Cllr Robert Parkinson — Community Councillor for Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council

I’m proud to have been recently elected as a Community Councillor for Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council in Northamptonshire. This election, held in May 2025, resulted in 11 councillors being elected unopposed and one subsequent cooption, creating a 12member Council serving around 12,000 local residents. 

All councillors are elected as Independents, and despite my uncertainty going into this ‘non-political’ environment (everyone on the council knows I work as the Constituency Manager for the local Labour MP), I’ve already felt the real strengths of this way of working.

We have people on the council who supported a range of political parties in previous elections. My Labour activity isn’t to everyone’s liking, an outgoing councillor who did not stand for re-election in May did share their views as such to me, highlighting the advertent party political areas of my life (nice to know someone has read my biography) and questioned whether this would make me suitable to being on the Community Council.  My challenge to the ex-councillor would be the evidence in these early months which speaks for itself. We’ve come together as local residents from all walks of life, with a shared commitment to serving our community.

At this level, the non-party badging has helped take the local heat out of politics, creating a space where cooperation can flourish; it’s refreshing.  I had a general idea of what parish councils did before, but now that I’m on the inside, I can see how much potential they really have to make a meaningful impact, especially at this very local level.  

Equally the interplay with the upper tier authority is proving interesting, especially considering the recent (1^st May 2025) shift there to a Reform majority unitary authority and the (ongoing) uncertainty of the direction they wish to take the council.  I am already seeing the value in my role as a local Community Councillor where we can hold the Reform council to account, such as by scrutinising planning decisions, and making sure we can justifiably be viewed as maintaining decency in politics, in opposition to these new councils which seem to be more obsessed about taking down flags and abolishing flooding committees than offering good governance and leadership.

I’ve joined several committees which I’ve deliberately chosen to align and complement my work with the MP’s office and my values and experience as a trade union rep. I serve on the University of Northampton Partnership Committee, which is relevant to my wider interests given the University’s significant footprint in the ward in terms of housing and employment. I’m also on the staffing committee, allowing me to bring my trade union values to my role as councillor, ensuring we have fairness in the management, recruitment and retention of our staff. Alongside these committees we have co-creation projects; in one scheme we’re consulting local residents around use of their green spaces.

This is an exciting new chapter. I’m looking forward to working collaboratively across different political traditions and persuasions on the Community Council to improve the lives of those who also live in our area of this wonderful county.