North Northamptonshire Council is the local authority for North 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 is based at The Cube in Corby. It has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2025 election.
History The council was created in 2021. It took over the functions of the four abolished district councils of Corby Borough Council, East Northamptonshire District Council, Kettering Borough Council, and Wellingborough Borough Council, as well as the functions of the abolished Northamptonshire County Council within the area.
Governance
Legally, North 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 North Northamptonshire Council and West 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.
Political control Since the 2025 election, Reform UK have held a majority of the seats on the council: Party in controlYears 2021–2025 2025–present
Leadership The leaders of the council from its first meeting following its creation in 2021 have been:
Councillor Party From To Jason Smithers 26 May 2021 May 2025 Martin Griffiths 22 May 2025
Russell Roberts, outgoing leader of the old Kettering Borough Council, had served as leader of the shadow authority set up to oversee the transition to the new arrangements.
Composition Following the 2025 election and subsequent changes up to July 2026, the composition of the council was:
The next election is due in 2029.
Elections
An election for a shadow authority were due to be held on Thursday 7 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The election was instead held on 6 May 2021 and the Conservatives won a majority of seats. The council originally comprised 78 councillors elected across 26 wards. Ward boundaries were redrawn for the 2025 election, reducing the number of councillors to 68.
Premises
The council inherited four sets of offices from the predecessor authorities, notably including the Corby Cube, the Kettering Municipal Offices, Swanspool House in Wellingborough, and the old East Northamptonshire District Council offices on Cedar Drive in Thrapston. The Corby Cube was chosen as the main meeting place. The other buildings serve as area offices. Some consolidation of the council's offices has been taking place since the council came into being.
See also 2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England North Northamptonshire Council elections West Northamptonshire Council, another unitary authority created in Northamptonshire in April 2021.
References