There are currently eight local authorities providing council services across Northamptonshire in a ‘two-tier’ structure, in which services are divided between the county council and seven borough or district councils. In the case of Sulgrave Parish, these services are provided by Northamptonshire County Council and South Northamptonshire Council.
Unfortunately, the County Council has over-spent its budget in previous years and faces significant on-going budget deficits, as a result of which the government has taken the unusual step of appointing external Commissioners to take over many of the County Council’s functions. Furthermore, the government has now written to all eight councils inviting them urgently to co-operate in putting forward proposals by the end of August to restructure local government in Northamptonshire.
The eight local authorities are: Northamptonshire County Council, Corby Borough Council, Daventry District Council, East Northamptonshire Council, Kettering Borough Council, Northampton Borough Council, South Northamptonshire Council and the Borough Council of Wellingborough.
In formulating their proposals, the authorities are required to undertake a public consultation exercise and to this end a private company, Opinion Research Services (ORS) has been appointed to oversee the consultation and co-ordinate the responses. The consultation period runs from Monday 18th June to Sunday 22nd June.
Details of the consultation together with an online questionnaire can be seen at
Paper copies of the questionnaire will be available at council offices, libraries, leisure centres etc.,with freepost return address, from 25th June 2018.