Friday brief: Conservative councillor defends move to Norfolk
Plus American diplomat accused of killing Harry Dunn appears in court and news from our councils
A North unitary councillor has defended his move to Norfolk and says he is still committed to the area.
Cllr Clive Hallam, who was elected to represent Earls Barton at the inaugural elections in May last year moved to Norfolk earlier this year and now uses a friend’s property when he is working in the area.
His move out of the county comes after his colleague Annabel de Capell Brooke also moved to Norfolk and decided to stand down after her claiming of allowances for chairing meetings she had not convened was exclusively revealed by NN Journal.
Cllr Hallam, who has not missed any meetings since he joined the council and has a 100 per cent attendance record, said he was doing the job as he had always done, helping residents with their issues and felt he was being singled out.
He said:
“I try to be in Kettering all week and I have got one of the highest attendance records in the council.
“I’m spending more time in Kettering than in Norfolk. We didn’t intend to move when we did but we had a silly offer from a neighbour and so we decided to take it. We had planned to move in a couple of years. I committed to the Conservatives that I would have a base locally and assured them I am fully committed to the council until the next elections.”
He said he was getting ‘cheesed off’ with talk of his move and said he was being singled out as there were also a few other councillors who had another out of county property that they stayed in. He refused to name them.
He says when he moved a photograph was taken of the removal vans and sent to the council’s leader and the place where he is staying has also been visited by a councillor asking questions of his landlord.
He told NN Journal he currently does not pay council tax in the area. He also said the cost of commuting between Norfolk and Northants is costing him several hundreds.
There is no ruling that a councillor must live in the area they represent, although councillors will be expelled if they do not attend one meeting within the period of six months.
News in brief
Lib Dem councillor Sally Beardsworth has sought assurances from the West Northants housing portfolio holder Cllr Adam Brown, over plans to build houses on green space in the Talvera ward of Northampton.
Residents have previously protested against the plans saying that the area known locally as Fraser Park is well used and a habitat for wildlife. The plans appeared to be dropped but were mentioned again in a recent council report which caused some concern.
At a recent cabinet meeting Cllr Brown said that the planning inspector had made amendments to the local plan meaning that no large green space could be built on without alternative green space being found. He said this means that a planning application for the Fraser Road site was unlikely to be successful.
A food bank on the Queensway estate in Wellingborough has been forced to change how it operates following a visit from a council planning officer. Mary Royamager of Redeem Funds previously ran her food aid project from her front garden making it as accessible as possible to local residents. However she was told the temporary lean-to structure she used to stack food could not remain and has now had to clear out her garage to use instead.
“It has taken a lot of work to remove all of our personal things from the garage and get it up to scratch but it is finished now and we are looking forward to opening,” Mary told NN Journal.
The new set up was opened yesterday with a small gathering attended by local vicar Father Ben Lewis and Lorraine Gibson from the local housing association Greatwell Homes.
North Northamptonshire Council leader Jason Smithers has said his Conservative party’s local manifesto pledge to expand free parking across the North of the county will be implemented and people should ‘watch this space’. Currently only council car parking in East Northants and Wellingborough is free, with charges in Corby and Kettering.
At the full council meeting yesterday the leader also said he and the council’s monitoring officer had identified an issue within the council’s scrutiny function and another committee would be established alongside the main scrutiny and finance scrutiny committees. “Scrutiny is welcomed here at NNC” he said.
Currently the main scrutiny committee is chaired by a member of the ruling party and has not looked in detail at many of the current issues within the council, including its staffing shortages. It was put on the list to look at in July but as yet had not been investigated.
And the council will now review the energy efficiency of temporary heating given to families whose boilers have failed after concerns raised by Labour’s Cllr Lyn Buckingham about the high costs of temporary heaters. She also asked the council to consider giving a subsidy to families who have children under five, the elderly and the disabled.
The annual report of the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust should be made public in November according to North Northamptonshire Council leader Jason Smithers. The report has been with-held from publication until after an expected Ofsted visit. Read our story here
The woman accused of killing teenager Harry Dunn has appeared in court. American Anne Sacoolas appeared via video-link and only confirmed her brief personal details before the case was referred up to the Old Bailey on October 27. Harry died in August 2019 after his motorbike was hit by a car driving on the wrong side of the road close to RAF Croughton. 19 days after the accident Sacoolas, who is the wife of a US diplomat, flew back to the US and his family have fought a three year battle to get Sacoolas to court. Read our interview with Harry’s mum Charlotte from last year.
Westminster Watch
Northampton North MP Michael Ellis is the cabinet member to benefit most from the government’s cut to the top rate of tax, according to research by the Guardian.
The newspaper has reported that the move could benefit 41 MPs with Ellis likely to pocket the most of any cabinet member with an estimated saving of £1,429.70.
This comes at a time when many workers are seeing real term cuts to their pay due to soaring inflation, homeowners are facing expected significant rises in interest rates and children are going to school hungry due to the cost of the living crisis.
Home Office minister and Corby MP Tom Pursglove recently held meetings over plans to re-open an immigration removal centre in Hampshire - a decision believed to be linked to the government’s controversial Rwanda policy. Last week an immigration charity warned that the policy has led to an increased use of detention.
Local MP Caroline Dineage updated her constituents on the plans saying that the site would be used for 600 adult males.
“I met the Home Office Minister, Tom Pursglove MP, recently to discuss the plans for Haslar IRC [immigration removal centre] and ensure the right safeguards are in place for local residents,” she wrote.
NN Culture
💃There’s an 80s and 90s night at Kettering Park Hotel tonight from 7pm. Find tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/80s-and-90s-disco-tickets-377796388167
🚒Wellingborough fire station is holding a family open day on Saturday. There will be a BBQ, live music a bar, stalls and more between 11am -4am
🎤The covers band Wordsworth are playing at the Pickering Phipps in Northampton on Saturday from 9pm.
The leader Cllr Smithers says that "Scrutiny is welcomed" and yet behind closed doors he has come up with an unscrutinised plan for another scrutiny committee! Hollow words!