Corby voted for change — But what happens now?

Corby voted for change — But what happens now?

Corby has spoken, and its message was clear — the status quo is no longer acceptable. For the first time in decades, Labour’s once iron grip on the town has been broken, with the party losing control not only of the North Northamptonshire Council seats but also of the town council, where six seats slipped from their hands. Reform UK now leads the unitary council, marking a dramatic shift in local politics.

But beyond the headlines and party gains, a deeper, more unsettling story is unfolding — one that reveals not just a change in allegiance, but a growing chasm between the electorate and those who seek to represent them.

In Corby’s four urban wards, only two Labour councillors were returned to the North Northamptonshire Council, while the town council, once entirely red, saw significant losses. Yet, this shift did not emerge from a tidal wave of enthusiasm for an alternative. Instead, it came amid historically low levels of voter engagement. Across Corby, turnout barely scraped past one in four residents. In nearby Kingswood, where Reform UK also made gains, turnout hovered just under 25%. That means three out of four voters chose not to vote at all.

Such figures reveal that the narrative of a Reform UK surge tells only half the story. The other half — perhaps more critical — is the collapse of participation and trust in local democracy itself. In Kingswood, the winning candidates were elected by barely one in seven eligible voters. This is not simply a reshuffling of party colours; it is evidence of democracy thinning at the roots, a sign that local politics is becoming increasingly disconnected from the people it claims to serve.

This is a challenge not to any single party, but to the entire political system. The danger lies not only in the decline of any one group but in the hollowing out of the civic space altogether. When voters feel their voices no longer matter, they stay at home. When they feel taken for granted, they disengage. This, arguably, is more concerning than any party loss or gain.

Meanwhile, councils across England are facing a new phase of uncertainty. North Northamptonshire, still a relatively new unitary authority, finds itself under financial pressures while being tasked to deliver more for its communities. Reform UK has promised to bring greater efficiency, transparency, and community control. These are laudable aims, but translating them from campaign slogans into tangible governance will demand more than rhetoric. It will require leadership, clarity of purpose, and, crucially, cooperation across party lines.

At the grassroots level, town and parish councils have often been overlooked in these discussions. Yet, they are closest to the communities they serve. Town councillors hear residents’ concerns first-hand and are well-placed to play a more active role in local decision-making. If larger bodies like North Northamptonshire are serious about improving accountability and rebuilding trust, they should embrace the involvement and scrutiny offered by these smaller councils, rather than marginalising them.

The message from Corby is indeed a call for change. But “change” in itself is not a strategy — it is merely a starting point. Many residents are clear in their desire for something different, but there is little consensus on what that should look like. This creates an opportunity, but also a responsibility, for those now in power to engage the public in defining what that change means in practice.

The local elections in May were not an ending, but a crossroads. They offer a moment for reflection, for dialogue, and for reimagining local democracy in a way that is more participatory, transparent, and rooted in the real needs of communities like Corby.

If politicians ignore the underlying disillusionment that fuelled these results, they risk deepening the divide. The task now is not just to campaign better, but to govern better — and to restore faith in the very institutions that have been shaken to their core.