is at Step 7 of the English non-league pyramid. Earls Barton Stadium (locally known as the pioneer sportsground) was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium on Station Road just south of the village. It operated from the 1940s until the 1970s and also hosted Go Karting and Banger racing. "Earls Barton Motors" was home to Britain's 1957 stock car World Champion, Aubrey Leighton, who was a recognised innovator and builder of stock cars, as well as a racer. Neighbourhood Plan In 2012 the Parish Council asked for volunteers to investigate and develop a Neighbourhood Plan following the introduction of the Localism Act. A Project Group made up of local residents, elected members and a project manager with experience of planning was formed and met monthly. Following an appropriate framework, the group worked with the village residents to produce a Plan, which was adopted after a referendum. The plan was submitted to the Borough Council of Wellingborough for examination The Council integrated the Plan into planning consideration for the next twenty years. Commerce and Trade In April 2017, the closure of the last branch of a bank or building society within the village was announced. Market Harborough Building Society (MHBS) wrote to customers announcing the closure of the branch located in Jeyes of Earls Barton, stating the new 'local' branches are in Kettering or Rothwell. MHBS cited lack of footfall and transactions as people undertake more banking online as the main reason for the branch closure. In 2016 the Post Office in the village, a local sorting office and main Post Office, closed and a small branch counter opened in the Premier store on Station Road. Any collection of mail moved to the Northampton main sorting office from the branch . The closure or significant change of these branches presented the end of an era for Earls Barton; in recent history the village was home to branches of the Nationwide Building Society, Midland Bank, Barclays Bank and Lloyds Bank. In the run-up before Christmas 2016, The Old Swan closed for refurbishment and was re-opened by a local landlord; around the same period, the Saxon Tavern opened in the old Lloyds Bank branch next to E Lee Butchers on The Square. Whilst these two establishments have grown and attracted more customers, The Stag on Wellingborough Road temporarily closed and as of April 2016 has a temporary manager in place. In 2020, during