West Northamptonshire is one of two unitary authority areas in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It contains the county town of Northampton, as well as the towns of Daventry, Brackley and Towcester, and the large villages of Brixworth and Long Buckby; the rest of the area is predominantly agricultural villages though it has many lakes and small woodlands.

West Northamptonshire was created in 2021 as part of local government restructuring from the previous non-metropolitan districts of Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire.

The West Coast Main Line and the M1 and M40 motorways pass through the district, and it includes the site of the Roman town of Bannaventa and the grade I listed Althorp House and its estate.

History 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 the abolished Northamptonshire County Council. West Northamptonshire remains part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty.

In March 2018, following financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers at Northamptonshire County Council, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and 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 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.

Governance West Northamptonshire Council provides both county-level and district-level services. The whole area is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.

Demographics

Population

The West Northamptonshire population was estimated to be around 406,733 people in 2020. Using previous administrative boundaries, the population of the West Northamptonshire area was around 375,101 in 2011, and 345,589 in 2001.

Gender In 2020, there were an estimated 202,004 men and 204,729 women in West Northamptonshire.

Ethnicity Ethnic group19911991 census data taken from NOMIS which was extracted using the 'local authorities: district / unitary (prior to April 2015)' geography type.20012011Number%Number%Number%White: Total301,94096.1%326,51394.5%336,93389.8%White: British––315,12791.2%314,92484%White: Irish––4,9964,011White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller––––214White: Other––6,39017,784Asian or Asian British: Total6,2682%7,2242.1%16,0634.3%Asian or Asian British: Indian2,9183,9156,471Asian or Asian British: Pakistani5639151,789Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi1,2151,8183,474Asian or Asian British: Chinese8471,4952,005Asian or Asian British: Other Asian7255762,324Black or Black British: Total4,7461.5%5,0781.5%11,5983.1%Black or Black British: Caribbean2,8773,0776,837Black or Black British: African5131,4653,298Black or Black British: Other Black1,3565361,463Mixed or British Mixed: Total––4,4121.3%8,8232.4%Mixed: White and Black Caribbean––2,0093,819Mixed: White and Black African––3531,241Mixed: White and Asian––1,1301,947Mixed: Other Mixed––9201,816Other: Total1,2830.4%8670.3%1,6840.4%Other: Arab––––579Other: Any other ethnic group1,2830.4%8671,105Total314,237100%345,589100%375,101100%

Age structure +Age distribution of West Northamptonshire in 20200–9 years10–19 years20–29 years30–39 years40–49 years50–59 years60–69 years70–79 years80+ years52,45348,85745,49452,91954,38757,32243,18134,67617,865

Media In terms of television, West Northamptonshire is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia with television signals received from the Sandy Heath transmitter. BBC East Midlands and ITV Central can also be received with the television signals received from the Waltham. However, Daventry is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central broadcasting from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter. However, southwestern parts of the region such as Brackley, Towcester and Silverstone are served by BBC South and ITV Meridian broadcasting from the Oxford TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: BBC Local Radio BBC Radio WM (covering Daventry) on 95.6 FM BBC Radio Northampton on 104.2 FM BBC Radio Oxford (covering Brackley, Towcester and Silverstone) on 95.2 FM Independent Local Radio Heart East on 96.6 FM Heart South (covering Brackley, Towcester and Silverstone) on 97.4 FM Smooth East Midlands (formerly Connect FM) on 97.2 FM Community radio NLive Radio on 106.9 FM Inspiration FM on 107.8 FM

The area is served by these local newspapers: Northampton Chronicle & Echo, Daventry Express and Banbury Guardian which covers Brackley.

Settlements and parishes 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.

Abthorpe, Adstone, Althorp, Arthingworth, Ashby St Ledgers, Ashton, Aston le Walls, Astrop, Aynho Badby, Barby, Blakesley, Blisworth, Boddington, Boughton, Brackley, Bradden, Brafield-on-the-Green, Braunston, Brington, Brixworth, Brockhall, Bugbrooke, Byfield Caldecote, Canons Ashby, Castle Ashby, Chacombe, Chapel Brampton, Charlton, Charwelton, Chipping Warden, Church Brampton, Church Stowe, Clay Coton Clipston, Cogenhoe, Cold Ashby, Cold Higham, Cosgrove, Coton, Cottesbrooke, Courteenhall, Creaton, Crick, Croughton, Culworth Daventry, Deanshanger, Denton, Dodford, Draughton East Farndon, East Haddon, Easton Neston, Edgcote, Elkington, Evenley, Everdon, Eydon Farthinghoe, Farthingstone, Flore, Fawsley Gayton, Grafton Regis, Grange Park, Great Brington, Great Oxendon, Greatworth, Greens Norton, Grimscote, Guilsborough Hackleton, Hanging Houghton, Hannington, Harlestone, Harpole, Hartwell, Haselbech, Hellidon, Helmdon, Hinton-in-the-Hedges, Holcot, Holdenby, Hollowell Kelmarsh, Kilsby, King's Sutton, Kislingbury Lamport, Lilbourne, Litchborough, Little Brington, Little Houghton, Long Buckby, Lower Catesby Maidford, Maidwell, Marston St. Lawrence, Marston Trussell, Middleton Cheney, Milton Malsor, Moreton Pinkney, Moulton Naseby, Nether Heyford, Newbottle, Newnham, Northampton, Norton Old, Old Stratford, Overthorpe, Overstone Passenham, Pattishall, Paulerspury, Pitsford, Potterspury, Preston Capes Quinton Radstone, Ravensthorpe, Roade, Rothersthorpe Scaldwell, Shutlanger, Sibbertoft, Silverstone, Slapton, Spratton, Stanford-on-Avon, Staverton, Stoke Bruerne, Sulby, Sulgrave, Syresham Teeton, Thenford, Thornby, Thorpe Mandeville, Tiffield, Towcester Upper Catesby, Upper Heyford, Upper Stowe Wappenham, Walgrave, Warkworth, Watford, Weedon Bec, Weedon Lois, Welford, Welton, West Haddon, Weston, Whilton, Whiston, Whitfield, Whittlebury, Wicken, Winwick, Woodend, Woodford Halse Yardley Gobion, Yardley Hastings, Yelvertoft

Locations The district includes the site of the Roman fortified town of Bannaventa, and the grade I listed stately homes of Althorp House (and its estate) and Sulgrave Manor. The ruins of several Iron Age settlements, such as Rainsborough Camp and at Alderton, are also located in West Northamptonshire.

See also 2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England 2021 West Northamptonshire Council election North Northamptonshire, another district created in Northamptonshire in April 2021. West Northamptonshire Development Corporation

References

External links