Friday brief: Northamptonshire asylum seekers helped with project
Plus news from across the county
Asylum seekers staying at a Northants hotel that saw an anti-migrant protest earlier this month, have taken part in an event to help those targeted by hate.
The solidarity event held this week for the asylum seekers staying at the Ibis hotel in Crick was held at an undisclosed location, for fear of unrest.
Organised by the Northamptonshire Rights and Equality Council (NREC) and Northampton and District Trades Union Council (NTUC), NREC used lottery funding given for a project to help people experiencing hate. Alongside art sessions there was food and language sessions.
Protests at the Epping Hotel in Essex have prompted other anti-migrant protests across the country and the Crick Hotel saw a protest on August 8.
Earlier in that week the Tory MP for Daventry Stuart Andrew had said on social media he would call for the deportation of a man charged with sexual assault in Rugby if it was confirmed he had been staying at the Crick hotel. Some Tory and Reform UK MPs have been accused of ‘fuelling hysteria’ of immigration with a counter terrorism chief saying comments could ‘unwittingly incite violence’.
This afternoon a ruling to remove asylum seekers from the Epping Hotel by September 12 on planning grounds has been overturned by the court of appeal after a government challenge. Judges said upholding the ruling could lead to further disorder.
WNC leader Mark Arnull has put out a statement in the last hour to say the judgement does not change the council’s plans.
He said:
“Today’s judgement doesn’t change our course of action to take planning and legal steps which is already underway. The Council is collating evidence for a robust case against the use of these hotels in our area for asylum accommodation.
“It also doesn’t change our view that the use and locations of the three hotels had never been suitable for asylum accommodation and place unreasonable and unsustainable strain on local services. We have re-emphasised these points strongly in discussion with the Home Office this week.
“We will continue to do everything we can within our powers to address our residents’ concerns over these hotels and keep them safe.”
A special meeting requested by the WNC Conservative group to debate the use of asylum hotels in Northants is set to take place on September 16. The motion put forward by Tory leader Cllr Dan Lister, had requested the council’s legal officers seek an interim injunction to prevent the hotel owners using their premises for asylum seekers.
Many of those staying at the Crick hotel while they await their asylum claims to be dealt with are from African countries and West Asia.
NREC chief executive Anjona Roy said it was a positive event with one person who attended saying it was the first time since they arrived that they had been made to feel welcome.
“The protests outside the hotel will have been a significant moment for them. For some this may have been the only interaction and so it is just so important that they have a positive experience locally and understand that the majority (of local people) have a live and let live’ approach to life.”
She said she has not known an atmosphere like this in the country since the early 1980s and levels of hostility are rising.
She said her own organisation had seen new people get in touch since the election of the Reform UK councils in May, with new members and board members joining.
News in brief
Former Northampton council leader Phil Larratt has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault at a crown court appearance this week.
Larratt, who used to lead Northampton Borough Council and until May was a senior cabinet member at West Northamptonshire Council, appeared in the dock yesterday alongside three others who are accused of a number of historic sex crimes.
Larratt, 68, denied the charge against him and will next appear in court on February 9 for a case management hearing ahead of a trial. His three co-defendants also pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Read the report in full from the Northampton Chronicle.
A former Reform UK councillor who was elected to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in May has officially been expelled from the party after an internal investigation.
Reform UK said Cllr Adam Smith will not have the whip restored after they found that he brought “both the party and the Reform UK group on West Northamptonshire Council into disrepute”. He is currently sitting as an independent councillor.
In June, just five weeks after the local elections, the group announced that the member for Hackleton and Roade had been suspended.
The party has been asked for an update on what matters the internal investigation related to.
A WNC spokesperson has said that it cannot comment on Cllr Smith’s removal from the group as it relates to party political matters. It added that the councillor complaints process is confidential and that it is unable to provide any information on whether any complaints have also been made to the authority’s monitoring officer.
Cllr Smith has been approached for comment.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A council officer has warned residents in West Northants not to put flags on lampposts as it is an offence under the Highways Act.
Operation Raise the Flags, a movement co-founded by far right agitator Tommy Robinson (read the Hope Not Hate expose here) has been spreading across the country, with many flags posted across the county.
Stuart Timmiss, WNC’s Executive Director of Place, said in an issued statement: “Lampposts are not designed to take the weight of a ladder or person climbing up and we are concerned that someone will be seriously hurt as a result of these actions, not to mention the very real risk of electrocution.
“For these very reasons it was made an offence under the Highways Act 1980 to fix items to lampposts without the consent of the highways authority and this remains the case today.”
Plans to demolish former farm buildings to make way for 60 new homes at a large housing development near Wellingborough have been approved at appeal.
Developer Grace Homes proposed the construction of a further neighbourhood of houses at Stanton Cross to North Northamptonshire Council (NNC). Its planning committee rejected the plans in March 2024, on the grounds that the development lacked supporting infrastructure and affordable housing due to viability issues.
The site had been used for several purposes in the past and contains a variety of buildings and hard standings which will be demolished as part of the project. Planning officers had initially advised the panel to approve the plans, stating that it would make a positive contribution towards meeting local housing targets.
According to the appeal report, two further refusal reasons listed as impact on neighbour amenity and insufficient access were dropped by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) as they thought they could not be defended.
The remaining viability issues were discussed between NNC and the appellant, and following further evidence, they reached an agreed position in respect of the level of affordable housing provision and developer contributions to be provided. The Council therefore stated that it no longer wished to defend the first reason for refusal.
The planning inspector concluded that the land had been allocated to the urban extension, there was no significant conflict with the development plan, and that there were no further issues to resolve.
The rest of the paper goes on to address the decisions made on planning obligations and contributions from the developer.
Concerns were previously raised by the planning committee that, due to the site’s viability issues and high costs of remedial works, it would only be able to offer a fraction of affordable housing and other financial contributions.
It was accepted that the 60-home development would only offer four two-bedroom dwellings as ‘first homes’ due to the viability of the site. There is also an opportunity for another review to take place during the development stage, which could result in Grace Homes giving a financial contribution towards more affordable housing off-site if its situation improves.
Other contributions to education, libraries, sports facilities, and healthcare in the local area will also be made under the s106 agreement.
The appeal was allowed and planning permission granted, subject to conditions.
Report by Nadia Lincoln
Congratulations to NREC on their initiative.
Well done for the Phil Larrett report