More than a year on from a pilot project to bring empty high street properties back into use and North Northamptonshire Council has not committed to an area to focus on.

Last March NNC was one of eight councils selected to take part in the national scheme which would give it powers to compel landlords to lease out properties with a successful bidder through a new auction process.

Some councils in the pilot have moved on at pace with the project and are using the powers to upgrade their high streets, but almost 15 months on and NNC has not as yet identified which high streets will be targeted. It has conducted a review on high street vacancy rates across the area, but has not published the data.

A North Northants wide consultation carried out earlier this year had more than 120 responses with almost all in favour of the council using the auction process to rejuvenate areas that are vacant.

But there will need to be a further consultation once the council’s executive chooses an area it wants to focus on.

NN Journal asked some questions of the authority and it said:

“Work continues on the High Street Rental Auctions pilot. Currently, the council is assessing vacancy levels across the potential high street areas to ensure they meet the Government’s criteria.

“We expect this work to be completed imminently and a public consultation will then begin which will be promoted through the council’s usual channels.

“We have taken a cautious approach to ensure any high street designation is based on robust and defensible evidence. Establishing accurate vacancy data across multiple town centres has taken longer than anticipated, particularly to ensure consistency and compliance with Government guidance. This approach is intended to provide a stronger foundation for future action, which may include serving formal notices against the owners of long-term vacant property.

“Once the public consultation has taken place, the results will be compiled into a report and submitted for consideration by the council’s Executive. A high street designation will be made following that process.

When the project was approved by the former Conservative administration last year, the then leader Cllr Jason Smithers, said:

“Schemes like this bring massive benefits to areas across the country. But it’s also about thinking locally and we know that high streets in North Northants have been through a considerable change over the last couple of years. We are committed to doing all we can to help boost high streets across the local area, which will in turn create jobs, improve the local economy and improve the overall appearance of our high streets.”

A number of towns in the North Northants area need investment. The authority agreed that Wellingborough is most in need of regeneration and will develop a masterplan, so it could be that the high street auctions are focused there.

The council came under criticism earlier this year for agreeing to sell off the Jackson’s Lane car park close to the town centre.

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Plans to build homes on a popular golf course have led to protests.

Under the draft Local Plan, 300 homes could be built on a section of land at Collingtree Park Golf Club, near Windingbrook Lane. Concerns have been raised that the proposals would see the sports facility destroyed, alongside the loss of the community hub and green space for the area.

Hundreds of potential housing sites across West Northamptonshire went out to consultation earlier this year, including the Collingtree plans. The final Plan will set out the direction of development across the area up to 2043.

Speaking at the demonstration held at the Northampton Guildhall Saturday Conservative Hunsbury councillor Pinder Chauhan said:

“We’re trying now to call on the new administration to remove this out of the Local Plan. Not only are we talking about the golf course here, it’s about all of the biodiversity on that land with the deer, the muntjac, the otters, the kites.

“People need houses, but just not here; they need some allocation elsewhere. I know the government has increased housing targets which is putting pressure on councils, but we’ve got to think about this sustainably and not do lazy planning and not build on the golf course because that’s the easiest thing to do.

“There’s no replacement of land, so it will mean the shutting down of that facility. That’s why the residents are here – it’s not against the building, it’s against the fact that it takes away local facilities.

“[Collingtree Park Golf Club is] part of our local identity, it’s part of the history of Northamptonshire, and it brings into the local Northampton economy as well.”

Iain Tait has been a member of the golf course for over 25 years. He said the proposed 300 homes would lead to the loss of the facility, which has both junior and senior members.

“We just want to have our voices heard,” he said.

“National planning policy says you’re not allowed to remove sporting facilities without replacing them with something for like or better – there’s no talk in the local plan about any replacement.

“Ultimately, I think everybody that moved to that area or plays golf on that golf course came here to be close to the natural beauty, the pathways, the wildlife and the accessibility of it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

Collingtree Park Golf Club was first opened in 1990 by the former British & US Open Champion, Johnny Miller.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the local plan and the allocation of the golf course, leader of West Northants Council Mark Arnull said:

“It’s the direction from central government to produce a local plan and the numbers are provided by the government for the housing targets we must deliver on.

“I think what’s really important now, as that next stage of this process goes on, is that continued resident engagement is key, listening and consultation is really important.

“In regards to that particular amenity or perceived loss of amenity I can speak politically and say I would not like to see a specific loss, nor would I if it was in my constituency ward either, so I can understand how the members feel in that particular area.

“That’s something we need to look at and if there are alternatives that’s our duty to explore and implement if we can.”

The public consultation on the local plan was open for a period of eight weeks, closing on March 27. WNC has said that any responses will be carefully analysed and used to shape the next version of the plan and inform whether any draft policies should be changed.

According to a timeline published by the council at the start of this year, a further report setting out any changes from the draft document is expected to go before councillors in September this year. The final plan has to be submitted no later than the end of December 2026.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

The BBC has published footage of the arrest of the woman whose legal battle against Northamptonshire Police led to the chief constable being found in contempt of court.

Nadine Buzzard Quashie is shown being pursued and then arrested by the Northants force who the BBC article reveals were in communication with the Metropolitan Police before the arrest.

Businesswoman Buzzard Quashie, who lives in London, is taking further legal action against the Met and Northants Police which could see both have to pay out substantial sums. She had to fight for years to gain the bodyworn camera footage of her 2021 arrest, which Northants Police wrongly insisted did not exist.

The force has already spent more than £300,000 on handling the case, as the legal costs so far have exceeded £250,000 and the force also received a £50,000 from the high court.

As NN Journal reported, a senior officer and two police staff are being investigated by police watchdog the IOPC in connection with the matter.

The chief constable Ivan Balhatchet had not received any sanctions from the Labour police, fire and crime commissioner Danielle Stone.

Plans to convert a former care home in Northampton into a huge HMO for up to 32 people are set for approval at a council meeting next week. The change of use application comes after planning enforcement discovered the site was already being used without proper permission.

The proposals, submitted by applicant Dunclent Properties, ask West Northants Council (WNC) for permission to adapt the now-closed Leys care home in Boothville into a large house in multiple occupation.

The layout of the building includes 30 ensuite bedrooms, five kitchens and one large lounge and dining area on the ground floor, as well as two more HMO ensuite bedrooms upstairs.

There are no external changes proposed to the building and plans show that seven parking spaces would be provided at the front of the building. Officers say the sustainable location of the property should be taken into account, with a nearby bus stop within 30m of the site entrance and a row of shops around 5 minutes’ walk away.

The plans, which will be discussed at a non-strategic planning committee next Thursday (May 7), were called in by ward councillor Nigel Stansfield and Moulton councillor John Slope (both Reform UK).

Both councillors raised concerns regarding the overintensification of the site, harm to the neighbourhood, and inadequate communal facilities for future tenants.

Cllr Slope, who is the cabinet member for finance on the administration, also highlighted the council’s finite resources for planning enforcement, adding that approving the large HMO would create ongoing enforcement issues that the authority can “ill-afford”.

Northampton Town Council also submitted an objection, raising “extreme concern” that the plans presented the largest number of occupants they had seen on an application and the pressure this would put on local amenities. They also highlighted the fact that the building is currently being used unlawfully as a HMO, which they say should not have been allowed to happen.

The planning statement, which was submitted in November 2025, says that the application follows an enforcement investigation by WNC.

It continued:

“The applicant is a recent purchaser of the site which at that time was being run by a social housing operator as the tenant.

“The operator was unsuccessful in attracting any referrals from the local authority and agencies. In order to attempt to ease cashflow issues, the operator started advertising the property as an HMO.

“The applicant and administrator are seeking to regularise the unauthorised HMO sui generis use.”

It added that at the time of writing the report at the end of last year, there were 12 people living in the HMO and they had not had any complaints from neighbours.

Further objections from members of the public raise concerns that by accepting the application, the council “would just be rewarding the owner” instead of being held to account for its unlawful use.

A HMO management plan submitted by the applicant states that the aim of the HMO is to “provide safe and comfortable accommodation” at its target demographic of young professionals, medical professionals, educators and those in the hospitality sector.

“This property will be managed to exceptionally high standards with a strong emphasis on neighbourliness, minimal traffic impact, strict noise control, and proactive communication,” they added.

Officers have recommended the site for approval, stating that the HMO use would have a comparable impact to the previous use as a care home, with a similar number of rooms, intensity and comings and goings.

Report by Nadia Lincoln

Northants Police and West Northamptonshire Council say a year-long project to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in a part of Northampton has yielded significant results.

Since last May the two organisations have been working together using the Home Office’s Hold build approach to reduce crime in the Bouverie estate, close to Wellingborough Road.

The approach clears out the crime and then works with the local community to help improve the area and ensure the criminals are dissuaded from returning.

A team of four police officers worked along the neighbourhood policing team on the matters that most concerned the community.

Chief Inspector Kim Jackson, from the Northamptonshire West Local Policing Area, said:

“Support and input from the local community is a really important part of the Clear Hold Build approach.

“Following an initial survey to help establish what issues were concerning people most, regular monthly meetings were set up to give local people the chance to speak directly with their policing team. We encouraged people to raise concerns with officers and wanted to build their confidence to report issues to us so we could take appropriate action.

“Partnership working is also a crucial part of the approach. The team worked with Northamptonshire Partnership Homes to hold community surgeries specifically for residents living in housing association accommodation.

“We also completed ‘walk‑arounds’ and visual audits of the estate with West Northamptonshire Council’s environmental team and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service. These helped identify areas at risk of fly‑tipping, arson or other crime and informed further prevention work.”

West Northamptonshire Council said:

“These results show the real difference that can be made when the police, council and wider partners work closely together with local people. By listening to residents and focusing on the issues that matter most to them, we have seen genuine improvements on the Bouverie estate.

“Our role has been about supporting both enforcement and prevention - from funding initiatives such as the Crimestoppers campaign, to working alongside police, housing providers, fire and rescue services and community partners to improve public spaces and reduce opportunities for crime. We are committed to continuing this partnership approach, building on the progress made and ensuring residents feel safer, supported and proud of their neighbourhood.”

Officers also worked with local schools, delivering educational sessions focused on early intervention, personal safety, risk awareness and positive decision‑making.

To address drug‑related crime, the team set up a working group with partners including the Probation Service and local charity Substance to Solutions, aiming to divert known offenders away from drugs and criminal behaviour.

Shoplifting was also a focus and officers carried out regular patrols and engagement to support local retailers, and focused on disrupting the activities of those most frequently involved in this type of offending. Targeted action against those linked to repeat offending helped achieve a 58 per cent reduction in shop theft offences between April and December 2025.

Overall, during the same period, reported crime on the Bouverie estate fell by 28 per cent, from 694 offences to 495. Information from the public also increased, helping officers identify people committing crime and supporting enforcement action.

A second project will be set up in the Spring Boroughs areas of the town.

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When Dave Pearson was representing an NGO (non government organisation) at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), he could hardly have anticipated the political turbulence now facing both the country and West Northamptonshire.

After three decades at the helm of international development, Pearson’s route into local politics has not been conventional—and it may be exactly what sets him apart from the other candidates standing in West Northamptonshire Council’s Hackleton and Roade by-election on May 7.

Though now Green through and through, Pearson was for many years a Labour voter. He reflects on his time with the weary sense of a man whose values outpaced that of Labour’s.

“The challenges we face are far more serious than a centrist approach,” he says. “Middle of the road, steady-as-she-goes isn’t going to prevent catastrophe.”

It was a sentiment shared at home with his wife, Sue Pearson, as he tells NN Journal:

“We didn’t leave Labour — Labour left us.”

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Having met at university and travelled through a 34-year career in international aid together, the pair now serve as co-chairs of the West Northamptonshire Green Party.

Under their leadership, the branch has been transformed. Pearson is part of a surging local alternative; alongside 1,077 members—up from just 265 a year ago—he is navigating a landscape where Reform UK has also asserted itself. While the Greens and Reform sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum, both tap into a shared frustration with the status quo, appealing to voters who feel overlooked by the main parties.

On the doorsteps of Hackleton and Roade, Pearson says responses fall into three groups: the disengaged, those focused on local concerns, and those driven by national issues. He argues that the latter is often shaped by perception, citing what he calls the “character assassination” of Green Party leader Zak Polanski.

“If people aren’t discerning about what they read, they end up believing it, which shapes their view of the party,” he says.

But Pearson makes the case for his candidacy in direct terms.

“I’ve got a track record of service,” he says, pointing to his time running church youth clubs and volunteering as a street pastor. “But I’ve also got a track record of getting results.”

He points to his role in persuading the World Bank to change its education policy, and more locally, as founder of Clean Air Northampton, pushing the council to publish an air quality action plan.

In the 13 villages of this ward, the campaign is defined by a growing sense of isolation. The looming closure of the “Ability” minibus service—which provided up to 28,000 trips a year—has turned a logistical problem into a social crisis.

Once filled with music and “banter,” the buses have reportedly fallen silent as passengers face losing what many describe as a “second family.” Pearson is campaigning to bridge this gap, arguing that a lack of funding shouldn’t leave the elderly stranded trying to find the nearest bus link.

This by-election (which is being held after Reform UK turned independent councillor Adam Smith resigned) is not his first attempt to become a councillor, he lost out in last year’s unitary elections, where he stood as a candidate in the Kingsthorpe North ward, only gaining three per cent of the vote share. If he wins election next week he will be the first Green councillor elected to WNC.

While Pearson knocks on doors, Cllr Ben Jameson, the Green Mayor of Kettering, and a councillor on North Northamptonshire Council, offers a glimpse of the party’s potential. As the town’s “First Citizen,” he is living proof the Greens have become a functioning part of the local establishment.

“People are looking for something different,” Jameson says. “They aren’t voting Green as a protest; they trust a candidate who works hard. In Kettering, we showed what localism looked like and beat Reform to keep them out of the town.”

Jameson believes small wins will send a clear message to Westminster:

“If Greens win, Keir Starmer will have to stop and think about representing that progressive voice in the country.”

The stakes for such “localism” are high however and air pollution in Northampton has been a known problem for over two decades, with areas exceeding legal limits largely due to road traffic on the M1 and A45. Despite this, the West Northamptonshire Council, led by Cllr Mark Arnull of Reform UK has struggled to deliver a consistent, overarching action plan, even as evidence links pollution to one in 20 deaths in the town.

But Pearson is used to seeing what happens when systems stall. His background in international development helped him “understand that different actors in a system have different objectives and values, often pulling in different directions.”

And recent breakthroughs have provided encouragement. In North Northamptonshire, Greens have established a visible presence with eight councillors, while the victory for Hannah Spencer in Gorton and Denton has become a symbol of possibility.

But Northampton is not Gorton and Dave Pearson is under no illusion that national momentum automatically translates into local success; he knows he has to be able to deliver.

“I listen,” he adds, “and I will represent people well.”

As the country grapples with wider political turbulence, Pearson is intent on showing that, in West Northamptonshire at least, the Greens can actually deliver.

The by-election candidates:

Maggie Clubley (Conservative), Peter French (Labour & Co-operative), Stephen Shellabear (Liberal Democrats), Laura Weston (Reform UK), Ron Johnson (Independent), Dave Pearson (Green).

You can hear from the candidates in a hustings being held by NLive Radio in Northampton tomorrow evening (May 1)at 7pm. People can attend and watch live (get tickets here) or can listen to it on the NLive Radio Politics Show on Sunday at 9am.

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Campaigners fighting for a public inquiry about Corby’s toxic past have secured a substantial donation from the town’s council for a second round of water testing.

At last night’s finance committee meeting the authority decided to give £4,000 towards the £8,000 cost of a second round of summer testing to complement the winter testing in November, which discovered some heavy metal pollution hotspots in freshwaters linked to the reclamation of steelworks.

Fifteen years ago a group of families won compensation from the former Corby Borough Council after claiming their children’s birth defects were caused by the mismanaged clean up of toxic waste sites in the town in the 1980s and 1990s, that had been polluted by the town’s former steelworks. After the Netflix drama Toxic Town aired last year, some families from the original court case have joined with new families who fear their health problems can be attributed to the historic toxic waste.

It has come to light in recent months that not all the contaminated soil waste was deposited in Deene Quarry (now the town’s Rockingham Speedway site) as it should have been and in the mid 1990s some of it was instead transported by contractor Noone and McGowan and used in the foundations of buildings on the Willowbrook industrial estate and also over at Kettering’s leisure quarter near the old Odeon cinema.

This had led to new fears that the toxic pollution could be more widespread than originally thought.

Two months ago the Labour run-town council had backed a motion calling for more water testing and last night Lib Dem councillor Chris Stanbra proposed the authority give the sum to help the second round of testing go ahead. The second round is being carried out for scientific purposes and to strengthen the results of the first round.

Lead campaigner Tracey Taylor, who worked close to the reclamation site and whose newborn daughter Shelby-Anne died thirty years ago this month, had applied to the authority for the donation.

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She told the council last night:

“The first tests showed there are heavy chemicals in hotspots and we have also come across a document from Gretton Parish Council which shows that the historic toxic waste is being pushed out of the ground and that is what has been going onto Gretton Brook Road.

“We just feel now we need to go ahead and do some more water testing because there are so many people that are worried about what is going into the waterways.”

Cllr Stanbra said:

“From my perspective I think it is important that the concerns that are out there are either confirmed or evidence is produced to allay those concerns, because at the moment were are in a bit of a limbo situation where people do not know either way and that has got to be unsettling.”

North Northamptonshire Council has responsibility for the town’s public health, as well as ensuring contaiminated land is managed and has the permit for the Deene Quarry site where the toxic waste was deposited.

The Environment Agency is responsible for ensuring the waterways are clean.

Leader of Corby Town Council Simon Rielly asked if the campaigners were working in partnership with NNC and the EA and Tracey Taylor said the organisations had not responded to the campaigners and they felt they had been ‘pushed aside.”

Cllr Stanbra said:

“It is really important that the Environment Agency and North Northamptonshire Council, as the two authorities with the responsibility are not coming back to you, neither organisation shows themselves in a good light. It would be really good if this organisation was important and showed some leadership and those other two organisations what it is they could be doing.”

Cllr Rielly said:

“We welcome the testing. I think it is a positive step forward. We have a greener and cleaner agenda coming from Corby Town Council so protecting our local waterways is high on our priority.

“However it must be done responsibly, not for political point scoring, we don’t want to be going against NNC and the EA. Testing should include water flowing into Corby and we should be encouraging our neighbour parishes to contribute as well.”

After independent environmental charity Earthwatch Europe published its results in January, the EA welcomed the testing, but has not committed to carrying out any additional testing of its own.

NNC committed to review its contaminated land data, but has not as yet shared an update.

After a call from a group of families who claim childhood cancer rates are higher in Corby, the authority commissioned a health survey using national data records.

However the data analysis led by the council’s director of public health Jane Bethea found there was not an increased childhood cancer rate in the town.

Collin’s solicitors, which won the 2009 legal action against Corby Borough Council, is involved in fighting for the public inquiry. It says only an independent investigation can get to the bottom of whether the toxic waste clean up is still having an impact on the town’s health today.

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West Northamptonshire Council has had to issue an apology today after incorrectly bringing in controversial new parking charges before it had carried out a crucial legal step.

The Reform UK run authority is going to have to refund hundreds of motorists after it introduced new charges at its car parks at the start of this month without consulting on the necessary Traffic Regulation Order.

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Controversially the authority had decided to scrap free blue badge parking at its car parks at the budget meeting in February and raise charges in Northampton car parks for all motorists, with the car parks in Daventry and Towcester being spared.

But alongside the apology and the hours of additional work the authority has caused for its admin workers, there is now added confusion as the newly published TRO, which has a 21 day consultation, states there will be charges in Daventry and Towcester. Also charges are being proposed at Northampton’s country parks, which currently have free parking. A petition against it has already gathered more than 1,700 signatures.

Stuart Timmiss, executive director of place, economy and the environment, said: “We apologise unreservedly to anyone that has been affected by this error.

“We know this falls far short of the standards our residents expect from council officers, and how we should be delivering services and I would like to assure them that we are taking swift action to put this right.

“Blue Badge holders and other drivers who paid the incorrect charges at our car parks since 1 April this year will be reimbursed the difference, and Penalty Charge Notices relating to these errors will also be cancelled and refunded.”

According to WNC, the affected car parks are Albion Place, Campbell Square, Midsummer Meadow, The Ridings, St John’s Multi-Storey, Upper Mounts, and Wellington Street.

The removal of free parking on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays and free Saturday mornings at Brixworth Country Park were also introduced without the proper TRO in place.

Some residents who were fined during this period spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week, criticising the council for its communication surrounding the changes to Blue Badge parking and inadequate notice.

Council staff have been busy this past couple of days trying to sort out the mistake.

Across the council car parks, signage boards and payment machines have been taped up with black bags so they are no longer visible to car park users. A printed photo of the previous fees before April 1 has been stuck to the signs, alongside a confirmation that blue badge holders have free parking and a copy of the late Traffic Regulation Order.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Cllr Jonathan Harris said his group became aware of issues last week and he met with an officer yesterday.

He said:

“I think it is a genuine gaffe, but it is a pretty big one. It doesn’t give you confidence or trust in the authority. If this is wrong what else could be going wrong.”

Since the departure of chief executive Anna Earnshaw in November, the council has been without a permanent boss, with finance director Martin Henry acting up as interim chief executive. A recruitment exercise did not find a suitable replacement for Earnshaw.

Cllr Harris also has concerns about the new TRO citing new charges for the market towns, which may not be introduced immediately, but could come in down the line. The proposal is to charge £5 each hour, after the three hour free parking that is currently in place.

He said:

“In February’s cabinet meeting, Reform UK, who run the Council, acknowledged the strength of public feeling on this issue. Residents and businesses were united in wanting to keep parking free in market towns to support our high streets. In response, the Council stated clearly that parking charges would not be introduced in these areas.

“The council insists it has no plans to introduce charges in market towns, yet these locations are included in the [new] consultation schedule. So which is it?”

Conservative South Northants MP Sarah Bool has also posted on social media about the consultation and the mooted new charges.

She said:

“This is madness. We were told one thing that there would be no parking chargers in Towcester and we are being faced with a completely different situation a few months later. I really hope this is just a misunderstanding and an error.”

She urged residents to respond to the consultation by the closing date of May 14.

It can be found here.

A WNC spokesman, said:

“Following feedback on the draft budget proposals earlier this year, the Council decided not to introduce new parking charges in Daventry and Towcester. However, persistent issues with overstaying in short‑stay car parks were identified, reducing space availability for shoppers and other visitors.

“To address this, the Council is consulting on enforcing the existing free three‑hour limit in four larger short‑stay car parks - two in each town - using ANPR. To avoid penalising minor overstays, this approach replaces an immediate £30 penalty charge with a £5 per hour overstay charge, while leaving the free parking period unchanged.

“All comments on the draft order will be considered and amendments may be made, including the removal of overnight restrictions, as part of a pragmatic approach to supporting motorists, local businesses, and the vitality of both towns.”

The Northampton country park proposed charges will affect Hunsbury Hill Country Park, West Hunsbury Country Park (also known as Ladybridge Park) and the Bedford Road Picnic Area.

A Notice of Intention posted at the parks warned that WNC’s off-street parking places are being consolidated under the new Traffic Regulation Order. The Draft Order states that any parking in the above country parks would be subject to new hourly fees for visitors.

This starts at £2 for one hour and then charges £1 per hour after that, peaking at an £8 ‘all day’ ticket. Blue Badge holders would also be required to pay the applicable parking charges and display their badge when parking in disabled bays under the new rules.

Sarah Barker, who started the petition against the new charges last Friday wrote: “These parks are more than just green spaces; they are vital community hubs used by people from all over, not just those in the local vicinity. Now, the West Northants Council is proposing to impose parking charges, an action that threatens not only our access to these beloved parks, but the local economy as well.

“At a time when we are all feeling financial strain, imposing additional costs discourages families and individuals from enjoying outdoor activities. Being outdoors is crucial for our physical and mental well-being, providing an escape into nature, encouraging exercise, and promoting community interaction.

“It is essential that we stand up against these charges. We already contribute to the maintenance of our community through council taxes, in addition to the often-overlooked stealth tax for garden waste bins. These proposed charges feel like another burden—an unfair attempt by the council to profit at the expense of our wellbeing and community spirit.

“West Northants should be nurturing our community, not driving people away and making accessibility difficult. We need to protect our parks and do what is best for our community’s health and the local economy.”

In a video posted on social media addressing the proposed parking charges, Cllr Pinder Chauhan (Hunsbury, Conservative) added:

“I was very very surprised to hear from my residents that the council will be charging residents to use the country parks in our areas. We’ve never ever charged residents to use the park.

“We now have a new administration in charge who have decided not only to put these charges in but also not to inform the parish council or inform myself as ward councillor

“At a time when people are struggling to pay bills, we cannot be charging them to pay for the open spaces to use our park facilities.”

She also said she had written to the council leader and officers to raise questions, but emphasised that it was not “a done deal” and the decision must still be made by cabinet.

Parking charges are already in place at Brixworth and Daventry country parks. A season ticket for regular users of country parks in West Northants will cost £70 per year for a single park or £95 per year for all five parks.

The leader of the council Mark Arnull has been contacted for comment.

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A misconduct report published this week has revealed more unprofessional behaviour by Northants Police officers.

The report detailing misconducts and complaints handled by the force between January and March this year, gives new details of behaviour by some staff that has fallen short of the set standards.

In January an officer was given a final written warning for not turning up to work after an operation they were involved in was cancelled. They did not log onto their laptop that day.

In February, following an outside investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), two officers were given a written warning after failing to listen to a child, communicate with their carer or recognise the child’s state of mind. Another officer was given a written warning in March for excessive use of force on two occasions.

The misconduct matters were dealt with by a meeting rather than a more formal misconduct hearing. The identity of the officers has not been given.

The disclosure comes after a series of misconduct issues in recent months. An senior detective working in the online child abuse unit was sacked earlier this month for using offensive language to colleagues and also speaking inappropriately to child victims.

The chief constable himself was found to be in contempt of court last year and as NN Journal exclusively revealed last week, three police staff including a senior officer are being criminally investigated by police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct in relation to the disclosures made before the courts in relation to the case.

The report says:

“During the fourth quarter of the year 2026, the Force dealt with 44,964 reported incidents and investigated 13,196 crimes which led to 2,568 arrests.

“During this period the Professional Standards Department (PSD) recorded a total of 480 new Complaint cases (public complaints) and 21 new Misconduct cases (internal matters).

“During this period PSD formally investigated and finalised a total of 21 cases of Misconduct, involving 13 Police Officers and 7 members of Police Staff and 1 Special Constable

• 3 cases resulted in a finding of no case to answer.

• 7 cases resulted in a case to answer for which reflective practice was the outcome.

• 3 cases resulted in a case to answer and were assessed as amounting to Misconduct

• 8 cases resulted in a case to answer and were assessed as amounting to gross misconduct

• 0 cases resulted with no action due to the individual leaving the force.

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News from the county

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been told it is at risk of facing an increased number of speculative planning applications, after a recent appeal found it could not prove it had a five-year housing land supply.

Local authorities must produce an annual statement setting out how many homes they are likely to deliver at suitable sites in future years. If they cannot demonstrate that they have enough housing sites coming forward to hit housing targets for the next five years, a ’tilted balance’ in favour of development is applied, impacting decision-making.

This means planning officers and elected members must give more weight to an application’s benefits against its adverse impacts. Local authorities in this position may face more speculative applications as they are often proactive schemes that target councils with weak planning policies, who face a higher bar to refuse plans.

WNC produced its most recent annual Housing Land Availability (HLA) Report in June last year, identifying a 5.5-year supply as of April 1, 2025. However, in a recent appeal into plans for 700 homes on the eastern edge of Brackley, the Inspector concluded that the council could not evidence this and that its supply actually sits around 4.6 years.

Members were told at a planning policy meeting on Wednesday (April 22) that a number of homes that they had counted in their calculations were challenged by the planning inspector.

Richard Wood, head of planning policy at WNC, added that the council has around 15,000 units that currently have outline permission or are allocated in local plans, but that they can’t all be included in the HLA due to issues evidencing their progression.

Without any additional information from developers, it is very difficult to provide firm evidence of delivery within a certain timescale. Mr Wood said there was no incentive or requirement for developers to engage.

“It’s stacked for the developer the way the system operates, there’s no doubt about it,” he told members.

Cllr Bob Purser (Labour, Abington and Phippsville) added:

“It’s in their interest not to tell us so therefore we can’t demonstrate it, then they can put in any speculative bid for any site, and then they win with tilted balance applied.”

The report states that an increase in speculative applications as a result of the Brackley decision is “expected”.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

The leader of West Northants Council has said the spiralling costs in the independent children’s trust are ‘beyond the control’ of councillors.

Once again the trust, which is led by Colin Foster, is predicting a £27m overspend on its annual budget, taking it to £213m. The two unitary councils have to cover the costs of the service, which is being impacted by the rising cost of independent placements for looked after children.

Leader of WNC Mark Arnull said the ‘pressures continue and will continue into the financial year.”

A woman leading the fight for a public enquiry into how Corby’s toxic steelworks waste was disposed of, recently commemorated the thirtieth birthday of her daughter, who died as a baby after being exposed to toxic chemicals while in the womb.

Shelby-Anne Taylor, died just four days old after being born on April 19 1996. Her mother Tracey Taylor, who along with Maggie Mahon and Susan McIntyre, had their lives portrayed in Netflix drama Toxic Town, is now leading the fight for a public inquiry into what happened.

Since the drama aired many more families have come forward with health concerns and there are fears the toxic waste, which we now understand was taken to other parts of Corby and Kettering rather than being disposed of as instructed, is having an ongoing health impact today.

North Northamptonshire Council’s director of public health commissioned a study looking at childhood cancer rates in the decade since 2010 and found there is not a higher cancer incidence rate in the town.

Tracey is working together with Collins Solicitors, which won a landmark case about the Corby toxic waste 2009, to get a public inquiry into what happened in the town.
In memory of her daughter Tracey has asked for donations to EarthWatch, an environmental charity which carried out water testing last summer, which revealed there are heavy metals in Corby’s fresh water systems. Any donations made before April 29 will be matched.

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An ex-Reform councillor has made a complaint to the monitoring officer about the leader of the council revealing the details of a complaint against her, which has since been dropped.

Last month, West Northants Council (WNC) leader Mark Arnull said in a statement to the press that Cllr Kathryn Shaw was removed from her cabinet position for children’s services at the start of the year “after a complaint was received around Cllr Shaw discussing confidential information pertaining to a resident’s children in public”. He added that the matter was referred to the monitoring officer “immediately”.

This was included in his response to claims from the now-Independent councillor for Upton at a full council meeting that Cllr Arnull previously said he “doesn’t care about kids, [he] cares about politics”. The West Northants Reform UK leader dismissed her words as a “cynical misrepresentation of what was said” at the time.

Cllr Shaw has shown evidence to the LDRS that she has been removed as a subject member for the complaint against her, and it will not be progressed any further.

She said that the allegations being shared with the media before any official outcome was reached “raises serious questions about how sensitive information is being handled”.

A WNC spokesperson said that all member complaints are treated as confidential, with a minimal number of officers involved in considering each case.

“Should concerns arise regarding a breach of this confidentiality, this should be raised with the Monitoring Officer for review and investigation,” they added.

Cllr Shaw has said she has now submitted her own complaint to the monitoring officer, raising concerns about the disclosure of the details and the breach of confidentiality in the members’ complaints process.

She said: “I am speaking out because standards in public office matter, and right now, they are not being upheld.

“On 30 March, Councillor Mark Arnull made a public statement suggesting I had breached confidentiality and that the matter had been referred ‘immediately’. That statement was inaccurate and has caused reputational harm.

“On 14 April 2026, I received confirmation that I was removed as the subject member [of the complaint]. In any professional environment, matters under investigation are handled with confidentiality and care.

“It is deeply concerning that unproven allegations were placed into the public domain before any outcome had been reached. This raises serious questions about how sensitive information is being handled and whether appropriate governance standards are being applied.

“This is not about personality or politics. It is about process, integrity, and leadership.

“Residents of West Northamptonshire deserve leadership that is transparent, accountable, and grounded in the public interest. At present, I do not believe that standard is being met.”

The members’ complaints procedure states that it is confidential and the details of individual grievances are only shared with the monitoring officer and independent person on the complaints panel.

Complaints data is reported to the Democracy and Standards committee annually, but it is anonymised to only present the outline nature of the complaint and the outcome.

By Nadia Lincoln

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The new £9.4m mortuary opened in Northampton today. The new building will house all the county’s post mortem services under one roof and see the end of hospital based services.

The project has been led by West Northamptonshire Council and developed in partnership with University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, the Northamptonshire Coroner’s Service, police, and funeral directors.

Northants senior coroner Anne Pember said:

“The opening of the County Mortuary represents an important step forward for the Coroner’s Service.

“It provides the environment and facilities needed to carry out investigations effectively, while ensuring respect for the deceased and clear communication with families.”

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The Reform UK councillor who mounted a leadership challenge in North Northants, has been kicked out of the cabinet.

Cllr Eddie McDonald has this morning been replaced as the cabinet member for adult social services on North Northamptonshire Council by Chris Kellett. His deputy position has been given to colleague Cllr Graham Cheatley.

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McDonald, who has been in the position since last May, went on the offensive at the party’s annual group meeting last week, after there was a move against him to remove him from the deputy role. He mounted a leadership challenge to long standing local Cllr politician Martin Griffiths, but was comfortably defeated as the 40 strong group rallied around their leader.

The news was announced in a media statement this morning. There was no mention of why McDonald was being set aside.

Cllr Griffiths said:

“I’d like to thank Eddie for all of his hard work and commitment during the first year of this new administration.

“I would like to welcome Chris on board to the Executive and look forward to working with him. I would also like to welcome Graham into his role as Deputy Leader and I am sure both Chris and Graham will continue to make a real and lasting positive difference to public services in North Northamptonshire.”

The demotion to the back benches will be a political blow for McDonald (Gretton and Weldon ward) who stood for Reform UK in the 2024 general election. He came third behind Labour winner Lee Barron and behind Conservative Tom Pursglove.

McDonald is the first cabinet member to be moved on, as Cllr Griffiths, has so far led a steady ship in the north with his group of relatively inexperienced councillors. But this move could see him stack up a group of enemies, who may move against him in times to come. Cllr McDonald has been approached for comment.

Cllr Chris Kellett, who is the current chair of the planning committee, said:

“I’m really proud to be given that position and I will put my heart and soul into it to try and make a difference.”

Cllr Kellett has a big task on his hands as the adult social services department at NNC was criticised by regulator the Care Quality Commission when it published an inspection report last month.

The CQC said the council needed to focus on improving the service and making care equitable for all.

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By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

Northamptonshire’s children’s services has bust its budget by tens of millions once again and the service is now costing almost twice as much as three years ago.

The Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) will present an update to both Northants councils this week, setting out a £27 million overspend on the budget it was allocated for 2025/26.

The NCT is forecast to spend a massive £213m on children’s services against its £186m annual budget, which was previously agreed on by the two unitary authorities.

In 2023/24 the budget was set at £130m (to be split across the North and West unitaries) but by the end of that year had risen to £180m. The budget set the following year was £185m but was again overspent. In 2024/25, NCT finished the year with a £16.6m overspend, a £32m overspend in 2023/24, and in 2022/23 the Trust was £21m over budget.

A report going to the Children’s Trust joint committee at Corby Cube tomorrow, which has representatives from both North and West Northants Councils (NNC and WNC), states that the main pressures are down to increased demand and placement costs, affecting services nationally.

It goes on to say:

“The national care market for vulnerable children is experiencing severe sufficiency challenges, characterised by a shortage of regulated placements, increasing complexity of need, and rising unit prices across fostering, residential care, and independent special school placements.

“This ‘broken market’ has led to higher reliance on high-cost independent and spot purchased placements, creating financial risk, budget volatility, and reduced influence over quality and outcomes.”

The trust is run by Colin Foster, who has been in charge since the trust was formed in 2021. The government ordered that it was set up after serious failings when children’s services were under the control of the former county council.

The cost of the overspend to the councils is based on the current contract split of 44.16 per cent for NNC and 55.84 per cent for WNC, with the West picking up a larger sum due to its size. This means North Northants will be responsible for around £12m of the overspend and the West will take on roughly £15m.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area, meaning many costs are unavoidable. The majority of the pressures are coming from placements for children in care, which is forecasting a £19m overspend alone.

At the end of February 2026, there were 181 residential placements – an increase of 31 compared to the start of the financial year. The report also states that the average weekly cost of residential care has increased by £1,491 from the beginning of 2025/26. Most placements are with private providers, who are not named in the report.

The total costs for 2025/26 already outstrip the contract sum set for the current financial year (2026/27), which has been increased to £200m. Northamptonshire has seen a pattern of increased budgets and annual overspends from the Children’s Trust in recent years.

In 2024/25, the NCT finished the year with a £16.6m overspend, a £32m overspend in 2023/24, and in 2022/23 the Trust was £21m over budget.

Over the last five years, the yearly budget set for the Trust has increased by over £60m, up from £137m in 2022/23.

Both councils have also identified the failure of the NCT to deliver services to the agreed standards and to sustain improvement in children’s social care services as one of the most severe risks on their strategic risk registers.

The financial position being reported is up until month eleven of the financial year which has just finished this month. The authorities will have to balance their books at the end of the financial year using any contingency budgets they have available, unspent reserves or from savings made in other services within the council.

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An earlier article about children’s services

The identity of a Northants Police officer sacked this week for messaging a domestic abuse victim, is being kept secret due to his mental health.

The un-named officer was kicked out of the force by Northants chief constable Ivan Balhatchet at the misconduct hearing held at force headquarters in Northampton on Monday.

A report published today gave the details of the incident, which happened in January last year.

The constable, who joined the force in 2023, visited the woman’s home to do a welfare check after a domestic incident with an ex partner. He told the woman that day he had split up with his girlfriend and shortly after he messaged her from his instagram account.

He told her she was ‘beautiful’ and ‘definitely someone he wanted to get to know better’. The woman blocked him and the force became aware of the incident in August last year.

The officer attended the hearing and admitted the allegations against him.

Chief constable Balhatchet took into consideration information given about the male officer’s mental health, and granted anonymity.

But did not view mental health problems as a reason why the officer had messaged the victim. The officer had been given training about abusing his position for sexual purposes, shortly after joining the force.

In the report the chief constable says:

“I have considered whether this case can properly be disposed of by way of a final written warning. In my view any suggestion that this case could result in a final written warning would be misplaced. This is very serious conduct.

“Police officers are charged to conduct themselves with integrity, respect, and not to undermine confidence by acting discreditably.

“Although the officer has taken some worthy steps to addressing his mental health issues, neither those steps, nor the fact of his mental illness, in my estimation amount to exceptional circumstances. It is raised on his behalf that the granting of anonymity can be indicative of exceptional circumstances. It was clear to me at the point at which that application was made that there were substantial mental health issues subsisting, and other issues regarding the identification of third parties that was not desirable.”

He was found to have breached standards relating to integrity, authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct. He was dismissed without notice.

This week a report of a misconduct hearing held at the end of last month was also published. Detective constable Gareth Carter, who had been a Northants officer for more than 20 years, was found to have committed gross misconduct while carrying out his duties.

The panel hearing heard Carter, who worked in the online child abuse investigation unit, used offensive, inappropriate and sexualised language in the office. Incidents included asking colleagues how many shots of semen they wanted in their tea and making a sexually offensive remarks to a female officer. On a visit to a home he told eleven year old victims who had indecent images on their phones that ‘old men will look at that video and want to touch you and come into your house.”

Carter resigned before the virtual hearing.

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Other news from across Northants

North Northamptonshire Council’s Green Party leader has revealed the organisations her allowance has been donated to, after she took an extensive holiday without telling the public.

Cllr Emily Fedorowycz, who was re-elected as leader of the eight member Green Party group on NNC last May, has told NN Journal where her allowance for performing council duties will go.

After her three-month break from the authority was made public, Cllr Fedorowycz, who in 2024 made an unsuccessful attempt to become the MP for Kettering, said she would be giving all the money paid to her in allowances to good causes.

NNC councillors are eligible for a monthly allowance of £1,673 and as leader of the Greens, Cllr Fedorowycz also is entitled to an additional £372 for extra duties. Cllr Fedorwycz said after tax she was paid £4,147 by the local authority during her time away in South America.

She said she has given £1,000 to Love Kettering, £1000 to Kettering Cleaning Club, £750 Kettering Community Art Hub, £750 to the Shack food project and £647 to Kettering Food Bank.

She said:

“The council gave two options which was either to not accept my allowance, or to accept it and to do with it whatever I deemed fit - the former option would mean this money would just be absorbed back into the council budget, never to be seen again. The latter meant that local people could benefit, and that I still passionately think was the right thing to do.

“My deputy and colleagues covered me to have my holiday because I needed it. I’ve been working non-stop for Kettering for 5 years as a councillor and way beyond that even - I go to sleep and I dream of Kettering and our Kettering projects. I needed a bit of time to reset and I got exactly that. I’ve come back already working harder than ever and I’m loving it.’

By Sarah Ward

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The vice chairman of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been told to undertake civility and respect training, after the authority found his comments that “some women should have never left the kitchen” likely breached its Code of Conduct.

The Northants Women’s Empowerment Group (NWEG) submitted a formal standards complaint last month after criticising Cllr Peter York for “deeply offensive and sexist remarks” that he made at a council International Women’s Day event, held at the Northampton Guildhall.

Cllr York (Reform UK, Moulton) previously apologised for his comments at a full council meeting in March, saying he recognised that the words he used were “inappropriate and capable of causing offence”.

The interim chief executive, Martin Henry, also issued an apology at the time, saying that the remark does not reflect the values of the council and that WNC is “fully committed to equality, dignity and respect for all”.

The women’s group requested that the WNC monitoring officer investigate whether the vice chair’s comments breached the councillor Code of Conduct, in relation to treating others with respect and bringing the council into disrepute.

The initial assessment into the complaint, which has been seen by the LDRS, found that there was ‘likely’ to have been a breach of the Code that can be “adequately dealt with by remedial action”.

It added:

“The Deputy Monitoring Officer will contact the subject Member to arrange civility and respect training as well as to offer words of advice regarding respectful communication.

“In reaching this outcome, the Deputy Monitoring Officer has been mindful of the fact that an apology has been issued by the subject Member.

“An Independent Person has been consulted and agreed with the decision of the Deputy Monitoring Officer.”

The CEO of NWEG, Hannah Martin, has welcomed the decision that Cllr York will receive training, but added that their primary concerns with his position on the full council top table still remain unresolved.

She said the prospect of Cllr York becoming the chairman of the council at the next annual council meeting in May “is a matter of significant alarm for women across this county”.

“The role of the Chair is the civic head of West Northamptonshire; it is a position that requires the incumbent to embody the highest standards of respect and to represent all residents equally, regardless of gender,” she wrote in a letter addressed to the monitoring officer.

“We believe his elevation to this prestigious civic role would send a deeply damaging message to the community.”

The group has further questioned the WNC Reform UK administration if they believe Cllr York is the ‘appropriate’ person to serve as the next chair of the council.

Cllr York has been contacted for comment in response to the outcome of the standards complaint and whether he will be attending the training.

Reform UK leader of WNC, Mark Arnull, has also not responded at the time of writing to the LDRS’ queries on whether the Cllr York will take up the position of chairman for the next term.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Nine year old cancer survivor Florence Bark has had a lung transplant.

Florence, from Corby, underwent a successful operation earlier this month and is now recovering in hospital.

The Corby youngster was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2022 aged six and had a stem cell transplant, which left her needing the organ transplant. The community raised £500,000 to help with her treatment.

Florence is a Pride of Britain winner and her family runs the children’s cancer charity Be More Fab.

Northants Police has arrested three men after an armed operation in Northampton this morning.

A flat above a shop in Boothville Green, Northampton was searched and two men in their 30s and another aged 26 were arrested on suspicion of being involved in class A drug supply.

Plans to cut a community funding pot managed by councillors and replace it with a grant scheme led by young people have been deferred, after complaints that it could make it harder for groups to access financial support.

North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) executive was due to discuss proposals to slash its current Ward Member Empowerment Fund and develop a new Youth Empowerment Grant Scheme in its place, at a meeting on Tuesday.

The ward member fund currently dedicates a funding pot of £136,000 – with each of NNC’s 68 councillors allocated £2,000 each every financial year – to use to sponsor community-based projects and local organisations.

Under its new plans, half of the money would be transferred to a new scheme focused on young people setting local priorities and influencing grant funding decisions. This new project would be overseen by the Youth Advisory Council.

The remaining £68k would still be accessible via the member empowerment fund in 2026/27 for a greatly reduced time period. Any groups applying for funding would have just three months (until August 2026) to submit their bids, despite previous years accepting funding applications up until March of each financial year.

The NNC report states there will be a saving of £68,000 on the current allocated spend after 2026/27, meaning the current amount of community funding would effectively be cut in half. Previous years have also seen a cut in the amount of ward member funding available across North Northants, as the size of the grant is dependent on the number of councillors, which recently dropped from 78 to 68.

Data from last year’s ward member funding allocations show that councillors were able to help direct over £80,000 to community projects in their area – though that only accounts for around 60 per cent of the total cash that was available.

A further breakdown shows that 79 applications were received over the 2025/26 year from 58 councillors. It added that seven wards missed out on utilising the funding.

Addressing the chamber at the outset of the executive meeting, NNC leader Cllr Martin Griffiths said that he had a number of people contact him about the proposals in the empowerment funding review.

He said:

“As always, my stance is that I listen to all members when we make decisions.

“We are taking this important report to corporate scrutiny on the 27 April for consideration before bringing it back to the executive for a final decision to be made on 12 May.”

By Nadia Lincoln

West Northants Council (WNC) has approved plans to lease out two properties, which will provide an extra 31 units of temporary accommodation for those in need.

The authority has said that it currently provides temporary accommodation for a little under 700 individuals or families who are suffering homelessness.

At a cabinet meeting last night (Wednesday, April 15), WNC approved plans to lease out two buildings, though the locations were not disclosed, at a total annual rent of £249k and expected maintenance costs of £93k.

Cllr John Slope, cabinet member for finance, said that around half of those in temporary accommodation in West Northants are currently housed in B&Bs or nightly lets, which the council has become reliant on, given the sharp rise in homeless households.

He said the private sector was “the most expensive way we can house people” and leaves the council with limited financial control. He added that the two proposed leases were a “direct, practical response” which would bring projected savings of around £150,000 every year.

The first property is a HMO-style premises made up of 25 one-bedroom flats, at a £184k rent per annum. Property two is made up of five two-bedroom flats and one three-bedroom flat, which will cost the council £65k each year in rent.

On completion of the lettings, it is proposed that the individuals or families in expensive nightly let accommodation will be relocated to reduce the financial burden of their current accommodation.

Labour group leader Cllr Sally Keeble raised concerns about the HMO-style property, which she said could carry a risk of damage from tenants, leading to large repair bills.

Officers said they were aware of the risks from property damage, but added that it was ultimately down to ensuring the management of the properties is ‘robust’. They told members that teams will be sent out to make sure people in the accommodation are being supported, as well as checking on repairs and maintenance.

The leases are for a minimum of ten years plus one day. The larger HMO unit has a break clause halfway through the period.

A standing authorisation was also granted so that any new temporary or supported accommodation leases that don’t exceed a ten-year period can be taken by council officers, provided costs are covered in budgets. WNC said this will make it easier to proceed with lease negotiations within challenging timescales.

The council told NN Journal that one block is in Daventry and another in Northampton and the owners’ agents approached the authority about the letting. This is the first time either owners has leased buildings to the authority.

The council also approved planning applications earlier this year for two new sites in Northampton offering more than 100 modular homes for temporary accommodation.

By Nadia Lincoln

A ground breaking historical research project hoping to connect local families with their ancestors who were treated as children at the former Northampton Infirmary in the 1700s.

The University of Northampton has been working with international colleagues as part of the archive project.

Work so far has shown that children were routinely seen and treated at Northampton Infirmary as early as 1744 with 4,000 named children aged 13 and under recorded in the Infirmary’s records between 1744 and 1801. This is contrary to what many historians believed was done in local infirmaries.

Historical researchers at the university want to work with local families and genealogy research platform Findmypast with the hope of connecting modern descendants with the children who were treated between 1744 and 1801.
Part of the work done has involved digitalising the hospital’s historic records into a new database.

Fred O’Dell, Northampton General Hospital archive volunteer, says:

“The admission register relates information at a specific point in time. The very first inpatient was Thomasin Grace, a 13-year-old child, who in later life moved to London, married and died in her 70s.

“It would be wonderful to read the remaining life histories of more of these patients. We know this information must be out there, but we have to work in partnership with family historians, genealogists and the wider archival community.

“We know that this connection is possible as the idea for this project first came about when we received an email from a genealogist who was researching the family of Sarah Harris, the pioneering 12-year-old paediatric surgical patient who was treated at Northampton Infirmary between 1777 and 1778. The genealogist had asked if we had been able to identify Sarah’s grave as he had not been able to. Sadly, we were unable to locate this either.”

The project has been a joint venture between Professor Andrew N. Williams, of the University of Northampton, working closely with NGH’s Archive team and international collaborators such as Professor Madeleine Mant of the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Professor Williams and his team are taking the research further, working with Findmypast. They will begin this work at the Heritage Fair Northamptonshire 2026 at Wicksteed Park on Sunday, April 26 where visitors can learn more and contribute to the evolving historical puzzle.

The unitary councils have unveiled their new county-wide domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy, but concerns have been raised that the current system leaves many feeling “worse off”.

North Northants Council’s (NNC) place and environment scrutiny committee heard the proposed five-year strategy at a meeting on April 2. The joint project between the West and the North has set five priority areas in the aims of reducing domestic abuse and sexual violence and supporting victims/survivors.

These include early intervention and prevention, support and protection for all victims and survivors, trust and confidence, coordinated community response and partnership working, and holding perpetrators accountable.

This comes as the previous strategy for 2022-2025 has expired.

Sylvia Parkes, a North Northants resident, spoke on the strategy at the meeting as someone who has experienced domestic abuse and helps to support others in the same situation.

She said:

“On paper, it’s a positive start. Support isn’t just words in documents, support is how people are treated when they come forward.

“If leaving abuse is supposed to make someone safer, why are so many people feeling worse off after they’ve left? Too often, it feels like unless there was visible physical violence, the response isn’t the same.

“I’m currently supporting a woman who has fled domestic abuse with her young child. What she has experienced since leaving is deeply concerning – she has had to repeat her story multiple times, relive the traumatic experiences, navigate the complex systems on her own, all while dealing with panic attacks, anxiety and impact on her child.

“What I am seeing time and time again is people who showed incredible strength to leave abuse now being left to deal with everything themselves. Until that changes, we’re not just failing survivors, we’re discouraging the next person from ever coming forward.”

According to the report, across Northamptonshire 17,572 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes were recorded in the year ending March 2025. It added that Northampton records the highest number of reported incidents, with Kettering and Wellingborough following closely behind.

Lyn Buckingham, a former Labour councillor on NNC, asked the council to “focus on what happens beyond the point of crisis” and lived experience. She also raised concerns that she had spoken to a victim who said she would prefer to stay in an abusive situation rather than put her children through the “ongoing battle” with the council to access support.

“That should stop us in our tracks because if the system meant to help is seen as harder than the abuse itself, something is fundamentally wrong.”

“When people flee domestic abuse, they often do so with nothing. Yet, we place them into empty properties and expect them to rebuild immediately.

“A property without the basics, without immediate support, and without space for recovery, especially for children, is not a fresh start. It is instability in a different form.

“The real question is not simply whether accommodation is being provided, but whether it can generally be described as suitable in the context of trauma and disruption.”

The Domestic Abuse Act places responsibility on all tier one authorities to provide accommodation-based support to victims of domestic abuse and their children. The new strategy says it will set minimum standards for temporary accommodation and increase the number of refuge units across the county.

Kerry Purnell, assistant director of communities and leisure at NNC, said they acknowledged as a system that “we don’t always get it right all the time” and that listening to the voice of survivors is “absolutely crucial”.

She added:

“We want the county to be a place where abuse is neither tolerated nor hidden, where victims are believed and supported and perpetrators are challenged and prevented from causing further harm.

“The difference from this strategy and the previous strategy is more of a focus on that preventative element. We also recognise that the victim needs to have a seamless journey through the system.”

The strategy has set specific targets up until the plan ends in 2030 to ensure routine enquiries about domestic abuse and sexual violence are completed at 90 per cent of maternity, health, mental health, substance use and housing services, that there is an increase in evidence-led prosecution rate for perpetrators, and more victims report feeling ‘believed, supported and safe’.

The effect on children is also a key thread throughout the plan and further targets for 100 per cent of schools delivering healthy relationships / consent education and children in domestic abuse-affected households receiving needs assessments have also been set.

Progress on the objectives will be reported through quarterly performance reporting to the strategic board and a public-facing dashboard.

A joint statement from both councils said:

“In the creation of this strategy, we have undertaken a considerable amount of joint work alongside our partners, including Domestic Abuse service providers and victims.

“The final version of the strategy is still due to go through both council’s governance process and will be considered by North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive and West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet in Spring 2026.

“Both councils are incredibly aware of the importance of raising awareness of domestic and sexual abuse across communities, supporting victims and their families in a joined up and sensitive way whilst holding up those who perpetrate abuse to account.”

By Nadia Lincoln

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This news medley is not written by AI or auto generated. Qualified journalists Sarah Ward and Nadia Lincoln (a BBC funded local democracy reporter) keep tabs on the local news so that you are kept better informed.

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The police watchdog has started a criminal investigation into a Northants senior police officer and two staff over perverting the course of justice allegations.

The matter is in relation to a legal case, which last autumn saw Northants Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet found to have been in contempt of court and fined £50,000. The civil case had been brought by Londonder Nadine Buzzard Quashie, who had been fighting the force for bodyworn footage of her arrest in Northamptonshire in September 2021, that she claims was unlawful.

After going through the county courts, the dispute went all the way up to the court of appeal and Buzzard Quashie was awarded costs after Northants Police at the eleventh hour admitted it did have undisclosed, bodyworn footage, contrary to what had been said at previous court hearings.

The matter exposed a series of issues, with Lord Justice Fraser calling it a ‘troubling case’.

So far the Northants force has paid out more than £250,000 dealing with the matter and costs could rise even further as there are ongoing proceedings.

Three Northants staff who were involved in the handling of the case were referred to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November and the IOPC has said the staff have now been told they are being criminally investigated.

NN Journal understands chief constable Balhatchet is not the senior officer under investigation.

An IOPC spokesperson said:

“We started an investigation after receiving a voluntary conduct referral from Northamptonshire Police on 19 November 2025 in relation to two police staff members and one senior police officer.

“The referral related to their engagement with the courts over a legal matter and subsequent statements provided as evidence during the proceedings.

“All three have now been served notices that we are investigating them for potential breaches of police professional standards.

“They will be investigated for potential gross misconduct and have also been notified they will be investigated criminally for allegedly perverting the course of justice. This does not necessarily mean disciplinary or criminal proceedings will follow. Our enquiries continue.”

If the IOPC finds there is grounds for misconduct, the matter will be referred back to Northants Police who will carry out disciplinary hearings. Any criminal findings would be handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service.

A spokesperson for Northants Police said:

“We note the statement from the IOPC and we will continue to work with them on this. However, we are unable to comment further at this time as it remains a live investigation on their part.”

After the contempt of court judgement, the police, fire and crime commissioner Danielle Stone, said she would carry out a review into what happened.

A spokesperson for her office said:

“The review is underway. We are working with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure that the review does not compromise their investigations and will publish the Terms of Reference shortly when we have resolved this.

“Meanwhile work is well underway on the remedial actions which the Force is taking, which will be scrutinised by our independent reviewer when complete.

“The review will be published and shared with the media when complete, and it will also be shared with the Police, Fire and Crime Panel.”

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In other news

The leader of North Northamptonshire Council saw off a leadership challenge at a Reform UK party meeting last night.

After being told he would not be backed to remain as deputy leader, cllr Eddie McDonald ran against NNC leader Martin Griffiths at the Reform group’s annual meeting.

He was comprehensively defeated by Griffiths, who is likely to remain leader when the wider council has a vote in May.

This is the first public dispute of the group, which has been running NNC since last May.

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There will be a head to head battle between the Reform UK leader and deputy of North Northamptonshire Council tonight, as the group decides who will lead them into the next civic year.

As reported by the Northants Telegraph, the party, which has been in charge of the North unitary since May last year, is facing its first public unrest, as leader, Cllr Martin Griffiths will face a challenge to his supremacy by Cllr Eddie McDonald.

It has been rumoured for weeks that McDonald was to be thrown out of his deputy role and now in response he has decided to go up against his colleague. A group meeting that will be held at the former Kettering Borough Council meeting this evening, will decide who comes out on top. Whoever is elected by the vote of the council’s 41 Reform UK councillors, will become leader of the council at next month’s annual council.

Griffiths, who was the former Conservative leader of Wellingborough Council, has been in politics for twenty years and has been involved in numerous political scraps before. When the council was first created in 2021, he had wanted to become deputy leader but quit the party and became independent after Cllr Helen Howell got the role. He became a Reform UK councillor months before last May’s election.

At the cabinet meeting held at Corby Cube this morning, the tension between the two was palpable, with the pair not appearing to interact despite sitting next to each other.

Cllr Griffiths told NN Journal at the end of the meeting:

“I did not see a leadership challenge coming. I am determined to continue delivering for the people of North Northamptonshire and continue the good work we have been doing.

“Compared to other Reform UK councils we have managed to keep out of the headlines and just get on with the job.”

Asked whether he had been ringing round his councillors for support, he said:

“I don’t need to. I have got a whip.”

He said that tomorrow he and his chief executive Adele Wylie, were going for interviews in the Local Government Chronicle’s most improved council of the year award.

In the break we asked Cllr McDonald a series of questions, but were stonewalled.

Keeping to the Reform UK mantra he told us’ I don’t discuss internal politics’.

His colleague Cllr Lee Duffy, also refused to speak, but Cllr Trevor Conway said he had not made up his mind about who he would vote for and would listen to what each candidate had to say at tonight’s meeting.

The Reform UK group on West Northamptonshire Council is holding its group meeting next month. Leader Mark Arnull looks relatively safe to keep his leadership role, but there could be a last minute move against him.

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has racked up a £1 million bill over the past four years fighting court cases against the parents of special educational needs children, despite losing the majority of tribunals.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that the council has had 277 special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) tribunal cases lodged against it up until the end of January in the 2025/26 financial year. The number of appeals has risen every year, from 158 cases in 2023/24 to 191 in 2024/25.

WNC said that costs are “unavoidable under the current national system”, but that it is working hard with parents and partners to try to improve outcomes.

Parents can take a case to tribunal over a refusal to carry out an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) needs assessment, appealing a refusal to issue an EHCP and appealing the contents or the named school within the plan.

Amid increasing numbers of families taking the authority’s decisions on education and school placements to tribunal, the legal costs for WNC defending them are once again on the rise. In total, since 2022/23, the council has spent £1,083,312 on legal costs for defending SEND tribunal cases.

WNC reported its spend as £305,115 in 2022/23, £293,666 in 2023/24 and £227,719 in 2024/25. Up until the end of January in 2025/26, £256,812 has been spent.

Despite this level of spend, of all of the cases heard so far in 2025/26, just three per cent were dismissed (the outcome was in favour of the council’s original decision). In comparison, WNC decided to withdraw (not fight the appeal) in around one third of cases and the appeal was upheld or upheld in part (the outcome was in favour of the parent) in 65 per cent.

WNC has reported only having 14 cases dismissed at tribunal over the last three years.

The West Northants SEND Action Group, which is a group of SEND parents in the local area, has claimed the data counteracts the council’s claims of progress and improvement in its special educational needs services.

Lauren Bunting, co-founder of the group, said:

“If [WNC] were improving as much as they’re claiming we wouldn’t be seeing these figures, this would be coming down.

“They’ve spent over a quarter of a million pounds of public money fighting parents at tribunal and they lose most of those cases, or they withdraw right before the hearing. How can they justify that spend?

“[The appeals process] is incredibly stressful and for people who have their own learning difficulties or mental health challenges, it can be near enough impossible. The local authority frequently misses deadlines or doesn’t engage with the process, which ends up with the parents and child being punished for their failure to comply.

“There’s years of stress for those families who are waiting, and all the while their child’s not in education, or not in education that’s working for them.

“If they were making the right decisions, then they would have more [appeals] going in their favour.

“Why are they fighting when they surely know that they’re wrong in most of those cases? It often feels like ‘let’s make the wrong decision and see if they bother to appeal or not’.”

In response, Cllr Michael Stratton, cabinet member for children, families and education, said:

“Like councils across the country, we are seeing an increase in SEND appeals and costly tribunals in recent years, which is a sad reflection of a national system that’s effectively broken and urgently needing reform.

“We are working hard with parents and our partners to try to improve outcomes, but with unprecedented rising demand for services and diminished funding we all continue to face an uphill struggle.

“No-one wants to see taxpayers’ money spent on appeals and tribunals but sadly these costs are unavoidable under the current national system. We have a legal duty to properly assess evidence and ensure decisions are lawful, sustainable and balanced with a duty to spend public funds responsibly.

“We are making progress in a number of areas, including the timeliness of our EHCPs, which continue to steadily improve, and in how we engage families and schools earlier in the process. We recognise, however, that there is still wider work to do.

“Our clear focus remains fully and firmly on delivering our SEND improvement plan and continuing to improve the service for children and their families across West Northants.”

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A financially under pressure football club has announced hopes to create an SEN school on site.

Corby Town Football Club revealed the plans this week, as part of its hopes to make the club financially stable long term.

The club, which plays in Southern League Division One, has been in financial dire straits recently, with co-owner James Longley cutting the budget in December and manager Gary Setchell quitting in response.

Longley, who co-owns the club with fellow major investor Paul Glass, said it would have cost an extra £50,000 to keep the budget as it was, as disappointing gate, food and drink sales, had put the finances under pressure.

A statement issued on the football club’s website on Wednesday, said a new community interest company structure would be needed to bring all finance elements of the club together.

It said:

“Following months of collaboration with key partners, the local council, and national governing bodies, plans are progressing to deliver a transformative, long-term development that will redefine what football can offer in the town. At the heart of this vision is not only enhanced football provision, but also the introduction of a dedicated SEND school, expanding opportunities for children with additional needs.

“The inclusion of a SEND school marks a significant milestone in the club’s evolution, extending its impact beyond sport into education and social inclusion. This provision will create meaningful opportunities for children who need additional support, reinforcing the club’s role at the heart of the community.

“Delivering this element requires the highest standards of governance, safeguarding, and operational clarity — all of which are central to the new structure being introduced.”

The club’s limited company, which lists Longley, Glass and outgoing chairman Steven Noble as directors, is late filing some paperwork with Companies House.

There is also an associated existing community interest company called Corby Rockingham Triangle Sport Club CIC, which was set up in 2009 under then club owned Peter Mallinger (who had previously owned Kettering Town Football Club). This CIC was linked to a deal struck between the former Corby Borough Council and football club, which would see the club be paid to manage the sporting assets in the area. This deal later led to a dispute, with the club claiming the council owed it huge sums.

Glass, who is listed as a director of more than 600 companies, is director of the CIC. A number of times over the years it has been due for compulsory strike off, including most recently in November last year. But last month a number of new directors were added.

It is unclear where any new school would go. There is a run-down building attached to the football club’s bar, which was formerly the club house for the neighbouring athletics club which is also on site. This is the only existing vacant building.

There is a shortage of SEN places in the county, with NNC having to use expensive out of county placements to school children.

NN Journal asked North Northamptonshire Council, which is the education authority and also the owner of the freehold of Steel Park, for more details and it said:

“The Council has been informed of this intention, and a meeting will be arranged between officers and Corby Town Football Club to explore the matter further.”

The former Corby Borough Council paid for the new stand at Steel Park in the late 2000s. It was one of the projects that came under criticism in 2013 by auditors, as it went over budget and the costs were covered by the council as the club did not have the funds.

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Other news from the county

A teenage school girl died after falling off an electric bike in Corby town centre.

The girl, 13, who has not been named, died at hospital on Tuesday after suffering serious injuries when the bike crashed in Elizabeth Street.

Northants Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened between 2pm and 3pm. Anyone with information is asked to email CollisionAppeals@northants.police.uk or call Northamptonshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 26000198505.

North Northamptonshire Council wants to use £18 million of capital funding over the next four years to boost its supply of council homes.

A report going to the executive on Tuesday (April 14) asks to delegate authority to senior council officers so they are able to purchase land and/or properties to provide additional council homes within North Northamptonshire. Its housing waiting list exceeds 7,000 applicants.

The authority says it will use Right to Buy (RTB) capital receipts to invest in new affordable housing and increase the supply of suitable, good‑quality homes

As of March 2026, North Northants Council (NNC) reported that its Keyways housing waiting list was made up of almost 7,300 applicants. According to a breakdown, the highest levels of housing need are in Corby and Kettering, with the greatest pressures for up to three-bed properties.

NNC went out to consultation last year on proposals to cut the waiting list in half by removing all applicants in the lowest band and other changes to its qualification criteria. It is anticipated that a report on the changes will go to the executive in May 2026 for the final scheme to be considered and approved.

The council has noted that the current housing pressure it is facing underpins the importance of expanding its supply of council homes. It will also reduce NNC’s reliance on costly temporary accommodation.

The report adds:

“New homes also bring clear operational and financial benefits. By balancing an ageing stock profile with the acquisition of high-quality new homes, the Council can reduce future capital liabilities, provide better homes for tenants, and improve regulatory assurance.”

The council’s Housing Revenue Capital Programme for 2026 to 2030 was approved in February this year and allocates £4.5 million each year to be put towards the delivery of new housing.

If the executive approves the report next week, NNC will start work to identify properties and or land in North Northamptonshire to support the delivery of the new housing.

By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

Northampton has become the third place in Northants to try and become the first ever ‘town of culture’. West Northamptonshire Council announced this week that it had submitted a bid to the government to be selected for a £3m cash prize to deliver a cultural programme. Corby and Kettering have also been nominated by their town councils.

Brookside creator Sir Phil Redmond has been appointed by culture secretary Lisa Nandy to lead a panel that will make the final decision. There will be a main winner as well as two other towns that will win £250,000 each.

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North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) is set to agree to extend a long-term contract and keep its current highways maintenance service in place for an extra year.

A place and environment scrutiny meeting heard that a recent strategic performance review found that Kier’s performance on highways was “passable” for an extension. A formal improvement plan has also been developed to address any shortfalls and evidence progress in future years.

This means that the authority’s seven-year highways contract, which began in September 2022, will remain with Kier until 2030 at least.

NNC’s head of highways delivery, Jonathan Pearson, told committee members that the assessment showed that the highways service is “sufficiently stable and performing at a satisfactory level” to qualify for its first one-year extension. Most areas met the council’s level three ‘satisfactory’ service standard according to the report.

“At the same time, the assessment is clear that improvements are required,” he continued.

Areas highlighted for improvement include customer service and communication, operational resilience and capacity during peak winter demand, moving to ‘right first time’ and ‘leave no defect behind’ methodology, and assuring data is used to drive value for money and innovation. The plan will be monitored over the next 12 months.

The extension of the contract can take place under delegated authority, which means that approval is not required from the elected members of the executive. The report noted that it had been taken to scrutiny as an important step in ensuring “transparency, assurance and oversight” of the decision.

However, concerns were raised that not enough data had been given for members to properly inspect the reasons behind accepting the extension.

Philip Finch-Archer, a member of the public speaking on the issue, questioned why the report did not include key performance data that would normally underpin a contract extension, such as the number of repeat pothole failures and the average cost per repair.

He told members that he had submitted multiple freedom of information requests to the council on ‘right first time’ and ‘repeat failure’ repairs, raising concerns about how they were being recorded and assessed. He also criticised the council for not being able to determine the cost of individual defect repairs, which he said makes it difficult to demonstrate value for money from Kier.

Mr Finch-Archer added:

“Scrutiny is being asked to accept a performance assessment without seeing the performance. I do believe scrutiny needs assurance that the underlying performance data exists, is complete, and is being used to inform decisions.”

Cllr David Baker (Labour, Victoria ward) agreed, saying “zero data” had been provided to evidence the extension decision.

“[The review] concludes performance is sufficient and passable – it’s hardly a ringing endorsement, is it? Now we don’t have a decision-making role here, but I’m pretty sure I know what my position would be if we did,” he said.

Cllr Emily Fedorowycz (Green, Kettering North) added: “We’re starting from a place of already declining and this improvement plan doesn’t give the assurance that it’s going to get better. We need to have regular scrutiny on this to make sure this improvement plan is working and dig into the level of detail that we need.”

Councillors were told by officers that the paper deliberately did not detail all of the scoring assessments within the review, but rather provided a summary of key strengths and areas for improvement. They added that a report will be brought back to scrutiny in six months time when specific work on the improvements has started.

A joint scrutiny panel looking into highways and the Kier contract is also due to take place in the future.

Kier will be required to submit evidence to demonstrate its achievements against the improvement plan when the next one-year extension is assessed in 2027.

In total, Kier is eligible for up to three years of ‘earned’ extensions, which are achieved by meeting performance targets throughout the contract period, and up to four years of ‘discretionary’ extensions.

By Nadia Lincoln

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A Northants charity that looks after adults with learning difficulties has been placed into administration amid a financial investigation by the charity regulator.

The Charity Commission removed the trustees from William Blake House last month and on Monday its interim manager Adam Stephens of S&W Partners LLP, issued an application to the high court to place the charity into administration.

This is the latest step in a financial scandal that became public in January when families of those staying at the home realised that the charity was to appear in the high court due to owing £1.6m in unpaid taxes.

The families hired a forensic accountant who revealed large consultancy fees paid to its chair of trustees Bushra Hamid. As NN Journal exclusively revealed last week, the Charity Commission has now extended its investigation to the Shoosmith Gallery at Delapre Abbey, Northampton, as Mr Hamid and another…

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By Sarah Ward

Our unitary councils would have to be going some to perform as badly as the former Northamptonshire County Council. The first council in two decades to go bust, the wheels well and truly fell off the county’s largest council when in spring 2018 the cash ran out and the gross mismanagement and the folly of its ‘next generation’ experiment were exposed. From using income from asset sales to fund day-to-day spending; mis-spending the public health grant and running out of cash to even pay nurseries for their services, there was hardly an area of the authority’s services that was being run well.

Day after day throughout 2018 there were new revelations about the problems, from expensive PFI deals to colossal debts and the authority even had to sell off and lease back its new shiny headquarters at One Angel Square.

Government inspector Max Caller declared ‘the road to failure had a simple cause’ citing a loss of budgetary control and scrutiny. After Caller decided the issues were ‘too ingrained’ to fix and a ‘clean sheet’ was needed, Theresa May’s government decided to call it a day and forced Northamptonshire to shut down the long-standing two tier system and begin anew with the comprehensive unitaries. All services, from bin collections, to park management, housing and social care would now be provided under one authority, with one council covering the north and east of the county and the other the south and west.

The government sent in a team of commissioners to get the county council out of its immediate mess and move towards the new councils which originally was due to start up in 2020, the date then moved back to April 2021.

As covid hit during the final year of unitary preparations, the goal was changed from having two new councils that would transform the existing service to ensuring they were ‘safe and legal’.

Five years on, here’s a look at where they are today.

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Services

Each authority has had to establish its own fully comprehensive system and it has become apparent there are differences in how successful the two councils have been.

The failure of Northamptonshire children’s services, which began back in 2013 with an inadequate Ofsted rating was a large part of the council’s financial collapse. In 2019, the council was found to have missed chances to intervene before the deaths of two toddlers, and after sending in a dedicated children’s commissioner, the government decided to take away the management of children’s social services from the authority and put it into a independent children’s trust.

Since then Ofsted has said the services have improved, especially for looked after children who have left care, but there are still problems. The most recent full inspection was in 2022 and rated the service as requiring improvement.

The cost of the children’s trust is also rising annually and every year since its inception both authorities have to find huge additional sums in-year to cover the costs. The most significant cost is that of placing children in residential homes belonging to private providers, an issue that has not been tackled by the wider council to any effect.

Since 2021 the amount of children being homeschooled across the county has also risen dramatically, largely driven by problems within the special education needs provision. Some families have had to wait much longer than the legal limit to have their children assessed, and there has been a shortage of special school places in the county.

The other big service is adult social care. A Care Quality Commission inspection last month of NNC rated the service as requiring improvement, with long waits for assessment and equipment aids.

Housing has been another major issue. The arms length company Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (which had been set up by the former Northampton Borough Council) was exposed last year as not delivering on major projects and failing tenants in safety and repairs. Millions of pounds has been wasted on projects that have not been, and will never be delivered and the Regulator of Social Housing found there were ‘serious failings in the service’.

There is no equivalent arms length provider in the North - the council owns the former council housing in the Corby and Kettering area, with the rest owned by well performing housing associations. The Regulator of Social Housing report for the north was better than the west with a grading that says improvements need to be made including completing outstanding stock condition surveys, ensuring all homes meet the Decent Homes Standard, strengthening oversight of health and safety remedial actions and improving the responsiveness of non‑emergency repairs.

Planning is an area which both councils have been failing since their inception. The amalgamation of the planning service from across the west areas led to an issue where the council is now unclear of its planning 106 contributions, what it is owed and what has been spent. It will not be until the end of the year that the mess is sorted. Before than a peer review in 2022 found that planning staff were left “ill-equipped, weren’t properly directed” and had “no sense of vision or focus”.

The North also has issues with its 106 funding, unable to give auditors a breakdown of the balances. And NNC has had several high profile planning issues since 2021. A group of residents mounted a high court challenge over plans by a developer to knock down a line of historic lime trees. The council lost the challenge and the lack of expertise in its planning department was exposed. It also made a huge blunder by failing to notify residents of a huge warehouse to be built close to their homes. It has also been short of planning enforcement officers and has not been dealing with planning matters promptly.

The North is trying to remedy its problems by appointing a new head of development management and enforcement.

And since unitary reorganisation, the issue that appears to be most concerning residents is potholes. A recent national survey found both authorities were among the worst in the country for potholes and a scroll through any social media community group, is littered with tales and photos of cratered roads, with one Corby resident even taking to planting flowers in the large divots.

Kier has had the contract to maintain the roads, a longstanding agreement that goes back to the county council days. And it is unlikely the situation is to be mended soon as the council’s leaders have estimated the costs of mending the roads would run into hundreds of millions, which the councils do not have.

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Politics

After mismanaging the finances of the county council, it came as a shock to some back in 2021 that the Conservatives were elected to run both the West and North unitary in that year’s election. (Read this excellent piece from politics expert Kate Ironside, which helps to explain why).

Jason Smithers, the maverick Conservative who had risen to local prominence after severe criticism of his Tory colleagues, became leader in the North and Jonathan Nunn, who had been leader of the former Northampton Borough Council, led the West.

Nunn later quit after domestic abuse incidents of his past were exposed and was replaced by Adam Brown. But perhaps the biggest change to the running of the authorities has been the shock election of Reform UK last May. Influenced by the huge unpopularity of the Labour government, Farage’s bunch of newbies won councils across the country.

In Northants both authorities are now Reform UK led and have experienced their share of minor scandals. Many of those elected were new to politics and had put their names forward for election without a thought to being elected, and since then many have fallen short of standards.

In the North Robert Bloom stood down and was later charged with racially aggravated offences and in the West there has been a series of defections, including by two female councillors, Kathryn Shaw and Joanne Blythe who accused the administration of misogyny. Vice chair of the council Peter York also had to apologise after saying that ‘some women should never have left the kitchen.’

In the North, the Reform UK leader is Martin Griffiths, who for many years was a Conservative and is the former leader of Wellingborough’s borough council. In the West political newbie, Mark Arnull, has been ruffling many features. Last week he called South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool ‘unhinged’ in a ‘nasty’ monologue. Both Reform UK groups will this month decide whether to re-elect their leader and senior cabinets, with some changes rumoured.

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Staffing

Both unitaries are now on their second chief executive and have been through a significant number of senior officers. The first chief executive of North Northamptonshire Rob Bridge, departed after just two years and was replaced by the current chief executive Adele Wylie, while the West unitary is currently without a permanent chief executive after Anna Earnshaw decided to leave the authority in November. Finance boss Martin Henry is standing in, until the authority appoints her replacement

In the North, the turnover of staff in the children’s services department has been significant with executive directors in five years and five directors of education. The west is on its third director of public health and has had changes in its adult social care department.

With local government reorganisation came a significant cull of staff, as the departments from the former boroughs and districts merged and the former chief executives were paid off.

Since then, as NN Journal has reported previously, there has been staff unhappiness, as the councils attempt to move services into different locations and merge teams.

Staff burnout and stress were being cited just a few months ago in the NNC chamber for the reason why staff are taking on average almost two weeks sick leave a year.

Finances

Like most local authorities, the finances of the new councils are tight. These are the final days before the councils have to close down the current financial year and both had been predicting overspends.

Despite promises before the election, both Reform UK councils have raised council tax by the maximum amount of five per cent.

And residents and the authority cannot have clarity on the finances as since they were started, neither authority has had a qualified audit. The national problems with a lack of auditors (the former government gave the contract to a company who could not service all local councils) and the issues with closing down eight councils and amalgamating them into two has caused problems year on year, with late audits and disclaimed opinions.

Recently the north auditor warned the council ‘needed to show progress’ next year, otherwise he may have to issue statutory recommendations next year.

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Councillors’ views

Three councillors who were around in the days of a two tier system and are still serving on the unitary councils are Conservative Helen Harrison and independents Jim Hakewill and Julie Davenport. We asked them for their take on how the unitary reorganisation has worked so far.

Helen Harrison, was part of the Conservative administration that ran NNC from 2021-25, and before that was an East Northamptonshire Council member. She is now leader of the Conservative opposition at NNC.

She said:

“I think it has been broadly successful. I think parts of it make a lot of sense, for example having housing and adult social care in the same organisation makes a lot of sense, as housing used to be with the district and adults used to be with the county council.

“I think bringing services together hopefully means that the different departments work quite closely together. I think that has been a good thing.

“Where I think it’s less successful is that whole feeling of services being delivered further away from people. It is hard to maintain that level of localism that you used to have in the district councils.

“So it is swings and roundabouts, but overall I think it has probably been more successful than not.

“I feel there is a lot of professionalism in the officers because it is a bigger, better, more important council than any of the const parts were before then, so I think now that things have settled down we do attract a high calibre of officer.”

Julie Davenport, served on the former Northampton Borough Council and has been the independent councillor for the Far Cotton, Delapre and Briars Hill ward since 2021.

She said:

“I think in the first four years I found I could get a lot more achieved than I have been able to in the past year [since Reform UK have been in charge]. And that is because the administration in the first four years, they were non political. I could go to any cabinet member and I could usually get things done. They really wanted to help.

All of those experienced councillors knew their way around, but what we have now is new cabinet members who don’t know their way around.

“I have given up going to them now because all they do is ask the officers, who I have already asked. So matters are not being escalated by going to a cabinet member. So I am struggling this past year.

“Mark Arnull seems to think he is in parliament [when speaking at the council]. He becomes very personal and I now hate going [to council meetings] because it becomes so nasty.”

She continued:

“I just loved the borough council and I loved the first few years of unitary. It was like a big dysfunctional family, but we all got on. I don’t see cost savings going over to a unitary, but I don’t think any of us expected that.”

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Jim Hakewill has more than 40 years of local government experience as a councillor under his belt and is now an independent councillor representing Rothwell and Mawsley. He is also chair of NNC’s corporate scrutiny committee.

He said:

“The underlying problems that caused Northamptonshire to hit the buffers are still there, essentially the cost of adult and children’s social care, which amounts to about 70 per cent of the budget.

“It is hard to see a solution to the annual overspends, as this is happening across the country. 40 councils have had to go cap in hand to the government to receive what is now called emergency financial support and was formerly a section 114 notice.

“We now have 144 councillors in Northamptonshire, whereas before unitary we had 321, so absolutely there is less representation. Therefore the close relationship we used to have has been lost.

“In the most recent local elections, 47 of the councillors on North Northamptonshire had no experience of being a councillor, so that has been quite a learning curve for many.

“However in the North we are lucky to have five of the ten members of the executive have significant experience and that is a real benefit.

“The current [Reform UK] administration is far more enthusiastic about working with other councillors, which was certainly not the case for the first four years. I do see a willingness to listen.”

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From the archives. Some stories about the councils over this past five years. Head to the archive on our website for the full back catalog.

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An investigation by the charity regulator into financial mismanagement of a Northamptonshire care home has moved on to a Northampton gallery.

The Charity Commission recently removed trustees from the William Blake House charity earlier this month as part of a statutory inquiry into serious financial and governance concerns.

The charity, which cares for disabled young people at four residential homes in the Towcester area, currently owes £1.6m in unpaid tax and in recent years has sold off much of its assets.

Management consultant Bushra Hamid, who was chair of the trustees at William Blake House, has been paid several hundreds of thousands of pounds in consultancy fees by the charity.

He is also chair of trustees at Shoosmith Gallery, based at Delapre Abbey and today the Charity Commission told NN Journal:

“We are proactively assessing potential concerns about Shoosmith Gallery due its links to another charity that is under inquiry. Our assessment will determine what regulatory role there is, if any, for the Commission.”

The Shoosmith Gallery showcases the works of celebrated siblings Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith, Fanny Violet Shoosmith, and William Buxton Shoosmith, who lived in Northampton and painted in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.

Thurston was a solicitor who founded a law firm, which grew from its Northampton origins and is today the nationally recognised company Shoosmiths.

Paula Allen, who is chief executive of the gallery, is also a trustee.

NN Journal visited the gallery yesterday and attempted to ask Paula Allen some questions but she said she would rather not comment ‘but would love to speak at the right time’.

In recent weeks two trustees have departed the gallery’s board. Dawn Wright, who has spent many years working in Northampton’s charitable sector, has quit along with Thomas Fromant. When NN Journal called Thomas Fromant, he did not want to speak, neither did current trustee Nick Gordon, who is also director of West Northamptonshire Council’s Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in Derngate.

We spoke with Bushra Hamid last month and he said the wider board had taken the decision to appoint Paula as chief executive.

He said Shoosmith Gallery is a passion project for him. Hamid, who says he went to school in Northants and has lived in the county for many years, has a string of other companies to his name, including one named after famous shoemaker Thomas Gotch and another named after shoe firm Mobbs Miller.

According to accounts lodged with Companies House the gallery receives most of its annual £68,000 income from donations. Paula Allen is paid a salary of £30,000 for her role.

Although he declined to talk about the Charity Commission investigation into William Blake House, Bushra Hamid said:

“I have been in business for 40 years and I guess my skills are derived from a building society background, auditing, commercial and charity sector. I’m really good at helping charities turn around. That is my skillset really: any innovative, marketing or strategy, that is my bag. I don’t know why, but I’m very good at thinking out of the box.”

Northamptonshire Police said last week its economic crime department was reviewing information received regarding William Blake House and this morning released the following statement on its website:

Two people have been arrested following the execution of search warrants at two residential addresses in north London and Warwickshire.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit executed the Section 9 PACE warrants at addresses in Golders Green and Leamington Spa on Wednesday, March 25.

A man and a woman, both in their 60s, from London and Warwickshire respectively were arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering offences. They have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The warrants were executed following alleged fraudulent activity at a charity while in charge of a Northamptonshire Care Home.

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Two men who violently attacked a stranger in Kettering town centre have been jailed for more than seven years.

The victim in his 40s received stab wounds to his face and required hospital treatment after Tommy Rowe and Gerald Gribbin attacked him in Horsemarket shortly before 2am on July 17 last year.

After the violent assault they were captured on CCTV checking his pockets.

At their first hearing at Northampton Crown Court on August 29 2025, Rowe, 40, pleaded guilty to Section 18 – GBH, attempted robbery and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place. Gribbin, 53, of Station Road, Kettering, denied the Section 18 - GBH charge which was ordered to remain on file, but admitted the attempted robbery and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place.

Last Friday, the pair were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court. Gribbin was handed seven years and two months’ imprisonment, while Rowe was jailed for seven years and six months.

Detective Constable Anna Orton of CID North, who led the investigation, said:

“This was an entirely senseless act of violence by two men on a stranger, which could easily have resulted in a murder investigation.

“Such violence will not be tolerated in our towns, and I am pleased the sentences imposed by the court not only reflect the severity and seriousness of the offence committed but also recognise the danger that Tommy Rowe and Gerald Gribbin present to others.”

Rowe, aged 40, of Kingwell Avenue in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228.

North Northants Council (NNC) has set out new plans to get empty homes back into use.

With around 400 long-term vacant homes in North Northamptonshire, the authority’s new Empty Homes Strategy sets out various options for the council to reduce the blight caused by vacant properties and support community regeneration.

A report will be going to the council’s place environment and scrutiny committee next week to review the strategy before it goes to the executive for formal adoption.

The strategy says:

“Empty homes are a wasted resource in the face of rising housing needs. They have negative impacts and can attract anti-social behaviour, degrade neighbourhoods, cause unauthorised occupation by squatters and in extreme cases arson.

“Clear benefits for local authorities and the local community accrue from the re-use of empty properties. They include the provision of improved quality and choice of housing accommodation for the residents of North Northamptonshire, increased Council Tax revenue and reduced expenditure by eliminating the need to board them up to keep them secure.”

It sets out a number of enforcement powers available to councils, including Enforced Sales which allows a council to sell a property and recover debts, a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) which guarantees that the property is brought back into decent standard and use, and an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) which enables the council to take control of an empty property to secure occupation and proper management of the building.

It adds that tougher enforcement would only be considered once the empty homeowner has already been engaged with and no work has taken place to remediate the property.

There is no current formal requirement for local authorities to monitor and report on long-term empty properties or any mandatory requirement to bring them back into use.

NNC said that officers have been dealing with long-term empty properties in a “reactive manner” up until this point, by following up on complaints of anti-social behaviour, or empty properties that pose a risk for people to enter and cause harm.

It says its new strategy will give officers more leverage to encourage empty homeowners to do more in terms of the wider works required to bring a property back into use.

The announcement of the new strategy follows a decision made by the full council to start charging homeowners double council tax from April 2026, when their property has been empty for more than one year.

The full strategy will be taken to the executive in May for final approval.

Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

Anglian Water says storm overflows into freshwaters reduced by 60 per cent last year compared to the previous year.

The region’s water provider, which was fined £62m last September for wastewater failures, says it has removed 340 storm overflows from its network and plans to have the remaining 1,442 out of service by 2050.

It also says it plans to spend £269m this year reducing spills from the sewer network into the region’s waterways.

Lizzie Frost, the company’s head of catchment flow compliance said:

“We know our customers and communities feel strongly that storm overflow discharges are unacceptable, and we agree. Storm overflows have been part of the sewer system for decades, and they were originally designed to protect homes and businesses from internal sewer flooding during heavy rainfall – something they still do today. Our long term goal is to completely stop using storm overflows, but getting there isn’t something we can do overnight”

“We’re investing more than ever before to reduce storm overflow discharges. £1 billion of our £11bn 2025 to 2030 business plan has been earmarked specifically to tackle storm overflows and improve river water quality. The dry weather has helped our performance, but it is not the main reason. While lower rainfall over the summer meant storm overflows were needed less often, performance was still better than previous years when we’ve had similar levels of rainfall. Our teams are working incredibly hard to improve performance and we’re pleased this improved data shows we’re on the right track.”

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Concerns have been raised that Deaf people in Northamptonshire will be “pushed further into isolation”, as pleas have been made to a council to allocate more funding to save dwindling services.

Jessica Pettican, a Deaf professional and businesswoman from Northamptonshire, addressed a West Northants full council meeting yesterday raising concerns about the sudden closure of Deafconnect and whether sufficient support had been put in place to fill the gap in services.

The charity used to spend £230,000 a year on services, but after large grants run out, has had no choice but to close and lay off long serving staff.

Northants two itinerary councils have instead decided to grant just £22,000 per year for services for the county’s deaf community.

In her speech Jessica said:

“I know firsthand what it’s like to live in a place where services are not accessible. It’s isolating. Even simple tasks like booking an appointment, seeking advice, or what support is available become a daily challenge if there’s no one who can communicate with me in British Sign Language.

“I have worked with the Deaf community since 2005 as an advice worker, independent advocate, and relay Deaf interpreter. I also manage a Deaf service in London, supporting people in crisis. I have seen how crucial accessible services are.

“Now, the local Deaf organisation that has served this area for 150 years has just closed, with drop-in services cut back three months earlier than planned, out of the blue. It’s people losing lifelines, people being left out, and people being pushed further into isolation.”

She explained that one in six adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, meaning there could be tens of thousands of people in West Northamptonshire who are likely affected by hearing impairment.

Despite original plans to stay open until the end of June, Deafconnect will close on Tuesday (March 31) due to lack of funds. Ms Pettican said her company, Deaf First CIC, would step in to take over the community hub and provide interim support until July, but that this move won’t be sustainable in the long term.

Both North and West Northants Councils announced this week that RJ Community CIC had been awarded the new hearing service contract for the county and will take over services from April 1.

Concerns were previously raised by Labour councillor Sally Keeble that the required level of support under the new service would be substantially reduced from the current offer the county has.

The council’s new contract requires the service to provide an online or remote information and advice service, a social events offer for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and just one face-to-face drop-in or booked appointment service in West and North Northants each month.

In contrast, the Deafconnect charity has provided a wide range of services, including sign language interpreters, BSL training, advice social support groups for adults and children, and an accessible base at the Spencer Dallington Community Centre in Northampton five days a week.

At the time, North Northants Council, who led on the commissioning of the contract, said that the new hearing impairment service was “intended to fund a targeted information, advice and community support offer, rather than a like‑for‑like replacement” of the Deafconnect model.

Addressing the full council, Ms Pettican continued:

“The funding situation is severe. What was once £250,000 worth of services has been reduced to just £22,000. This leaves almost nothing for the essential services that Deaf people depend on.

“The reality is that without sufficient funding, tens of thousands of people in West Northamptonshire are left without support – and the consequences are clear: increased isolation, declining mental health, and greater pressure on other public services.

“Being deaf shouldn’t mean being excluded, but without proper funding and support that is exactly what happens. These outcomes are not accidental. They are predictable and preventable – with the right investment.

“The law is clear. Under the Equality Act 2010, councils have a duty to make reasonable adjustments so Deaf people can access services. The Public Sector Equality Duty means this must be considered before decisions are made, not afterwards.

“Cutting services does not save money in the long term. It pushes people into crisis, increases demand on mental health services, and deepens inequality. Funding accessible services is not optional – it is about priorities, fairness and responsibility.

“Today, as councillors, you face a choice. You can allocate funds to services that prevent isolation, support wellbeing, and enable Deaf people in West Northamptonshire to fully engage in their communities.

“Equality isn’t just a line in a policy document. It’s something I live everyday.”

She received a standing ovation from the councillors in the gallery at the end of her speech.

While the level of grant funding from the councils has reduced over time, the council has said that the £22k grant funding offered now is the same level as in recent years. Deafconnect was previously able to leverage substantially more funding through external grant income and other donations to maintain its wide offering.

Cllr Laura Couse, WNC’s cabinet member for adult care and public health, said: “Our priority is to ensure residents who are Deaf or hard of hearing continue to have relevant services that are easily accessible, inclusive, and tailored to support their independence and wellbeing.

“We welcome RJ Community CIC as our new partner and look forward to working together to enhance the support available across West Northamptonshire. This partnership provides an opportunity to strengthen how people access information and advice, and to ensure services are designed in a way that removes barriers and promotes greater inclusion.”

Report by Nadia Lincoln

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Northamptonshire’s police and crime commissioner has dismissed more potential sites for a Corby police station and says the search continues.

A year on from a promise made by commissioner Danielle Stone and chief constable Ivan Balhatchet, a new site for a Corby station has not been found. The town, which is one of the fastest growing in the country, has been without a station for almost a decade with response cars having to attend calls from miles down the road and the only public service being two enquiries desks in Corby Cube which are open office hours.

In recent weeks more possible sites have been rejected, leading Corby’s MP Lee Barron to tell his fellow Labour politician, Danielle Stone that he is now ‘getting impatient’.

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He told NN Journal he and his staff were keen to get things moving:

“We are assisting in the search for a suitable site for a police station, but frankly we are getting impatient.

“It is coming up to a year since we were told a new police station in Corby was a priority. Now my priority is holding people to account and holding their feet to the fire. A new station is what has been promised and that is what we must have.”

Last month the MP called for a working party between his office and the commissioner’s and since then there has been an online meeting and recent site visits at a number of central sites. The local authority has also said it can assist in providing a site if necessary.

The commissioner’s office told us:

“The commissioner convened a meeting with the chief constable, Lee Barron MP, councillors from North Northamptonshire Council and Corby Town Council and others to discuss options. Several suggestions were made that we are actively following up. We viewed three suggested properties the next day and none gave us what we needed – parking, sufficient interior space and a location within a mile from the town centre. We continue to search for a suitable site.

“The chief constable and the commissioner have a shared commitment to strengthening neighbourhood policing and response in Corby and are frustrated that they have not yet been able to deliver a visible, accessible new police station for the town.”

There does not appear to be a specific budget set aside for the new site.

The commissioner’s office said:

“When an appropriate site is identified, and subject to the normal appraisal and governance process, we have the capital provision for it.”

The Corby policing estate has not had any investment in several years. The £25m Northern accommodation unit in Kettering, which is not open to the public, was opened in 2017. It was the idea of the county’s first police commissioner Adam Simmonds.

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Earlier stories

The turbulence within North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) education department is continuing, as the authority has recently appointed its fifth schools’ boss in five years.

Annita Gray, who has spent most of her career at London councils, has been appointed the assistant director of education, send and inclusion at NNC.

She has replaced Amanda Butler who had been doing the job since 2025 and before that Fran Cox, Neil Goddard, and Anne Marie Dodds had all held the role. There has been a revolving door at the authority, which has caused concern among head teachers.

The assistant director of education is responsible for schooling and works under the director of children’s service and there has also been a high churn in this role, with a series of different people doing the job. Most recently Charisse Monero departed the council in July and was replaced by Cornelia Andrecut, who had been deputy at the children’s trust.

As NN Journal has reported over recent months the authority has problems in many education areas. GCSE students in the North of the county are performing less well than their Northants peers across the unitary border, as well as compared to national students. Performance levels have decreased in the five years since the unitary was in place.

In October an education officer also said the authority - which has had to fund emergency extra places - has not had a places sufficiency plan since it was set up in 2021 and in 2024 Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission found there were ‘widespread and systemic failings’ in the council’s SEN provision. It found the service was disjointed and some children were waiting too long for help.

The council and health partners were ordered to come up with an improvement plan. A report that will be discussed by the council’s health and wellbeing board next week says the plan has delivered improvements including improved waiting times for children being accessed for education, health and care plans and a halving in the wait time for children who need mental health services.

There has also been more investment by health in speech therapy services.

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The authority has like all councils been told recently by the Labour government that 90 per cent of its special needs school budget deficit will be covered through the new high needs stability grant. Across the country councils are in huge deficits largely due to years of paying for expensive SEN placements at private schools and due to transport costs.

At NNC this deficit is expected to come in at around £45m by the end of this month’s financial year.

However in order to qualify for the stability grant councils must submit to the Department for Education (DfE) a Local Send Reform plan which maps out how changes will be brought in to reduce spending.

At this month’s schools forum, the new assistant director of education was questioned about whether her team would meet the deadlines.

She said:

“There is no denying there is quite a lot to do and it is important we work together on that. We have to meet those deadlines, because it is very dependent on us getting our payment.”

She said the council has a ‘robust transformation team’ and she was confident deadlines would be met. She also said the DfE had given some support with a finance advisor.

Referencing the turnover, Kathryn Murphy, head at Latimer Arts College in Kettering, said the authority had informed the secondary heads forum that a number of new permanent appointments were being made but there was not clarity on start dates.

Annita Gray said:

“Some colleagues will be here to do a handover, and the area we have had some challenges is the places and sufficiency work and our head of SEND is not starting until May.”

She said some colleagues were acting up ‘but there was no denying there is going to be quite a lot of hard work between now and June [when the SEN improvement plan must be submitted to the government].”

Troy Hobbs, who had been the interim head of SEND, has also recently departed.

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In order to change the high bills in special needs the council must start to move away from paying high fees to independent schools.

As reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Annita Gray said at the children’s, young persons and education scrutiny committee meeting last Thursday (March 19), there is a necessity to “change the trajectory” of DSG spending going forward and deliver good outcomes for children in a financially sustainable way through earlier intervention.

Statistics shared in the meeting show there are currently 238 children attending Independent Special Schools at a cost of around £78k each a year, compared with an average of £22k for a child in a maintained school. The council is forecast to spend nearly £18m this year on independent provision alone.

NNC says it will conduct ongoing reviews of children placed in independent settings and accelerate the rollout of planned AP and SEND units within mainstream schools to mitigate overspends.

Cllr Elizabeth Wright, executive member for children, education and families, said:

“Obviously, one part of this [SEND] reform is about keeping children in mainstream settings as much as possible. We have been going out, visiting schools and there is a nervousness around this plan because schools are already struggling.
“We will have to move together to do this to get the right outcomes for children.”

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A company that has not yet filed any annual accounts, has been awarded a £13m contract to build two modular housing complexes in Northampton.

In a bid to reduce its temporary accommodation bill, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) began to look into modular housing back in 2024.

It granted itself planning permission in June last year to build 108 homes at two sites it owns, 70 at the Claret care park off Edgar Mobbs way, near Sixfields and the rest on the former Lings School site in Billing Brook Road. The authority is currently housing around 750 families in temporary accommodation, with half of those put up in private accommodation.

Back in 2024 the council’s then Conservative administration held a behind closed doors meeting to discuss the scheme and allocated £12.7m towards the project.

That sum has now risen to £13.795m and Boost TA, a company founded in Yorkshire in July 2024, has now been awarded the contract. It is unclear how much Boost PA will earn from the project. The contract register has a sum of £664,000 assigned to the company.

The startup firm, which is led by directors Giles Donovan and Will Roberts, changed its office address to a Northampton location last year. According to Companies House it has not as yet filed any accounts.

Giles Donovan is a former property developer who was based in Los Angeles for many years and Will Roberts is the son of Peter Roberts, a serial entrepreneur and founder of the PureGym chain.

Boost PA will purchase the units from Yorkshire based Integra Buildings.

NN Journal asked the council for some details of how Boost PA won the contract and a spokesman said:

“The council’s contract is with Boost, which sub‑contracts the civil engineering works and the supply of the modular units. Boost TA was selected through an open competitive process and was the only bidder to submit a compliant proposal. The Council recognised that Boost TA was a new company and assessed the associated risks and mitigation measures. The modular unit supplier is a well‑established and reputable firm. Contract details can be found in the WNC contracts register.”

The council says half of the budget will go on site costs. The proposal has not been scrutinised by the wider council.

In a press release issued this week Boost PA said it had appointed project director Rick Butters to oversee the scheme. It said it had a number of other local authority contracts. We asked the firm further questions about these contracts and await an answer.

WNC has a recent poor track record on delivery of major schemes.

It lost millions through its housing company Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, which has failed to build a number of new build projects, due to a lack of experience.

It went £5.1m over budget on Northampton’s market square and last year got into a legal wrangle with the contractor Stepnell, agreeing to pay it an extra £1m in a legal settlement.

Costs also rose by £1.25m on the £9.4m mortuary the council decided to build on Riverside, Northampton.

By Sarah Ward

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News from across the county

The police watchdog has said an investigation is required following a serious domestic assault in Wellingborough last weekend.

The Northants force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in relation to the incident which happened in the Queensway area of the town last Friday.

An IOPC spokesperson said:

“We received a death or serious injury (DSI) referral on 16 March from Northamptonshire Police relating to a domestic assault on 14 March in which a woman suffered serious injuries.

“Police had contact with the woman on 13 March. Having examined the referral and all evidence available to us at this stage, we believe an investigation is required and that it is suitable to be carried out by the force’s Professional Standards Department.

“The DSI referral also related to an incident just before 6pm on 15 March in which a man suffered stab wounds. However, as there had been no direct or indirect police contact with the victim, the IOPC has no jurisdiction to examine the matter.

“We have asked Northamptonshire Police to consider if there might be any conduct matters related to the stabbing incident and, if so, for a referral to be made to us for assessment.”

A Northamptonshire Police spokesperson said:

“I can confirm that the Force did make a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

“This is standard procedure when someone is seriously injured and there has been prior police contact with the victim.

“However, the IOPC has referred this matter back to Force to investigate locally and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment further while this investigation is on-going.”

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Reform UK has had a double victory in today’s Corby Town Council by-elections.

Chairwoman of North Northamptonshire Council Helen Campbell has been elected to the Kingswood Ward, with 673 votes and Patrick McMillan will now sit on the council in the Corby West ward, after 689 people voted for him. Labour candidates were second in each ward, Green party third and the Lib Dems placed fourth.

Reform UK has now won all three of the by elections held on the council since last May’s elections. Labour controls the council.
The results in Corby West were: Heather Anderson, Labour, 537; Alex Bailey, Lib Dem, 74 Lee Forster, Green, 436 Patrick McMillan, Reform UK, 689 and Neil Rielly, Independent, 99.

The results in Kingswood were: Tracey Bruce, Lib Dem, 194; Helen Campbell, Reform UK, 673; Sophie Campbell, Green, 295 and Mohammed Rahman, Labour, 388.

North Northamptonshire Council says that ‘current evidence’ suggests that a corroded pipe is responsible for water on a Corby road rather than being down to a historic landfill leaking.

As NN Journal along with BBC and ITV reported this week, a council report from January 2025 suggested that Deene Quarry, the site where Corby’s toxic waste was buried, is leaking.

There have been concerns for many years about the site near Gretton Brook Road and water testing in November by local people in conjunction with independent charity Earthwatch found hotspots of cadmium pollution in the area.

On Tuesday the authority, which is the licence holder for the landfill site, said ‘it took environmental concerns very seriously’ and now it has issued a further statement which says:

“NNC is aware of historic landfill and industrial land uses in the wider Rockingham Speedway area. Sites of this nature are common in areas with a long industrial history, and they are subject to regulation through a number of environmental and planning frameworks. The information reference relates to investigations into water entering Gretton Brook via a drainage pathway. Current evidence indicates that water entering the brook is associated with a corroded pipe acting as a pathway for surface water or groundwater, rather than confirming that a landfill site is leaking.

“Water quality testing undertaken during the investigation found that metal concentrations were below EQS and the EA assessed the incident as having a limited and localised impact on the watercourse. Historic landfill sites are managed through established regulatory regimes. Where potential risks are identified, they are considered under the relevant legislation, including contaminated land provisions and environmental regulation, with oversight from the appropriate authorities such as the EA and local authority.

“NNC continues to work with the EA and other relevant organisations where environmental issues are identified. At present there is no evidence confirming that a landfill site is leaking or that there is wider risk to public health. If credible evidence emerges indicating a risk to human health or the environment, the Council and relevant regulators would review the information and determine whether further investigation or action is required.”

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has halved the average time it takes to complete education, health and care plans (EHCP) for children with special educational needs over the last year.

A children, education and housing scrutiny committee meeting held on Monday (March 16), heard that the average time taken to complete an EHC assessment dropped from 54 weeks in February 2025 to 24.9 weeks last month.

An EHC plan is a legally-binding document that sets out the support for children and young people aged up to 25 who have special educational needs or disabilities. National guidance states that local authorities have 20 weeks to issue a final plan, however only around 50 per cent of plans are completed within the specified time limit nationally.

Officers told the committee meeting that 34 per cent of EHC assessments in West Northants were completed within 20 weeks – a massive increase from just 1.6 per cent issued on time a year prior.

Head of SEND at WNC, Louisa Jones, said that the department is looking to continue this trajectory and reach at least 75 per cent of EHC plans completed on time by October 2026.

An inspection of the SEND Local Area Partnership in March 2024 concluded that there were ‘widespread and systemic failings’ in West Northants.

It recommended five priority action areas of improving partnership and leadership, addressing the length of time families have to wait for EHC assessments, ensuring the quality of the plans once issued, and better addressing speech, language and communication needs.

The council previously said that it had created an extra 17 caseworker posts and recruited two EHC service managers as part of its action plan to clear the backlog of assessments, as well as put a workforce development plan in place to ensure the quality of EHCPs.

Kim Stevenson, from the West Northants Voices in Partnership parent carer forum, told members that they were starting to see “green shoots” in the council’s SEND performance.

She said:

“We’re getting parents that are not wanting any amendments on their written EHCPs – I mean, I don’t think I have seen that in 30 years.

“Turning the county is like turning the Titanic. It’s very early days, but we are going in the right direction.”

The assistant director for education, Ben Pearson, added:

“This was a system-wide culture change that needed to happen across multiple organisations. What’s happened underneath the data is a genuine partnership across health, across social care and across education.

“What I’m most proud of is that from the very start of this journey, our parent forum had a seat at the table as an equal partner.

“I feel very assured in the direction that we are moving in. I’m not going to pretend it’s all roses because it’s not, but we know what we need to do to put it right.”

However, concerns were raised by Far Cotton, Delapre and Briar Hill councillor Anthony Owens (Reform UK) about the number of plans not completed within the statutory timeframe, and the possible financial and legal risk to the authority from SEND tribunals.

According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the LDRS, the authority has been involved in over 600 SEND tribunal cases in the last three years, rising from 158 cases in 2023/24 to 277 cases in 2025/26.

Melanie Barnett, the director of children’s services at WNC, said most local authorities would be seeing an increase in tribunals.

“It’s a challenging national picture and it’s referred to as a crisis, and I would say in my perspective it is absolutely a crisis and something significant needs to change around that to make sure we get the very best outcomes for our children,” she added.

The meeting also heard that the SEND partnership monitoring inspection, which was due to take place in October, has not yet happened.

Officers said they had shared a self-evaluation on progress made on the action plan and commitments for the next 12 months with the Department for Education, NHS England, the CQC and Ofsted, and that there is “confidence in the credibility of the plans and the people”.

Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

A WNC Reform UK councillor who has only made one council appearance since September* could be given a special pass to allow him to escape being removed from the authority.

Jeff Johnson, who was elected to the council in May to represent the Blackthorn and Rectory Farm ward, has only appeared at the council on six occasions. Normal rules dictate that councillors who do not attend in a six month period are expelled from the authority and Cllr Johnson, who was last at a council meeting in November is approaching that time.

The full council will consider a report at its meeting next Thursday which suggests that Cllr Johnson, who is in ill health, has a pass to not attend another meeting before the next elections.

It says:

“The council is therefore asked to agree that, if Councillor Johnson is unable to attend another meeting between now and the end of his term of office for reasons of ill health, such absence will be authorised.” If the council votes against the proposal Cllr Johnson will be removed.

Reform UK’s control of the council is now finely balanced after a number of defections.

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Both Reform UK unitary councils have agreed to move ahead with a new devolution deal for the area, after voting to create a Foundation Strategic Authority (FSA) for the county.

The West unitary approved the vote last Friday and on Wednesday its North counterpart followed suit.

This follows the government’s recent invitation for areas not already on a devolution priority pathway to submit their proposals by Friday, March 20.

The report put before the council said the previously proposed South Midlands Authority (SMA) “presents the best opportunity” for the areas, but that the lack of political agreement over the past year and the fast-approaching deadline mean that it is not an option to pursue at this stage.

Discussing the options, council leader Martin Griffiths said that devolution would be “one of the most important strategic decisions” made in the chamber.

He said:

“We have the chance to take a major step forward for North Northamptonshire – one that strengthens our national influence, accelerates our growth and positions us more confidently within our region and the country.

“While a larger South East Midlands strategic authority remains, in my view, the strongest long-term model, we cannot ignore the reality that consensus across all councils simply isn’t there at the moment.

“[A Northamptonshire FSA} is the right step for now. It keeps us moving forward, it gives us a platform to strengthen our capacity, our voice and our ability to shape investment in the things that matter most to us.

“Crucially, it does not shut the door for anything – it keeps our options open. This council is on the up and it’s going places, we’re just not sure in which geographical location at the moment.”

Creating a strategic authority gives regions greater power and control over key issues such as jobs, transport, housing and long-term investment into the area. They do not replace local councils and are designed to work across multiple council boundaries to address regional issues, rather than manage day-to-day services.

Cllr David Brackenbury (Conservative, Thrapston) said the “sad decision” by other authorities to cut Northamptonshire out of the SMA deal has failed to support the government’s requirements that there should be no ‘devolution islands’.

He added:

“As a former board member of SEMLEP, I am very disappointed that the South Midlands deal was not agreed. I’m afraid that that decision was basically sacrificing the harmonious relationship that we all had on the altar, I fear, of political division.

“Let’s work together, let’s reach out to authorities, let’s try to get the best deal we can.”

Leader of the NNC Greens, Cllr Emily Fedorowycz, told the chamber that the Northamptonshire FSA should be seen as the “first rung in the ladder of devolution, not the final destination”.

“Standing still would not protect local interests, it would simply mean decisions are shaped elsewhere without our voice at the table,” she said.

“Our long-term ambition should remain clear – we should continue expressing a strong interest in being a part of a wider combined authority.”

Cllr Mark Pengelly, Labour group leader, emphasised the need to pursue other options for a larger strategic authority with places like Peterborough and Leicestershire, as well as the possibility of breaking off from West Northants altogether for a deal.

He explained:

“We have to look at the South Midlands option, with Milton Keynes and Luton, but you can understand why they want to go alone with it because they have more in common with that area than say Corby does.

“We’ve got to keep everything open and we’ve got to look at everything.”

Communities Alliance councillor Simon Fairhall (Lib Dems, Oundle) added:

“When we talk about North and West Northamptonshire Reform, I don’t think anyone had ‘reform Northamptonshire’ in mind. Establishing a Foundation Strategic Authority for Northamptonshire only is clearly not the best option.

“Borders must not be allowed to become barriers because in real daily life they are nigh on invisible in how we work, live and relax. You have my full support to press the case for North Northamptonshire to be part of a larger combined authority as part of our southern, and or eastern borders.”

The chamber voted on the recommendations in the report, which agreed to progress establishing a Northants FSA and working towards the creation of a larger strategic authority in the future, which passed unanimously.

West Northamptonshire Council held a meeting last Friday (March 13), which also agreed to put forward a joint expression of interest in establishing a Northamptonshire Foundation Strategic Authority.

Report by Nadia Lincoln

Longstanding charity Deafconnect has announced it will close at the end of this month.

The Northampton based charity had initially said it would continue providing its community services up to the end of June but has bought the date forward. It has said that local authority funding and grants have dwindled in recent years leaving it unable to operate.

North Northamptonshire Council is responsible for commissioning the county’s statutory sensory impairment services, which it funds jointly with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC). The authority is now working to make sure a new information and advice service for deaf people is available from April 2026.

It has warned that there may be a three-to-four week gap in provision while a replacement service is established.

Cllr Eddie McDonald, executive member for adult services at NNC, said:

“We recognise that this has been an unsettling and uncertain time for the Deaf community. Our aim is to establish a service model that more effectively reflects the needs of the community while reducing reliance on more formal care and support services.

“Given the level of interest from appropriate and capable organisations, and subject to following a robust governance and grants process, a new replacement service could realistically be mobilised by mid to late April 2026.”

The new service will receive grant funding from both North and West Northamptonshire councils of around £22,000 per year in total, however concerns have been raised that the grant would not adequately cover the needs of the Deaf community, especially to enable a new organisation to get going.

WNC councillor Sally Keeble (Labour, Dallington Spencer) said the council’s required level of support under the new service would also be substantially reduced from the current offer with Deafconnect.

The council’s new contract requires the service to provide an online or remote information and advice service, a social events offer for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and just one face-to-face drop-in or booked appointment service in West and North Northants each month.

In contrast, the Deafconnect charity has provided a wide range of services, including sign language interpreters, BSL training, advice, and social support for adults and children, and is accessible from its base at the Spencer Dallington Community Centre in Northampton five days a week.

NNC has said that the new hearing impairment service is “intended to fund a targeted information, advice and community support offer, rather than a like‑for‑like replacement” of the Deafconnect model.

While the level of grant funding from the councils has not been reduced, the 150-year-old charity was previously able to leverage substantially more funding through external grant income and other donations to maintain its wide offering.

Cllr Keeble told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):

“The needs of the community are much too substantial and to think you can meet them with £22,000 is complete nonsense. That doesn’t even employ a member of staff.

“If the council wants to replicate services in any way, they need to do some sort of scoping exercise so they can work out exactly what’s needed. They should be able to afford a bit more to enable a new service to get going.

“People are entitled to a level of support and a level of service and this seems like a really retrograde step. There needs to be some indication of a reasonable way forward, otherwise what’s been built up over many years will all be lost.”

A North Northamptonshire Council spokesperson said:

“We are pleased that we have received three Expressions of Interests from organisations [for the new hearing impairment service contract], which is an excellent response. All of these organisations have indicated that they are able to deliver the required service within the allocated funding.

“The funding for the new hearing impairment service has been deliberately set to reflect the scope of the service being commissioned. The grant is intended to fund a targeted information, advice and community support offer, rather than a like‑for‑like replacement of the previous charity’s wider operating model.

“The service specification has been designed around what the council is legally required to provide, alongside wider council information and advice provision and ongoing engagement with the Deaf community.

“It’s also important to be clear that council funding for support has not been reduced. The previous provider’s financial difficulties were driven by the loss of external grant income, not a withdrawal of council funding.

“The new grant level has been set to ensure a sustainable, proportionate service that can be delivered within available resources, while we continue to engage with the community and monitor demand as the new service is established.

“We will of course be working closely with a new supplier and if there is a case to review the level of funding based on demand etc then we would of course do that.”

Deafconnect has been contacted for comment on its new closure date.

By Nadia Lincoln

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When this article was first published we incorrectly stated Cllr Johnson had only attended one council meeting since May instead of September. This article was amended on March 24th.

The charity regulator has removed the trustees of a care home for adults with complex needs, amid a statutory inquiry launched into its finances and governance.

The Charity Commission has announced this morning that it has placed an interim manager into William Blake House based near Towcester and has removed its trustees.

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The landfill site where vast amounts of Corby’s toxic waste have been buried, may be leaking, uncovered documents suggest.

For several decades former iron ore site Deene Quarry site was the dumping ground for by-product from Corby’s steel industry, with millions of gallons of toxic slurry, slag and industrial chemicals discarded at the former quarry site, creating huge toxic lagoons often littered with empty chemical drums.

The site was cleaned up in the 1980s and 1990s, after the former Corby District Council decided to try and turn around the fortunes of the town after steelmaking stopped, and transform the huge area (now known as Willowbrook North) into a new industrial complex.

But the clean up operation, which was the biggest in Europe and funded by millions of UK government and European funding was mismanaged, with a landmark legal case about birth defects in 2009 finding that there was a ‘dig and dump’ policy, that safety regulations were not followed and toxic pollutants that were being transported on open trucks escaped into the atmosphere and were ingested by the pregnant mothers.

Now, thirty years after Deene Quarry was capped off, there are fears it is leaking. The landfill site is the responsibility of the local authority (now North Northamptonshire Council) and is regulated by the Environment Agency (EA). Over the past few years there have been suspicions the site has been leaking onto nearby Gretton Brook Road and into the brook that runs alongside it (which gives the road its name) with reports of the brook turning different colours on occasions.

Documents from a meeting convened by Gretton Parish Council in January last year, which have been unearthed by a campaigner, show the concerns about the landfills at Deene Quarry are well founded. In 2001 Rockingham Motor Speedway was built on the North East quarter of the site. The speedway was not a success and in 2021 the site was acquired by the Constellation Automotive Group for £80m. The company has been contacted for comment.

The council report says:

“There are still historic open landfills around the speedway (referred to as Deene quarry). Water from the open landfill underneath Rockingham Speedway is pooling by the side of Gretton Brook Road. The installations Team at the Environment Agency is currently in discussions with the technical groundwater team at NNC and NNC (responsible for the open landfill site). Historically Anglian Water went to assess the sites at Rockingham Speedway, attenuation ponds were assessed and cleared. This suggests that groundwater levels have risen and are pushing up historic contamination in the ground and it is leaking onto the road. The Environment Agency is currently discussing the permits granted to NNC at this site.”

Water testing organised by Corby MP Lee Barron’s office in conjunction with environmental charity Earthwatch found heavy metals in the water, including cadmium, a highly toxic metal which can cross the placenta and cause birth defects. There were cadmium hotspots around the speedway site.

NN Journal contacted the Environment Agency about the leak concerns and it said:

“Pollution in Gretton Brook comes from many sources. We recognise the concerns raised and understand how important it is for residents to feel confident in the quality of their local environment.

“We are working with North Northants Council to assess any potential link between activities regulated under their environment permit at Deene Quarry and possible contamination.

“This work is ongoing, and we remain committed to mitigating any potential risk.”

The agency says it has offered to join a working group with the local authority and Lee Barron MP to ‘examine the range of issues’. It said it is investigating a pollution report on Gretton Brook, with samples from an onsite assessment going for further testing.

The local campaigner

Former Corby town and Gretton Parish councillor Rob Newby has been concerned about the situation for a number of years. He has constantly monitored the Gretton Brook at the location where the road from Gretton village joins with the Gretton Brook Road. He has sent countless emails and made reports to Anglian Water, Tata Steel (which owns land nearby) the EA, the council and the town council to try and get answers.

The road has been closed on a number of occasions due to flooding issues.

He said:

“Nobody has taken charge of the situation which remains unresolved despite fruitless efforts to pay lip service to the ongoing problem.”

At a parish council meeting last Monday he said the water pooling onto the side of the road was foul smelling.

He said:

“This [issue] is going on and on. Between the council and the environment agency it is going round in circles. Someone has to pick this up as it is becoming a joke.”

The original legal firm is back on the case

Since Corby’s toxic waste legacy was brought to the fore once again with the airing of Netflix drama Toxic Town, there have been concerns that the waste is still causing issues today. Families have concerns about recent birth defects, childhood and adult cancers and other rare illnesses. The local authority’s director of public health commissioned a report, which found childhood cancer rates were no higher in Corby. However, as with the original group of claimants, the health report is being questioned.

There are also now wider concerns about where all the toxic waste went to. It was supposed to be buried in Deene Quarry, but documents from the original court case, show that the contractor Noone and McGowan who had the 1996 contract to clean up the Soothills area (now the Corby Tesco site at St James) took the waste to other parts of Corby (and used in footings of new developments) and it also went to the Kettering Leisure Park, where the Odeon cinema and a number of restaurants were built.

Collins solicitors, who led the landmark case, are involved once more and last week, standing looking at the Deene Quarry, solicitor Dani Holliday said the issue of the waste containment site has never been looked at properly.

She said the court case established that there was ‘undeniable incompetence’ by some officers of the former Corby Borough Council who were leading the reclamation project. She said:

“No-one ever went back and had a look and said ‘has this been done properly?’ It was just covered over and something heavy and vibrating [the speedway] was placed on it. You could not make it up really. It is so absurd.”

Des Collins says the way forward is a public enquiry. He said the local authority is currently acting as the previous one did and is not being transparent, but it could call on the government to act.

He said:

“What the council can do is go to Wes Streeting [health secretary] and say ‘this has got out of hand and you must now direct that there is a public enquiry.”

Tracey Taylor, who is leading a campaign for a public enquiry and was one of the mother’s depicted in the Toxic Town drama unearthed the parish council minutes, which suggest that contamination is leaking, after a trawl online. Her daughter Shelby died in 1996 less than a week after she was born with only two chambers in her heart. Tracey, like the father of another child who was born with deformities, worked at the Euromax Logistics site - which is less than a 100 metres away from Deene Quarry.

She said:

“They say there is yearly testing done of this site. But where are the reports? If the testing has been done, why are they not publicly available?

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The MP

Corby’s MP Lee Barron has said he will help the families get answers.

He said:

“My priority has always been to support the families who deserve answers to their questions.
“This includes setting up the meeting in January 2025 with the Environment Agency and North Northamptonshire Council and representatives from Gretton Parish Council. It was an opportunity to bring together authorities who manage and monitor the site.

“At this meeting reassurances were given by the Environment Agency, but many people will be aware that there have been ongoing concerns.

“This is why I welcomed the opportunity to support the work of Earthwatch, the internationally recognised charity, to run the country’s largest community water testing project. The results of this testing carried out in late November, 2025, highlighted that there were indicators that this was still an area of interest. This information was shared with North Northamptonshire Council and the Environment Agency.

“After receiving further concerns from constituents, a week ago I asked for an update from the Environment Agency and I am waiting for an update. Wes Streeting is aware of the families’ concerns and has been kept up to date.”

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Council response

We put a series of question to North Northamptonshire Council last Thursday about the testing of the historic landfill site and whether the authority understood it to be leaking. The authority says answers will be given in full later this week and gave this holding statement:

“North Northamptonshire Council  recognises the  understandable strength of feeling amongst the residents of Corby in relation to the historic and emotive issue of contaminated land and takes environmental concerns extremely seriously.”

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