West Northamptonshire

District in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

West Northamptonshire is one of two unitary authority areas in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It contains the county town of Northampton, as well as the towns of Daventry, Brackley and Towcester, and the large villages of Brixworth and Long Buckby; the rest of the area is predominantly agricultural villages though it has many lakes and small woodlands.

Incorporated1 April 2021
Administrative HQNorthampton
Quick facts Sovereign state, Country ...
West Northamptonshire
Coat of arms of West Northamptonshire
Motto: 
Ambition, Pride, Unity, Prosperity
West Northamptonshire shown within Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire shown within Northamptonshire
Coordinates: 52.237°N 0.895°W / 52.237; -0.895
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Ceremonial countyNorthamptonshire
Incorporated1 April 2021
Administrative HQNorthampton
Government
  TypeUnitary authority with leader and cabinet
  BodyWest Northamptonshire Council
  House of Commons
Area
  Total
530 sq mi (1,380 km2)
  Land532 sq mi (1,377 km2)
  Water1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
  Rank16th
Population
 (2024)[3]
  Total
439,811
  Rank15th
  Density830/sq mi (319/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
  Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area
Dialling codes
  • 01327
  • 01604
ISO 3166 codeGB-WNH
GSS codeE06000062
ITL codeTLF24
GVA2021 estimate[5]
  Total£13.2 billion
  Per capita£30,905
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate[5]
  Total£14.7 billion
  Per capita£34,385
Websitewestnorthants.gov.uk
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West Northamptonshire was created in 2021 as part of local government restructuring from the previous non-metropolitan districts of Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire.

The West Coast Main Line and the M1 and M40 motorways pass through the district, and it includes the site of the Roman town of Bannaventa and the grade I listed Althorp House and its estate.

History

West Northamptonshire was formed on 1 April 2021[6] through the merger of the three non-metropolitan districts of Daventry, Northampton, and South Northamptonshire. The new West Northamptonshire Council therefore absorbed the functions of those districts' councils, plus those of the abolished Northamptonshire County Council.[7] West Northamptonshire remains part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty.[8]

In March 2018, following financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers at Northamptonshire County Council, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, sent commissioner Max Caller into the council, who recommended the county council and all-district and borough councils in the county be abolished, and replaced by two unitary authorities, one covering the West, and one the North of the county.[9] These proposals were approved in April 2019. It meant that the districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire were merged to form a new unitary authority called West Northamptonshire, whilst the second unitary authority North Northamptonshire consists of the former Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts.[10][11]

Governance

West Northamptonshire Council provides both county-level and district-level services. The whole area is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.[12]

Demographics

Population

Population pyramid in 2020

The West Northamptonshire population was estimated to be around 406,733 people in 2020, in 2011, off of previous administrative boundaries, the population of the West Northamptonshire area was around 375,101 people, with it being 345,589 people in 2001.[13]

Gender

In 2020, there was around an estimated 202,004 men and 204,729 women.[13]

Ethnicity

More information Ethnic Group, Number ...
Ethnic Group 1991[14] 2001[15] 2011[16]
Number % Number % Number %
White: Total 301,940 96.1% 326,513 94.5% 336,933 89.8%
White: British 315,127 91.2% 314,924 84%
White: Irish 4,996 4,011
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller 214
White: Other 6,390 17,784
Asian or Asian British: Total 6,268 2% 7,224 2.1% 16,063 4.3%
Asian or Asian British: Indian 2,918 3,915 6,471
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 563 915 1,789
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 1,215 1,818 3,474
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 847 1,495 2,005
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian 725 576 2,324
Black or Black British: Total 4,746 1.5% 5,078 1.5% 11,598 3.1%
Black or Black British: Caribbean 2,877 3,077 6,837
Black or Black British: African 513 1,465 3,298
Black or Black British: Other Black 1,356 536 1,463
Mixed or British Mixed: Total 4,412 1.3% 8,823 2.4%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean 2,009 3,819
Mixed: White and Black African 353 1,241
Mixed: White and Asian 1,130 1,947
Mixed: Other Mixed 920 1,816
Other: Total 1,283 0.4% 867 0.3% 1,684 0.4%
Other: Arab 579
Other: Any other ethnic group 1,283 0.4% 867 1,105
Total 314,237 100% 345,589 100% 375,101 100%
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Age structure

More information 0–9 years, 10–19 years ...
Age distribution of West Northamptonshire in 2020[13]
0–9 years 10–19 years 20–29 years 30–39 years 40–49 years 50–59 years 60–69 years 70–79 years 80+ years
52,453 48,857 45,494 52,919 54,387 57,322 43,181 34,676 17,865
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Media

In terms of television, West Northamptonshire is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia with television signals received from the Sandy Heath transmitter.[17] BBC East Midlands and ITV Central can also be received with the television signals received from the Waltham. However, Daventry is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central broadcasting from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.[18] However, southwestern parts of the region such as Brackley, Towcester and Silverstone are served by BBC South and ITV Meridian broadcasting from the Oxford TV transmitter.[19] Radio stations for the area are:

The area is served by these local newspapers: Northampton Chronicle & Echo, Daventry Express and Banbury Guardian which covers Brackley.

Settlements and parishes

For a county-wide list for Northamptonshire see List of places in Northamptonshire

West Northamptonshire is entirely covered by civil parishes, of which there are 166.[20]

Locations

The district includes the site of the Roman fortified town of Bannaventa,[21] and the grade I listed stately home Althorp House and its estate.[22]

See also

References

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