The Council of West Northamptonshire Council met on Friday 13 March 2026 to discuss options for devolution for West Northamptonshire. The meeting's agenda included a significant report outlining potential devolution options, benefits, risks, and proposed next steps.

Devolution Options for West Northamptonshire

The primary item scheduled for discussion was Devolution options for West Northamptonshire ¹. This report, which formed the bulk of the meeting's scheduled business, detailed the potential benefits and risks associated with devolution for the region. It outlined the government's framework for devolution, including different types of Strategic Authorities such as Foundation Strategic Authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities. The report highlighted that West Northamptonshire is currently missing out on significant funding and investment opportunities by not being part of a devolution area, citing examples of other regions securing substantial funds.

The report presented several options for the council to consider, including:

• Option 1: Do nothing. This option would mean West Northamptonshire would risk having devolution imposed by Ministerial Directive.
• Option 2: Express an interest in progressing a South Midlands Foundation Strategic Authority and explore options to extend this footprint further. This option was considered economically sensible due to existing working relationships and functional economic geography, but was noted as unlikely to be supported by the government at this time due to a lack of full consensus among constituent authorities.
• Option 3: Express an interest in progressing a Northamptonshire Foundation Strategic Authority, whilst making it clear that the council would be open to considering a larger footprint for an FSA should the right opportunity become available. This option was presented as a prudent approach given the importance of local consensus.
• Option 4: Consider linking into an existing devolution geography. This was deemed not a viable option in the immediate term due to deadlines.

The report recommended that the Council agree with the principle of devolution and progress towards establishing a Foundation Strategic Authority. It specifically recommended submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a South Midlands / South Midlands Plus geography, while also expressing interest in establishing a Northamptonshire Foundation Strategic Authority and being open to expanding this footprint. The report also noted that an expression of interest is not a legally binding acceptance and would be subject to the government making available suitable resources.

The discussion was informed by the English Devolution White Paper ², which sets out the government's strategy for devolution across England, aiming to transfer powers and funding from central government to local leaders. The report also referenced a previous council meeting in January 2025 where devolution was discussed following the government's white paper on English Devolution.

The agenda also included standard council business such as apologies for absence, declarations of interest, Chairman's announcements, Leader's announcements, and public participation. A section was also included regarding the exclusion of the press and public for certain items, citing the potential disclosure of exempt information under the Local Government Act 1972.