Amount of work carried out by North Northamptonshire councillors since being elected in May 2025 revealed by Freedom of Information request

Data on the number of member enquiries logged and meetings attended has been analysed to identify the councillors who have performed the highest and lowest on each metric.

It is important to note that not all aspects of the role can be measured through this data and that a large part of councillors’ roles is engaging with residents, holding surgeries and championing their areas.

NNC does not have a central portal recording councillors’ casework and has also refused an FOI request from the LDRS to share the number of emails sent from official council accounts.

All elected members receive a basic annual allowance of £15,383.80, with additional payments given to those with extra leadership and committee roles. This means councillors with no extra responsibilities receive nearly £1,300 per month from the council.

Meetings attendance

Part of a councillor’s role in representing their ward includes decision-making responsibilities and participating in council meetings to vote on important policies, strategies, services and the annual allocation of the council budget.

This can also include scrutiny committees, where no formal decisions are made, but the member acts as a bridge between the council and the public and puts forward suggestions on behalf of their residents to influence policy.

All of the 68 elected members on NNC are expected to attend full council meetings, which are generally held every few months, however further responsibilities to attend committee and scrutiny meetings are given to specific members. These must match up with the overall political balance on the council, with each group being assigned a certain number of seats on each panel.

NNC keeps a running overview of all councillors’ attendance records, which are measured as a percentage of the total meetings that they have signed up to attend.

At the time of publication, 16 council members had a 100 per cent attendance record.

Cllr Denis McLean (Reform UK, Pipers Hill) has attended the most meetings since the May elections, going to 37 meetings across his seven committee appointments, at 97 per cent attendance.

He is on the audit and governance committee, corporate scrutiny committee, democracy and standards committee, health scrutiny committee, licensing and appeals committee, planning committee and full council.

The next highest attendance at meetings sits with the Reform UK councillor for Hatton Park, Paul Brooke, at 34 meetings. Cllr Maurice Eglin (Reform UK, Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer) is in third with 31 meetings under his belt.

By contrast, the lowest percentage attendance record sits with Cllr Emily Fedorowycz (Green, Kettering North), who has a 50 per cent rate since the local elections in May last year. She has attended 10 meetings across her appointments on the democracy and standards committee, place and environment scrutiny committee, police fire and crime panel, and full council.

It has previously been reported in the local press that she had taken time out to go travelling and was expected to return in March. She did not reply to the LDRS requests for comment.

The next lowest record for a councillor is Desborough member Bill McElhinney (Independent), who was present for nine meetings – 56 per cent of his expected attendance. Cllr Ash Hall (Pemberton, Reform UK) follows next with a 62 per cent attendance record and 13 meetings attended.

Members’ enquiries

Member enquiries are a tool councillors can use to formally submit queries to council officers for an official response, usually on behalf of local residents or businesses within their ward.

An FOI request to WNC has revealed the total number of queries sent by each unitary councillor from their election in May 2025 to the end of December the same year.

Over the eight-month period, the most member enquiries were sent out by Labour councillor Mark Pengelly, who sent 182 – an average of 22 queries a month.

The member for Lloyds and Corby Village said: “I have always considered the most important part of my role is representing the constituents in the ward I represent and helping with numerous types of matters that are sent to me.

“I have been a councillor for many years, so I have loads of constituents from all over contacting me, but with me also being a working councillor, this new system is time consuming but does keep a track of all complaints that I raise.

“I recognise the hard work of all councillors from all parties in trying their best to represent their constituents and the work of NNC officers in responding to matters.”

The next highest performer, according to this metric, was Desborough Conservative councillor David Howes, who logged 126 enquiries in the same period. He was followed by the Reform UK councillor for Corby West, Julie Lumsden, with 89.

The average number of members’ enquiries sent out between May and December last year across NNC was 22 per councillor.

On the other end of the scale, three North Northants Councillors did not send any members’ enquiries at all last year. These include Rothwell and Mawsley councillor Chris Kellett (Reform UK), Cllr Keith Clarke for Rushden Lakes (Reform UK) and Raunds councillor Helen Howell (Conservative).

In response, Cllr Kellett told the LDRS: “I deal with the problems directly, so everything that comes forward to me at the moment I can deal with it without having to put it in as a member’s enquiry and put them in touch with the relevant person. That’s how I work rather than passing it on in a tick box exercise.

“For example, at a parish council there were problems raised with antisocial behaviour in the area, so I organised a meeting with the PSCOs, ward councillors and environmental services.

“Sometimes councillors using members’ enquiries don’t actually engage with the problem and don’t follow it through. I still get involved and tell people how to get their advice and stuff like that.”

Cllr Howell also said that she goes directly to officers for responses.

She added: “Residents should not have to wait an excessive period for replies, particularly when issues are time-critical or ongoing. I have always worked in a highly efficient manner.

“As a business owner myself, I firmly believe that customer service is of the utmost importance, and responding to enquiries in a timely and effective way benefits both residents and my ability to manage my constituency work alongside running my business full time.

“I would never expect my own customers to wait unnecessarily long for a response from me or any member of my team, and that same principle guides how I operate as a ward councillor.

“I appreciate that NNC receives a high volume of enquiries and requires systems to manage them. However, I believe the current system still needs further development to make it truly fit for purpose from a resident’s perspective.

“If performance is judged solely on the number of enquiries submitted through the members’ enquiry system, then that does not accurately reflect the work I undertake. I have proudly served as an elected member for Raunds at town, district, and now NNC level since 2012.”

Full list of members enquiries sent (May to Dec 2025):

Cllr Andy Sims – 12

Cllr Ash Hall – 16

Cllr Barbara Jenney – 2

Cllr Barry O’Brien – 13

Cllr Ben Jameson – 34

Cllr Ben Williams – 77

Cllr Bill McElhinney – 1

Cllr Brendon Lovell-Moore – 20

Cllr Brian Benneyworth – 21

Cllr Chris Kellett – 0

Cllr Chris McGiffen – 61

Cllr Chris Munday – 29

Cllr Darren Rance – 13

Cllr David Baker – 12

Cllr David Brackenbury – 7

Cllr David Donnelly – 3

Cllr David Howes – 126

Cllr Denis McLean – 14

Cllr Dez Dell – 19

Cllr Eddie McDonald – 59

Cllr Elizabeth Wright- 50

Cllr Emily Fedorowycz – 49

Cllr Frank Kilgallon – 3

Cllr Gavin Beales – 12

Cllr Gordon Dunsmuir – 20

Cllr Graham Cheatley – 63

Cllr Gregory Wilcox – 3

Cllr Harry Howes – 22

Cllr Helen Campbell – 31

Cllr Helen Harrison – 30

Cllr Helen Howell – 0

Cllr Jack Goncalvez – 2

Cllr James Towns – 14

Cllr Jan O’Hara – 10

Cllr Jennie Bone – 1

Cllr Jim Hakewill – 34

Cllr Joe Garner – 5

Cllr John Lumsden – 23

Cllr Jon Humberstone – 17

Cllr Jonathan Carvetta – 19

Cllr Jon-Paul Carr – 10

Cllr Julie Howe – 13

Cllr Julie Lumsden – 89

Cllr Keith Clarke – 0

Cllr Kelly Duddridge – 1

Cllr Ken Harrington – 1

Cllr Kirk Harrison – 8

Cllr Lee Duffy – 0

Cllr Leon Gibbs – 13

Cllr Liane Robinson – 42

Cllr Mark Haddon – 9

Cllr Mark Pengelly – 182

Cllr Martin Griffiths – 22

Cllr Matt Davies – 17

Cllr Maurice Eglin – 8

Cllr Paul Brooke – 18

Cllr Polly Shackleton – 4

Cllr Scott Brown – 34

Cllr Simon Fairhall – 31

Cllr Steve Clark – 10

Cllr Steve Geary – 60

Cllr Tom Partridge-Underwood – 5

Cllr Trevor Conway – 63

Cllr Vicki Jessop – 46

Cllr Vinnie Whitrow – 27

Cllr Vlaho Radin – 30

Cllr Wendy Brackenbury – 4

Cllr William Colquhoun – 6