MP and vicar criticise sale of town hall building as council seeks legal advice
Mike Reader MP and father Oliver Coss have their say on proposed Guildhall sale
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A Northampton MP has criticised the council for selling the town’s heritage “to the highest bidder”, as the modern extension of Northampton’s historic Guildhall has gone up for sale.
The extension, which wraps around a large central courtyard and is currently used as office space, is being marketed by property agents Vail Williams on behalf of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC). The original historic Guildhall building will remain in the authority’s ownership. The hall is currently the meeting place of the town council, which is seeking legal advice on a proposal to evict it and hand over their space to the county coroner.
Community leaders have spoken out against the sale many times since the plans were first announced by the previous administration under office optimisation proposals in January 2024. WNC said at the time that the move would maximise the use of its buildings and focus its property portfolio, while saving the authority £350,000 per year.
Northampton South MP Mike Reader told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):
“No one wants to see our heritage sold off to the highest bidder.
“Reform UK need to rethink this plan and do what’s right for Northampton – protect our town and it’s culture.”
It has not yet been confirmed what the extension could be used for, with the listing proposing a range of options from a boutique hotel, events venue, restaurant, residential, or continued office use.
Father Oliver Coss, Rector of All Saints’ Church, said:
“It’s regrettable this arresting piece of modern architecture is going to fall out of public use.
“I await with interest a renewed articulation of the centrality of the Guildhall in the life of our town, and for the people of Northampton.”
Northampton Town Council (NTC), which is currently being asked to move out of its home in the historic Guildhall as a result of the coroner’s service relocating from the extension, said they were concerned the sale could see the building and courtyard being lost to the general public forever.
Cllr Les Marriott, Chair of the Policy and Finance Committee at NTC, said: “Designed by local architects and opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the extension is considered by many as an architecturally impressive addition to the Victorian Guildhall, the design having been chosen by the people of Northampton.
“The extension – especially its courtyard – is an important part of the public realm, hosting many civic, cultural and community events over the years, including significant memorial events.
“Along with being a great source of civic pride for local residents, it is of considerable interest to visitors, providing a quiet space in the centre of town. It is also home to several much-loved statues of famous figures from Northampton’s past, who have made substantial contributions to history on a local and global scale.
“We are concerned that any sale and subsequent change of use will result in the building and courtyard being lost to the general public indefinitely. Local residents, historical societies, and heritage partners have already expressed their concern over the potential loss of the town’s civic and heritage assets to commercial or residential uses.
“Along with representing the views of our parishioners, the town council has a role to advocate for Northampton’s heritage. As such, we would welcome further discussions with West Northamptonshire Council to ensure that this much loved civic building continues to serve the public good for future generations.”
Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of WNC, said the sale of the extension presented an opportunity to better utilise council buildings while also reducing ongoing costs to the public purse.
He said:
“The Guildhall holds significant importance in both the town’s and the county’s history and its historic part, originally from 1864 with a seamless extension in 1892, forms an integral part of the Council’s collection of heritage assets. This is not proposed for sale and will remain the heart of WNC’s democratic operations.
“It is the 1992 extension which is proposed for a leasehold disposal. We are looking for proposals which make good use of the building, having regard to its location next to the historic one.”
WNC also started marketing part of the County Hall, the former Judge’s Lodgings, and the old County Constabulary Block earlier this month. It said it would not be sharing price information as it may “harm the ability of the Council to secure the best deal for its residents”.
We have an update on our story from earlier this week about Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s claims about his party making £1m savings in IT costs at West Northamptonshire Council.
An hour after our story was published on Tuesday, the council published a press release to say that £960,000 had been saved through a three year contract renewal of its Microsoft licensing agreement.
The renewal sum of £1.85m that had been mentioned in the June 3 cabinet report had come in at £1.53m after negotiations.
In a report sent to some councillors on Monday from the chief executive team at the council, it said £201,000 of this saving had been negotiated by May. It said there had been a final movement of £110,000 after the cabinet report and concluded: “It is therefore hard to validate that the £1m quoted by Reform UK and what this figure relates to.”
We called cabinet member Cllr Andrew Last yesterday for clarification and he said after the June 3 meeting he had raised concerns with council officers and personally called the supplier Trustmarque. He said the renewed contract was for less licences, but could not say how many less.
He said: “Between us we recognised immediate savings over the three year term of £960,000.
“As far as I am concerned the efficiency was realised by me by asking the right questions and exercising the right due diligence.”
He said he had not been made aware of any savings already negotiated by officers and all he had been given was a report suggesting a renewal of £1.85m.
Cllr Last who works in IT governance, thinks by reducing some of the licence specifications there could be another £500,000 reduction in three year licence period. The national Doge team is yet to start their planned investigation of the council’s finances.
Well done to REFORM on the big savings already being made and future ones being identified
I find it hard to believe that the historic core of Northampton is being sold off - buildings which stand as icons of the town, greatly loved parts of our local landscape. Surly good uses can be found to keep them in public ownership and use?