Everything you need to know about the upcoming 2025 local elections in West Northamptonshire

A review of boundaries took place last year which means seats have undergone a massive shake-up to better reflect the communities where people vote.

On Thursday, May 1, two sets of elections will take place for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and town and parish council seats.

The change has come after the authority’s first term, with the new unitary structure only launched in 2021. The number of elected councillors has been reduced from 93 to 76, as well as a series of changes to ward boundaries and the creation of some entirely new seats.

West Northamptonshire Council election changes

In the last set of local elections, voters chose three councillors to represent each of the 31 seats on the council. This year, changes have been made to reflect the size of each ward in the number of elected members representing them. There will also be an extra four wards added to the mix.

The only wards that will remain with a full three elected members are Brackley, Castle, Dallington Spencer, Daventry South, Duston, Far Cotton Delapre and Briar Hill, Headlands, Hunsbury, Kingsthorpe North, Moulton, Nene Valley, Rural South Northamptonshire, and Towcester.

In total, 15 wards will have two representatives on the council and seven will have just one ward councillor. Every resident will be able to vote for as many candidates as there are potential seats in their area.

Though some wards have remained unchanged in boundaries, a number of new or renamed seats will appear on ballot papers this spring.

These include:

• Billing
• Blackthorn & Rectory Farm
• Campion
• Cogenhoe and the Houghtons
• Daventry North East
• Daventry North West
• Daventry South
• Deanshanger and Paulerspury
• Duston
• Far Cotton, Delapre and Briar Hill
• Hackleton and Roade
• Hunsbury
• Kingsley and Semilong
• Naseby
• Parklands
• Rural North East
• Rural South Northamptonshire
• Towcester
• Upton
• Weston Favell and Abington Vale

The other 15 wards in the region remain under the same name as the past four years.

Town and parish council elections

Another set of elections for town and parish councils will take place the same day, on May 1. A number of changes have also been made to these seats, including restructuring certain parish wards, updating the number of councillors for certain areas and shifting boundaries to account for population growth and new developments.

Ward boundaries between Boughton and Kingsthorpe, Moulton and Pitsford, Dodford and Weedon Bec, Great Houghton and Little Houghton, Hackleton and Wootton, Roade and Stoke Bruerne, and Tiffield and Towcester have been adjusted. Due to its large size, a new parish in Daventry has also been created by abolishing and splitting Daventry South Town Council in half into a ‘South East’ and a ‘South West’.

In Overstone, Pitsford, Ravensthorpe, Thorpe Mandeville and West Hunsbury parishes the number of elected councillors will increase after the elections.

What do I need to do?

Due to the changes in boundaries, residents should check their poll cards for both the parish and unitary elections to ensure they know which ward they are voting in and which polling station they have been asked to attend.

There are three ways to vote in the local election - by ticking the box in person at your local polling station, by a postal vote, or by nominating a proxy to go on your behalf. Whichever way you plan to vote, you will need to make sure you are registered by midnight on Friday, April 11.

If you are on the electoral register but want to vote by post, you must submit an application by 5pm on Monday, April 14. Similarly, if you are registered and wish to vote by proxy, the deadline to apply is 5pm on Wednesday, April 23.

Without the correct ID, people will not be permitted to vote at the polling station. If you do not have an accepted form of ID, such as a passport or driving licence, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate by Wednesday, April 23.

More information about the elections will be made available on the council website prior to the elections. According to WNC, the authority will publish a full list of the candidates nominated for each ward no later than 4pm on Thursday, April 3.

What will happen after the polls close?

To control the unitary authority, a political party will need to reach 39 seats across all wards. The results of the WNC elections will be announced the day after polls close, on Friday, May 2.

In 2021, the Conservatives won 66 seats with a 51 percent vote share, with Labour coming in second with 17 councillors and 24 percent of the vote and Lib Dems electing five members at a 16 percent share. There were also three Labour and Co-operative Party members and two Independents appointed to the council.

Looking at the party makeup of the chamber before the elections, the numbers have slightly changed over the four years as a result of by-elections, resignations and defections. There are currently 59 Conservatives, 20 Labour, six Lib Dems, four non-aligned independents and three Independent group members on the council.

The results of the town and parish council elections will be announced on Saturday, May 3. For both elections, the votes will be counted at Benham Sports Centre in Moulton Park.