Vision for culture across the local area set to be discussed

08 July 2025

North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will receive an update on a cultural masterplan for the area at next week’s meeting.

The cultural masterplan for North Northamptonshire provides a shared vision and framework for cultural growth over the next 5 years, looking at the area as a whole and not just the council and its assets. It has been designed to unite cultural stakeholders, optimise the sector’s social and economic impact and help with future investment.

The masterplan focusses on 5 themes - creative places, leadership, communities, skills and impact.
To get to this point, the council have undertaken a review of the area’s cultural assets, consultations with over 120 key partners and stakeholders through one-to-one conservations and group workshops, alongside the collection and analysis of existing datasets, policies and reports.

Following on from this review, the cultural masterplan has been developed and is now due to be discussed by the council’s Executive before it is adopted. 

This is a plan for the whole area - bringing together communities, organisations and creatives, whilst putting culture at the core.

It is the culmination of a large piece of work commissioned by the council, and I look forward to discussing the plan in more detail with my fellow members of the Executive.

If the plan is approved, every town, village and cultural group will have a role to play in working with us to deliver the vision. Residents and visitors will also be encouraged to take part and help drive cultural growth - this really is a very exciting time for culture in North Northamptonshire.Cllr Greg Wilcox, the council’s Executive Member for Communities

North Northamptonshire is a fabulous place to visit and has so much to offer from a cultural perspective - rich in heritage, creativity and community spirit. This plan sets the stage for an exciting future for residents and visitors alike, and we are proud to champion culture as a key part of our identity and future growth.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of the Council

North Northants has a creative sector which is producing work that is relevant to the people who live and work here now, and which reflects their lives and their stories. We are pleased to see in the Cultural Masterplan a collective commitment to support this sector into the future.Simon Fitch, Senior Relationship Manager at Arts Council England

If approved, the masterplan will feed into the newly developed Northamptonshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership, Discover Northamptonshire, who will take the lead on driving forward the strategy.

North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Tuesday 15 July at 10am at the Corby Cube and the papers are now available online. The meeting will be live streamed on the council’s YouTube channel.