MHCLG has on 29 November 2018, pursuant to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, launched an eight week Consultation, for response by 25 January 2019, on a proposal from seven of the eight Northamptonshire councils (the exception being Corby Borough Council) for local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire. An independent inspection report, by Max Caller CBE, had found that the County Council, in this currently two-tier local government area, has failed to meet its “Best Value” duty under the Local Government Act 1999. MrCaller recommended that new single tier, i.e. unitary, authorities should be created. The Government accepted the unitary recommendation, and rejected the option of a single unitary covering the whole of Northamptonshire.
The proposal is for the creation of two unitary councils, one in the West, Daventry, Northampton, and South Northamptonshire, population 401,996, and one in the East, Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough, population 343,614. They would be likely to come into being on 1 April 2020.