Northamptonshire borough councils dissolve themselves

Borough councils in Northamptonshire overwhelmingly voted to effectively dissolve themselves last week.

Seven out of the eight councils voted for the plans which would see bankrupt Tory-run Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) scrapped.

Corby council—the only Northamptonshire borough controlled by Labour—voted against the plans.

It’s expected that two unitary authorities will be set up by 2020. Under the present system, some services are provided by the county council and others by the district councils.

The government has banned any spending at NCC after it announced a budget deficit of £70 million.

It’s a move that threatens public services, including safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.