More importantly, there have been no specific funds allocated for improvements in the town, that only town councillors get to vote on, and that town people get to have a say about. By comparison, Parish Councils have their own budgets which they choose how to spend and are also able to apply to HDC for additional funds from the ‘S106 budget’.

Another key responsibility that a Parish Council has is to review any Planning Applications that are made for developments in their Parish. Currently any Planning Applications submitted for developments in the town area are considered only by the HDC Planning Committee, which includes representatives from across the district.

A Parish Council can also create a Neighbourhood Plan, which enables them to set their own Planning Policies which developers then need to abide by. Whilst these cannot contradict any policies in the HDC Local Plan, they can add to or develop those Policies. In this way the opinions of the local people can influence planning decisions in a way that currently can’t happen for the people of the town.

50 years on and finally a group of people got together to try and address these issues. 

Where an area is unparished, a Neighbourhood Forum (NHF) can now be set up, which is empowered by the local planning authority to lead the neighbourhood planning process. In the case of Market Harborough, 4 Neighbourhood Forums have now been designated by HDC – Arden, Little Bowden, Logan & Town Centre and Welland. They are broadly based on the 4 Electoral Wards in Market Harborough, as these were felt to be of a manageable size in terms of geography and population. Whilst the Forums must be designated and supported by HDC, they are entirely independent from the council, and non-political. They are led by volunteers from with the community they represent.

The NHFs have now been in place for a year and are well on the way to developing their Neighbourhood Plans.