Friday brief: Reform UK administration condemned for failing to hold ‘sexist’ councillor to account
It's our regular end of the week news round up from across our county
The three opposition groups on West Northants council have united to condemn sexist comments made by the Reform UK vice chairman and accuse the administration of failing to hold him to account.
As NN Journal exclusively reported on Tuesday, Cllr Peter York told a group of people he was chatting with at last Saturday’s International Women’s Day event in Northampton, that ‘some women should never have left the kitchen’ and also spoke in derogatory terms about senior women Labour MPs.
Cllr York offered a qualified apology, accusing others of provoking him, while leader of West Northamptonshire Council Cllr Mark Arnull, blamed others, saying they used the incident to ‘score ‘petulant political points’. Cllr York, who was elected in May last year, remains in post and is currently likely to become chairman of the council in May.
Since Tuesday the chief executive of WNC Martin Henry has condemned his comments as ‘wholly unacceptable’ and the Reform UK leader of North Northamptonshire Council Cllr Martin Griffiths made a statement praising the women who work within his authority. The Northants Women’s Empowerment Group has also raised a formal complaint with the authority.
And today the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups at WNC have issued a joint statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The letter, signed by Cllr Daniel Lister (Conservative), Cllr Sally Keeble (Labour) and Cllr Jonathan Harris (Lib Dem), said:
“We write jointly to condemn without reservation the remarks made by Reform UK Councillor Peter York at the International Women’s Day event at Northampton Guildhall on 7 March.
“The remarks were deeply sexist and were made at an event specifically designed to celebrate women’s achievements. These were not a slip of the tongue. They were a pattern of views which demean women and undermine their rights, and reveal how Reform UK truly regards them.
“The Reform UK Administration has utterly failed to hold Councillor York to account for his remarks. This is entirely consistent with Reform UK’s broader hostility to equality, diversity and inclusion, values which they have sought to undermine at every level of public life.
“It was left to the interim chief executive to issue the apology when it should have come from the Reform UK Administration. The officer team is not to blame for these remarks and it should not have fallen to an officer to step forward in that way.
“The Northants Women’s Empowerment Group has done us all a service in raising this. We stand with them, and with every woman across West Northamptonshire.
“Our three groups disagree on many things. However, we are united in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. They underpin the council’s corporate programme and are the foundation of a society in which every person can be the best that is in them, to the benefit of all.”
The Reform UK leader of West Northamptonshire Council, Mark Arnull, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
The paywall has now been removed from our exclusive - read it here.
News from around Northants
Sixteen people have been safeguarded by Northants Police this week in a coordinated national action against county lines.
The force says thirty five arrests were made in connection with drug dealing, cuckooing, burglary and weapons offences as they sought to disrupt a number of county lines.
Phones, thousands of pounds, hundreds of class a drugs wraps and 2kg of cannabis was seized as well as weapons including a taser and shotgun.
Detective Inspector Alex O’Meara, the Force’s Tactical County Lines lead, said:
“This was a concentrated, intelligence-led week of action that has resulted in dangerous offenders being taken off the streets, large quantities of drugs seized, and weapons removed before they could cause harm. These results demonstrate our determination to disrupt county lines networks at every level.
“County lines groups deliberately exploit vulnerable people – particularly children – for profit. We remain committed to identifying those at risk early, safeguarding them, and relentlessly targeting those who exploit them. Tackling this criminality is about far more than enforcement; it’s about protecting the vulnerable, disrupting exploitation, and working with partners to reduce harm. This week’s activity reflects that, from warrants and proactive arrests to locating missing people and engaging with local businesses, schools, and universities.
“My message to anyone involved in this criminality is simple - we are actively targeting you. We remain absolutely committed to protecting our communities and making Northamptonshire a safer place for everyone.”
Another inspection report about St Andrew’s hospital has been released today.
This week the psychiatric hospital’s chief executive Vivienne McVey announced her sudden retirement on the same day that the NHS published a letter telling NHS commissioners from across the country to make arrangements to remove patients.
The hospital, which operates as a private charity, was stopped this summer from admitting new patients and several staff have been arrested and charged with abuse, after a series of incidents involving patients.
The CQC has been into the hospital on a number of occasions over the past year and today’s report says that an inspection in October and November has found further improvements are needed.
The inspector found the service still had 14 breaches of regulation related to person centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, dignity and respect, good governance and staffing. CQC told the service to submit an updated action plan showing what immediate and widespread action it is taking in response to these concerns.
A media release said:
“CQC has again rated forensic inpatient or secure wards as inadequate. It has upgraded the rating for wards for older people with mental health problems from inadequate to requires improvement, and has again rated services for people with acquired brain injury as requires improvement. The overall rating for St Andrews Healthcare Northampton remains inadequate and in special measures to protect people.”
Ceri Morris-Williams, CQC deputy director of mental health in the midlands, said:
“At this inspection of St Andrews Healthcare Northampton, we found the service still needed to make significant improvements to ensure people were receiving safe care.
“While St Andrews had made some improvements in their forensic services including in incident reporting and safeguarding training, we found there were still deeply concerning issues in areas including staffing, communication and risk management which were putting people at risk of unsafe care.
“The ward culture of openness and safety was inconsistent, and allegations of abuse by staff still remained the highest proportion of safeguarding incidents. Inspectors reviewed CCTV footage and were concerned about an inappropriate restraint and assaults by staff towards people in the service.
“People told us there weren’t enough staff on these wards, and this had resulted in pre-planned leave and activities being cancelled. This had also resulted in some people feeling ignored by staff. This was echoed in what staff told us about not feeling like they had enough time to spend with people. However, some people had more positive experiences. They described pleasant interactions with staff and were appreciative of the challenges they faced.
“In services for people with acquired brain injury, we found repeated incidents of unexplained injuries, prolonged restraints and gaps in documentation. Without clarity on what had happened or how people had been affected, the service couldn’t identify learning opportunities to help improve the service and stop these happening again.
“However, staff supported people to have choice and control in their care where possible and held regular community meetings. Staff also helped people maintain relationships that mattered to them by facilitating visits, telephone calls and virtual meetings.
“While visiting wards for older people with mental health problems, St Andrews made us aware they had plans to close this service, which happened in November.
“We have told leaders at St Andrews where further improvements are needed to keep people safe.”
St Andrews said:
“We accept the CQC’s conclusions and are sorry that care at our Northampton hospital has not always met the high standards patients deserve.
“Since the inspection four months ago, we have made significant changes across every ward. Following NHS England’s decision to seek alternative placements for patients, we will continue to drive improvements so that, for the time they are with us, patients receive safe and compassionate care.”
Read our story from earlier this week here
A Northampton councillor has called for action to boost “shockingly low” immunisation rates in parts of the town.
Speaking at a WNC cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening (March 10), Labour group leader Sally Keeble pointed to data on MMR and Polio vaccination uptakes for children aged five, which showed a huge disparity in the percentage of children who were fully vaccinated across the authority.
Figures in parts of Towcester indicate a 93 per cent uptake, falling slightly to around 90 per cent at certain GP surgeries in Kingsthorpe North and Moulton.
However, the vaccination rates in the town centre Castle ward fall to 61 per cent at the Maple Access GP practice and just 50 per cent in the Mounts area.
Cllr Keeble told the chamber:
“As you know, you need a 95 per cent immunisation rate to protect the community and nationally there’s concerns because figures are only 84 per cent.
“Obviously, one of the factors in determining vaccinations is convenience. We need those family hubs, which should be crucial for delivering immunisation programmes closest to where they’re needed.
“This is also why gender is not an ‘identity politics’ issue – it is absolutely crucial to service delivery in local government.
“It’s women who bring their children to be vaccinated, and services have got to be convenient for them and they have to win their confidence so that we can improve those vaccination routes. Because at 50 per cent, there is a real risk if there is a measles outbreak that children aren’t protected.”
WNC currently offers services at its family hubs in Daventry, Kingsthorpe, Moulton, Towcester and Upton. Three further hubs in central Northampton, Weston Favell and Brackley have previously been proposed.
A council spokesperson said that improving uptake of childhood immunisation rates is “a clear priority” for the authority and the Northamptonshire NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB).
They added:
“Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to protect children from serious diseases such as measles and whooping cough.
“We continue to work closely with NHS England, which commissions vaccination services, to ensure that parents have clear, accessible and trusted information. Our role is to support families to make informed choices that protect children from preventable illness.”
WNC said that it is helping to promote a series of free children’s vaccination pop‑up clinics being organised across West Northants, which offer catch‑up MMR and HPV vaccines for eligible children, as well as Meningitis, Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio vaccinations for those in Year 8 and above. No booking is required and families can simply drop in.
The spokesperson continued:
“We know that convenience and access are key to improving uptake. That’s why we are expanding our outreach work to bring information, support and services closer to the communities that need them most.
“This includes looking at more inclusive ways to reach parents and guardians with clear, trusted guidance about vaccination and the availability of services. As part of this work, we will consider a number of channels to reach as wide an audience as possible.
“Our Public Health team is working with the ICB on a wider programme of targeted communications and engagement, focusing on areas where uptake is lower or access is more challenging. Parents and young people are encouraged to speak to their GP or healthcare professional if they have any questions or concerns about vaccinations.
“We remain committed to delivering innovative, community‑based approaches to increase vaccination rates, reduce inequalities and ensure every child has the best possible protection. We will continue to monitor local data closely and adapt our plans with NHS partners to meet emerging needs.”
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A former Corby head teacher has been banned from the profession after a misconduct panel ruled against him this week.
Christopher Woolhouse, who was the head teacher at Priors Hall Academy was found to have breached safeguarding standards and delayed reporting concerns to the local authority. He had resigned from the job in 2020 after a disciplinary hearing.,
Read the Northants Telegraph report here.
Corby and East Northants Labour MP Lee Barron is calling for North Northamptonshire Council to urgently review plans to hike school bus costs by 20 per cent.
From September the cost of transport for children who take the bus will go up by £170 to £965 per year.
The MP raised the concern in the House of Commons this week and said:
“That’s an unaffordable increase for families from a council that promised lower costs for families, from a council that’s failed to have its books signed off and from a council that’s received a groundbreaking real-terms increase in their settlement from this government. So, does the leader of the house agree with me that NNC should reverse this unacceptable, uninformed, and unaffordable decision?”
He has sent a letter to the leader of North Northamptonshire Council, Cllr Martin Griffiths, calling on the authority to urgently review and reverse this decision, given the significant and immediate financial impact it will have on families.
The authority made the announcement this week and said prices had not risen for a decade.
The council’s executive member for highways and travel, Cllr Chris McGiffen:
“This is a tough decision that we’ve had to make.
“For years the amount that was charged was not increased sufficiently and the amount it has been subsidised has just gone up and up to a point where the issue must be addressed.
“We are a listening council and I know that there may be some who find this increase hard. That’s why we have several measures in place to help mitigate this and I’d encourage people to have a look on our website and see what support is on hand.”
Preparations are happening for a free creative festival in Wellingborough taking place next weekend.
Made with Many’s Well Creative 2026 is taking place on Saturday, March 21 with a full day of activities from 1pm to 8pm.
Events will happen throughout the town and view the programme here.
As long as Arnull holds out from dealing with Councillor York he is going to come under fire.
"The force says thirty five arrests were made in connection with drug dealing, cuckooing, burglary and weapons offences as they sought to disrupt a number of county lines." How many of these problems would disappear if we were to stop treating drug addiction as a criminal problem and start treating it as a public health problem?
Drugs cause a huge amount of harm to addicts, to the young people seduced or forced into county lines slavery and to the people the addicts have to rob to feed their habit. Drugs also consume a vast amount of police time and money. Our current policy of criminalization has failed for over 60 years now. Why on earth would we stick with it?
Having listened to expert advice from both the legal and health sectors it's clear that we need a different approach. A Green government would replace prohibition with a legalised, regulated system of drug control. Drugs that pose the highest risks would be subject to the heaviest regulation; less risky drugs would be subject to lighter regulation. Routine custodial sentencing for non-violent drug offences would be abolished. This would lift a huge burden from our police service and our prison system. It would also reduce our drugs death rate, the highest in Europe, from accidental overdoses from unknown strength drugs and poisoning from adulterated drugs. The criminal gangs wouldn't like the loss of income, but we in the Green Party will only be playing our smallest violin for them.