Northamptonshire elections bring hope of fresh start after years of turmoil
As we go to the polls on Thursday a new landscape is emerging in Northamptonshire. Let’s hope this new structure is more capable of tackling the social care funding crisis than its predecessor…..
Home to what was once branded the worst-run council in the country, local elections this week mark the start of a new chapter for Northamptonshire.
After years of council turmoil including bankruptcy, a corruption scandal and failing social services, when people head to the polls on Thursday they’ll be voting for the first time to elect two new unitary authorities hoping to start afresh.
It’s the first local elections in the area since 2017, after the vote was delayed first for the restructuring process and then Covid. “It’s been a long time coming, we haven’t had an election for years, so I think everybody is keen to see democracy in Northamptonshire again,” said Robin Burgess, the chief executive of the Hope Centre in Northampton, which works to address poverty in the town.