road A45 road Grand Union Canal North Gate bus station Greyfriars bus station London Midland First Northampton M1 motorway Arriva Northampton railway station Stagecoach in Northants Virgin Trains
East Midlands England Portal Northamptonshire WikiProject Northamptonshire United Kingdom Portal

Districts of the East Midlands
Derbyshire	Amber Valley Bolsover Chesterfield Derby Derbyshire Dales Erewash High Peak North East Derbyshire South Derbyshire
Leicestershire	Blaby Charnwood Harborough Hinckley and Bosworth Leicester Melton North West Leicestershire Oadby and Wigston
Lincolnshire	Boston East Lindsey Lincoln North Kesteven South Holland South Kesteven West Lindsey
Nottinghamshire	Ashfield Bassetlaw Broxtowe Gedling Mansfield Newark and Sherwood Nottingham Rushcliffe
Northamptonshire	Corby Daventry East Northamptonshire Kettering Northampton South Northamptonshire Wellingborough
Rutland	Rutland