Reform blames £1m Market Square overspend on Tories

Water features are one of the new attractions in the square

The £1m overspend on a town's market square has been blamed on a council's previous political administration, which has in turn defended itself.

Reform UK's James Petter, deputy leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said his party had fixed "what has been left behind" by the Conservatives, on the redevelopment of Northampton's Market Square.

The leader of the Conservative Group, Dan Lister, said his party had secured the funding for the £13.5m scheme and he was "proud of the legacy".

Eighteen months of work was completed in September 2024.

The Market Square in Northampton features permanent and temporary stalls

The budget for the work was £12.5m, which included £8.4m from the government's Future High Streets Fund, and £4m through the Community Infrastructure Levy, which councils receive from developers of other building projects.

The final spend was £13.5m, with the £1m increased costs being put down to delays, additional work caused by significant archaeological finds, collapsed Victorian sewers and having to divert more underground utilities than anticipated.

Petter said: "The overspend sits squarely with the previous administration; that is where the mistakes were made and this is when the control slipped.

"Our job has been to fix what has been left behind and to be honest with the public about how we got there."

The council had agreed to settle the extra spend from its general fund, which "closes the financial chapter, but the lessons are not optional", he added.

Lister said: "The Conservative administration secured the funding, we commissioned the designs, got the enabling work started.

"We're proud of the legacy we're leaving Northampton as the future is very bright for the town and we will wholly support it going forward."

Many different events have taken place in the Market Square since it reopened in September 2024