Four teenage boys from Northampton, including a 14-year-old, have been charged in connection with the murder of a man in a town skatepark earlier this year.

Northants Police has said this morning that two 15-year-olds, a 14-year-old, a 17-year-old, have been charged with perverting the course of justice and possession of an offensive weapon.

The force said the four were originally arrested in February and following the charges, will appear at Wellingborough Youth Court on August 18.

Mason Miller, 20, died following the violent incident in Briar Hill Skate Park on Wednesday, February 18. A provisional inquest in March found he had died from a stab wound to his chest.

A 17-year-old boy received life-threatening injuries in the same incident.

Three other boys, two aged 16 and a 17 year old, have been charged with murder in connection with the incident with two of those also charged with attempted murder. They appeared in court earlier this summer.

Northants Police says detectives investigating Mr Miller’s death say they still want to hear from anyone who has information about the incident that happened on Wednesday, February 18.

People can call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting incident number 26000098294.

Information can also be submitted online at www.northants.police.uk/RO

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Plans to build up to 80 new homes next to a Northampton village have been recommended for approval, despite the scheme receiving 100 letters of objection from local residents.

Kislingbury Farm LLP submitted plans for the residential site on land off Upton Valley Way North, next to Pineham Village, which is a housing estate of around 559 homes to the west of Hunsbury.

The proposals will go to a meeting of West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) non-strategic planning committee next Thursday (August 6), where it is recommended that councillors rubber-stamp the 80 homes.

Documents state the homes will include a range of 2-bed and 5-bed properties across both houses and apartments, as well as the provision of 18 (22.5 per cent) affordable homes. The exact layout would be submitted during the reserved matters stage.

The application has proven controversial, with Hunsbury Meadow Parish Council objecting to the development and raising concerns about potential flooding in the area, traffic and congestion on local roads, and the strain on limited infrastructure in the area.

The site is separated from Pineham Village by a narrow green corridor of hedges and trees directly next to the properties in the Pineham development. Local residents have also objected to the scheme in numbers, as well as attaching photos they have taken of flooding incidents at the proposed housing site.

One person wrote:

“As a resident of Pineham, it concerns me greatly that it is impacting the flood defences and putting our homes and school at risk.

“Furthermore, I know many residents enjoy this walk through the country park and adding additional housing will ruin the wonderful views which many of us considered when we bought our homes here.”

Another said:

“The land in question has ALWAYS been known as a flood plain area. We are already at risk of flooding with the new industrial units being built along with the new houses that have gone up alongside us, all this water will flow directly towards our properties.

“The current proposal has nothing in place to support our local infrastructure. The local hospital is already at breaking point and our local doctors are unable to take on new patients.

“These fields are an integral part of the landscape providing glorious views and natural landscape stretching over Upton Valley Country Park. If this development was to go ahead, this would cause irreversible damage to them, the environment and the area.”

Comments from WNC’s planning policy team state that design of the housing project “must consider the nearby floodplain; mitigation is required”. However, the council’s Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) has stated that documents submitted are “satisfactory” and that it has no objections to the scheme, subject to relevant conditions on drainage and surface water discharge being met.

An earlier application in 2020 for 80 homes on the same site was also submitted by the same developer, however never made it to committee stage after it was met with concern from local residents. In 2023, when the current scheme was submitted, the applicant said that the issues of flooding had been addressed.

A report to the planning committee said benefits of the scheme include the delivery of market and affordable housing, improved walking and cycling links and contribution to the economy through investment in construction.

It concluded:

“It is considered that the benefits of the current scheme would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the identified adverse impacts when assessed against the policies.

“It is therefore the view of officers that the application should be approved subject to: the Completion of a 106-agreement securing the obligations set out above and to the conditions set out below with delegated authority to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to make any necessary amendments to conditions as deemed necessary.”

The planning meeting will take place at 4pm on August 6 at the council chamber in the Towcester Forum, and the scheme will be heard alongside a number of other planning applications.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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A pensioner who verbally abused his neighbours for four years has been fined after breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.

Kevin Lowe, of Byfield Road, Woodford Halse, was fined £307 at Northampton magistrates court on July 9 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £123 and another 85 in court costs after he breached the order which he had been given at the end of June.

Lowe had been verbally abusive and intimidating to his neighbours over several years and on July 4 and July 6 breached the conditions of the order which had banned him from contacting or communicating with them.

PC Tom Wills, from Northamptonshire Police’s Anti-Social Behaviour and Civil Orders Team, said:

“Everyone has the right to a peaceful home life and to enjoy where they live, but Kevin Lowe’s behaviour has left his neighbours often feeling too scared to leave their own homes or take part in community events.

“I am pleased that he has pleaded guilty to the breaches, but I also hope he understands the seriousness of the CBO, the strict conditions he must abide by, and the negative impact his anti-social behaviour has on others.”

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More than 6,000 people have responded to the council’s draft Local Plan, which sets out where thousands of homes, new employment areas and supporting infrastructure will likely be built over the next 20 years.

The latest consultation on the important planning document took place between January 29 and March 27, 2026. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said it had been publicised through a variety of channels including online social media posts, public posters and banners, and in-person exhibitions.

A report updating members on the responses received will go to the council’s planning policy committee next Tuesday, August 4.

In total, 6,184 respondents made submissions to the consultation – the majority of which came from members of the general public. These were handed in alongside 100 nominations for new areas to be designated as specially protected Local Green Spaces and 140 new calls for sites.

All representations received during the consultation will be considered by the authority to help shape the next stage of the plan before it goes to the government for final approval.

The current draft outlines plans for up to 47,300 new homes to be built across Northampton, Daventry, Brackley, Towcester and surrounding villages up to 2043. It also includes policies on protecting the environment, supporting the local economy, and shaping the places where we live, work, and spend time.

The record-breaking public response trumps the number of people who were reached in WNC’s previous Local Plan consultation in Spring 2024, which was not taken forward any further due to the government’s changes to national planning policy and housing targets. According to reports at the time, the 2024 consultation received just 712 responses.

The officer’s report going to committee next week highlights a number of specific housing projects across West Northamptonshire that individually received the most public feedback.

According to WNC, a policy allocating 100 homes to be built at Harlestone Firs received 3,638 individual responses that were delivered by hand by the parish council, in addition to the general consultation responses.

Other controversial projects that received a higher number of objections – and have in the past been the subject of public outrage and local campaigns – include plans for up to 300 homes at Collingtree Golf Course, 1,000 homes in Long Buckby, up to 1,000 homes on land to the north of Newport Pagnell Road, Northampton, and residential allocations to rural villages.

Cllr Thomas Manning, cabinet member for planning, previously said that the feedback will “will help us ensure that future growth is well-planned, sustainable, and reflects what matters most to local people”.

An opportunity to make representations on the next version (the Regulation 19 Plan) will be available in the autumn, subject to approval of next stages by committee. Submission of the final plan to the Secretary of State for examination is expected by December 2026.

By Nadia Lincoln

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Northants journalist Dave Phillips has a Substack newsletter and this week he published this lovely article about his introduction to fishing and gaining his first job at the Angling Times in the 1970s. You can read it here.

Country Matters with Dave Phillips

1966 And All That

Saturday July 30 1966 was – and remains – the most significant day of my life. I was ten years old and in my favourite place in the world, Hampshire’s New Forest. Every summer my parents and I would stay there for a week with my grandad. The leafy forest was a stark contrast to my home in the flat and treeless fens of West Norfolk and, best of all, Dad …

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3 days ago · 1 like · Dave Phillips

For lovers of the Nene, Dave has also written a brilliant book about the river called Valley of Dreams: The River Nene from source to sea, which follows the river as it makes its way through the county’s villages and towns. The book is packed with stories about river, has beautiful photography and can be purchased here.

NN Events

☀️The Sunflower Festival is happening at Poplar Lodge Farm, Finedon tomorrow (August 1) from 3pm -11pm. There will be music, food and hopefully sunshine.

🎼The Overstone Arms in Pytchley, is hosting its Battle of the Bands tomorrow from 3pm.

🎭 The Jungle Book is being staged outdoors at Canons Ashby tomorrow starting at 5.30pm. More info and ticket prices here.

A residential area of Northampton dubbed the town’s ‘rubbish tip’ has seen a significant increase in fly tipping, the local council has admitted.

West Northamptonshire councillor Farzana Aldridge (Lib Dem) spoke out about the illegal waste dumping issue in the Semilong ward she represents earlier this week, requesting urgent action from the council. She said rather than local residents being responsible for the situation she said the fly tipping was down to ‘planned criminal activity’ and that the situation was reaching crisis point.

Criticising the council, which uses a private contractor to clean the streets, she said:

“Rotten food is attracting flies and vermin and pedestrians are faced with walking on roads rather than walking on pavements.

“Access for people with disabilities, mobility issues or those with prams is blocked.

“This is worse than I’ve ever seen it. I’m horrified because we have come to a point where we’re genuinely at crisis.

“This level of fly-tipping is not about a very few local residents putting their rubbish out when they should not and a small number of anti-social and selfish tenants and landlords.

“There’s no way in which ten mattresses dumped across two roads are actually from local residents. This is planned criminal activity and needs to be dealt with firmly.”

In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) , the authority said fly-tipping in the area has increased significantly and that its contractor, Veolia, regularly attends Semilong to clear reported incidents.

The spokesperson added:

“There is a cleansing crew in the area at least once a week and often more frequently. The location on Baker Street was last cleared on Friday and is scheduled to be attended again.

“Neighbourhood wardens regularly patrol the area and we use reports from residents, councillors and partner organisations to identify locations that require additional attention.

“We use a range of methods to investigate and tackle fly-tipping and will take enforcement action where there is sufficient evidence. This can include surveillance measures where appropriate. CCTV can be considered in areas affected by persistent fly-tipping, but we do not discuss specific locations as this could affect ongoing investigations. We also encourage residents to share any doorbell camera, CCTV or dashcam footage that may help identify offenders.

“We would also ask residents to dispose of waste responsibly. Excess waste can be taken to a household waste recycling centre or collected through the council’s bulky waste service. Anyone paying a company to remove waste should check that it has a valid waste carrier’s licence.”

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Currently, the authority has enforcement power to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £1,000 to perpetrators of fly-tipping, and to seize vehicles which have been used in the act.

New government legislation announced in July 2026 has now increased the maximum on-the-spot fine for fly-tipping waste by fivefold to £5,000, however local authorities will retain full control over the level of fine issued in their area.

WNC has said it is currently reviewing the very recently announced changes before deciding whether it will look to will alter to existing fine levels.

Cllr Andrew Last, cabinet member for HR, corporate services and regulatory services, added:

“We would urge everyone to take some pride in their community and it is important that people only put out their rubbish on the morning it is due for collection.

“This kind of fly-tipping is absolutely unacceptable and we will be working to identify the offenders and taking action where we can.”

The issue of fly-tipping in the area is not a new phenomenon and has been plaguing residents in the area for years. In 2024, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the LDRS found that Semilong Road was the worst street for fly-tipping in the town, receiving 672 fly-tipping reports from residents over a 12 month period – meaning an illegal waste dumping incident was reported more than once a day on average.

Cllr Aldridge told the LDRS that residents are “angry and distraught” at their environment and the constant rubbish piles.

“They’ve either given up, or they’ve got real issues around their mental health and wellbeing. A couple of residents have said they just don’t want to live here anymore and that’s tragic because they are people who care about their environment.

“We want CCTV and we need high visibility wardens walking about and also looking for evidence of the culprits.

“This matter is now urgent. It is simply not acceptable that any resident in West Northamptonshire should be experiencing such degradation and neglect.”

In January this year, WNC announced that it would be trialling the use of an AI CCTV camera tower throughout 2026, with it moving across various hotspot locations in West Northants.

Last month, Crimestoppers launched a new campaign in Semilong to raise awareness of its anonymous reporting service and to encourage residents to speak up about crime affecting their community, including drug-related activity and environmental crime.

People can report litter, street cleaning and grounds maintenance issues on the council’s website here and can apply to WNC’s bulky waste collection service to get rid of large household items.

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The North unitary’s scrutiny committee has recommended plans to sell Kettering’s Corn Market Hall are put on hold until all council leisure services are brought back in-house, but has agreed with the proposed closure of Corby pool’s crèche.

A proposal to take on the management of all council-owned leisure facilities under the authority’s own NNLeisure service went to North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) place and environment scrutiny committee last night (July 28), with Green Party leader Cllr Fedorowycz successfully arguing that plans to sell off the market hall are premature.

In 2021, when NNC was first established, the new authority took on a mixed estate of leisure facilities, some of which were contracted to several external leisure operators and some already run in-house.

After two years of research into how NNC’s leisure services can provide consistency and quality for residents while ensuring affordability, a single in-house service across all the council’s leisure buildings has been recommended for when the current contracts end. Currently only the services in Corby are run in house and analysis of the performance found the in house services were far out performing the others run by private contractors.

Facilities that would return in-house under the transformation are Kettering Swimming Pool and the Corn Market Hall, Desborough Leisure Centre, Nene Leisure Centre in Thrapston, Rushden’s Pemberton Leisure Centre and Splash Leisure Pool, and Redwell Leisure Centre and Waendal Leisure Centre in Wellingborough. These are currently managed under contracts by Freedom Leisure and Places Leisure.

The Corby East Midlands International Pool, Lodge Park Sports Centre, Priors Hall Golf Course and West Glebe Sports Pavilion are currently managed by NNC, due to legacy Corby Borough Council arrangements.

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The report noted that the in-house services are already seen as ‘exemplary’ and offer more than most contractors do.

However, it also highlighted “consequences” of bringing the additional eight facilities in-house without any increase in costs within existing budgets.

Despite the Corby services currently exceeding most industry benchmarks for financial and quality performance, the proposed changes include the closure of crèche at Corby Pool, a reduction in the leisure staff working at the Corby facilities by 15 per cent, and an increase in membership prices by £2 at Corby Pool & Lodge Park Sports Centre from April 2027.

Lyn Buckingham, a former Corby councillor who spoke at the meeting, pointed out the council were praising the benefits of Corby’s business model, but also choosing to cut its services, staff, and finances “in one breath”.

Assistant director of communities and leisure, Kerry Purnell, told the chamber that the council found Corby facilities were overstaffed in comparison to others, but added there would be vacancies and opportunities for redeployment with the other facilities being brought in house in the coming year.

She also said that the crèche at the pool was costing the council tens of thousands of pounds per year, but only saw an average of six children per day using it.

“It just doesn’t stack up, unfortunately,” Ms Purnell said, “If it was much more used we’d be in a different situation, but it isn’t well-used currently.

“It’s about realigning and aligning to make sure we’re having the optimum use of the staff that we’ve got.”

Concerns were raised by Kettering Green councillor Emily Fedorowycz over plans for Corn Market Hall. The report also flagged the potential sale or commercial let of the property as a ‘consequence’ of the in-house transition due to the small number of fitness classes that take place there.

Cllr Fedorowycz said she could not support the option to sell the building as part of the report “when that hasn’t been consulted on with local people and there’s such a strong feeling that that is a bad move for this council”.

Ms Purnell said its inclusion in the report was about recognising that the hall is not currently being used as a leisure asset and is more of a community venue, and that a decision would have to be taken in the future about its purpose.

However, she clarified the in-house transition is not reliant on any projected income that would be generated from the sale and that there were no immediate plans to sell the hall. She added it would continue to be run as normal until the contract with Freedom Leisure ends in October 2027 and then be re-evaluated.

The scrutiny committee decided to recommend the Reform UK cabinet agrees a phased transition of services into council management. The cabinet will make its decision in the coming months.

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From the archive

Our archive has more than 1000 articles dating back to 2021. Visit the archive here. Here’s one of our most read

Four councillors from the ruling party on North Northamptonshire Council have come out against a major warehouse and energy park plans, which are due to be decided in the coming months.

Councillors Leon Gibbs and Councillor Maurice Eglin (both Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer), Councillor Andy Sims (Finedon) and Councillor Brendon Lovell-Moore (Geddington and Stanion) have issued a media release today to say the scale and nature of the Kettering Energy Park would cause lasting harm to the countryside and local communities.

First Renewables wants to build a solar farm plus 13 warehouse units at the site next to the existing Burton Wold Wind Farm near Burton Latimer.

An application was lodged with the council last year and since then there have been hundreds of objections from locals as well as objections from the neighbouring parish councils. An information event held earlier this week by campaigners against the proposal saw St Andrew’s Church in Kettering packed out with people.

The proposal is to create a major energy park including solar panels, battery storage, potential hydrogen infrastructure, employment land for uses such as data centres, together with new roads and electricity infrastructure. The plans also include a new access from the A510 and a connection to the national electricity grid.

Councillor Leon Gibbs said:

“This is not a small energy project. It is a large industrial development in open countryside that will permanently change the character of the landscape between Burton Latimer, Finedon and the surrounding villages. Many residents have raised concerns about the visual impact, the loss of farmland and the pressure on local roads. I cannot support the application in its current form.”

Councillor Maurice Eglin said:

“I remain concerned about the long-term impact Kettering Energy Park could have on our local communities. Before any further progress is made, there must be clear evidence that the benefits genuinely outweigh the costs to residents, our countryside and local infrastructure.”

Councillor Andy Sims said:

“Finedon and the surrounding area already face significant traffic and infrastructure pressures. Adding a development of this size without clear evidence of end users or proven benefits for local people is not acceptable. The proposals remain too speculative and the environmental costs too high.”

Councillor Brendon Lovell-Moore said:

“Although Policy 26 [of the National Planning Policy Framework] identifies the broad location, the application fails to meet the policy’s requirements and conflicts with wider local plan policies. The scheme as submitted fails to meet the policy’s requirements and conflicts with wider local plan policies designed to protect the countryside and the character of our rural communities. It is simply the wrong development in the wrong place.”

The councillor group claim that changes to the planning system since the Labour government came in in 2024 have strengthened the presumption in favour of development and placed greater weight on economic growth and infrastructure projects. They say that as a result, the balance has shifted further towards developers, making it significantly harder for local communities and elected members to successfully challenge large-scale schemes of this nature.

“In the councillors view the cards are increasingly stacked against communities,” the four councillors said in a joint statement.

“National policy now makes it much more difficult to refuse developments even where there is clear local harm. That does not mean we should simply accept every proposal. We will continue to fight for the interests of the people we represent.”

The local green party is also against the scheme.

A spokesperson said:

“This is a critical issue for North Northamptonshire. Kettering Energy Park is not just another development proposal; it reflects a broader pattern of proposals that are neither driven by local need nor public interest. It contradicts our local plan and even planning officers agree that the proposal is poor, yet by law it still has to be considered.”

Residents have until tomorrow to comment on the application and can do so on the council’s planning portal or by emailing planning@northnorthants.gov.uk.

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Northants Police has launched a Women’s Network to celebrate and connect female officers and staff across the force.

The network is going to be led by an executive committee of 15 women from across the organisation from different levels of rank and different sections of the force.

The launch event was held at Delapre Abbey in Northampton recently.

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James, Network Lead, said:

“It was an inspiring day that gave us the opportunity to come together, build new connections and play a part in shaping the future of the Network. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions. I am excited to see what we can achieve through collaborative working and by supporting one another.

“Our staff support networks play a vital role in supporting colleagues, acting as a critical friend to the organisation and helping us strengthen our relationships with the communities we serve.

“Each network makes an important contribution, and we hope the Women’s Network will help us continue to create positive change, champion equity and ensure we are providing the very best support for both our colleagues and our communities.”

Independent reviews have found entrenched sexism within the country’s police forces including in the Met police where Louise Casey found there were discriminatory behaviours.

The Met has recently insisted that all officers must declare if they are members of male only Freemasons secret organisations.

Northamptonshire Police has reviewed its policy and NN Journal understands there will be a decision shortly.

A book telling the history of a beloved Corby charity has been published.

NN Journal’s Sarah Ward has written the story behind the Lakelands Day Care Hospice, which this year marks its silver anniversary.

The charity began as an idea in the late 1980s by breast cancer survivor Jean Clark, who then mobilised the town, the villages beyond and local newspaper The Northants Telegraph to raise hundreds of thousands to open the independent charity. The book tells the many struggles Jean and her supporters had to go through to realise her dream.

Sarah said:

“Researching the history of the Lakelands has been a real pleasure and at times emotional.

“What I discovered was an incredible woman in Jean Clark, who used every ounce of her determination and fight to ensure that people who were going through their toughest times had somewhere to turn to for support.

“She and her team were determined to have an independent hospice, that was outside of NHS control, to ensure its longevity and the fact it is still thriving and helping so many people today is testament to the foundations they built.

“Along the way I have spoken to the many people involved in the effort to build the lakelands, who have shared their memories and in this book, there are many elements that are being shared for the first time.”

Jean died in 2016 and fellow founders Vic Hardy and Ray Burke. They will be remembered at the Birthday Bazaar taking place at the hospice on Sunday, July 26 from 11am to 4pm.

The book has been produced by local publisher Hickathrift Press and can be bought here. Profits go to the charity.

Northampton North MP Lucy Rigby has been given her old job back in the treasury. The MP lost out on her cabinet attending role as chief secretary to the treasury when new PM Andy Burnham was appointed this week, but has now been appointed as economic secretary to the treasury, a post she held from last September to this May.

The West unitary’s cabinet has agreed plans to sell off public space in a Northampton park and swap a prominent town centre building in return for important land in a future regeneration scheme, among other disposals.

A report went to West Northamptonshire Council’s cabinet last Thursday (July 16), asking for authorisation to sell a small area of land at Ladybridge Park as well as Albion House, on Victoria Promenade.

The proposed sales were included in a long list of other disposals of council property, which included commercial sales as well as transferring community spaces into the hands of local town and parish councils.

According to the report, Bellway Homes Limited approached the council to seek a freehold transfer of part of Ladybridge Park, as it is the only viable access route into an allocated 224-home residential site they hold to the south.

The potential housing site, which would still need planning permission, is ‘landlocked’ with no means of access to Ladybridge Drive without the use of the council land.

WNC has agreed to sell the developer the minimum amount of space needed for the access road for a minimum value of £1.5 million. Any land that is not required for the access route would then be sold back to the council for a nominal sum.

It is expected that the developer will come forward with a planning application for the site this summer. The cabinet agreed to the sale in principle, however the land would only be transferred if Bellway can build out the development and planning permission is approved.

The council was also given permission to pursue the sale of Albion House, which sits next to the St John’s multi-storey car park.

Instead of a straight sale, the report proposes swapping the multi-storey former office property for a parcel of land on the northern edge of the town centre known as East Island, which forms part of the council’s Greyfriars regeneration masterplan.

The owner of East Island is a developer of purpose-built student accommodation, Zone Developments. It previously transformed the East Island site into a new car park, however it voluntarily closed in early 2024 after it was found to be operating without planning permission.

The council report wrote:

“The development proposed on Albion House would regenerate the area and would likely see the demolition of the property and the erection of a new facility in keeping with the local area.

“It is therefore proposed to dispose of Albion House and acquire the East Island, with the difference in value between the sites being made to the council.”

It added that if the swap was not approved, it would increase the risk of WNC not being able to secure the East Island site as part of its wider regeneration works.

Cllr Keith Holland-Delamere questioned if the council was “100 per cent sure” the sale of Albion Place “will not come back to bite us”, given the site was initially bought by the borough council under the premise it could be used to extend the nearby multi-storey car park.

Executive director of place and economy, Stuart Timmiss, said it had been investigated, but that there was no way to extend the car park onto the adjacent site.

The report also stated that the council had considered other options to refurbish the building for commercial letting, or redevelop it into social housing, however both schemes were deemed unviable.

Mr Timmiss added:

“It is a prominent site on a major gateway and we are working with the developers and the university to look at the brief for that and make sure that it is something that we would be proud of.”

The LDRS contacted Zone Developments to ask what its plans are for the Albion House site if the asset swap goes ahead, but did not receive a response.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

The boss of the county’s two acute hospitals has moved on after less than two years in post. As reported by the Northants Telegraph Laura Churchward has moved on to a delivery role at a Cambridgeshire NHS trust. She had been the boss at both Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital since October 2024.

A Care Quality Commission inspection about Northampton General Hospital which was published last month, criticised the leadership.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the central region, said:

“ . . . we found leaders needed to do more to lead by example and build a positive culture across their workforce to help staff provide care and support. While there were some areas of good practice, the leadership team needs to make further improvements.

“At the time of our assessment, the trust was going through a significant transformation programme to align roles, working patterns and processes across the group. As a result, staff were confused about structures, including who their chief executive and chief nursing officer were.”

Richard Mitchell is the chief executive of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group as well as the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and has overall responsibility.

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🪅 A free family festival is being held at Glamis Hall in Wellingborough tomorrow from 10am -3pm.

🥙 The Great British Food Festival takes over Holdenby House tomorrow and Sunday.

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The running of council owned leisure services across North Northants is set to be bought back in house.

After almost two years of assessment, surveys with users and financial mapping, North Northamptonshire Council is proposing to take control of all of its leisure assets across its major towns and end the contracts with private providers.

The authority has been running leisure services in Corby since it began in 2021, as this was a legacy arrangement inherited from the former Corby Borough Council. The three other councils that were shut down to create the new unitary, in Wellingborough, East Northants, had outsourced their services to national companies including Freedom Leisure and Places Leisure.

The venues proposed to come back into local authority control are: Corn Market Hall in Kettering and the town’s swimming pool; Desborough Leisure Centre, Nene Leisure centre in Thrapston, the Pemberton Leisure Centre and Splash Leisure Pool in Rushden, Redwell Leisure Centre and Waendal Leisure Centre in Wellingborough.

The council’s investigations have found the in-house services being run in Corby are ‘exemplary’, perform better than the outsourced facilities and also offer a comprehensive active wellbeing service, which is not being offered in other facilities.

The council’s in house services currently provide a wide range of health programmes including helping people with cancer and cardiac rehabilitation and falls prevention. It has gained national recognition for a number of innovations including aquatic rehabilitation initiatives.

However despite performing the best, the report says the leisure staff working at the Corby facilities will be reduced by fifteen percent this financial year ( due to staff to income ratio modelling ), and the creche at Corby swimming pool is due to be closed. Leisure membership in Corby is also set to increase by £2 a month from April.

The matter will be discussed by the council’s place and environment scrutiny meeting on Tuesday (July 28) and officers are advising the scrutiny committee recommends to the Reform UK run cabinet that it approves the proposals.

The plan is to transfer all services back under council control over a twelve month period starting in April. By then all existing contracts will have run out.

The report, written by the council’s head of leisure services Julie Cardwell and director of communities and leisure Kerry Purnell, says that in March more than 1350 responses were received to a visioning survey, which asked residents what mattered to them.

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The report says:

“Overall, the preference was for a balanced service offer, including broad access to facilities and services; outreach and family activities across North Northamptonshire; targeted offers for inclusion groups such as disabled residents, vulnerable young people and older people; health prevention and rehabilitation services, alongside modern facilities and strong digital systems to support residents’ health and wellbeing.”

The authority had considered a hybrid approach, in which some services were brought in house and others remained with private providers, but decided it is not viable.

The report says:

“The hybrid mode, whereby Active Communities, Leisure Management functions and leisure capital programmes remain in-house, but leisure facilities in more deprived or targeted areas are in-house and the rest are outsourced through a single external contractor, was considered but has been discounted.

“This is partly due to the complexity of financial modelling required and higher risks around delivery and performance management; but primarily due to the fact that it would result in the continuation of inconsistent service, pricing and access and therefore a postcode lottery for residents. The visioning survey made it really clear that a universal and consistent offer is what our residents want to see.”

The report says the leisure service cost £3.575m to run last year and generated an income of £10m, with 40 per cent of the income coming from swimming lessons.

Residents will be able to access any centre under a membership contract and there will be one fixed price for membership introduced in April 2028. Care leavers, foster carers and their young people and serving armed forces personnel, veterans and high level sports performers will get free provision under a new concessions arrangement.

As part of the plans the Corn Market Hall in London Road, Kettering could be sold off or used for let for commercial use.

Read the report in full here.

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The interim boss at West Northants Council is set to take on the role permanently after winning over councillors on the senior appointments committee.

Martin Henry, who is the council’s finance boss and deputy chief executive, has been acting as the interim chief executive since October last year after long standing boss Anna Earnshaw departed shortly after Reform UK took control of the authority.

Henry, who was the finance boss at the former South Northamptonshire Council, became head of finance at WNC when it was formed in 2021.

He will be formally appointed to the role when the full council next meets on August 13.

An announcement by the authority this afternoon said:

“Having joined WNC from the beginning as finance executive director and ehief financial officer, Martin has played an integral role in shaping the young unitary council, driving forward service improvements and efficiencies and navigating the authority’s significant financial challenges.

“With extensive leadership experience in local government spanning more than 30 years, Martin has previously held roles at every type of local authority and at several authorities across Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire. Martin also worked previously at the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, and in the private sector as director at Capita.

“Martin takes the reins as the council heads into its next chapter, with a focus on key priorities including accelerating place-shaping and regeneration to drive economic growth and investment, major service transformation including the in-house transition of housing and waste services and maintaining financial sustainability in the challenging public sector environment.”

Mr Henry was been selected for the role by the council’s senior appointments committee, which met last Friday. A first round of recruitment last December, which drew in 106 applicants, was abandoned after the committee could not decide on a candidate. A FOI by the local democracy reporting service, discovered the recruitment round cost the authority £32,000. The council says the second round of recruitment involved a ‘refocused’ approach and took place across June and July.

Council leader Mark Arnull said:

“I am delighted that Martin has been selected as our new chief executive. His leadership over the past eight months has already ensured stability and significant improvements across the organisation

“We received a real breadth of strong and high quality applications during this second round of recruitment and were pleased to see Martin’s application among them. Having carefully interviewed and considered a strong field of candidates, the committee was clear in its decision that Martin was the ideal choice to lead the council into its next chapter.”

“Moving forward our focus is firmly on place leadership – working with communities, partners and businesses to shape a stronger future for the area. With a proven track record, deep understanding of the organisation and a passion for West Northamptonshire, Martin is ideally placed to lead us on this journey.”

Martin Henry said:

“I am extremely proud and honoured to be selected as chief executive for a council and a place that I care so deeply and passionately about. West Northamptonshire is where I went to school, is my home and my community and I will be tireless in my work and commitment to improving outcomes wherever possible for everyone living and working here.

“There are exciting and ambitious times ahead for West Northamptonshire and, working with our partners and communities I will hit the ground running as we move into this next crucial chapter for our council.”

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Northampton North MP Lucy Rigby has lost her government cabinet position.

Labour MP Lucy Rigby, who was appointed by former PM Keir Starmer to the chief secretary to the treasury in May, followed big Labour names such as former chancellor Rachel Reeves, housing secretary Steve Reed and justice secretary David Lammy, on returning to the back benches.

New PM Andy Burnham, who was appointed Prime Minister yesterday after Keir Starmer stepped down after losing the support of his party, installed a new government that did not include Lucy Rigby.

She was one of five novice Labour MP’s elected in Northants in July 2024, and had the fastest ascent of them all, first becoming solicitor general (which involved being given a Kings Counsel title) in December 2024 and then becoming economic secretary to the treasury in September last year before the recent promotion to the role she departed yesterday.

Lucy Rigby has been replaced by Emma Reynolds. On X the Northampton North MP said she was delighted for her friend.

John Healy has been appointed as chancellor with Ed Miliband appointed as foreign secretary. A number of high profile women from the north of England, including former deputy leader Angela Rayner have been appointed to the new PM’s cabinet.

Andy Burnham, who was the mayor of Manchester until recently, has promised to shake up the government, and says there will be a new ten year plan, which will involve more council house building and a pledge to end rough sleeping. He said he would ‘put the care of people’ at the heart of everything he does.

The party is hoping the Burnham leadership will impact the prospects of Reform UK, who have been surging in the polls for many months, although have taken a dip recently after revelations about leader Nigel Farage’s £5m gift from a Thai based crypto billionaire.

Northants has two Reform UK run councils, which have been in power for a year. However, as NN Journal has reported the councils have not had been able to settle the finances, with both councils posting the biggest ever overspends since the unitaries were created in 2021.

There has also been some turbulence in the party with both West and North losing councillors to other political parties.

Yesterday the North Reform UK group announced Thrapston councillor Joseph Garner had quit to become independent. Former Reform UK councillor turned independent Joanne Blythe announced last week that she was joining Restore UK along with Cameron Emery who had previously been Reform.

* The day after this article was published Lucy Rigby was given back her old job and is now economic secretary to the treasury.

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A 21 year old has been arrested on suspicion of killing a teenager in Northampton.

Police said this afternoon that the man remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder last night. Three other people, two men aged 56 and 19 and a woman, 51, have also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The teenager died at an address in Adnitt Road, in the Abington area of Northampton on Tuesday evening after being stabbed. The emergency services attended and members of the public tried to help but the boy, who has not been named, sadly died at the scene.

Police have said a post mortem has concluded the boy died of a stab wound.

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan Catling, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said:

“As people would expect, we have been working around the clock since Tuesday evening to establish what happened in Adnitt Road and who was responsible.

“This is a complex investigation which has seen us conduct warrants at a number of addresses in Northampton, including in Salcey Street and Thorn Hill Walk, while also speaking to witnesses, interrogate CCTV footage and search locations of interest.

“A post-mortem examination has taken place and concluded the 16-year-old boy died as a result of a stab wound.”

Members of the public who may have any information about the incident and who haven’t already done so are being encouraged to contact the police.

DCI Catling added:

“I understand this is a concerning time for residents, and I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Our investigation is progressing, but we would still like to hear from anyone who was in the area near Adnitt Road between 6.30pm and 7pm on Tuesday, July 7, and saw anyone acting suspiciously.

“Please don’t assume someone else has told us what you know, we would rather receive the same information multiple times than not at all.

“We would also like anyone who was driving in the area at the time and has dash cam footage to please share it with us.”

Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

This is the second murder in the town in a week.

Paul Hughes, 59 died after being seriously assaulted at town centre pub The Old Bank in the early hours of Sunday.

Louie Oliver, 22, of Holdout Lane, Sywell, has been charged with his murder and appeared at the town’s magistrates court on Wednesday.

Paul’s adult sons Ieuan and Iestyn and their mother, Samantha, who was with him when he died in hospital, said:

“He was everything you’d want a dad to be. He adored us and always actively supported and enabled us in whatever we did. He loved us wholly, with all his heart, and we felt it. Whether it was the early Sunday morning drives to sports team training or spoiling us on birthdays or taking us on adventures, he was always our biggest supporter.

“Our dad had a massive heart. His love and care knew no limits, and he was fiercely loyal to those he called friends or family. He was selfless and generous, and even after his death, he continued giving by donating his kidneys and liver to change the lives of people he would never get to meet.

“Dad was very active his entire life. He made lifelong friends at Dallington Country Club and played many rugby games for Northampton Casuals and Mens Own, earning himself quite a reputation and the nickname ‘Spit’.

“We want to thank everyone who has reached out offering support, condolences, or sharing memories of Dad with us since his death. They have been a great source of comfort and seeing how loved he is by so many people is in equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking.”

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Corby is in the running to become the UK’s first Town of Culture.

The former steel town will now, along with the other 14 shortlisted finalists, receive £60,000 to work up a full bid. 400 towns entered the competition, with Northampton also putting in a bid but failing to get through to the next stage.

Corby is in the small town’s category along with Stockton, Strabane, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown and Ilfracombe.

There are also medium and large town categories, with a finalist selected from each and an overall winner announced next year.

The vice chancellor of Northampton’s financially under pressure university has penned an open letter to MPs and council leaders to highlight the benefit of international students.

Anne-Marie Kilday, who has been in charge since August 2022, has appealed to the politicians to engage with her organisation about policies which could affect student numbers.

She said analysis had indicated that international students contribute a net economic benefit of around £149m due to spending locally.

The number of international students coming to the UK has dropped significantly in recent years due to restrictive government immigration policies, which is leading to many universities suffering financially, having to cut back courses and lay off staff.

The University of Northampton is currently consulting on redundancy for an undisclosed number of staff.

Ms Kilday said:

“At a time when economic growth and strong public finances are national priorities, it is important that policy decisions affecting international students are informed by evidence demonstrating that they are net contributors to the UK economy, supporting employment, local businesses and world-class universities across the country.

“I therefore encourage all Members of Parliament and Council Leaders to continue engaging with universities, businesses and sector stakeholders to ensure that future immigration and higher education policies recognise and support the economic and social contribution made by international students.

“Northamptonshire benefits from being part of a globally connected higher education sector. By continuing to welcome talented students from around the world, we can strengthen economic growth, develop future skills, support local employers and reinforce the UK’s reputation as a leading destination for education, research and innovation. I hope that we can work together to ensure these opportunities continue to benefit our County and our country in the years ahead.

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Anglian Water has today announced a temporary hosepipe ban.

The water company says it is in response to a lack of rain and the reservoirs being at low levels. The ban applies to domestic use of hosepipes for activities such as filling pools and hot tubs, washing cars, windows and watering the garden.

A man who helped expose Northamptonshire chief constable’s CV lies, has died.
Simon Tilley, 45, who was convicted last month on a child sex offence charge, was found dead at a Corby hotel on Friday, July 3.
He was convicted at Stafford Crown Court and had always protested his innocence.

In 2021 he had shared an image with a boy who the trial was told he believed was 13, but who was an undercover officer.

Northants Police then say he began a stalking and harassment campaign against a number of officers to try and ‘derail’ the criminal prosecution. Tilley was also found guilty of stalking and perverting the course of justice.

He had been due to be sentenced in September.

His family paid tribute to him on social media and said they were struggling to come to terms with losing someone who meant so much to them.

The sale of the Northampton Guildhall extension to the town council is still under discussion.

Last summer, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) advertised the modern Guildhall extension for sale and told Northampton Town Council (NTC) it must move out of its civic home. In November NTC agreed in principle to purchase a long-term headlease of the extension, subject to further work on feasibility and costings.

A confidential report, which went to the town council’s policy and finance committee on Wednesday set out the draft Heads of Terms for the lease of part of the historic Guildhall, where the town council currently operates from in the lower west wing and the upstairs court room, and the entire Guildhall extension.

According to the discussion, the town council has been offered a 250-year lease on the historic Guildhall space at a peppercorn rent, but would have to pay a service charge and contribute to a sink fund alongside WNC to cover the costs of any major external building repairs. A break clause for NTC on the historic building is also included.

The modern extension has also been offered to the town council on a 250-year headlease. The exact cost of this purchase was not revealed at the meeting, but the town clerk said that NTC would be “paying premium” for complete control over the use of the three-storey building, central courtyard and underground car parking.

Previous town council reports stated that the likely purchase figure for the extension was reported as £1.2 million.

It was suggested that the ground floor of the extension would be used as a community hub and town council space, supplemented by offering commercial and office space for local businesses and groups upstairs.

Town councillor Andy Kilbride told the meeting that he had “big concerns” about NTC taking over the Guildhall in its entirety.

He added:

“Morally, I find it wrong that the people of Northampton paid for the Guildhall, then it was gifted to West Northants Council for us to then pay a substantial amount for the lease for 250 years.”

Cllr Taylor Cowley-Coulton also said residents should be consulted on the plans: “After this stage, when we’ve got full costings, we need to go to residents and say do you want this or not, because at the end of the day, potentially there’s a chance that we could take on significant debt because of this.”

The town council agreed to continue with the purchase of the Guildhall space, with the town clerk saying it would “kick start” further work of creating a business plan and procuring condition surveys of the buildings.

It was stressed that it is not a binding decision and that the town council will reconvene to fully approve the leases and enter into agreements with WNC once full costings are known.

A financial update report, written by WNC cabinet member Cllr John Slope, going to full council on Monday also references the sale of the Guildhall extension.

Though it states that the Heads of Terms are being actively negotiated with NTC, it also offers a backup option that “should this not progress, there are commercial parties with good interest”, or an option to use the building for commissioned service delivery.

Previous listings for the building when it was being marketed for sale said it had a “diverse range” of potential uses, such as a boutique hotel operator, an events venue, residential, restaurant, or office accommodation.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Plans to build a large solar site on farmland just outside Northampton are set for approval.

The 78-acre site, which is set in a large field, is located near the village of Preston Deanery and around 200 metres south of the Brackmills Industrial estate. If approved, the solar farm would contain 48,802 panels, 10 power stations, and a grid connection point.

According to the plans, this would generate approximately 26.597 megawatts of electricity.

The proposals will go before West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) strategic planning committee at a meeting on Tuesday, July 14. Though planning officers have recommended that the committee grant permission, it will be down to councillors to weigh up the benefits and harms of the scheme and decide whether it should be allowed.

Just one objection from a member of the public has been submitted to the scheme, questioning whether a badger survey had been undertaken on the fields.

The applicant, Grange Farm Partnership, said:

“The proposal would provide a clean, renewable and sustainable form of electricity. This is a public benefit which should be afforded significant weight in the planning balance.

“Gain would be provided through the generation of local electricity that would be connected directly to the local grid, with the proposals reducing reliance upon overseas energy sources in line with government directives.”

It also said the development would provide employment and opportunities for local businesses contracted to build out the site during construction.

Officers said the site would deliver a significant renewable energy scheme which would make a meaningful contribution towards national and local objectives, improve energy security and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

“Whilst the proposal would result in localised landscape and visual harm and the temporary loss of agricultural land from crop production, these impacts are not considered to be unacceptable and can be appropriately mitigated,” the report added.

“When weighed against the substantial public benefits arising from the generation of renewable energy, biodiversity enhancements and the contribution towards achieving national net zero objectives, officers conclude that the benefits of the proposal decisively outweigh the identified harms.”

The report also highlights a time-limit condition on the use of the field, stating that permission for the site to be used as a solar farm will expire 40 years after electricity is first exported to the grid.

WNC’s strategic planning committee will meet at 2pm on July 14 at the Towcester Forum to determine the application.

By Nadia Lincoln

NN Events

🍎 The Northamptonshire Biodiversity & Regenerative Food Festival is taking place for the first time at Beckets Park, Northampton tomorrow (July 11) from 10.30am to 4pm. The free event will feature produce from organic bakers and makers.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The annual Corby Highland Gathering is being held this weekend in Corby’s old village. Entry is £5.

🪏Volunteers can help test Corby’s soil and water tomorrow (July 11) as charity Earthwatch Europe is hosting another citizen science event to test for heavy metals. Anyone interested should attend Weldon Village Hall for 10.30am and can register here.

NN Journal is taking a week break for a short holiday. We will be back the week after, with some extra stories to make up for the downtime.

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Former bailiff Michael Thompson has today been convicted of killing his wife Kim.

He raped and then suffocated his wife of 19 years at their Northampton home before staging the murder scene to make it appear that Kim had taken her own life.

What NN Journal can now report is there is suspicion that Thompson may also have killed his first partner Rhonda Anderson 25 years earlier. However despite opening a murder investigation into Rhonda’s 2000 death at the end of last year Northants Police did not charge Thompson for her killing due to ‘insufficient evidence’.

Rhonda, known to friends as Roni, was the mother of Thompson’s two elder children Sasha and Sebastian, and died after she was electrocuted in a bath at her home in Hembury Place in the Briar Hill area of Northampton on July 8 2000. The children were just six and eight at the time of their mother’s death. Rhonda was found after friends and relatives broke into the home after trying to call her on the phone.

A former shop worker, an inquest carried out into her death by Northants coroner Anne Pember in October 2000 ruled her death was accidental, with reports from the time saying the coroner stated Rhonda had been ‘extremely foolish in the extreme’ to take an electric radio into the bath with her.

But after Kim’s death and suspected murder, Northants Police decided to reinvestigate Rhonda’s death and launched a murder inquiry.

The Crown Prosecution Service had wanted to tell the jury about the circumstances of Rhonda’s death, but after legal arguments before the start of the trial, Judge Shant ruled against it.

Thompson’s barrister Jonas Hankins KC argued it would be difficult to contrive a more prejudicial piece of information to put before jurors and said the notion the jury would not speculate if told about Rhonda’s death was ‘fanciful’.

So a reporting restriction was put in place which prevented the media from reporting the circumstances of Rhonda’s death.

On his conviction today, the restriction has been lifted and we are now able to report the details.

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‘Kimberley told me that he killed his first wife.’

During the trial a number of friends of Kim, who gave evidence under oath, told the jury about what they knew of the Thompson’s marriage. They said Kim was scared of her husband, who beat and raped her and had considering leaving, but did not do so as he threatened to kill her and hurt her family.

What they were not allowed to say, and what they were actively steered away from, was the things Kim had said about her husband’s previous relationship with Rhonda.

In legal submissions that were ruled inadmissible, but can now be reported, Kim’s friend from secondary school Annette Collins said in her police interview that Kim had confided in her about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Thompson.

She said:

“This was the first time that Kim told me the extent of what was happening. Kim told me that he said to her that if she ever left that Thompson would kill her.

“Kimberley told me that he killed his first wife. Kim told me Michael told her he did it.

“All I can say is what Kim told me.”

On the witness stand, a visibly upset Mrs Collins told the jury:

“He had threatened to kill her so many times, it just became normal. It just became a normal part of the conversation [between her and Kim].”

She told the court that Kim had told her that her husband had warned her that if she went to the police or went to friends for help he would kill her. She said after a time when Kim said she had been raped by Thompson, she begged her to go to the police, but Kim was too scared to.

She told her friend Thompson would not go to prison if he killed her because ‘he is not going to do it in a way he will get caught. It will be an accident or something like that.’

According to Mrs Collins, Thompson had told his wife he had looked after his children on his own before and even if he did not manage to kill her she would be ‘eating through a straw’ for the rest of her life.

Another friend from Kim’s teenage years, Danielle Harrison said similar things in her police interview, said the crown prosecutor in their legal submissions.

She said:

“Kim would tell me that people were telling her that Thompson had killed his first wife because she had tried to leave him.

She said her friend did not believe it because Thompson had an alibi - he had taken the children swimming on the day of Rhonda’s death. In her interview she said sometime between 2012 and 2014 Kim had told her that ‘that if anything was ever to happen to her, it was Thompson.

“If I ever leave him he will kill me and get away with it as he did before.”

Work colleague Hyancith Francis told police in her interview that Thompson had said he would ‘do time’ and kill her. She said Thompson had been questioned over his first wife’s death (Thompson and Rhonda were not married) and said there was a ‘question mark hanging over whether he had killed her or not.’

Police statement

The media had been briefed by Northants Police back in December about the investigation into Rhonda’s death, but had been prevented from reporting any details in case it prejudiced the Kim Thompson murder trial.

DCI Torie Harrison for Northamptonshire Police said today in a released statement:

“Early in our investigation into Kim’s death we were told of the death of Michael Thompson’s former partner Rhonda Anderson, 29, who died in July 2000.

“Rhonda’s death had been investigated at the time, and an inquest ruled it was accidental. However, after concerns were raised about the circumstances of Rhonda’s death and in light of what happened to Kim, we launched a fresh murder investigation.

“As part of our enquiries we arrested Michael Thompson, 56, on suspicion of murder.

“We also revisited reports from 25 years ago and issued a fresh appeal for anyone who may have known Rhonda at the time to contact us.

“This work has now concluded, and it has been determined there is insufficient evidence to take the investigation further, with no further action being taken against Michael Thompson.”

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Our story from earlier has been updated with police released audio of Thompson’s call to the emergency services after he killed his wife

Michael Thompson has been convicted of killing his wife Kimberley at their Northampton home.

Just before 11am the jury at Nottingham Crown Court delivered its verdict ruling that the former bouncer had raped and killed his younger wife at their Pinewood Avenue home and then tried to pervert the course of justice by covering up her death by staging a fake suicide.

During six weeks of evidence, the murder trial revealed the controlling and coercive marriage that civil servant Kim Thompson, 43, was trapped within for almost two decades.

After hoping for years to escape her marriage - she referred herself to a domestic abuse centre in Northampton more than a decade ago but then retracted her statement - in the summer of last year it appeared that civil servant Kim, who worked at the courts centre in Northampton, was on the cusp of getting away from her domestic tormentor.

But after finding out about her new partner and hearing she wanted a bigger financial settlement in their divorce, Thompson, 56, who had two children with Kim as well as two children by an earlier relationship, on the hot summer night of August 9, decided to kill his wife.

Sometime after midnight he went downstairs to their daughter’s room where Kim was sleeping on a makeshift mattress and after raping her he then suffocated her.

He then went around the house gathering family photographs - including a montage of her dead sister and their wedding photograph - and propped them around the bed. He took pills for the medicine box and put them by her bedside as well as two alcohol bottles. He messaged his daughter from his wife’s phone and gained access to his wife’s social media account, changing her relationship status to married and writing a fake status post from Kim saying that she had drunk too much.

He then callously called the emergency services saying he had found his wife when he went downstairs in the early hours and she was not breathing. He claimed they had had sex a couple of hours earlier after Kim had messaged him asking for sex.

According to the prosecution, the police who attended the home in the early morning hours swallowed his story and Thompson was left to clean up the murder scene. It was only after concerned friends and family rang the alarm bell that he was taken in by police for questioning and several weeks after his wife’s death he was charged with her rape and murder.

During the trial Thompson, who did not give evidence, attempted to smear the memory of his wife. In police evidence he called her a pathological liar and said she was obsessed with getting attention from other men. He said she had gaslit him and told friends untrue stories about what he did to her.

But he had been recording her in the years before her death, hiding hidden cameras around the home to spy on her.

Throughout the trial many friends and family of Kim’s had given evidence on the stand about the Thompson’s marriage and how former Michael Thompson had controlled and coerced his hardworking wife. They said she was happy and outgoing before she met him but soon became anxious and thin, losing her athletic figure.

Thompson, who was working in a warehouse at the time of his arrest, will be sentenced next week. He was found guilty of murder, rape and two counts of perverting the course of justice. The jury deliberated for 11 and a half hours before coming to its verdict.

Detective Chief Inspector Torie Harrison, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, led the investigation into Kim’s murder.

She said today after the verdict:

“I hope today provides Kim’s family and friends with some comfort.

“It became clear throughout our investigation that Kim had been subjected to domestic abuse for much of her relationship with Thompson, with manipulation, coercive control, and physical violence the norm.

“Over the years Thompson stripped Kim’s confidence away but in the time since their separation, friends and family began to see the old Kim re-emerging with a renewed enthusiasm for life.”

In addition to being found guilty of the rape and murder of Kim, Thompson was also found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice, one for covering up the rape, the other for covering up her murder.

DCI Harrison added:

“Not only did Thompson brutally rape and murder Kim, he took the time to stage her death in order to make people believe she had committed suicide before calling for help.

“I have no doubt these actions caused further upset to Kim’s loved ones, who have shown an enormous amount of grace and dignity throughout our investigation and during the trial.”

DCI Harrison said:

“The level of abuse Kim was subjected to over the last two decades was horrific, and I want to take this opportunity to say to anyone who may be living a similar life that help is available.

“We have specialist police officers who work with survivors of domestic abuse, including coercive control and physical abuse, and there are other organisations that also offer support and practical help if you don’t want to speak to the police.

“My plea to anyone who finds themself in this situation is to please ask for help, no one will judge you, but we can help you take that first step to becoming safe.”

If you need our help, please ring 101 or in an emergency – 999. If you would prefer to report online, you can visit www.northants.police.uk/ro.

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713. Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.

If you have been a victim of a domestic abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

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Listen to the call Thompson made to the emergency services after he killed his wife

Previous coverage of the trial

Northampton murder trial” ‘I can’t wake my wife up’

Northampton mum murdered in home by husband who then tried to fake her suicide, court hears

‘If anything happens to me, please know it was him’

Northampton murder trial: Kim Thompson’s colleague tells jury accused husband strangled her

Murder accused threatened to tamper with estranged wife’s car brakes, court hears

Pathologist tells jury he believes Kimberley Thompson died by suffocation

Unhappy domestic life of Thompsons revealed in texts and messages

By Sarah Ward

Northamptonshire’s children’s services have been rated as good by government inspectors.

In a report published this morning, Ofsted, has rated the service as having outstanding leadership and good in how it protects and cares for children.

Inspectors found the service, which is run by an independent trust outside of local authority management, had ‘significantly improved’ since the last inspection four years ago.

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The report said:

“Senior leaders across North Northamptonshire Council and NCT [Northamptonshire Children’s Trust] have committed financial investment and driven and embedded substantial improvements in services for children and families.

“Outstanding leadership has had a transformational impact on workforce stability and has developed a relational culture that has resulted in significantly improved circumstances for children and families.

“Mature and highly effective relationships across both councils, NCT and safeguarding partners are keeping children safer and helping them make positive progress.”

The new family hubs which operate in a number of towns across the county were praised and it said that the multi agency safeguarding hub (MASH) which receives initial concerns about children, timely and effective responses were made. This is in stark contrast to previous times, when the MASH had come under severe criticism.

The out of hours emergency duty team was judged to be effective and social work assessments were praised for clearly outlining children’s needs.

It said most children under child protection plans benefit from multidiciplinary interventions, which were ‘purposeful’.

It said since the last inspection there had been significant improvement in the response to children who go missing from care, with a new team set up and a child exploitation hub, praised.

Inspectors found unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are well supported by knowledgeable social workers.

Areas highlighted for improvement include better support plans for children in need and disabled children and better communication of the local offer for care leavers.

Colin Foster, chief executive of Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the enormous progress made by colleagues and partners over recent years.

“To achieve a Good judgement, with Outstanding leadership, reflects the dedication and commitment of everyone working to improve the lives of children and families across Northamptonshire. We are particularly pleased that Ofsted recognised the strength of relationships between our workforce and the children they support.

“Our practitioners work hard to build trusted, enduring relationships through consistency, honesty and compassion, and it is encouraging that children themselves spoke positively about the support they receive and the ambition workers have for their futures. While we are proud of this outcome, we remain committed to continuous improvement and will continue working with our partners to ensure every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive.”

The leadership was rated as outstanding, with praise given to how it works with the political leadership and it praised ‘seamless’ working between Reform UK run West and North authorities.

The North unitary has this week appointed acting director of children services Cornelia Andrecut on a permanent basis and Ofsted inspectors praised her appointment as a ‘catalyst for improvement’.

Children’s services were put into a trust back in 2021, on government orders after the collapse of the former county council. At one stage there was a children’s commissioner appointed to oversee improvements, as the service had serious failings and two children Dylan Tiffin Brown and Eve Rose Muggleton, who were known to social services died at the hands of their parental carer.

The improvements cited by Ofsted have come at a cost. Since its inception the trust has over run financially every year, with the two unitary authorities, which fund it, having to find millions extra each year to fund it.

As reported by the local Democracy Reporting Service, children’s services in Northants now costs almost double what they did three years ago, with an annual spend of £213m.

This year the overspend was around £30m.

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Earlier articles from us on this issue

The long running attempt to restore and develop the grounds of a Northants Grade II listed hall have moved forward with part of the plans approved this week.

Fairline Homes went to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) yesterday (July 2) to seek approval to restore part of Overstone Hall, which has twice been subjected to arsons since the millennium.

The current proposals are three linked applications which set out how the remaining facades of the hall could be repaired and retained, alongside a conversion of part of the main building into 19 apartments, and permission to build a further 77 homes on the hall’s associated gardens to help fund the project.

WNC’s planning officers recommended that the strategic planning committee, made up of elected councillors, refuse all applications due to the works being seen as causing a high level of further harm to and resulting in loss of significance of the hall. However after a vote the first application (for the 19 apartments) was approved.

The first application sought part restoration of the hall to create 19 apartments, accommodated within the ground, first and second floor. Part of the fire-ravaged structure would also be demolished, with the applicant saying the remainder of the east elevation, service wing, the 1930s refectory extension, and south wing would be lost.

Another application to build 57 apartments across four blocks and a further 20 houses on land next to the hall, was also discussed during the almost four hours of debate on the series of proposals.

Objections from heritage experts raised concerns that the scheme would cause unnecessary damage to one of Northamptonshire’s most significant historic buildings. Questions over whether there was enough documentation to justify the demolition of certain aspects of the building, such as the south wing, were also mentioned in the report.

The historic buildings & places team also accused the enabling development, consisting of four apartment blocks, of having “a lack of ambition in the design” and therefore looking like “an airport hotel, rather than a structure that would be appropriate in a country house setting”.

Both reports said each application had also received 95 objections from members of the public.

At the meeting, the case officer for the project told members that planning staff were not convinced that the proposal would sustain or reinforce sufficient heritage value.

However, councillors questioned if there were any other realistic prospects for salvaging the hall, given its current condition after being badly damaged by fire in 2001 and its state of disrepair being accelerated by recent vandalism and another blaze in 2023.

Previous applications to restore the hall in 2018 and provide 16 residential units in the property were also partially approved, but works never started, as a secondary application requesting permission to build 60 extra homes on the rest of the site to fund the restoration works were refused.

Speaking on behalf of Fairline Homes, agent Peter Frampton told the committee that their proposal was “the only show in town” to secure the restoration of the building. He also said that suggestions that it could be saved in any other way than enabling development were “simply unrealistic” and “wishful thinking”.

“We do not accept that the consequence of these works to the significance of the hall as a ruin today is that its significance will be vitiated,” he added.

“After a quarter of a century of dereliction and decay and the hall being subject to a major arson attack, regular break-ins – some 67 this year, with police no longer willing to attend – it’s time for positive conservation to take place.”

Cllr Adrian Little (Reform UK) said:

“We’re in a position now where if we don’t do anything, it may get to the stage where the fabric of the building is so deteriorated that there’s no chance of salvaging it.”

Councillors were reminded by officers that even if they were minded to accept the scheme so the building could benefit from some form of restoration, there were still outstanding issues relating to a lack of information on access, highways and ecological matters that had to be assessed.

A motion to defer the application to resolve the outstanding issues before granting permission for the restoration of the main hall fell. The committee ultimately approved the first application – which included the 19 flats – in full, alongside the necessary Listed Building Consent.

However, the same outstanding matters and concerns from the WNC highways team were all at play once again in the enabling application for the 77 homes.

Cllr Sally Keeble raised concerns about road safety at the junction leading down to the hall.

She said:

“This isn’t about having a nice little lane down to a rural area, this is a public highway traffic junction which has got bad sightlines and which is hemmed in on either side by buildings – and it’s one that leads into a road which has already got pretty nightmarish traffic.

“I put the safety of the people and the kids using that main road above the interests of a building, however valuable.”

Officers again recommended that, if the committee were leaning towards approval, a ‘positive deferral’ of the project be made so that further considerations around highways, ecology, flood risk and alternative designs for the apartment blocks could be considered.

Ten councillors voted to defer the second part of the project, with one abstention. It will now have to return to the planning committee with further requested details before full permission can be granted.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Other news

The jury in the Kimberley Thompson murder trial was sent out to consider its verdict this morning.
Kimberley’s husband Michael Thompson, 56, of Pinewood Road, Northampton is accused of killing and raping his wife at the family home on August 9 this year. He is also charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice by attempting to conceal his crimes. He denies all charges.
The six-week trial has been held at Nottingham Crown Court.

Thousands of people have been issued refunds totalling more than £50,000 after residents were wrongly charged for parking after a procedural error made by West Northamptonshire Council.

WNC said it would refund anyone who parked in one of its off-street car parks in Northampton town centre during a period in April, when it incorrectly raised fees, removed a period of free parking at weekends, and charged blue badge holders without carrying out a statutory public consultation.

At the time, the council said that most refunds would be made automatically for card and app payments, but drivers who paid in cash and blue badge holders needed to complete a short online refund form. Any Penalty Charge Notices issued in the affected car parks were also cancelled, with paid notices refunded automatically.

According to a freedom of information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council issued £50,928 in refunds from over 42,000 transactions over the period. That’s an average of £.120 returned to every motorist who made a claim or was automatically repaid for their parking.

The administrative blunder cost the council £5,100 to issue refunds through the payment service providers.

Further research by the LDRS also found that the council lost out on an estimated £37k in income in the aftermath of the parking charges mistake. This was as a result of the council blocking off payment machines in its car parks for five full days (between April 26 and 30) whilst it stopped charging for parking after realising its error.

The council then reverted to charging pre-April fees in order to carry out the statutory consultation and ensure it was following proper process. This has been in place since May 1.

WNC confirmed yesterday (July 1) that it will not reintroduce parking charges for Blue Badge holders and for visitors to Northampton’s country parks following undertaking the necessary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation and saying it had listened to “further public feedback”.

However, revised parking charges at Albion Place, Campbell Square, Midsummer Meadow, The Ridings, St John’s Multi-Storey, Upper Mounts, Wellington Street, Claret car park and Sixfields Reservoir will still stand, the council has said. Weekend and bank holiday charges will also be re-introduced, with the changes taking effect from 1 August 2026.

Full information will be available shortly on the WNC website car parking pages.

The LDRS contacted the council for comment on the cost of the refund process.

We also asked West Northants if the nearly £90k in lost revenue and £5k processing refund fee will impact council budgets for 2026/27, given that it had set a balanced budget based on the increased income generation, and what its plans were to rectify this to stay on budget.

A WNC spokesman said that as the council had to revert back to the previous charging scheme “there will clearly be an impact on the finances”.

“This will be picked up and reported on as part of our normal in-year budget monitoring processes,” they added.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

A 21-year-old drug dealer has been convicted of trying to murder a teenager in a Corby woodland.

Matas Sukatis, who ran a drug line in the town, was found guilty on Thursday in a majority verdict (10-2) of attempting to kill the 17- year-old on April 11 last year. The trial at Northampton crown court had lasted a month.

Sukatis shot the boy in the back and then tried to end his life by attempting to fire twice at his head as the teenager lay injured in the Corby woodland close to the town’s swimming pool.

Sukatis, of Chaucer Close, Corby, who will be sentenced in September, stabbed the boy in the leg after inflicting the serious damage which required the boy to have a bullet removed from a vertebra.

He handed himself into police three days after the attack, but attempted to escape the country and was detained by police at a London airport.

Speaking after the verdict, Detective Sergeant Megan Scotney, who led the North CID Team investigation said:

“Matas Sukaitis showed no regard for others around him, causing utmost fear by discharging a firearm in such a popular public place during a sunny afternoon.

“I have no doubt that Sukaitis’ intention was to kill his teenage victim, and it was extremely fortunate that the firearm jammed as he attempted to shoot the boy at point blank range. If it hadn’t, he would have been facing a murder charge.

“Fortunately, the use of firearms remains rare within our communities but tackling serious violence remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and I am grateful to the jury for returning a guilty verdict and ensuring justice has been served.”

Sukaitis, formerly of Chaucer Close in Corby, will be sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on September 18.

A Northants based NHS mental health trust will take over the care of patients at St Andrew’s Healthcare.

NHFT, which is led by Angela Hillery, will step into the breach, following a series of scandals and poor care at the Northampton based hospital complex.

NHS bosses ordered the removal of all patients earlier this year, although there has been criticism of the progress and now a number of patients will remain, under the care of NHFT.

The agreement includes medium and low secure care, the national D/deaf service and acquired brain injury services, alongside care for a number of other patients where this is needed to support safe continuity of care. Patients will remain on the Northampton site, with services expected to be delivered from William Wake House and Fitzroy House in the longer term.

NHFT will lease the buildings.

The future of the charity appears uncertain. The Charity Commission has opened a statutory enquiry into governance.

St Andrew’s Healthcare’s boss Trevor Torrington, who took over after the scandals had broken, said ‘patient care and patient safety’ is the top priority.

He said:

“We have been working hard with colleagues from NHFT and NHS England to ensure this achieves the best outcomes for our patients. The change will also mean that a large number of specialist healthcare roles are expected to remain in Northampton, as key St Andrew’s employees are transferred to the Trust.”

A Northamptonshire disability campaigner has said he is “relieved” that the council has listened to residents and decided not to reintroduce parking charges for Blue Badge owners in its town centre car parks.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) confirmed on Wednesday (July 1) that it would not reintroduce charges for people with Blue Badges, and for visitors to Northampton’s country parks, after listening to “further public feedback” from a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation.

Nick Wilson, known online as The Disabled Adventurer, said:

“We need to be removing barriers to people getting outdoors and accessing the high street, not putting more up.

“Those who pushed back on this decision – disabled residents, carers, families – should feel proud right now. They made the noise and this win belongs to the whole community.

“But Blue Badge parking doesn’t solely impact our residents, it also influences accessible tourism, which can benefit our local economy. When a destination makes itself genuinely welcoming – and free blue badge parking is a very visible signal of that – people come back, they bring others, and they tell their community.

“Keeping free blue badge parking sends exactly the right message – Northants is a place that welcomes disabled people and their families, not just tolerates them.”

Leader of the Conservative opposition, Cllr Daniel Lister, called the move “another Reform u-turn”.

“This is a welcome decision, although these proposals should never have been put forward in the first place. Charging blue badge holders would have punished people for a need they cannot avoid.”

However, he warned that WNC’s decision to go ahead with the increased parking charges in Northampton car parks and remove the weekend free parking period would be “the real blow for our high street”.

Cllr Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group, added:

“It’s a u-turn over the Blue Badges, however the council is still keeping Northampton shoppers as a cash cow.

“It’s still penalising people who shop in Northampton and I still think it’s unfair, but at least it’s something better for disabled people.”

West Northants Liberal Democrat leader Jonathan Harris said:

“We’re obviously pleased with the shift in position, but it’s much wider than just car parking.

“This links to our motion that we’ve got coming up at full council to try and make sure the council looks through the lens of disabled people before we end up here, because we shouldn’t have ended up in this position.”

Leader of WNC, Cllr Mark Arnull, said:

“The opposition just simply don’t get it! Yet again we see synthetic rage and more gaslighting of the electorate. After decades of Conservative financial mismanagement in Northamptonshire, which sent the former County Council bust, residents will be paying the interest bill for years to come.

“My administration is all about listening to residents and informing them of the difficult choices we face, and the reasons why. We’ll always look at all of the options on the table.

“Whilst our opposition still fail to understand why they are where they are, Reform UK are turning West Northants Council around and getting things done. We will continue to be transparent on the difficult decisions that lie ahead.”

By Nadia Lincoln

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Corby MP Lee Barron has spoken out in parliament about the lack of information being given to the family of Harshita Brella.

Indian-born Harshita was murdered in Corby in November 2024, after suffering domestic abuse. Her husband Pankaj Lamba is wanted in connection with her murder but remains free, after fleeing the UK.

Harshita’s family travelled to Corby recently to raise awareness and meet police. But Lee Barron says the family needs monthly updates from police and feels isolated.

The leader of the house of commons, Alan Campbell, said he would receive a letter from the Home Office shortly.

Plans to build nine warehouses and a new country park on green space near a West Northamptonshire village have been rejected after a gruelling four-hour planning meeting.

The 40-hectare site is located above the A5 between Old Stratford and Cosgrove, stretching across four large fields which include the former Furtho Pit gravel works.

Protestors gathered outside the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) planning meeting, held at the Towcester Forum, raising concerns about the increased traffic, height, and visual impact of the units, and the loss of green space and damage to habitats, culminating four years of opposition to the warehouse plans.

Proposals for the large employment site, which the applicant Frontier Estates branded as Frontier Park, consisted of almost 70,000sqm of floorspace, with the largest industrial shed coming in at 36,287sqm and a height of 18.9m.

WNC said that the plans received nearly 3,500 objections from members of the public. However, councillors were recommended by planning officers to approve the warehouse site, giving significant weight to the ‘substantial’ economic benefits, the creation of 955 jobs and the allocation of the site for employment use in previous years.

Dominic Woodfield, a professional ecologist speaking in objection to the plans, told the committee that the area is a designated local wildlife site which would be “completely destroyed” by the sheds.

“You have clear and abundant reasons for refusal,” he said, “A scheme that is non-compliant with an outdated allocation cannot outweigh or justify the destruction of a rare habitat of at least county and arguably regional importance.”

Ward councillor for the area on WNC, Ian McCord, claimed the officer’s recommendation of approval was “tunnel vision” and failed to consider all factors together. He said this included the lack of a roundabout which was requested in the employment allocation, the loss of the wildlife site, and the lack of mixed-use employment.

He concluded: “Alone, none of these issues may be fatal. But, add them up, and you’re miles away from what the policy requires.”

South Northants MP Sarah Bool also spoke against the application, raising concerns that it is a known flood zone and the effect of the industrial sheds on heritage features.

“As should just be clear from the over 3,400 objections, this application fails to meet the requirements of the local and national planning policy and therefore should be rejected,” she said.

Planning agent Peter Frampton, representing the developers, told members that the application should not be determined on the number of objections it had received, but whether they have “substance”.

He added:

“This site is allocated for employment development in an adopted development plan. The framework would require significant weight to be given to developments supporting economic growth, the scheme will provide almost 1,000 jobs when fully occupied.

“There are no sound or clear cut objections overriding these benefits. The economic benefits are massive and should be encouraged at a time when economic growth in this country is urgently needed.”

The meeting also heard that the applicant had received interest from an organisation wishing to occupy the largest unit, which they said would fund the complete build out of the entire warehouse park in one phase, lasting around 15 months.

After adjourning the meeting for a short while to come up with the exact wording for their reasons for refusal, councillors overwhelmingly voted to reject the application – with eight in favour of turning down the scheme and one against.

The reasons given were the loss of the ecologically diverse wildlife on the site – and concerns about the proposed mitigation to move it to the country park – and the impact of the large warehouse units on nearby homes on Stratford Road.

Developers have a right to appeal the decision to the planning inspectorate if they choose.

Local campaign group, ‘Stop 3,000 Trucks’ said the result shows what “people power” looks like.

“This is a huge moment for our communities and a powerful reminder that when local people come together, their voices really can make a difference. This campaign was built on the passion, determination and generosity of ordinary people who care deeply about where they live,” they added.

By Nadia Lincoln

Westminster Watch

Kettering MP Rosie Wrighting has featured in Private Eye in connection with hospitality she received from video sharing platform YouTube.

The magazine drew attention to the fact the Labour MP had been a guest of the Google owned company at this year’s Brit Awards. As noted on her register of interests, she had complimentary tickets to the music event (at a cost of £1,900) and then YouTube picked up the £550 cost of the MP’s travel and hospitality.

Private Eye stated the Kettering MP had posted on X the day before the government’s social media ban for under 16s was announced that she had ‘turned to educational content on YouTube’ when she was younger and on the day of the ban on June 15 she said in the House of Commons that while she understood the concerns about social media, she also is aware of its positives, citing how it may help teenage boys without a father, who may use the platform to learn how to shave.

NN Journal has contacted the MP for comment, which has not been received at the time of publication.

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“Misogynist: it is not a verdict. It is an insult and an insult is not evidence. There is a danger in a case like this of you convicting a man you have come to dislike for an offence you cannot be sure he committed.” Jonas Hankin, KC

By Sarah Ward

Prosecutors have an ‘evidential void’ in their case against the Northampton man accused of killing his civil servant wife, his lawyer told the jury yesterday.

In his closing speech at the Nottingham Crown Court murder trial, Jonas Hankin KC, said the Crown Prosecution Service has not provided the evidence to prove to the ‘criminal standard’ - beyond reasonable doubt - that former bouncer Michael Thompson raped and murdered his wife of 19 years Kimberley Thompson, in August last year. Thompson, 56, denies all charges against him.

Instead Mr Hankin, said prosecutors were relying on a portrait of Thompson, that had been painted during the trial.

He told the jury:

“For six weeks the prosecution has constructed a portrait of Thompson as an unpleasant man; controlling, coercive, both physically and sexually abusive. Examine how that portrait has been constructed - it is almost entirely of things Kim is said to have told other people. Things now repeated after her death by friends, family and colleagues who believed her. Who cared about her and so naturally interpreted events through the lens of what she had told them.

“The labels that have been used to describe Mr T, controlling, coercive, abusive - they create an impression deliberately, and they provoke a reaction, but an impression is not evidence and a reaction is not a safe foundation for a verdict.”

He said:

“Misogynist - it is not a verdict. It is an insult and an insult is not evidence. There is a danger in a case like this of you convicting a man you have come to dislike for an offence you cannot be sure he committed.”

“Verdicts must be based on proof. Not labels, not impressions. Certainty, not suspicion,” he told the jury.

He said that Kim - who had two children with Thompson and helped raise his elder two children - was ‘obsessed’ with her husband and had pathological issues, such as compulsive shopping and hoarding. He said her retraction in 2013 of a statement she gave to a Northampton based domestic abuse centre, was evidence that she lied. ‘What it shows is Kim Thompson found it easy to lie.’

He told the jury:

“You must be sure that Kim is a reliable witness. This man faces accusations of rape and murder and this is the witness.”

He asserted that Kim’s seeking out domestic abuse support was ‘motivated by anger’ and she had admitted in a letter to the centre that her objective was to blame all her problems on her husband.

He said:

“Kim Thompson could not stop reporting what was happening in her life. This is not the domestic violence myth of someone who is concealing what was going on. It’s the polar opposite. That’s why you heard from a legion of witnesses, all reporting the same thing, from the same source. Friends she had known for a long time, right up to people she had barely known for months. She did not discriminate. Given an opportunity she would unburden herself.”

The Thompsons continued to live together after their separation in 2024, when Michael Thompson started divorce proceedings and Mr Hankins said Kim had opportunities to leave but stayed.

He told the jury Kim, 43, was ‘presenting one face’ to friends and ‘another face to the defendant’:

He said:

“Kim wanted to stay - whatever she told other people - she told Mr Thompson over again, right up to the last to give her a chance - I want to stay.”

Mr Hankin said:

“The answers to those questions: Why did she remain in the relationship? Why did she continue a sexual relationship? Why did she not report things to the police?; Why did she retract her complaint? Why did she stay? These are all matters for you, but whatever decision you make, it will be the right one, provided you do it on the evidence, not the nebulous concept of a myth.”

Kim Thompson died in the family home in the early hours of August 9 2025 and her husband called the emergency services to the house. By her bedside were some alcohol bottles and pills, which the prosecution allege Thompson placed there to cover up his crimes.

Giving evidence, the police detective who attended the scene admitted making an error by not seizing a glass which contained a green liquid with sediment at the bottom. The contents of the glass are unknown and have played a key part of the trial.

Mr Hankins asked the jury:

“Are you sure that Kim was killed, at all? Can you exclude suicide? Can you exclude misadventure? Can you exclude allergic or illness resulting in collapse and suffocation and death?

“If you’re not sure of that, everything else falls.”

He told the jury that Thompson, who did not give the prosecution the chance to cross examine him on the witness stand, was a ‘quiet, hardworking, family man, who kept himself to himself.’ Rather than ‘stewing’ on the night of his wife’s death, he said he was ‘scrolling’ on his phone and said Thompson, who was working shifts in a warehouse, was not under financial pressure and could have paid the increased financial demand his wife had asked for as part of their final settlement.

Closing his four hour speech, Mr Hankin urged the jury to examine the evidence closely and said if they did, it would not be to his client’s detriment but to his advantage.

He ended his speech using Kim’s own words from a message to Thompson in which she said: “My words are damaging.”

This morning Judge Shant has been summing up the case. She has so far reminded the jury of evidence related to the death scene; a scream on the evening of Kim’s death that was heard by two separate neighbours and the toxicological and medical evidence given by expert witnesses. The trial continues.

This is an active trial so comments are turned off

Previous coverage of the trial

Northampton murder trial” ‘I can’t wake my wife up’

Northampton mum murdered in home by husband who then tried to fake her suicide, court hears

‘If anything happens to me, please know it was him’

Northampton murder trial: Kim Thompson’s colleague tells jury accused husband strangled her

Murder accused threatened to tamper with estranged wife’s car brakes, court hears

Pathologist tells jury he believes Kimberley Thompson died by suffocation

Unhappy domestic life of Thompsons revealed in texts and messages

Opposition councillors walked out of a west unitary council meeting claiming pre-prepared speeches had been read out regarding a key housing homeless policy document that was under scrutiny.

The walk out happened last night at the call in meeting to discuss the new guidelines for how the Reform Uk run West Northamptonshire Council could possibly send households suffering homeless into private rental properties outside of the council area.

A cross-party call-in was requested by Cllr Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group, over concerns that there was no limit on the distance people could be sent from their homes, with no requirement for their consent, and a lack of detail in the important papers.

Many of the concerns raised around the policy were acknowledged during the meeting by the council’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for housing, Cllr Charlie Hastie, who informed the committee that distinctive changes would be made to the document as a result of some of the points highlighted in the call-in under delegated powers.

This included removing a clause which said that the use of private housing would be the “primary route” in most homeless housing approaches. Officers said it would instead be clarified to say that it was a new tool to be used alongside other routes and assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Cllr Hastie also accepted that the financial section of the report could have been more detailed and provided more clarity that the PRS policy is not primarily financially driven, but is about reducing homelessness demand and reliance on temporary accommodation.

Housing officers also told the scrutiny meeting that out-of-area private sector offers would not be made without the individual’s consent. This is despite the approved policy document stating that consent is not needed to offer private housing, so long as there is a reasonable prospect that the accommodation will be available for at least 12 months.

‘A completely different policy’

Cllr Keeble made the point that some of the things that had been said during the meeting were entirely different to what was written on the paper and approved at cabinet.

“What we’re actually hearing now is a completely different policy,” she said, “If people are given a placement and they have to go for a review, if they then have to end up in court, they have to go by what’s on paper, what the words say.

“They can’t go by what’s said in a committee meeting.”

It was suggested that the decision be referred back to cabinet with a recommendation to defer the policy in order to undertake a full cross-party scrutiny process, look at further financial analysis, dictate a defined maximum distance for placements, and release further supporting documents referenced in the policy.

Cllr Farzana Aldridge (Lib Dem) added:

“The purpose of a call-in is not to delay decision-making or frustrate cabinet.

“Aren’t we better off giving it the time and taking it back [to cabinet] and doing the work? I recognise that it’s an important area, but [the policy] is insufficient at the moment, the paper that I saw has massive gaps.”

Cllr Hastie responded:

“The view of all the people here is completely opposite to what we hear from the officers. The whole policy is about looking after our residents to the best that we can do.

“The officers here are not in the business of making life worse for our residents.”

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The vote

Cllr Ron Firman (Reform UK) supported the cabinet’s decision, appearing to read from a sheet of paper, saying:

“If we do not adopt a policy like this, we risk limiting the tools available to us at a time when pressures are clearly increasing.”

Cllr Cameron Emery (Reform), who also appeared to read from his laptop, saying he was satisfied with the policy and that he did not think a referral to cabinet was needed.

A proposal was made by the vice-chair of the committee to take no further action.

The vote was split between the Reform UK councillors on the committee advocating for no further action and the opposition members voting against. The deciding vote to do nothing was carried by the committee chair, Reform UK Councillor Hayley Adkins.

Immediately after the vote was carried, Reform UK members on the panel were accused by the opposition of reading from pre-prepared statements during the meeting.

Ahead of the last item on the agenda iterm, Conservative councillor Pinder Chauhan told the chair:

“We’re leaving the meeting because I don’t think there’s any point in us discussing the programme going ahead because everything just goes through anyway.

“This is not a proper scrutiny committee, it’s just voted on, it’s pre-prepared speeches and this isn’t a proper debate.”

Cllr Scott Packer, who is vice-chair of the meeting, replied:

“We’ve been here for two hours, we have debated this, we’ve listened to everything everyone has said.

“If you’re not willing to accept that, then that is your prerogative.”

All five of the opposition members on the panel and in the audience left the One Angel Square meeting room, leaving only Reform councillors and WNC officers to close the meeting.

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‘A complete mockery of democracy’

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Chauhan told the LDRS she knew “only too well” the impact that a policy can have after her own experience with homelessness during the 1990s when her parents lost their business.

She continued:

“The request made yesterday to the Reform cabinet was to provide a clear policy, with no room for confusion.

“All of the opposition parties expressed concerns regarding this policy, not to be party political, but because of the risk it could put families at. With the lack of transparency, families and individuals facing homelessness could be placed anywhere in the country.

“The meeting yesterday made a complete mockery of democracy. The reason I walked out of the meeting was that there is no point in having meetings where Reform councillors don’t think for themselves and put their residents first. Where there is no intelligent debate. Where decisions are being pushed through with no scrutiny.”

Reflecting on the outcome of the meeting, Cllr Keeble said:

“This was a complete farce. It leaves in chaos a policy that affects thousands of the most vulnerable local people.

“It is now completely unclear whether they will be forced into private sector housing, and whether they will be sent out of county. There are no criteria given for the council’s action and complete misinformation about the public’s rights.”

She also said the hearing “made a complete mockery of scrutiny”, which is supposed to be politically neutral.

“The decision was taken on the casting vote of the Reform councillor who chairs the committee, supported by Reform councillors who read out ready-prepared statements.

“Small wonder all the committee’s opposition members walked out.”

Cllr Jonathan Harris (Lib Dem group leader) also called the scrutiny meeting a “shambles”.

“The whole point of a call-in is to enable councillors to raise concerns over a policy or decision that has been taken by cabinet or council.

“Reform councillors often ask no questions and remain largely silent in committees – it was the same at this scrutiny committee. However, at the summing up stage, several Reform councillors read out statements which appeared to be pre-prepared.

“This is not scrutiny and undermines everything that the process is supposed to be about. Reading out pre-prepared statements clearly shows no independence. This seriously undermines openness, transparency and local democracy.”

‘Their response to losing the argument was simply to storm out’

WNC leader Cllr Mark Arnull, who watched the meeting from the public gallery, responded to the criticism saying:

“After two hours of scrutiny, where the opposition had every opportunity to make their case and put questions to officers and the cabinet member, it says everything that their response to losing the argument was simply to storm out. Residents expect serious scrutiny, not political theatrics when things don’t go their way.

“Much of the discussion wandered well beyond the actual call-in, which rather underlines the point. The real ‘farce’ here is the opposition now trying to attack Reform UK councillors for doing exactly what they were elected to do, prepare properly, understand the detail, and treat a serious issue with the seriousness it deserves.

“What followed online was predictable: a burst of synthetic outrage designed more for social media than for the people footing the bill.

“The reality is simple. This policy enables the council to meet clear legal obligations under legislation introduced in 1996 and left untouched by successive governments, including 13 years of Labour, when some of the very same voices now complaining were in or close to power.”

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An environmental charity will check for heavy metals in Corby’s soil next month.

Earthwatch Europe, which led the mass testing of various freshwater sites across Corby and nearby villages last November, will be staging a second round of water testing next month and will also be asking volunteers to collect soil samples.

The samples, which will be taken from the same areas as the water testing, will then be sent to a scientific lab for analysis, to find out whether the toxic chemicals found in the first round of water testing are also present in the land.

The initial testing was a national first and established there were some heavy metal pollution hotspots in freshwater areas linked to the town’s steelmaking history.

The current fear by some living in the town is that 15 years years on from a successful legal action, that ruled some children’s birth defects were caused by exposure to toxic waste, that the same waste, which was buried in a former quarry under the former Rockingham Motor Speedway, is still causing major health problems today.

As NN Journal reported in March, there are fears the toxic chemicals are leaking out of the containment cell at the former racetrack.

The second round of testing has been part funded by Corby Town Council after a proposal put forward by Lib Dem councillor Chris Stanbra and backed by campaigner Tracey Taylor, whose daughter Shelby tragically died 30 years ago, at less than a week old. The council has donated £4,000 towards the testing.

Claire Williams, head of programmes at Earthwatch Europe, said:

“The soil testing will be able to give an indication of what is getting into the land. It won’t give a historical reading, as we are not digging down deep, but it will be a sample of the top few centimetres.

“The same heavy metals that have been tested for in the water will be tested for in the soil.
“We will follow the same template as before and the water testing will be carried out in the same spots as the November testing for comparison.
“We anticipate a report will be published with the findings in the autumn.”
Following the first round of testing the council and environment agency acknowledged the findings but have not undertaken any of their own investigations in response.

A public health led investigation into whether Corby’s childhood cancer rates in the past decade have been higher than in other areas, did not find any evidence.

Campaigners want a public inquiry into what happened in Corby during the clean up and whether there are still issues today.

Volunteers are needed for the sampling which is taking place on Saturday, July 11 am. If you would like to get involved you can fill in this form here.

Other news

People are “exhausted, frustrated and rapidly losing trust in the police”, a Northampton resident told the county’s police and crime panel during a discussion of knife crime.

Over a six-year period from 2018 to 2024, there were 6,529 knife crimes recorded in Northamptonshire, showing levels gradually increasing across the whole period. Offences include carrying a knife, using a knife during robbery or burglary, and using a knife in an assault, or the involvement of a knife in gang-related offences.

Further Youth Justice data shows that 65 per cent of knife crime offenders also have evidence of substance misuse, and they are 2.2 times more likely to have gang associations than those not involved in knife crime.

A report, which went to the county’s Police, Fire and Crime Panel on Thursday (June 19), stated that communities clearly feel the impact of serious drug-related offending

It continued:

“This is consistently highlighted through public consultations and engagement activity, where residents describe the effect such crime has on their sense of safety and wellbeing.

“We have also witnessed the devastating consequences of knife crime within our communities, further underlining the seriousness of these issues.”

Appealing to the panel, Tracey Wilson, of Kings Heath Residents Association, said people were “exhausted, frustrated and rapidly losing trust in the police” due to their response to local concerns.

She added:

“Our most urgent and damaging issue is the open drug dealing and public drug use happening on our streets and in our parks.

“When drug use becomes normalised it becomes accessible, when it becomes accessible our young people become targets. These individuals know exactly what they are doing – they are exploiting the lack of visible enforcement.

“It is no surprise that many residents are now too scared to report anything at all. They do not trust that their information will be acted on, they do not trust that their identity will be protected, they do not trust that the police will follow up and they do not trust that reporting crime will make them safer.”

Cllr John East (Reform UK), who is a ward councillor for the area, added:

“Trust in the police is at an all time low, there is zero confidence in the police by the residents of Dallington Spencer.

“I’m told on numerous occasions at residents’ meetings that they have openly admitted to giving up reporting crime to police in general.

“The general consensus by residents is that they no longer feel safe in the community for fear of the drug gangs and the knife violence brought into the area.”

Data from the Northamptonshire Serious Violence Prevention Partnership (NSVPP) states that Northampton central was the highest recorded area for drug possession and trafficking in under-25s.

Police Fire Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Danielle Stone said she was aware of the “endemic problems” from her previous role as a councillor for the Castle ward.

“I don’t want to see drug use normalised and I don’t want to see our young people groomed and I am aware that we have a lot of drug dealing on our streets and in our parks,” she told the panel.

“I do expect the police to take positive action around these issues and bring, particularly the gangs, the gang leaders, the people who are grooming our children, bringing them through the courts.

“These are societal issues, they’re not just policing issues. I feel really strongly that our young people have been let down over a generation and it began when we disbanded the youth service at the county.”

Over the past two years, NSVPP has commissioned a range of organisations to deliver interventions, including sports mentoring projects working with children and young people who present risk factors associated with serious violence, as well as a co-produced knife crime campaign in 2025.

The next round of NSVPP funding was launched at the start of June, taking bids of up to £140k to fund projects to tackle serious crime.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

More than 30 people remain in hospital and three are in a critcal condition following the rail crash involving a train that departed from Corby last Friday.

The driver of the Corby train, Shaun Burton, died at the scene of the accident which happened on the East Midlands railway at Bedford at 5.15pm.

An investigation published this week by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found the Corby train went past a red signal and hit a stationary train which had stopped unexpectedly because a fault had developed with the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment.
Data from the trains’ black boxes is still being analysed and investigators said in the report:

“This means that it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received from the AWS equipment on the train or how they responded to this.”

More than 100 passengers suffered injuries in the crash.

Northampton General Hospital has been told it requires leadership improvement and concerns have been raised that staff don’t feel free to speak out about issues.

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in September last year, heard from staff that there was poor management and leadership appeared focused on targets and finances rather than the quality of care being delivered.

The care watchdog carried out the inspection in response to some concerns raised by whistleblowers.

The hospital, which is the ultimate responsibility of group chief executive Richard Mitchell, has said it accepts the findings of the CQC’s latest report and that it has since taken clear action to strengthen its leadership, governance and culture.

The inspector wrote in their report that they received in-depth accounts from staff, including senior staff and clinicians, relating to poor management styles, an unapproachable executive team and detriment which had been experienced.

A common theme was a reported lack of visibility from senior leaders.

Significant shortfalls were also found in the trust’s ‘freedom to speak up’ initiative, with the report adding that there was “evidence of a continued anxiety among some staff of being fearful about speaking up” and a lack of confidence in action being taken to address their concerns.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the central region, said:

“ . . . We found leaders needed to do more to lead by example and build a positive culture across their workforce to help staff provide care and support. While there were some areas of good practice, the leadership team needs to make further improvements.

“At the time of our assessment, the trust was going through a significant transformation programme to align roles, working patterns and processes across the group. As a result, staff were confused about structures, including who their chief executive and chief nursing officer were.”

The trust will continue to be monitored.

Positives referenced by the report included the trust’s work in building relationships with partners, understanding their perspectives and delivering collaborative care. It also said a positive was the board’s strong financial skills and experience, with processes in place to manage financial resources against “demanding national financial plans”.

Richard Mitchell, who has been in post for two years, said:

“We accept the findings of the CQC’s latest well-led report, which rates Northampton General Hospital as requiring improvement, and we recognise that there are areas where we need to improve.

“The inspection took place in September 2025 and, since then, we have taken clear action to strengthen our leadership, governance and culture.

“This includes strengthening how we learn from incidents and feedback, further embedding our patient safety framework, and introducing an independent Freedom to Speak Up service to improve confidence, confidentiality and transparency for colleagues.

“There is more to do, and we are committed to delivering these improvements with focus and pace. This will support our aim to provide safe, high-quality care and a positive experience for all patients and colleagues.

“We will continue to work closely with colleagues, partners and the CQC to ensure these improvements are embedded and sustained.”

By Nadia Lincoln

The judge in the Northampton murder trial gave directions to the jury yesterday.

Michael Thompson, 56, is accused of raping and murdering his wife Kimberley, 43, at their home in Pinewood Road on August 8 last year. He is also accused of two counts of perverting the course of justice by attempting to cover up his alleged crimes.

Thompson denies all charges and has not given any evidence.

Tomorrow and Monday the prosecution and defence are expected to give their closing statements and the jury will go out to consider a verdict in the coming days.

Westminster Watch

Two Northants Labour MPs have backed newly minted MP Andy Burnham as the next prime minister.

PM Keir Starmer resigned this week following the Makerfield by-election win by popular Manchester mayor Burnham.

Kettering’s MP Rosie Wrighting and Corby’s Lee Barron have both said Burnham gets their vote. As yet no-one else has put their hat into the ring for leader and so Burn, who served as a minister in the previous Labour government, could be crowned PM without a contest.

Rosie Wrighting told the local democracy reporting service:

“I believe that leader is Andy Burnham. He’s shown what Labour can do when we’re inclusive, united, and in touch with the lives of working people.

“He understands the struggles people face. He knows how to lead. And he can win the fight against the forces trying to divide us.”

Lee Barron said:

“I didn’t ever ask for Keir Starmer to go, I didn’t sign anything to say he should, as we turned around and said that we’d end that kind of churn of Prime Ministers. But, when 90 of your colleagues write to him to say he should stand down the writing’s on the wall.

“As a result of that, I’ll be backing Andy Burnham for the leadership. We need to focus on the change that we promised two years ago. People don’t want the status quo.”

The departure of Starmer could lead to a demotion for Northampton North MP Lucy Rigby, who has risen quickly through the government ranks, being granted a KC title when she became solicitor general and currently chief secretary to the treasury. Wellingborough MP Gen Kitchen, who is a government whip, may also lose her position under a new Burnham flavoured regime.

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A series of messages in which murder victim Kim Thompson told her husband she loved him, were played by the defence team to the jury yesterday.

Dozens of voice messages and texts were given as the key part of the evidence by Michael Thompson’s legal team, as the murder trial which has been held at Nottingham Crown Court since mid May comes towards its conclusion.

Thompson, 56, who decided not to give evidence, is accused of raping and killing his younger civil servant wife in August last year and then attempting to cover up his crimes by staging a fake suicide.

He denies all charges.

Yesterday defence lawyer Micalia Williams read out dozens of messages between the pair, who had been married since 2006 and had two children together. A number of long voice notes from Kim, 43, to her husband were also played in court.

No witnesses have been called by the defence.

Thompson, who is a former bouncer and bailiff, had filed for divorce from his wife in 2024, but the pair were still living together in the family home at the time of Kim’s death on August 9.

The messages put before the jury included a number in which an audibly upset Kim - who had changed her name to Bounds - told her husband she still loved him and took blame for the breakdown of their marriage.

In one message she told him:

“Everything about you I love. Even the things I hate, I love.”

In another she said:

“I was the route of your unhappiness and I have to deal with that.”

She told him:

“I hated myself for what I have caused and what I have done.” In another: “I am sorry for the person that I am and that I came into your life.”

During the trial, the jury has heard that both of the Thompson’s had extra marital affairs. Kim had told many of her friends and family that her husband, who had two children from an earlier relationship, was abusive to her and in 2012 she had sought help from a domestic abuse service. However she later retracted her statement and said it was untrue.

In police interviews after he was arrested for her murder, Thompson denied ever hitting or hurting his wife and said instead she had been physical towards him. He told detectives she was a pathological liar.

The prosecution and defence will shortly do their closing statements. The trial continues.

Previous coverage of the trial

Northampton murder trial” ‘I can’t wake my wife up’

Northampton mum murdered in home by husband who then tried to fake her suicide, court hears

‘If anything happens to me, please know it was him’

Northampton murder trial: Kim Thompson’s colleague tells jury accused husband strangled her

Murder accused threatened to tamper with estranged wife’s car brakes, court hears

Pathologist tells jury he believes Kimberley Thompson died by suffocation

Unhappy domestic life of Thompsons revealed in texts and messages

Kimberley Thompson referred herself to a Northampton domestic abuse centre a decade before she was killed, but then retracted her statement, her murder trial heard yesterday (June 23).

In 2013 the mother-of-two had made a self referral to the Sunflower Centre in Northampton, telling a staff member she was being emotionally and physically abused by her husband and he had made threats against her which she was taking seriously.

Read more

The charity’s regulator has today made public that St Andrew’s Healthcare is under a statutory inquiry.

The charity is the subject of a number of police investigations regarding alleged assault on patients and earlier this year the NHS ordered that commissioners make alternative arrangements and remove patients as it did not have ‘adequate assurance’ that patient safety was improving as quickly as it should be.

Now the Charity Commission has progressed the regulatory compliance case it opened in March, after concerns about oversight of safeguarding and the financial viability of the charity, to a statutory enquiry. It says the statutory was begun at the end of April - however the detail has only been made public today.

In a statement the regulator said:

“In March 2026, the Commission opened a regulatory compliance case into St Andrew’s Healthcare to assess concerns about the oversight of safeguarding provision by the trustees of the charity, the financial viability of the charity and the wider governance, management and administration of the charity by its trustees.

“Due to these ongoing concerns, the regulator has now escalated its engagement with the charity to a statutory inquiry.

“The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity, with particular regard to:

• the extent to which the current trustees are engaging and cooperating with relevant regulators, including the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and NHS England

• the adequacy of governance processes which currently oversee the charity, and the extent to which these can address ongoing concerns, including those related to safeguarding, the provision of care and financial oversight

• the future viability/status of the charity and issues related to any proposed changes to its structure, objects and functions

• the extent of any reputational harm caused to the charity

The commission said it may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.  

It said regarding safeguarding its focus is on the conduct of trustees and the steps they have taken to protect beneficiaries, employees, volunteers and others who come into contact with the charity through its work. 

Amid its financial and governance troubles St Andrew’s suddenly closed the long running Workbridge day centre for adults with learning difficulties last year.

The current chair of the trustees is Steve Gray, who has been in post since December when former long standing chair Paul Burstow (and former Lib Dem MP) stood down. Chief executive Dr Vivienne McVey retired amid the scandal in March and was replaced by the former boss of the Priory group Trevor Torrington.

The troubles began for the charity, whose main hospital is in Northampton, last summer when CQC inspectors found serious issues at the psychiatric hospital. In August the charity, submitted a serious incident report to the charity regulator concerning potential mistreatment of patients at the charity’s Northampton site which it had referred to the police for investigation.

In a statement today a spokesperson for St Andrew’s said:

“St Andrew’s Healthcare is working collaboratively with the Charity Commission, which has now opened an inquiry following the charity reporting potential care issues last summer.
“Our priority is to ensure safe care for all patients and to drive rapid improvements in quality. A detailed action plan is already underway, overseen with the support of NHS England, and driven by new leadership at Board, Executive and clinical levels.”

Last week Labour MP Mike Reader posted a social media video saying he had had recent meetings with the NHS to understand what actions were being undertaken to safeguard patients. He said there was ‘still a lot of work to do’ to ensure that services are retained in Northampton.

The charity is in discussions with Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust and NHS England about retaining some inpatient services on the site. St Andrew’s says this would mean that some patients would remain, looked after by NHF and some staff could move over to the new employer.

Northampton councillor Sally Keeble has been critical of how the matter has been handled in the past.

She told NN Journal today:

“This is a welcome intervention from the Charity Commission.

“Patients at St Andrew’s and their parents deserve answers to their questions: what went wrong at St Andrew’s, why were things allowed to get so bad and what will happen moving forward.

“Examining the governance of the charity will be very important, as will scrutiny of safeguarding and ensuring the charity’s assets continue to work for the public good.

“We all thought St Andrew’s was too big to fail. Lessons need to be learned both for St Andrew’s and the wider mental health services.”

*This article was updated at 5.30pm with additional information.

If you have not seen the news, PM Keir Starmer has today stood down following Andy Burnham’s election success. Burnham’s main challenger for the premiership Wes Streeting has this morning said he will not stand against Burnham.

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Read more from NN Journal about this story

Failing mental health hospital boss steps down as government tells NHS commissioners to remove hundreds of patients

Call for answers as psychiatric hospital had 125 safeguarding incidents reported in just four months

Failing mental health charity's future at risk as it closes down beloved learning centre

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The Northampton man accused of killing his civil servant wife, told police in their final interview, they did not have the evidence.

Michael Thompson is accused of raping and murdering his wife Kimberley Thompson, 43, at their Northampton family home in August last year and then attempting to pervert the course of justice by staging a fake suicide.

Yesterday, in the fourth week of the ongoing murder trial being held at Nottingham Crown Court, the jury heard the final in a series of under caution police interviews that took place last August and September before the former bouncer was charged with his wife’s rape and killing.

Thompson, who had two children from a previous relationship and two teenage children with Kim, told detectives in the final interview after several hours of grilling, that they did not have the evidence and that his dead wife had ‘fooled’ them.

He said:

“All you have got is her telling the world I’m this bad, bad, husband that has hurt and raped her.’

He told them:

“There is nothing there because it never happened. I’m there on the other side. “I appreciate you have your job to do, but really. You have to follow the evidence, but there is none.”

Despite being asked a number of times whether he had raped and killed his wife he denied doing so.

He told the detectives:

“I have been compliant. With everything you have asked. I have nothing to hide. “I walked into the room and she was face down.”

The prosecution’s case is that after killing his wife - who was spending the night in their daughter’s bedroom - Thompson, 56, planted alcohol bottles and pills around her bedside to make it look like she had ended her life. A detective who attended the scene, admitted earlier in the trial that an error was made in not taking the alcohol or drinks from the bedside to get them tested.

In the final interview he said he had cleaned the bedroom the day after his wife’s death on August 9, on the suggestion of Kim’s mother, as their teenage daughter was coming home from America where she had been studying.

He said he had wiped everything down.

“The whole room was cleaned. Everything was spic and span.”

Asked why his wife would have told many of her friends, colleagues and family he had been abusive to her and had raped her in the past, he said ‘she is not well’ and said ‘no-one would stay in a relationship’ that had been that way. He denied having a violent temper and said there had been no previous reports of violence to the police by his wife about him.

He said:

“I’m not this rapist or sexual predator. That is not me, I have not been that. There is nothing to support that.”

He told the detectives he was glad he had recorded her in their home and recorded conversations because:

“It was for my protection. I’m sort of glad I did that. In all those recordings, there is never talk of rape. Never talk of domestic violence.”

He said:

“She [his wife] was not right. Will never allow people to see the real her. But I know who she is.”

He accused Kim, who worked as a manager at the courts service in Northampton, of wanting a ‘polyamorous marriage’ and said she liked the attention of being a victim.

Mimicking her, he said:

“‘Look at me. He rapes me, he beats me.’”

Towards the end of the interview he was asked how he explained a healthy woman like Kim dying?

He said:

“Do people not just die? Does this not happen?”

He told police they were just going on what people were saying about him raping her.

He said:

“As soon as you heard that from numerous people you take it as gold.”

The agreed facts of the case will be presented to the jury early next week and Thompson’s defence is also due to begin next week. The trial continues.

By Sarah Ward

Read our article from yesterday here.

In other news

The University of Northampton has announced a fresh round of redundancies as it faces a significant drop in oversees student numbers.

The university - which is heavily in debt due to the Waterside campus which opened a decade ago - told staff the news at a briefing this week.

NN Journal asked the university for details on the number of job losses there would be and how much it needed to save, but it said it was not making the details public currently.

The cuts come after two rounds of voluntary redundancies last year as the university attempted to ward off a £19m budget deficit.

The university sector is undergoing a huge crisis currently with many universities announcing major cut backs of staff and courses.

A University of Northampton spokesperson said:

“The higher education sector is currently undergoing a significant period of change and many institutions are experiencing the same financial pressures.

“Student numbers are considerably lower than they were a few years ago, mostly driven by changes in visa requirements. This is compounded by the rising cost of delivery and a rapid change in student behaviour.

“We must take difficult decisions to prioritise educational delivery and protect our long-term financial sustainability so that we can deliver both excellence for our students and social impact for the local community.”

By Sarah Ward

The average cost of a residential placement for a child being looked after by the Northants local authorities has risen to almost £400,000.

In the last financial year, both Northants unitary councils that oversee the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) saw a £31.2m budget overspend, which led to both having to take funds from reserves to cover the costs.

NCT’s director of finance and resources, Andrew Tagg, told a West Northants scrutiny meeting on Tuesday (June 16) that nearly 90 per cent of the overspend was down to the cost of children’s placements.

The meeting heard that the organisation currently spends on average £7,600 per week for each child placed in private residential care, which amounts to almost £400k for a full year. Meanwhile, the authority’s highest cost residential placement was £1.3m a year, which would work out at around £25,000 every week.

The number of young people in such placements has grown by around a third, from 150 children in April 2025 to 198 in March 2026. At the same time, officers said the sector has also faced sustained cost pressures within the provider market due to inflation.

During the meeting, reference was made to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government report in 2019, which branded children’s services in Northamptonshire “one of the worst-performing yet most expensive in the country”.

A government order was made to take services out of the local council’s hands, with an expectation to create the conditions for a ‘good’ children’s service and to secure an improved judgment at its Ofsted inspection before they can be brought back in-house.

Speaking at the meeting, chief executive of the NCT, Colin Foster, reflected the challenges that face the county:

“Having been here now for just under six years, I get worried in Northamptonshire when we’re not aligned with the rest of the country where the pressures we feel are different. That was certainly the case when I arrived.

“I can say the numbers that are being quoted now are in line with the rest of the sector. This is not a Northamptonshire issue, this is a national issue.

“I can say confidently we’re not the worst in the country and we’re not the most expensive and that’s significant progress in Northamptonshire.”

He also said it was important to recognise “where we could’ve been in Northamptonshire”, highlighting previous forecasts which suggested that the Trust could’ve had another 220 children in care by 2026, which would’ve ramped up costs by an extra £22m.

Chair of the committee, Cllr Ian McCord added:

“The single biggest lesson that anyone should take from the failure of NCC (Northamptonshire County Council) was cut the early years, cut the prevention stuff at your peril because when these people are presenting later on, they’re in a much worse situation, their needs are much more complex and therefore the cost of sorting it out is much, much higher.

“It’s the pace of all this. We know it all needs to be done, so what’s our accelerated plan to start rolling this out?”

Members heard that mitigations set out include attracting a permanent workforce – with work over the last year cutting down on agency posts and reducing staff turnover to nine per cent – as well as delivering in-year savings, and supporting step-down from residential to family-based care.

Attempts to shift children placed in residential care into fostering through the recruitment of more carers is also key, according to the NCT.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Plans to build a large new housing development of up to 850 homes on the outskirts of Northampton have been rejected in response to strong public opposition.

The site, led by Manor Oak Homes, was proposed to be built on three agricultural fields in the open countryside between Grange Park and Quinton. The homes would be bounded by Foxfield Country Park and Wootton Road at the north of the site and stretch across to the M1 at the bottom.

The residential development was discussed at the outline stage by West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) strategic planning committee on Tuesday (June 16).

As well as the homes, the site would provide a new local centre, land for a new primary school, open space, including an extension to the adjacent country park, community allotments, pedestrian and cycle links, and 45 per cent of properties offered at affordable rent.

During the three-hour council meeting, multiple WNC ward and parish councillors and residents spoke against the proposals, as well as a statement read on behalf of South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool.

Quinton resident Peter Shellard raised concerns that the protective buffer between the two communities would be destroyed if the homes are built.

“Your officers want to merge Quinton with Grange Park and they imply wrongly that planting new trees along the edges would disguise a major urban extension overwhelming a small village.

“Quinton isn’t an empty space on a map – it’s a village with a thousand years of identity and history and our residents care deeply about their community. Please don’t destroy it,” he said.

Andy Millerchip, a local resident and member of Grange Park Parish Council, added: “Bolting 850 houses on the edge of Grange Park with some really superficial box ticking in terms of community amenities will not work. Why risk doing all of this harm?”

Concerns were also raised about local amenities, including access to GPs and school places, and the dependence residents would have on car journeys to access various different services.

Nene Valley councillor Trefor Hughes (Reform UK) told the committee:

“I want members to be in no doubt about where the community stands. The proposed coalescence with Grange Park is rejected by residents. They’ve engaged seriously, submitted detailed evidence and legitimate concerns throughout this process.”

On top of the 534 public objections, six of the neighbouring parish councils and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England had also informed WNC of their opposition to the plans.

Geoff Armstrong, who spoke on behalf of the developers, said the plans had been with the council for three years – which he added was one of the longest applications he had ever dealt with – and highlighted that there were no statutory objections from consultees.

He said:

“We’ve discussed all of the comments which came in and no comments were left unresolved. There is still the evidence and support from your officers for this scheme to come through today.

“In the situation we find ourselves in, with the tilted balance and such a huge housing need, those three sites coming forward for development fit with the planning policies and fit with the advice from your officers.”

Officers had recommended the committee approve the site, partially influenced by the council’s inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, meaning any identified harms would have to “significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits” of the scheme.

Cllr Sally Keeble (Labour, Dallington Spencer) put forward a motion to approve the development as it would “meet one of the biggest challenges we face in West Northants” and deliver much-needed housing.

“If we can’t grasp the nettle of making a difficult decision like this, we are not going to meet the serious challenges we face around housing and sustainable development,” she explained.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Residents are being invited to join a new neighbourhood board in Wellingborough to help map out plans for the next decade.

Last year the government pledged £20m to three left behind neighbourhoods in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and in recent months chairs have been appointed to three new neighbourhood boards.

Nicky Kingsnorth, chair of the Queensway Neighbourhood Board, wants people who live, work or are connected to the estate to get involved. Board members must be over 18 and two sessions are being held next week -Tuesday, June 23 between 5pm and 7pm and Friday, June 26 between 8am and 10am - if people want to find out more about the role.

Nicky Kingsnorth, Chair of the Queensway Neighbourhood Board, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for local people to have a real say in how Queensway develops over the next decade.

“We’re looking for people who care about the area and want to make a positive difference. You don’t need previous experience – just a willingness to get involved, listen and work together to create a better future for the community.”

People can apply by completing an online application form or submitting a short video (under five minutes) to prideinplace@northnorthants.gov.uk

The application deadline is Friday, July 3 at midday.

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A Northampton man accused of killing his estranged wife said in police interviews he had never been violent to her and called her a ‘pathological liar’.

Since Tuesday (June 16) the jury in the Kimberley Thompson murder trial has heard a series of recorded police interviews with her husband Michael, that took place in the days and month after her death, after he was arrested twice on suspicion of her murder.

Thompson, 56, is accused by the prosecution of having raped and killed his wife sometime in the early hours of August 9 last year at their home in Pinewood Road, Northampton and then staging a fake suicide to cover up his crimes. He denies all charges.

On Monday the first taped interview carried out by major crime detectives on August 12 last year was played to the jury at Nottingham Crown Court and during Tuesday and Wednesday the trial heard six more interviews. Three were carried out in August before he was released without charge and from mid September when he was rearrested.

The transcripts of the interviews, which took place in Northampton and Kettering, were read to the jury by prosecutor Charlene Sumnall and detective Alex Steele.

Thompson denied ever being violent to his wife, who he had been married to since 2006. At the time of her death the pair were separated and going through the final stages of divorce, although still living together in the family home.

Asked in interview on August 13 whether he had ever been violent to his wife, he repeated:

“No, No, No.”

Then asked if he had been violent towards her on August 8 he said:

“No, none of that.”

He said he had restrained her by her arms for about 30 seconds on the night of her death when they were having consensual sex, because that was something she liked. Asked about an occasion she had been seen with black eyes, he said she had knocked her head on the toilet bowl when drunk.

He said his wife had been the one who had been violent in the relationship, recounting a time in around 2010, when she had hit him on the face after she had been drinking.

During the interview he said there had been no argument between him and his wife in the two days before her death. He said:

“No, everything was fine.

“No sort of hostility. There is no bad vibes. It was just what it was.”

He told the detectives he had filed for divorce in 2024 after coming across a message between Kim and one of their daughter’s basketball coaches. He said it had said, ‘I wish we had slept together.’

He told detectives:

“I just thought it was completely wrong.”

Asked if there was anything else that caused him to file for divorce.

“Oh that was enough”.

He said his wife did not want to accept the divorce and tried to convince him it was the wrong decision.

He said:

“It was just one of those things where someone wants something and someone does not want something. She did not want to. I did.”

He denied that he had had affairs and said the relationship he had with another woman at work in 2011 was at a time when they had separated due to an earlier affair his wife had had.

He denied being a jealous person and told the detective asking questions:

“[You] Just keep using that word. Jealous and upset. I’m not that kind of person. That is not me.”

In one interview Thompson, who is a former bouncer and bailiff and was working as a warehouse worker at the time of his wife’s death, admitted to recording his wife in the home, but says he did so for his own security. He said his wife tried to ‘gaslight’ him and lied.

The court heard he was earning around £465 a week at the time of his wife’s death and had £2,000 in savings and around £15,000 on credit cards. The couple were going through a financial settlement which would have seen him keep the jointly owned family home - which was worth around £350,000 - plus a rental the pair jointly owned in Delapre. Kim had bought another property, which she had rented out and was due to move into.

As part of the financial split Thompson was to keep the properties and Kim was to receive £40,000, but in the weeks before her death had requested an additional £25,000.

Thompson told detectives he would have been able to pay the money.

In the September interviews he was given details by detectives of statements made by a series of friends and colleagues plus Kim’s sister. They shared what Kim, 43, had told them about her marriage being abusive and controlling.

Thompson called his wife a ‘pathological liar’.

At one point he said:

“Oh god - how many people did she say this to?”

He said:

“I am being called as a CC (coercive controller) when there is no evidence.”

He said there were no messages between the two that referenced abuse.

Asked in the September interview how he felt about her death he said:

“I feel the same as I did then, distraught. This is bad.

The detective asked:

“I know you had divorce proceedings, but did you still love her?

“Always, she is the mother of my children.”

On the night of her death he had been at home watching sexualised videos of his wife and was asked if watching the clips had made him ‘feel a certain way’ and wanting to have sex with Kim.

The detective asked:

“Have you had sex with her against her will and killed her?”

He replied:

“No”

He was asked:

“Did you mean to kill her or did something go too far?

He said:

“No”

“Did you suffocate Kim and cause her death?

“I did not suffocate Kim, no.”

The trial continues, with the final police interview being heard by the jury this morning.

This is an active trial so comments are turned off

Previous coverage of the trial

Northampton murder trial” ‘I can’t wake my wife up’

Northampton mum murdered in home by husband who then tried to fake her suicide, court hears

‘If anything happens to me, please know it was him’

Northampton murder trial: Kim Thompson’s colleague tells jury accused husband strangled her

Murder accused threatened to tamper with estranged wife’s car brakes, court hears

Pathologist tells jury he believes Kimberley Thompson died by suffocation

Unhappy domestic life of Thompsons revealed in texts and messages