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A look back at 2021
www.nnjournal.co.uk

A look back at 2021

We review the important news stories that have featured in Northamptonshire this year

Dec 30, 2021
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A look back at 2021
www.nnjournal.co.uk

Dear NN Journal members,

We hope you’ve had a great Christmas with those special to you in what has been a difficult year for many.

Ahead of the start of 2022 we thought we’d take a quick look back at the past 12 months and the news stories that have been prominent in Northamptonshire.

The pandemic

For a second year, Covid has been the dominant issue, affecting the lives of every county resident. We’ve had lockdowns and restrictions and on many occasions towns within our county have topped the charts for Covid cases.

As we move into 2022, and with the new Omicron strain rampaging through the county, it will no doubt also be a big story in coming months.

Here are some of our stories we have brought to our readers concerning Covid.

NN Journal
Corby’s Covid Crisis
While you’re here please sign up to our free daily newsletter. We send it straight to your inbox each weekday morning. By Sarah Ward Corby has the second highest Covid case rates in the country behind neighbouring Rutland. While the rates have dropped from an all time high of 921.9 cases per 100,000 in the week to January 10, they are not dropping as qu…
Read more
a year ago · 4 likes · NN Journal
NN Journal
Covid: Restrictions lift as cases continue to soar
By Natalie Bloomer So-called ‘freedom day’ will be a cause for celebration for some but for others the lifting of Covid restrictions means more anxiety. Despite cases soaring across the country and health officials warning of the risks of dropping our guard, the government today lifts the majority of Covid restrictions…
Read more
a year ago · 6 likes · NN Journal

New unitary authorities

In April this year the local government system of Northamptonshire was overhauled with the creation of two new unitary councils - one serving North Northamptonshire and another serving the West.

Done so on government orders, following the financial collapse of the county council, the reorganisation was completed to just a safe and legal level, leaving much of the changes left to be made once the councils were up and running.

As we have extensively reported, this has caused many problems, especially in North Northamptonshire, where councillors have expressed concern about the speed of change, the current state of services and the amount of staff who have decided to leave the authority.

The authority is also facing a hefty lawsuit due to the former wrongdoing of East Northamptonshire Council, as exclusively revealed by us this summer.

NN Journal
Exclusive: Miscarriage of justice landlord sues council for up to £14m damages
To receive a daily morning email from NN Journal sign up here. Free and paid options available By Sarah Ward A landlord wrongly jailed in a miscarriage of justice is suing North Northamptonshire Council for just under £14m in damages. Former owner of upmarket pub The Snooty Fox in Lowick, Geoff Monks, was sent to a category A prison in 2003 after not payi…
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10 months ago · 8 likes · 1 comment · NN Journal
NN Journal
‘We are in dire straits at the moment’
By Sarah Ward More than six months in and some major concerns about how the new unitary council serving North Northamptonshire is operating are still being raised. High staff vacancy rates, the lack of transformation and problems within its finance departments were all aired by councillors sitting on the authority's finance scrutiny committee meeting hel…
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7 months ago · 9 likes · 5 comments · NN Journal
NN Journal
'The staff are at breaking point'
By Sarah Ward Carers at a local authority home care service who are working extra long shifts for minimum wage say they can’t go on much longer. North Northamptonshire Council’s home care service supporting vulnerable young adults in the area currently has more than 30 vacancies, which means staff are having to do excessive overtime and back-to-back shif…
Read more
10 months ago · 15 likes · 1 comment · NN Journal

Protests against warehouse developments

Green Party Cllr Dez Dell (left) at a council protest. Photo Dan Whitney

All across the county this year, groups of concerned residents have been organising themselves to protest against large scale warehouse developments being planned for the county. Inspired by the original protest group Save Weekley Hall Woods, villagers in East Northamptonshire have now formed STAUNCH to fight warehouse plans close to Titchmarsh. And Save Towcester Now has recently been formed to oppose more warehousing in the town.

Here are some of our reports 

NN Journal
How the pandemic galvanised a town to fight to save its woodland
By Sarah Ward Looking out from the kitchen window of her cottage tucked away in Weekley Hall Wood Sue Shaw noticed a lot of new faces over the spring and summer months of the first coronavirus lockdown. Families from the nearby Brambleside estate, young couples a…
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a year ago · 9 likes · 9 comments · NN Journal
NN Journal
‘We need to fight this’: Campaign groups join forces to stop new warehouse developments
To receive FREE and independent news from Northamptonshire straight to your inbox sign up here By Natalie Bloomer On a cold dark night in the village of Titchmarsh, a steady stream of residents last week headed to the local church to view plans f…
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7 months ago · 9 likes · 1 comment · NN Journal

Harry Dunn

Harry and his mum Charlotte

The tragic story of motorcyclist Harry Dunn, 19, who was killed by American diplomat Anne Sacoolas close to a Northamptonshire airbase in August 2019, has continued to be prominent national news this year.

After much continued pressure from his family and their lawyer Radd Seiger, Sacoolas is now expected to appear at Westminster magistrates court via videolink from America in January to face charges.

Read our interview with Harry’s mum Charlotte here

NN Journal
'We’re not living, we’re existing': Harry Dunn’s mum on her fight for justice
Thanks for reading. To make sure you receive our free newsletter delivered each weekday to your inbox, please sign up above By Natalie Bloomer On the night of August 27 2019 when Northamptonshire teenager Harry Dunn was killed, his mum Charlotte was working late at a local GP surge…
Read more
a year ago · 3 likes · NN Journal

Knife crime

2021 saw the tragic deaths of two Northamptonshire teenagers at the hands of a bladed weapon. Rayon Pennycook, 16, was killed in May in Corby and Wellingborough teenager Dylan Holliday, 16, died in August.

A 17 year old has since been found guilty of Rayon’s murder and two teenagers have denied murdering Dylan. They will face a crown court trial next month.

Sadly knife crime has become a growing issue in our county.

Here are some of our reports:

NN Journal
Wellingborough knife protest: 'People need to know what is happening here'
NN Journal is run by two local journalists dedicated to bringing independent and original news to our readers. Our journalism is funded by subscribers - no ads or grants. To join our members in supporting our journalism sign up below By Natalie Bloomer…
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10 months ago · 8 likes · 2 comments · NN Journal
NN Journal
‘We’re seeing more knives in schools than ever before’
By Natalie Bloomer The UK is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic. Many of the national headlines focus on the issue in cities like London and Birmingham but right across the country concerns are growing - particularly around offences involving knives and young people…
Read more
a year ago · 1 like · NN Journal

The cobblers saga

Former Northampton Borough Council leader David Macktinosh. Pic Kirsty Edmonds

Perhaps the biggest story in Northamptonshire over the last few years has been the millions that Northampton Borough Council lost after loaning it to the then owners of Northampton Town Football Club to develop the stadium.

This year the story was once again a prominent one as an audit report found that there were ‘serious failings’ by the council in the giving of the loan and ‘unlawful’ decision making.

Several people appeared in court earlier this year charged with electoral offences after giving money towards the campaign of then leader of the council David Macktintosh in his bid to become an MP.

But despite expectations there have still not been any charges brought against either Northampton Borough councillors in charge at the time, or officers.

And the football club’s involvement with the council continues to be in the headlines as now the club’s owners are doing a deal with the new West Northamptonshire Council about a nearby land buyout. This has been put on hold for more scrutiny.

NN Journal
‘A sorry state of affairs’: Council responds to damning Cobblers report
By Natalie Bloomer The leader of Northampton Borough Council last night branded the handling of the missing Cobblers loan a “sorry state of affairs” as he presented the authority’s response to last month’s Public Interest Report into the matter. At a full council meeting last night Councillor Jonathan Nunn said…
Read more
a year ago · 4 likes · 2 comments · NN Journal
NN Journal
Cobblers deal: Meeting cancelled as councillors raise concerns about sale price
By Natalie Bloomer A planned meeting to provide councillors in West Northants with full details of the proposed deal over the development of land next to the Sixfields stadium has been cancelled, NN Journal understands. Negotiations between the local authority and County Developments Northampton Ltd (CDNL), which is owned by Northampton T…
Read more
7 months ago · 2 likes · NN Journal

Women killed

Maddie (left) and Marta were both murdered

The Sarah Everard murder by a serving Metropolitian police officer in March threw the spotlight on women’s safety with vigils across the country, including in Northamptonshire. Tragically two women were also murdered in Kettering this year. Maddie Durdant-Hollemby, 22, was killed by her boyfriend Ben Green at his home in Kettering in August. Green then killed himself. Marta Chmielecki, 38, was also killed at her home in Wood Street, Kettering. Her husband Pawel Chmielecki has been charged with her murder.

NN Journal
Misogyny as a hate crime
By Natalie Bloomer The kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard has brought the issue of violence against women and girls into sharp focus in recent days. But is there real action being taken or are those in power just paying lip service to the issue? Today we take a look at the national debate as well as what is being said locally…
Read more
8 months ago · 4 likes · 3 comments · NN Journal

Children’s Services

The children’s services department in Northamptonshire has been failing for several years and in 2020 was moved over to an independent children’s trust.

However as yet the trust has still to produce a public report, although Ofsted has said there have been some improvements in the service with much more to be done.

This month there was more tragic news with the publishing of two safeguarding reviews into the deaths of two babies. Also the director of children’s services Cathi Hadley announced last month that she will leave the service and she is set to be replaced by two directors, one for the North and one for the West of the county.

NN Journal
Special report: Is Northamptonshire children's services improving quickly enough?
By Natalie Bloomer and Sarah Ward A recent Ofsted report on Northamptonshire’s children’s services notes that improvements are being made - but given how terrible things were previously, is this progress happening quickly enough for the vulnerable children of our county? And if not, will the public know about it…
Read more
9 months ago · 10 likes · 1 comment · NN Journal
NN Journal
​​Reviews into two Northamptonshire baby deaths find ‘unacceptable practice’ and a substandard police investigation
Sign up today to receive all of our news which is always written by Northamptonshire journalists By Sarah Ward Within the last few minutes, the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Partnership has published two Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews into the tragic deaths of a six-week old baby who died in October 2019 and the later death of a six-month old baby b…
Read more
6 months ago · 10 likes · 2 comments · NN Journal

All of our stories from 2021 are accessible on our website. If you’re looking for an afternoon read, please take a scroll through.


Our journalism is funded by our paying subscribers. If you can please sign up for a £5 monthly membership for which you will receive a piece of independent local journalism every weekday morning.

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David Brede
Dec 30, 2021Liked by NN Journal

An amazing first year for you that has given us some effective journalism uncovering key issues that may never have seen the light of day.

Best wishes for 2022.

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1 reply by NN Journal
Sid Langley
Dec 30, 2021Liked by NN Journal

A reflection of your excellent coverage throughout the year ... keep up the good work! I urge everyone I meet to subscribe.

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