Friday brief: Police watchdog decides NOT to investigate police & crime commissioner for giving close friend top fire job
Plus more news from Northamptonshire
Good afternoon,
An exclusive from us this afternoon on the decision by the Independent Office for Police Conduct to not investigate the police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold for his appointment of close friend Nicci Marzec to the plum job of chief fire officer.
In a bit of a shake up of how we do things in our Friday brief, the full story will come at the end of the brief and only our paying subscribers will be able to read it in full.
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News in brief:
Netflix has decided to take the story of a group of Corby families fight for justice and make it into a four-part series.
Trainspotting star Robert Carlyle, former Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker and Corby’s own Brendan Coyle will be starring in the Toxic Town, which will re-tell how more than a dozen families, whose children were poisoned by the mismanaged clear up of toxic waste from Cobry’s steel world, took the former borough council to the high court and won.
The series, which will begin filming this month, is being written by big name screenwriter Jack Thorne, who has chatted with some of the families involved, before writing the show.
The owner of a Corby-based business whose equipment was used to knock down the Crooked House, has said he is not ‘mystic Meg’ and probably would have done things differently if he knew what was to happen.
Lyndon Thomas, who owns a company of the same name, told Construction News that he had done nothing wrong and he could not be held responsible for what those who hired his digger did with it.
The demolition of the Crooked House near Dudley has come under intense national scrutiny this week after it was knocked down on Monday, two days after being damaged in a fire.
It has since been revealed that a director of the firm ATE Farms LTD which owned and knocked down the pub had booked the demolition equipment prior to the fire.
South Staffordshire District Council has launched an investigation regarding potential breaches of planning law and the police are treating the fire as arson.
Following the incident Campaigns for Pubs has said it must be a catalyst for change and Birmingham Mayor Andy Street has said the pub, which dates back to the 18th century, must be rebuilt brick-by-brick.
NN Events
🎭 Fairytale themed theatre shows will be staged at the Kettering on the Beach event in Market Place tomorrow from 11am to 1pm.
🍷 It’s the annual Spratton Music,Gin, Cider and Beer festival tomorrow from 2pm at the village’s recreation field.
🎶 Fiori Musicali will be performing the music of Bach and Vivaldi at St Mary’s and All Saints Church in Fotheringhay on Sunday from 6pm. Book here.
Police watchdog decides not to investigate police & crime commissioner
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said it will not investigate the a controversial job appointment made by Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner.
In a letter sent to West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) chief legal officer Catherine Whitehead, head of the assessment unit at the IOPC Brett Gerard has said he does not think that the actions of the PFCC Stephen Mold ‘constituted or involved, or appeared to constitute or involve, the commission of a criminal offence at this time’.