Councillors vote to submit Northampton city bid
Your council14 December 2021
A bid to gain Northampton city status has been submitted after the proposal received cross-party support at a meeting of West Northamptonshire Council on 2 December 2021.
The decision follows a public engagement campaign which attracted overwhelming support from communities, the media, and partner organisations.
The Council announced in October it was considering a bid for city status as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours competition.
A successful bid would further raise the profile of Northampton, helping to attract investment into the entire West Northants area.
And a range of people were quick to give it their backing, with residents emailing the council with messages of support, as well as sending in videos and their favourite photos of Northampton for use in the submission document.
The campaign, which also featured videos of local figures, venues and landmarks promoting what Northampton has to offer, reached thousands of people.
The council even made its own cheeky bid directly to the Prime Minister, when Cllr John Shephard and his wife Judy took advantage of a lunch event with the PM to present him with a ‘Northampton -Back the Bid’ beanie hat.
The Council is working with partners, local organisations and communities to finalise the bid document, which will celebrate Northampton’s heritage, culture, pride and ambition.
The winning cities are expected to be announced early next year.
This bid will be a celebration of the people of Northampton, what they have achieved, and everything that is still to come.Councillor Jonathan Nunn, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council
Achieving city status would put Northampton on an international standing, attracting investment, creating new jobs, and bringing economic and cultural benefits to communities right throughout West Northamptonshire and the wider county.
The overwhelming support we have received shows we have the hearts of the county backing our bid, and we feel confident our submission will demonstrate that Northampton is an exemplary case for city status.
As someone born and bred in Northampton with long family history here, I couldn’t be prouder to support our bid for city status.Councillor Gareth Eales, Leader of the Labour Group on West Northamptonshire Council