Friday brief: Spend limit council defends culture budget
Plus other news from across the county
Good morning,
Apologies for the later than usual delivery of this Friday brief.
North Northamptonshire Council has committed to spending on its cultural services, despite telling staff in all departments to put the brakes on spending.
At its executive meeting yesterday the authority’s councillor responsible for culture Helen Howell said the £856,000 sum the authority had budgeted to spend on assets such as Kettering’s Cornerstone, Corby Heritage Centre and Chester Farm from April was a ‘small sum’ when compared to the large annual budget the authority has. (The authority spends more than £330m each year on its services).
Cllr Howell’s response came after questions by independent councillor Jim Hakewill about how spending on culture could be justified when the authority had many demands on its resources. The authority has recently put spending limits on all departments as it tries to balance its budget this financial year. It is currently around £8m over budget.
The executive was discussing its culture, tourism and heritage business plan for 2024-25, which set out how the services were faring, including the financial performance of Chester Farm Estate.
The tourism venue has been controversial since it was first planned back in the 2010s by the former county council and when the new council’s were formed the North unitary took responsibility for the facility, to the concern of many councillors who thought it could turn into a money pit.
However the report showed that the venue close to Irchester is doing better than expected, making a small profit of just over £27,000 in the most recent financial year. The council gives the facility a grant of just under £300,000 (which it will continue until 2027). It generated an income of just over £1m in the most recent financial year (22-23).
Cllr Hakewill pointed to a proposal to spend £800,000 on renovating a greenhouse at Chester Farm, asking how the council could justify such a large spend in the current economic climate and Cllr Howell insisted the project would only proceed if the council could win a grant.
She said: “We have a terrific cultural offer and it would be an absolute travesty to see them go.”
She said the authority was committed to maintaining what services it currently runs.
Cllr Howell also said she wanted to see the Cornerstone buildings open as soon as possible. The new project has been hampered by problems with the library roof which now needs a complete refit at a cost of several million pounds.
The business plan also discussed changing the governance of some of the cultural venues, possibly creating charitable trusts to run them to take liabilities and running costs away from the local authority.
News in brief
The family of the Corby mother, believed by police to have been murdered, have paid tribute to her.
Ewa Kotulska’s body was found by police on January 10 at a flat in Occupation Road, Corby. Originally from Poland, she had settled in the town.
The postmortem was carried out at Leicester Royal Infirmary last Friday but Northants police say the cause of death will not be released until a toxicology report has been returned.
This week her family have paid tribute to a ‘beautiful human inside and out.
Her sister Aggie said:
“Her sense of humour would brighten everyone’s day and her laugh was contagious. Ewa had fought through many challenges in her life and was a great inspiration to me and my children, who will miss their trips and walks with “Ciocia Ewa” and staying up past bedtime during sleepovers with her.
“We are heartbroken and find it difficult to accept the world without her. We are truly grateful for the support we have received during this difficult time. To all who knew Ewa and who wish to pay a tribute to her, we would encourage them to light a white candle in her memory."
A 63 year old man arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
It is currently a three way contest between Conservative. Labour and the Liberal Democrats for the East Hunsbury and Shelfleys seat on West Northamptonshire Council.
The position on the council became vacant at the end of last year after Cllr Suresh Patel stood down from the authority, citing ill health. Weeks before he had been a witness in the David Mackintosh political donations trial, where Mr Mackintosh’s co-accused Howard Grossman had said it was Cllr Patel who had told him to disguise donations to the politician’s bid to become an MP. Cllr Patel denied the claims and has never been charged with any offence.
Now teacher Clare Robertson Marriott (Labour); current chair of West Hunsbury Parish Council Carl Squires (Lib Dem) and former Northampton borough councillor Daniel Soan want to be elected to the authority.
The election takes place on Thursday, February 8.
Report by Nadia Lincoln and Sarah Ward , local democracy reporter
There has been condemnation from Labour and the Lib Dems following the decision by West Northamptonshire Council’s Conservative cabinet to close down a popular care home.
15 residents will now have to be rehomed after the group of leading councillors decided to call time on the Ridgeway house in Towcester, despite protests from local residents and family members.
More than 180 people wrote in letters to the authority, but safety reasons and expensive refurbishment costs were cited as reasons to close the home.
After the meeting Labour councillor Emma Roberts said:
“Cabinet members said there were enough spaces at other homes within 5 miles of Towcester, but for some that’s not good enough. The Cabinet didn’t care to listen.
And Lib Dem Lisa Samiotis also opposed the closure saying it must remain a community asset:
“This site needs to continue to be used for community benefit in Towcester, such as perhaps supporting medical facilities that are in need of expansion.”
Westminster Watch
Disgraced former MP Peter Bone’s partner Helen Harrison, defended him in a round of media interviews this week.
Helen Harrison, who until last week was the executive member for adult social care on North Northamptonshire Council, told local media outlets that she was bound by a confidentiality agreement but had seen the evidence against him and believed the panel had got it wrong.
Bone was suspended from parliament and then had his job recalled by constituents following an investigation by a parliamentary standards panel which found he had bullied, physically assaulted and indecently exposed himself to a male staffer in 2012. Bone denies the accusations and has been out canvassing with Harrison in her bid to replace him.
Harrison was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Wellingborough and Rushden constituency by the local association earlier this month - the only local candidate among the three in contention.
Other declared candidates are Ana Savage Gunn (Libs); Gen Kitchen (Labour) Will Morris (Greens Party); Kevin Watts (independent); Marion Turner Hawes (independent); Alex Merola (Britain First) and Ben Habib (Reform UK).
The byelection takes place on February 15.
Who is the confidentiality clause with? Quite bizarre.