Editing Northampton (section)

== Administration ==

=== Politics ===
[[File:Charles Bradlaugh Statue Northampton.jpg|thumb|180px|Statue of the Northampton MP [[Charles Bradlaugh]] in the town.]]
{{Further|topic=politics in Northampton|Northampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton South (UK Parliament constituency)}}
[[Northampton (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton]] was inaugurated as a constituency in 1295; for many centuries it returned two [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) to the [[House of Commons of England|House of Commons]]. [[Spencer Perceval]] was elected as one of these in 1796 and became [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] in 1809, the only Solicitor General and only Attorney General to have done so, but also the only Prime Minister to be assassinated. The murder was by a highly disgruntled business owner [[John Bellingham]] in the House of Commons lobby in 1812. By the late 19th century, Northampton had acquired a reputation for political [[vanguardism]]. In 1880, radical non-conformist [[Charles Bradlaugh]] was elected as one of the MPs. During one of his election cross-candidate hustings a riot broke out in the Market Square. Local figures of authority called military to disperse it. For some decades following the [[1918 United Kingdom general election|1918 general election]], representation was reduced to one MP.

In 1974, the original Northampton seat was replaced by the new constituencies of [[Northampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton North]] and [[Northampton South (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton South]], which both elected one MP each, beginning in the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]]. For the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], the new [[South Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South Northamptonshire]] constituency took a southern sector of the borough. The southern sectors transferred to Northampton South for the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].

Northampton is currently represented by two Labour MPs:

*[[Lucy Rigby]] (Northampton North)
*[[Mike Reader]] (Northampton South)

=== Local government ===
[[File:Northampton UK locator map.svg|thumb|The borough from 1974 to 2021, shown within Northamptonshire]]
The town existed as an [[ancient borough]] in the medieval period before being one of the 178 boroughs to be reformed under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835|Municipal Corporations Act]] in 1835, with a democratically elected council replacing the corporation before it.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Town government alternated between the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberals]] and Conservatives, and the town achieved independence from Northamptonshire in 1888 when it became a [[county borough]].<ref name=andrewmartin /> It had six electoral wards from 1898, nine wards from 1900 and 12 wards from 1911.<ref name=britishhistory /> From 1931 until it was abolished in 1974, the county borough contained only the parish of Northampton.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10109279|title=Relationships and changes Northampton CB/MB through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=8 December 2024}}</ref>

On 1 April 1974, the county borough and parish were abolished, and the area became part of the new Northampton district in the [[non-metropolitan county]] of Northamptonshire.

The new Northampton district was formed from:
* The County Borough of Northampton
* In [[Northampton Rural District]] the parishes of Billing and Hardingstone and the parts of the parishes of [[Brafield-on-the-Green]], Collingtree, [[Courteenhall]], Great Houghton, Kislingbury, [[Little Houghton, Northamptonshire|Little Houghton]], [[Milton Malsor]], [[Rothersthorpe]], Upton and Wootton in the designated area of Northampton New Town
* In [[Brixworth Rural District]] the part of the parish of [[Overstone, Northamptonshire|Overstone]] in the designated new town 
* In [[Wellingborough Rural District]] the part of the parish of [[Ecton, Northamptonshire|Ecton]] in the designated new town<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/2039/schedule/part/28/made|title=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|publisher=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|accessdate=8 December 2024}}</ref>

No [[successor parish]] was formed so the former county borough became [[unparished area|unparished]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/northampton.html|title=Northampton Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=8 December 2024}}</ref>

The new district was granted modern [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 March 1974 |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |access-date=16 January 2012 |website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226072725/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guide">{{cite book |title=Local Government in England and Wales. a Guide to the New System. |publisher=[[HMSO]] |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-11-750847-7 |location=London |pages=15–109 |chapter=Table III(a)}}</ref> From 1974 until 2021, the town had a two-tier structure of local government: the non-metropolitan district of Northampton was administered by both [[Northampton Borough Council]] and [[Northamptonshire County Council]].

Propositions for the borough to become a [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] failed during the 1990s local government reform and again, in 2011, when the motion was voted down by the council.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 December 2000 |title=City winners named |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1074434.stm |access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=6 December 2011 |title=Northampton Borough Council unitary authority bid defeated |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-16055929 |access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref> However, in 2016, the borough council and all seven Northamptonshire MPs called for the existing eight Northamptonshire councils be scrapped for new unitary authorities.<ref>{{cite web |title=MPs call for eight councils in Northants to be scrapped and replaced with unitary authorities |url=http://northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/mps-call-for-eight-councils-in-northants-to-be-scrapped-and-replaced-with-unitary-authorities-1-7253820 |website=northamptonchron.co.uk|date=4 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=InYourArea – Local news, events & more near you |url=http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/political-groups-Northampton-agree-draw-plans/story-28880002-detail/story.html |website=www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk}}</ref>

In March 2018, following [[Northamptonshire#De facto bankruptcy of the county council|suspension of the County Council arising from its becoming insolvent]], due to financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers, the then Secretary of State for 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northamptonshire County Council: statement |date=27 March 2018 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/northamptonshire-county-council-statement |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> These proposals were approved in April 2019. It meant that the districts of [[Daventry District|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 [[Corby (borough)|Corby]], [[East Northamptonshire]], [[Borough of Kettering|Kettering]] and [[Borough of Wellingborough|Wellingborough]] districts. These new authorities came into being on 1 April 2021.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 May 2019 |title=Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-48270222 |access-date=18 August 2020 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Elections for the new authorities were due to be held on 7 May 2020, but these were delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]],<ref>{{cite news |date=14 February 2020 |title=AT LAST! Northamptonshire's new unitary councils are made law by parliament |url=https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/people/last-northamptonshires-new-unitary-councils-are-made-law-parliament-1741568 |access-date=18 August 2020 |work=Northampton Chronicle}}</ref> and took place in May 2021.

A year prior to these changes, three new [[civil parish]]es were created in Northampton's urban area: a large parish covering the majority of the Northampton urban area was created, allowing Northampton to have a [[parish councils in England|Town (parish) Council]]. [[Northampton Town Council]] is the largest parish level authority in England. In addition, two smaller parishes were created for the suburbs of [[Far Cotton & Delapre]] and [[Kingsthorpe]].<ref>{{cite news |title=England's 'largest' town council set for Northampton |date=21 January 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-51191279 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref>

[[Policing in the United Kingdom|Policing]] in the town remains the responsibility of [[Northamptonshire Police]]; and [[Fire service in the United Kingdom|firefighting]], the responsibility of [[Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service]]. The [[Royal Anglian Regiment]] serves as the county regiment for Northamptonshire, with former county regiments being the [[Northamptonshire Regiment]] and the [[Northamptonshire Yeomanry]]

====Civil parishes====
[[File:Northampton unparished area UK locator map.svg|thumb|The unparished area prior to the three new parishes being created in 2020]]
The Northampton urban area is covered by 13 [[civil parish]]es. The [[parish council (England)|parish councils]] of these form a local tier of government below West Northamptonshire Council. The largest by far of these is the area covered by [[Northampton Town Council]], which was created in 2020, ten more, covering several outer suburbs were pre-existing, and two (Kingsthorpe and Far Cotton and Delapre) were created concurrently with the town council, these are:<ref name="PCB">{{cite web |title=Northampton parish boundaries |url=https://www.northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk/uploads/parish-boundary-changes-2020.pdf |publisher=Northampton Town Council |access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
*[[Billing, Northamptonshire|Billing]]
*[[Duston]]
*[[Collingtree]]
*[[East Hunsbury]]
*[[Far Cotton|Far Cotton and Delapre]]
*[[Great Houghton, Northamptonshire|Great Houghton]]
*[[Hardingstone]]
*[[Hunsbury Meadows]]
*[[Kingsthorpe]]
*Northampton (parish)
*[[Upton, Northamptonshire|Upton]]
*[[West Hunsbury]]
*[[Wootton, Northamptonshire|Wootton, Wootton Fields and Simpson Manor]]
}}

=== Health services ===
NHS Northampton guides primary care services (general practitioners, dentists, opticians and pharmacists) in the town, directly provides adult social care and services in the community such as [[Health visitor|health visiting]] and [[physiotherapy]] and also funds hospital care and other specialist treatments. [[Northampton General Hospital]] is an [[NHS trust]] hospital which founded in 1744 and moved to its present site in 1793, and has continued to provide healthcare to the local community for more than 200 years. The [[East Midlands Ambulance Service]] NHS Trust is responsible for the provision of statutory [[Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom|emergency medical services]] in Northampton.

[[St Andrew's Hospital]], the flagship mental health facility of the private company St Andrew's Healthcare, is also based in Northampton. Originally opened in 1838<ref>{{cite news |date=11 September 2014 |title=St Andrew's Healthcare to build £45m Northampton unit |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-29156142 }}</ref> to serve Northampton, St Andrew's became a charity and private healthcare provider when the Berrywood Asylum (later the Northampton County Lunatic Asylum, then St Crispin Hospital in 1948, and since 2010 Berrywood Hospital) opened in 1876.