Friday brief: More than 1,500 North Northants households apply for food bill help
A round up of some Northants news at the end of the week
More than 1,500 North Northants households have applied for a supermarket voucher scheme to help them with the cost of food.
North Northamptonshire Council paused applications for the voucher scheme this week, after urging families at the start of the month to apply. A total of 1,538 households applied for the help, causing the authority to struggle to process the requests.
The vouchers, which are for as much as £320 towards supermarket bills, are open to low income families, pensioners and people with disabilities.
The scheme is paused until August 4.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“Due to a large number of applications since 23 June 2025, the fund, which is open to a wide range of residents, including low-income families, pensioners and people with disabilities, will be on hold for receiving fresh applications for a period spanning three weeks.
“If residents have already applied for what is termed the 'wider essentials support' since 23 June, 2025, they will not need to apply again. The team will process their application in date order within two months from the date it was applied for. If the council needs further information regarding all applications they will contact residents directly.”
The vouchers are being funded through the Household Support Fund, which is passed down from central government to local authorities to administer.
The price of food continues to rise, which coupled with rising fuel costs led to a jump in inflation to 3.6 per cent in June.
In April the country’s largest supermarket Tesco predicted an operating profit of £2.7bn and £3bn.
News in brief
Campaigners have won a major battle against a solar farm scheme in Northamptonshire countryside, after they single-handedly fought a planning appeal against the development.
Wood Lodge Solar Project Limited applied to build the energy facility on 145 acres of farmland by the A14, near Thrapston and Titchmarsh. At the end of last year, North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) planning committee threw out the plans against the recommendation of their planning officers.
Government-appointed Planning Inspector Philip Major has upheld the council’s refusal decision, on the basis that the development would constitute the loss of high-grade agricultural land, concerns with highway safety, and damage to the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area (SPA).
The appeal was taken to a two-day public hearing in May, held at East Northamptonshire House, Thrapston. Local campaign group Staunch (Save Titchmarsh and Upper Nene Countryside and Habitat) fought the appeal as a third party, whilst NNC backed down from its own refusal reasons.
The Council stated before the event that the reasons it gave at the committee would not be sufficient to maintain its refusal at appeal, leaving Staunch to fight its case against the solar project solo. Several local residents also attended the hearing to give heartfelt objections to the proposals.
According to the developer, the solar farm would have generated up to 49.9 megawatts for a temporary period of 50 years, which would reportedly create enough energy to power up to 15,000 homes.
Mr Major wrote that the appeal site would have had an effect on the Upper Nene Valley SPA and its habitat for protected birds “beyond all reasonable scientific doubt”. He also found that suitable mitigation for the loss of the land had not been submitted.
He concluded:
“Planning permission would only be justified if there were demonstrable imperative reasons of overriding public importance to justify the scheme.
“This is a high bar which is not surmounted by the acknowledged need for renewable energy since this is not the only location where a solar farm could be located.
“Furthermore the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that where significant harm to biodiversity cannot be avoided, mitigated or compensated for, then planning permission should be refused.”
Chairman of Staunch, Kevin Shapland, told the LDRS:
“This decision by the Planning Inspector once more brings into serious doubt the ability of North Northants Council planning officers to provide sound and proper advice to our elected representatives.
“Officers of the council took a unilateral decision not to defend the case on the basis that there were insufficient grounds to do so. The onus fell upon the STAUNCH and its volunteers to fight the case without legal representation.
“The Planning Department of NNC remains unfit for purpose. STAUNCH will continue to rely on detailed evidence to expose their continued failings where necessary.”
North Northamptonshire Council have been contacted for comment.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
The Labour group leader on the West unitary has called for full disclosure on Reform’s ‘Doge’ initiative.
The authority’s cabinet approved sharing of data with Nigel Farage’s team of volunteers this week, subject to due diligence checks and signed legal agreements.
WNC is one of the first in the country to allow the unknown Doge team into their offices and Labour’s Cllr Sally Keeble says more information needs to be given to councillors about how it will work as there is a ‘complete lack of transparency’ with residents and members left in the dark.
She has received answers to a freedom of information request and says the emails disclosed:
• Refer to a document which is being worked up as an agreement between the two parties. She says councillors should have sight of the document to understand what is being proposed.
• Include emails from the Party Secretary. She says ‘this runs in the face of any claims that this is not a party political initiative.’
• Quote the company reference number 11694875 – the number for Reform 2025 Ltd, a private limited company with two directors – Nigel Farage and Richard Tice. Six previous company officers resigned.
She said:
“West Northants Council is proceeding apace with DOGE. But a lot of questions are left unanswered. What is in the draft documentation? Who is the council contracting with? Why is there no proper public procurement?
The other political parties have also expressed concern. Lib Dem group leader Cllr Jonathan Harris, said it looks like the areas of spending being investigated by Doge look ‘politicised’ and Tory group leader Cllr Daniel Lister said the council was approving the sharing of data with people it could not name.
WNC chief executive Anna Earnshaw has said the data sharing agreement will be ‘clear and robust’.
West Northamptonshire Council has agreed to spend £1.36m on eight one bedroom flats in Brackley.
The authority is buying the homes from developer Lagan Homes after approval by the Reform UK cabinet this week. The buy up comes after a recent scandal which has seen millions wasted on affordable housing projects in Northampton that have had to be scrapped.
Councillor Charlie Hastie, cabinet member for housing, said:
“This is a great example of how we’re using a combination of government funding and developer contributions to deliver affordable, long-term housing solutions for our residents.
“By acting swiftly and stepping in when housing association partners weren’t able to proceed, we’ve been able to protect these homes for affordable rent. Without our intervention, they were at risk of being converted to discounted market sale, which would have reduced the amount of genuinely affordable housing available.
“This proactive approach not only safeguards affordable provision in Brackley, but also strengthens our ability to meet the growing housing needs of people across West Northamptonshire. It’s an investment that delivers lasting value - not just in financial terms, but in the stability and support it provides to local people.”
Labour's leader, Cllr Sally Keeble is not so sure about the purchase and said it looked like a case of the developer trying to offload homes it cannot sell. She said the need for homes is in Northampton, not Brackley.
Healthwatch West Northamptonshire has joined together with other organisations from across the country to urge the health secretary to re-think plans to scrap them.
As part of the government’s ten year health plan and a recent review of patient safety, the health secretary has announced he wants to shut down the national and local healthwatch bodies, which act as a voice for patients.
The plan is to give the patient engagement duty over to NHS commissioners and local authorities.
Now the chief executive of Healthwatch West Northamptonshire, Kate Holt, has joined together with 131 other Healthwatch bodies to send an open letter to Wes Streeting.
The letter states:
“For over a decade, Healthwatch has served as a trusted, impartial voice for members of the public, carers, and communities. Our statutory independence enables us to speak truth to power, challenge poor practice, and amplify the experiences of those too often unheard - particularly the most vulnerable and those with the most complex needs. We work constructively with local systems, but always with the freedom to raise concerns without fear or favour.
“The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to listen. The Francis Inquiry made clear that independent scrutiny and public advocacy are essential. It also exposed the failure of local democratic scrutiny mechanisms, which lacked the expertise to detect serious failings - giving false reassurance to regulators.
“Bringing public voice functions in-house risks creating a system where feedback is filtered, inconvenient truths are softened, and accountability is diluted. It sends the wrong message at a time when public trust in institutions must be rebuilt, not eroded.”
North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has developed its cultural masterplan to attract investment into the area, as a massive funding gap between the region and the rest of the country has been uncovered.
According to the report, Arts Council England invests just £1.80 per head in North Northamptonshire, compared to £6.19 in West Northamptonshire and £12.16 nationally.
Despite this funding difference, North Northants boasts a higher proportion of cultural and creative businesses than the rest of the East Midlands, and cultural tourism reportedly offers over £249m to the local economy each year.
The report notes:
“North Northamptonshire is full of creative, energetic people and organisations, who want to develop their skills and experience to be more sustainable, and their places more culturally vibrant.
“The Masterplan aims to align focus, energy, and resources for maximum
impact, ensuring culture becomes a cornerstone of community cohesion,
economic development, and placemaking.”
NNC has undertaken a review of the area’s cultural assets and consulted with over 120 key partners and stakeholders. The masterplan, using funding from the central government, will focus on growing investment in theatres, art galleries, museums, public art and community cultural programmes.
Cllr Greg Wilcox, the council’s executive member for communities, said:
“Anything that highlights the fantastic jewels and assets of the county should be supported and welcomed.
“The cultural masterplan will help us to do this and is helping to create a great foundation to enable more cultural art and heritage initiatives to thrive in North Northamptonshire.”
A key aim of the strategy is to attract increased resources for arts and heritage across the district, while working with partners in the cultural and creative sector to bring together a central vision for North Northants over the next five years.
The council says that the masterplan may give rise to expenditure at a later date, but says that it won’t be the sole controller or the funder for projects. It is anticipated that the majority of activity will be delivered by attracting external funding sources.
The executive approved the Cultural Masterplan on Tuesday, July 15.
Report by Nadia Lincoln