Disabled access and travel concerns over County Hall selection for new unitary meetings

The decision to hold unitary council meetings in West Northamptonshire at County Hall has provoked a mixed response from councillors – with criticism over its facilities for disabled people.
County Hall in Northampton is to be used for the initial full council meetings of the new unitary authorityCounty Hall in Northampton is to be used for the initial full council meetings of the new unitary authority
County Hall in Northampton is to be used for the initial full council meetings of the new unitary authority

The new West Northamptonshire Council – which will merge the county council with the district/boroughs in Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire – will launch next April.

But residents will vote for their councillors for the authority this coming May, after which a ‘shadow’ council needs to meet and run behind the scenes for the next 11 months.

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The large number of councillors on the new council, 93, had raised logistical questions of where to house them all.

On Tuesday (March 3), members of the West Northants Joint Committee (the precursor to the shadow council) agreed to hold the first meeting at County Hall.

The hall, which acts as the chamber for Northamptonshire County Council, currently allows 57 councillors as well as staff, public and press to attend the meetings. It will need modifying in order to fit the extra councillors in, but some councillors raised concerns about the venue.

Councillor Phil Larratt, the deputy leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: “I do think that the county council chamber is totally unfriendly for disabled people, you can’t even walk up the stairs. It’s a totally outdated building and we will have to invest a hell of a lot of money to make it right.

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“We have also really got to consider the implications of travelling around and the impact on staff. I do think we need to find a base moving forward.”

Others questioned why the full council meetings could not be moved around – as the executive committee meetings are likely to do. The leaders of the respective councils ruled out external leisure centres in favour of county hall.

Daventry district councillor Alan Chantler said: “We are asking a lot of people to move around to attend these meetings. I want to encourage public engagement with this authority.”

His fellow Daventry councillor Ken Ritchie added: “The recommendation comes as no surprise to everyone who has followed the process in Daventry. There’s a widespread perception that this whole process is about making Daventry an appendage of Northampton. The decision about where to hold a meeting is not just administrative, but also about building a collective view of belonging.”

The shadow council will meet at County Hall within 14 days of election day on May 7.