Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council

About the current Chairman

Each year at its Annual Meeting, the full Council elects a new Chairman and appoints a Vice-Chairman. The Chairman must be a serving councillor but must not be a member of cabinet.

The current Chairman for West Northamptonshire Council is Cllr Fiona Baker. 

She is supported by Cllr Anthony Lock as Vice-Chairman.

The Chairman's charities

Cllr Baker will help raise funds for both The Spring Charity and New Leaf Learning in the coming year.

Based in Spring Boroughs in Northampton, The Spring Charity offers a range of activities to support young people, including youth groups, a jobs club, music recording studio, cookery courses and much more.

New Leaf Learning, meanwhile, offers outdoor learning opportunities at the Courteenhall Estate for children who are not engaging in learning at mainstream schools.

The choice of charities reflects Cllr Baker’s long-standing passion for supporting children and young people, having previously held that portfolio on both the former Northamptonshire County Council and later at West Northamptonshire Council.

She also serves as Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Thematic Partnership at the Northamptonshire VCSE Assembly, helping to advise voluntary and community sector organisations across the county.

About the Chairman

A former photographer and leisure services manager at Oxfordshire County Council, Cllr Baker was elected to Brackley Town Council in 2011, and later the former South Northamptonshire Council, where she served a year as Chairman. Having also served on the County Council, she was elected to WNC in 2021 as a ward member for Brackley.

Outside of her council work, Cllr Baker volunteers at Brackley Community Larder every Friday and has a passion for horses, volunteering as an assistant judge at dressage competitions. It’s something she admits she may have to drop now so many of her weekends will be taken up with her duties as Chairman of the Council.

The Chairman is a non-political, civic role that represents the council and West Northamptonshire at various events, including official functions, and chairs council meetings to ensure they are conducted in line with the Constitution.

As part of her role, Cllr Baker looks forward to meeting with local businesses, schools, community and voluntary groups, and organisations. You can use our online form to enquire about inviting the Chairman to an event.

Last updated 27 May 2026