A former Northamptonshire Reform UK councillor, who was suspended from the party and then sat as an independent for months, has resigned.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) announced the resignation of Councillor Adam Smith on Tuesday March 17.

Cllr Smith was elected to the Hackleton and Roade ward in the local elections in May 2025, when Reform took control of WNC.

Just five weeks after the elections, the party announced Cllr Smith had been suspended from Reform as his “actions and behaviours brought both the party and the Reform UK group on West Northamptonshire Council into disrepute”. An internal investigation also determined that his whip would not be restored, which means the political party formally withdrew its support for the member as a representative of the party.

Cllr Adam Smith, who represented Hackleton and Roade, has resigned.

placeholder image — Cllr Adam Smith, who represented Hackleton and Roade, has resigned.

Since his suspension, Cllr Smith sat independently on the council, with no affiliation to any political party, for months, until his resignation.

WNC has now has published a notice of casual vacancy. If the seat is contested, a by-election is expected to take place on Thursday May 7, 2026.

The vacant seat is one of two WNC seats covering Hackleton and Roade ward, which also covers areas including Stoke Bruerne, Blisworth, Hartwell and Milton Malsor and represents around 9,000 residents. Conservative councillor Fiona Cole is the other representative for the ward.

The next full local elections are due to take place on May 2029.

View the notice of casual vacancy on the WNC website here.