Host of community centres and open spaces to be transferred to parish councils in Northampton

The borough council’s cabinet agreed on Wednesday (May 20) to complete the transfers of the public open spaces and community centres to the various different parishes.

It means that Billing Parish Council will take on Bellinge Community Centre, Bellinge Community House, Ecton Brook playing fields and land adjacent to the Little Billing pocket park.

Duston Parish Council will take on Errington Park, Grafton Way Park and the open space at Melbourne Lane, while East Hunsbury Parish Council has been transferred Penn Valley Park (Penvale Park), Grangewood Park and Blackymore Community Centre.

Upton Parish Council will assume responsibility for the Elgar Centre and St Crispin Community Centre; while Wootton Parish Council will take on Farmclose Road Green, the park from Curtlee Hill to Quinton Road, and land from Tudor Court to Curtlee Hill.

Cabinet member for regeneration at the borough, Councillor Tim Hadland, said: “This is a report that builds on quite a long history of devolving community assets down to the local community that benefits from them and should be controlling them. We went to consultation with the parish councils for, in effect, their shopping lists. All these properties are to be transferred to the parishes with suitable safeguards to ensure their future community use. Ultimately, parishes will be 100 per cent responsible for them.”

The terms of the deal mean that a restrictive covenant would be placed on the land to ensure that they continue to be used as intended for community use.

The borough council and subsequently the new West Northamptonshire Council will continue to provide grass cutting services under an existing contract, but once that runs out in June 2028 the respective parish councils will assume this responsibility, as well as all other responsibilities that it will take on immediately.

Should a parish council no longer require the land or centres for its permitted use, the borough council retains the first right to purchase it back.

But Labour councillor Jane Birch said: “The transfer of these assets is a major decision for tonight’s cabinet. Empowering communities is at the heart of building resilience and a sense of pride in our neighbourhoods. But this needs to be done with care and consultation. I’m asking for your assurance that this process is standard, consistent and robust and will not expose smaller councils to high cost legal fees. I want to make sure that the consultation and the process we go through is really well thought through.”

But Councillor Hadland responded: “The vast bulk of this is parcels of land which are less complicated than the community centres. We’ve shown by the different natures of the parish councils and facilities across the town that we’re not in a position to do a one size fits all unless they are operated by the same operator. I would have loved to have seen a simpler process but regrettably that’s not possible.”