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West Northamptonshire Council
| West Northamptonshire Council |
|---|
| Coat of Arms of West Northamptonshire Council |
| Logo of West Northamptonshire Council |
| Unitary authority |
| Alison Eastwood, Conservative since 15 May 2025 |
| Mark Arnull, Reform UK since 15 May 2025 |
| Martin Henry (Interim) since 2020 |
| 76 councillors |
| Administration (39) |
| Other parties (36) |
| Conservative (17) |
| Labour (8) |
| Liberal Democrats (7) |
| Independent (4) |
| Vacant (1) |
| Vacant (1) |
| 1 May 2025 |
| 3 May 2029 |
| The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE |
| westnorthants.gov.uk |
West Northamptonshire Council is the local authority for West Northamptonshire, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2025 election. Full council meetings are generally held at Northampton Guildhall, and the council's main offices are at One Angel Square in Northampton.
The council was created in 2021. It took over the functions of the three abolished district councils of Daventry District Council, Northampton Borough Council, and South Northamptonshire District Council, as well as the functions of the abolished Northamptonshire County Council within the area.
Legally, West Northamptonshire Council is a district council which also performs the functions of a county council, making it a unitary authority. Some county-wide functions, such as the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, are overseen by joint committees of West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, the other unitary authority in the county.
The whole area is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.
Since the 2025 election, Reform UK have held a majority of the seats on the council:
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 2021–2025 | |
| Reform | 2025–present |
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.
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Nunn | Conservative | 20 May 2021 | 18 April 2024 | |
| Adam Brown | Conservative | 16 May 2024 | May 2025 | |
| Mark Arnull | Reform | 15 May 2025 |
The Council's Chief officer is the Chief executive.
| Chief Exective | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Anna Earnshaw | October 2020 | November 2025 |
| Martin Henry (Interim) | November 2025 |
Following the 2025 election, and subsequent expulsions and defections, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Reform | 39 | |
| Conservative | 17 | |
| Labour | 8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| Vacant | 1 |
The next election is due in 2029.
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. Since the last boundary changes in 2025, the council has comprised 76 councillors representing 35 wards, each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
One Angel Square, 4 Angel Street, Northampton, NN1 1ED: Council's main offices
Full 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.
The Forum, Towcester
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 committee meetings, whilst Lodge Road has closed, being replaced by a smaller area office in Daventry.
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
| Notes | |
| Granted in May 2023. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. |
- 2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England
- North Northamptonshire Council, another unitary authority created in Northamptonshire in April 2021.
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