New Members to meet at Annual Council next week

07 May 2025

West Northamptonshire’s newly-elected councillors will come together for the first time next week at the Council’s Annual Meeting. 

All members of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) are expected to attend the special session in Northampton’s Guildhall next Thursday, 15 May, to approve the authority’s governance and committee arrangements for the year ahead. 

Voters went to the polls last Thursday (1 May) to elect 76 WNC councillors across the area on a four-year term representing their local communities alongside contested elections for a number of town and parish councils. As a result, the new political make-up of WNC is 42 Reform UK councillors, 17 Conservative councillors, 9 Labour councillors, 6 Liberal Democrat councillors and 2 Independent councillors. 

With the majority of seats, Reform UK has political control of the Council, so will form WNC’s new political administration and leadership and will be working with council officers to deliver their priorities for residents and businesses. 

The new political make-up means changes are required to the Council’s governance and political balance, which must be considered and approved at Annual Council on 15 May.  

This includes electing a new Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman, appointing a new Council Leader and confirming new Cabinet Members, and agreeing the membership of the various committees that councillors sit on, such as those for planning and scrutiny.  

Work is well underway on preparations ahead of the meeting, which will take place in the Great Hall of the Guildhall next Thursday from 6pm. 

The Council is also in the process of planning and arranging its usual but extensive councillors induction and training programme for the 76 new members, so they are informed and ready to start representing their local communities. 

The agenda and reports for Annual Council will be published shortly on the Council’s website. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting in the Guildhall at 5pm on Thursday 15 May or alternatively can watch it live online: