More needs to be done to turn town into city

West Northamptonshire Council was unsuccessful when it bid for the town to gain city status in 2022

Councillors called for more to be done to turn a town into a city, two years after a bid to change its status was unsuccessful.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) was accused of not having a clear vision for Northampton at a full council meeting on Thursday.

Bob Purser, deputy leader of the Labour Group, said: "We were getting there when we applied for city status but seem to have lost the plot since then."

His comments came after the Local Government Association’s (LGA) peer review said WNC placed emphasis on the past rather than future plans. The Conservatives said staff had already begun acting on recommendations in the LGA report to develop Northampton's central role within the county.

The report looked at the effectiveness of the authority and its overall vision for the county including how work can be done to benefit the region as a whole.

It noted that there was "much achieved at pace" but the council would benefit from developing a high-level, long-term vision, the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said.

West Northamptonshire Council were unsuccessful when it lost out on gaining city status for Northampton in 2022.

Mr Purser said: "Successful cities require vision, a rationale, a plan, investment and the capacity to drive and deliver. We have to take our communities with us and we have to create virtuous circles where we all win.

"As West Northants Council, we have a real role in leading the future of this area."

'Valuing our rural areas'

Adam Brown Conservative councillor, told the meeting: "I think there is a valid vision of West Northamptonshire as a city region but at the same time always valuing our rural areas and our market towns."

The authority published an action plan with eight key goals along with timescales.

The goals included developing a plan to manage long-term budget pressures, advice to create a clear long-term vision for place and communities, housing and its children's services.