North Londonshire?

A marketing campaign designed to attract people from London to live in Northamptonshire has been branded "insulting."

The idea is to get people from London interested in moving to places like Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough. 

The North Northants Development Corporation is behind the advertising campaign which they hope will attract people to the major housing development which are planned, or already being built, in the north of the county.  The regeneration group also hope to attract investors to the area.

Posters will feature on the Underground and adverts will go out on radio stations in London.  The posters will feature welcoming images of Northamptonshire's countryside with the slogan "welcome to North Londonshire - where you can enjoy the best of both worlds."  It's hoped people will be tempted to commute to the Capital because of cheaper house prices and the semi-rural location.

The two year campaign will cost more than a million pounds, with almost half of it being paid for with public money.

However, it's prompted a furious response in some quarters with Northamptonshire's County Council holding an emergency discussion about it - with some councillors branding it "insulting."