Northampton Borough Council was the borough council and non-metropolitan district responsible for local government in the large town of Northampton in England. In 2021 the council was abolished and succeeded by West Northamptonshire Council; a unitary authority, and the Northampton Town Council, a parish council.
The leader and cabinet model of decision-making had been adopted by the council. It consisted of 45 councillors, representing 33 wards in the town, overseen by a mayor, leader and cabinet. The main council building was Northampton Guildhall.
Northampton was 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.
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.[9] 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.[10]
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 appointed the Leader (usually a member of the group with the political majority) and the Leader appointed up to five other councillors to serve on the cabinet. The cabinet members were responsible for different key areas of local governance including environment; community engagement; housing; planning, regeneration and enterprise; and finance.
The full council met various times during the year. The full council set the annual budget and the council's overall policies. It also had responsibility for amendments to the council's constitution and was responsible for appointing the leader, the executive, and the committees of the council.
^Meikle, James (27 September 1995). "Councils fight on for unitary status: Three authorities miss out on all-purpose target". The Guardian.
^Schoon, Nicholas (20 December 1995). "Nine cities 'need greater powers'". The Independent.
^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.