'Change' is the message from Labour as party launches campaign for North Northants unitary, town and parish elections

This morning’s (Saturday, March 22) launch at the Wellingborough venue as attended by Labour members as well as prominent figures within the party, all with the purpose of formally beginning their campaign to take over the Conservative-led unitary authority.

Two sets of elections will take place on Thursday, May 1, with candidates standing for North Northamptonshire Council (NNC), as well as for town and parish council seats.

In a speech given on Saturday morning, Labour Group leader Matt Keane said: “Here in north Northamptonshire it’s not just been 14 years, the Tories have been in charge of Wellingborough and Kettering councils since 2003, they got hold of the county council in 2005 and they bankrupted it twice.

“That led to NNC which replaced our councils, and the very same people that were running our county have been left to make the same mistakes again.

“Then there was Corby, which was swallowed up despite being Labour controlled since 1979.

"23 years of Tory rule here has left our council services crumbling and in decay.”

Cllr Matt Keane also said in his speech NNC’s highways contract with Kier was awarded ‘without proper scrutiny’, as the launch event touched on key topics such as policing, anti-social behaviour, and potholes.

He added: “They [the Conservative-led council] were elected with a huge majority, and so I think because they’ve done that they feel they didn’t have to listen to the residents, and their lack of action and listening has led to so many service failures.

“We need to give the final judgement and get rid of them and replace them with a Labour council on May 1.”

Solicitor General and Northampton North MP Lucy Rigby was also present at Glamis Hall.

In a speech given to members, she said: “When it comes to anti-social behaviour, that genuine cooperation between the Labour government and Westminster, and Labour local authorities here, that’s what these elections are all about, and the choice on May 1 is abundantly clear.

“It’s about real change that matters to working people, and a local authority that’s on your side.”

Gen Kitchen, Wellingborough and Rushden MP, added: “It’s just been chaotic, they have this giant majority but what do they do with it? There’s been no strength and leadership, it’s just been to outsource, not inward invest.

“In Wellingborough we feel like the forgotten child of the county. Corby’s got the Cube, Kettering gets lost of investment as well, in Wellingborough everyone claims they’ve not seen it.

“They’ve had leadership from the top down, for us as Labour leadership it’s been on us to fight against that council and we come up against brick walls all the time.

"This is an opportunity for us to put those Labour values back into practice.”

The number of NNC councillors will reduce from 78 to 68, with some residents voting in a new or different ward as the 2025 elections will be the first under changes to local government boundaries and wards.

The deadline to register to vote is Friday, April 11 (postal vote applications need to be submitted by 5pm on Monday, April 1), and those who have recently moved or changed their name may need to update their details.

Those wishing to vote in person now need to bring acceptable photographic ID, an Anonymous Electors Document or a Voter Authority Certificate.

Finally, police, fire and crime commissioner, Danielle Stone said: "I’m so excited about what’s happening in our country, and in our county.

“For me, I am an example of how important power is, without power we can’t change anything. There is so much change in our county, it’s the thing that drives me out on the doors, we’ve got to take power where we can.

“The change everybody wants is the same, I walked into a situation where police officers had been taken out of neighbourhoods where police stations had been closed, where fire stations had been allowed to run down, where communities are unhappy and don’t feel safe and kids have been running amok in our town centres late at night, where we have women and girls finding strange ways home because they’re frightened of the direct route because they don’t feel safe.

“There is a sense in which I feel the Tories have left us in a lawless state, and Labour has to reintroduce lawfulness and legitimacy and help that cultural change we need to see in our communities.

What has infuriated me about both the unitary councils is the way they deliver public services. With public funding you would expect public services to be delivered by local people, you would expect money to be kept locally, instead of which both councils have had an ideological need to outsource everything.

"Our money goes out of the county and out of the country, if we were providing our own services we would be more flexible in our approach to what the needs are of the moment.”

Results for NNC elections will be announced on Friday, May 2, and for town and parish elections on Saturday, May 3.