Second attempt at recruiting council boss starts

A second advert for a new council boss has been published following a fruitless search last year.

It came after the chief executive Anna Earnshaw stepped down from West Northamptonshire in November. She had been in the role since the unitary council was set up in 2021.

In December, the Reform UK-run council announced that Martin Henry – who stepped up from his role as chief finance officer – would perform the role on an interim basis until the summer.

A council statement said: "West Northamptonshire Council decided to pause its initial recruitment search, enabling time to refocus its approach in the light of a changing national picture, including elections and local government reorganisation."

It continued: "It also gave the organisation a further six months to embed and progress the priorities of its new administration."

Reform took over running the council from the Conservatives following success at the local elections in May 2025.

West Northamptonshire Council had spent £32,430 on advertising the first position, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said in February.

Job seekers have until 20 June to submit applications for the latest posting, with interviews at the authority's headquarters, in Northampton, scheduled for mid-July.

The advert states the successful candidate would earn a salary in the range of £188,576 to £201,902 and would oversee a budget of £460m.

The authority was established in 2021 after the county council was effectively going bankrupt and central government decided to abolish the authority and seven other councils across Northamptonshire.

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