It was named after Wellingborough, its main town, but also included surrounding rural areas.

The borough covered almost the same area as the Wellingborough constituency.

The borough bordered the districts of South Northamptonshire, Northampton, Kettering, Daventry and East Northamptonshire, as well as Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, and Bedford in Bedfordshire.

In March 2018, following suspension of the County Council arising from its becoming insolvent, due to financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers, the then Secretary of State for Local Government, Sajid Javid, sent commissioner Max Caller into the council, who recommended the county council and all district and borough councils in the county be abolished, and replaced by two unitary authorities, one covering the West, and one the North of the county.

[3] Concurrent with these changes, the unparished area of Wellingborough was established as a civil parish and gained a Town Council.