North Northamptonshire Council gives unanimous approval to fresh plans for devolution deal
19 March 2026
A fresh devolution deal plan that has the potential to bring additional millions of pounds of investment to Northamptonshire will be submitted to government.
Devolution is the process where powers are moved across from central government to regions, giving areas more money and control over strategic decision making.
An extraordinary meeting of North Northamptonshire Council saw unanimous cross-party approval for the recommendation to move forward with a bid for the creation of a Foundation Strategic Authority (FSA) for Northamptonshire.
An expression of interest for the deal will now be submitted to Government by the March 20 deadline to avoid losing out on the additional funding and other benefits associated with devolution.
Although a deal for Northamptonshire is being progressed, the Council still believes that a deal for the county which also covers the wider geographical area known as the South Midlands would be the best opportunity for economic growth.
However, consensus for such a deal had not yet been reached among all the councils involved before the submission deadline.
As such, one of the recommendations that was approved adds the flexibility that the joint Northamptonshire councils’ bid could be expanded to join with other authorities if the opportunity arose.
A devolution deal offers a huge opportunity to deliver long-term economic benefits for our area, and we are committed to making this happen.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
Our proposal reflects our very strong ties with our neighbouring authority West Northamptonshire and our shared ambitions for the area as well as the flexibility to form arrangements with other authorities and seize opportunities if they arise.
Achieving the best for our residents and businesses is a priority for us, and we remain committed to secure what is most beneficial for Northamptonshire.
The report before Council stated several reasons why a wider South Midlands FSA presents the greatest opportunity for growth. These include the potential for shared housing growth, good transport connections and innovation associated with the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Additionally, the South Midlands has a long track record of councils working well together to boost the economy and is supported by a population size that fits with what Government identifies as best for a devolved area.
Establishing a Foundation Strategic Authority could lead to further levels of devolution and mean that funding and decision-making on key strategic priorities could be made more locally rather than by Westminster.
Both councils had originally worked towards becoming part of a Strategic Mayoral Authority as part of the South Midlands group of councils. This would have brought in funding but the bid did not have full political consensus.
North Northamptonshire Council is already a unitary authority created in 2021, replacing the two-tier system of county, district and borough.
A new FSA including the North Northamptonshire area would not replace the existing unitary council nor would it impact the day to day running of council services or the delivery of the corporate plan. Instead, a new FSA would focus on more strategic issues such as skills, external connectivity, growing the economy, and infrastructure investment.
FSAs are meant to be larger, strategic authorities which benefit from their greater size, shared regional economic targets and provide a stronger collective voice for their region to Government than any individual council could do.