Issues and SWOT

strength

Make completed town-centre spaces work every week

Northampton’s Market Square and Daventry’s cinema are completed investments.

Programming and upkeep determine their continuing value.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,084 a month (August 2026) in West Northamptonshire council area. This is £375 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.4% in Campion to 50.8% in Castle — a gap of 41.5 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in West Northamptonshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.4% in Daventry North East to 5.9% in Daventry South — a gap of 3.5 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

weakness

Avoid leaving central sites unused

The Towcester project replaced shops that had stood empty for years.

Long-term vacancy needs a realistic reuse plan.

Evidence

opportunity

Link Daventry’s next projects to its existing assets

A masterplan decision is scheduled after earlier town-centre investment.

New proposals should complement what residents already use.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

17.1% of people in West Northamptonshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 7.3% in Castle to 27.2% in Parklands — a gap of 19.9 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

31.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in West Northamptonshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.6% in Upton to 26.3% in Dallington Spencer — a gap of 15.7 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in West Northamptonshire council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.7% in Daventry North East to 25.3% in Dallington Spencer — a gap of 17.7 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Keep services and transport in step with proposed growth

The draft Local Plan proposes housing and infrastructure across towns and villages.

Growth can create pressure if services arrive later.

Evidence