Forum brings Northamptonshire communities together to discuss future priorities

Residents and stakeholders from across Northamptonshire gathered on 15 September 2026 to discuss the county’s future at an event hosted by the University of Northampton (UON) and Universities UK (UUK) at Northampton Town Football Club.

The forum, titled Future Communities, invited civic leaders, businesses, public services, community groups, educators, students, and local residents to share their perspectives on what makes Northamptonshire unique and to explore the opportunities and challenges facing the county over the next two decades.

Rather than presenting a fixed plan, the event focused on gathering community input through facilitated discussions centred on key questions: What distinguishes Northamptonshire? How should the county evolve in 20 years? What factors will influence this future? And what role can higher education institutions play in supporting local ambitions?

From these conversations, three main themes emerged. Firstly, the importance of community was emphasised, with participants highlighting the need to better promote Northamptonshire’s successes and the qualities that make it an attractive place to live and work. Secondly, the theme of connection was raised, focusing on linking people to opportunities in employment, volunteering, education, and business. Finally, collaboration was identified as vital, with calls to unite the county’s fragmented individual and group efforts into a more cohesive demonstration of achievement.

Becky Bradshaw, Interim Vice Chancellor at the University of Northampton, said: “Today has been about listening. We brought together people with very different experiences of Northamptonshire because we wanted to hear what matters to them and what they want the future of our communities to look like.” She added, “What we’ve heard today will not simply sit on a page. It gives us an opportunity to think honestly about where the University can make a difference, where we need to do more and, importantly, where we need to work alongside others.” Bradshaw emphasised the university’s role as a community partner beyond education and economic contribution.

The event builds on the University’s ongoing community engagement across Northamptonshire. Examples include student midwives supporting approximately 2,500 births annually and contributing 600,000 hours a year to local health services; the Orchard Project at the Autumn Centre in Corby, which collaborates with partners to enhance dementia awareness and care; and Headsets for Hope, an initiative using immersive reality to assist children with developmental or learning disabilities in gaining confidence with everyday travel.

Additional University-led projects include research into technology-supported wellbeing in care homes, nationally funded community engagement and physical activity programmes led by Dr Declan Ryan, and Move Northamptonshire, which supports partners in using data, evaluation, and training to increase physical activity and address inequalities. This collaboration has helped Northamptonshire Sport and the county’s two unitary authorities secure £2.3 million in funding from Sport England’s Place Expansion Programme.

Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL, President of Universities UK, highlighted the significance of universities as “anchor institutions” that educate local populations, conduct research, support employers, and drive economic and social progress. He stated, “Future Communities is about making sure local voices are central to the conversation about their own future and the future of higher education.” Press praised Northamptonshire and the University of Northampton for demonstrating the importance of such dialogues and noted that the insights gained would inform the development of a vision for universities’ future societal roles.

Following the event, the University has issued an open letter from Becky Bradshaw to the Northamptonshire community, outlining the feedback received and the University’s intended response. The dialogue will continue through a new quarterly community newsletter designed to share updates, opportunities, partnerships, and invite further contributions from residents and organisations across the county.

The Future Communities conversation is part of the national Future Universities programme led by Universities UK, which examines how higher education institutions can evolve to better support their local communities and regions.

Bradshaw concluded, “We don’t have all the answers, and no single organisation can shape Northamptonshire’s future alone. But we can listen, we can bring people together and we can use the expertise, people and resources of our University to help turn shared ambitions into action. Today’s conversation is a starting point. Now we need to take what we have heard and work with our partners and communities to decide what comes next.”