Friday brief: West unitary councillor quits independents and joins Labour
A later than usual Friday news round up
West Northamptonshire councillor Sue Sharps has left the independent group and has joined the council’s opposition group.
In a move announced today Cllr Sharps said she joining the political party because she thinks change will only happen through the Labour group.
The council is run by the Conservatives, although with local elections coming in May, things could change. The ward boundaries have also changed and the number of councillors will reduce from 93 to 76.
Cllr Sharps says:
“After 14 years of Tory chaos and decline in Number 10, the new Labour government has become a voice for change, fixing the foundations of our country to rebuild Britain. And I believe Labour will now be the voice for change on our council too after years of Conservative failures.
“Joining the Labour group is the best way to secure a brighter future for Brackley and beyond, as we work to put politics back into the service of working people.
“Whether it be children’s services, adult services, education, SEND services, youth development, mental health, local transport, or the dire state of our roads, the Tory leadership is not delivering for our residents, who are impacted by the council’s decisions every day.
“I have been Brackley’s West Northamptonshire Councillor for the last three years, working alongside all my fellow councillors, and I know more challenging work must follow.
“But while I will work collaboratively with all sides to ensure the best outcomes for our residents, I believe change will only truly begin in West Northamptonshire through this Labour group.
“I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues on our shared values as we seek to win the support of voters ahead of next year’s local elections, and continuing to represent Brackley, now as a Labour Councillor.”
Leader of the Independent group, Cllr Ian McCord told NN Journal.
“There is no story here, no falling out, no rows.”
News in brief
Kettering’s MP Rosie Wrighting has said she will vote for the assisted dying bill.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill brought forward by Kim Leadbeater MP, will have its Second Reading with a debate and free vote on November 29. If MPs vote in favour it would then have to pass further stages and scrutiny before becoming law.
Rosie said:
“This is a complex and emotive issue and I know there are strongly held ethical and moral views on both sides of the debate locally from the correspondence I have received from constituents.
“At the moment, for people who are terminally ill, their choices are very limited. Some travel abroad for help to die, but this is only an option for those with the financial means to do so. Some end their own lives in distressing circumstances. Many spend their final months, weeks and days suffering, physically and mentally, even with the best palliative care.
“I believe in giving people the right to choose how to end their life. Giving people that choice through this legislation would mean anyone who is terminally ill does not have to go through any of these distressing scenarios – if assisted dying was an option they wanted to consider.”
West Northamptonshire Council is looking to drive out “criminal, rogue and irresponsible” landlords with houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), with new enforcement measures.
The new HMO licensing rules will cover a bigger area of Northampton as it has been extended to include new developments since 2020 and areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour. Mandatory requirements for the whole of England require HMOs containing five or more people to be licensed, however additional measures set by West Northants Council (WNC) will extend this to smaller HMOs of three plus people.
The council says it intends to extend the licensing rules to make private landlords more accountable for not only the standards and conditions within their HMOs but also for their tenants’ behaviour. It explained that where there are high concentrations of HMOs, there are noticeable impacts on local communities and the local environment and complaints regarding nuisance and anti-social behaviour.
“Well-managed HMOs have a vital role to play in helping to meet the housing needs of Northampton’s residents. Although West Northamptonshire has some excellent landlords and letting agents, it also has a significant number of criminal, rogue and irresponsible landlords,” the council report added.
According to WNC, in October 2024 there were 1,104 licensed HMOs within the authority area. The licensing regime will extend this to a larger number of small HMOs, which will enforce physical property inspections and hold private landlords to account.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A new town centre task force has been set up in Wellingborough.
The group, which will meet quarterly, includes representatives from local businesses and leisure venues, the town clerk, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone and MP Gen Kitchen.
The recent first meeting focused on identifying key issues impacting local businesses and visitors to the town centre and several initial actions were agreed upon before the group meet again.
Kitchen, who formed the task force, said she was committed to supporting the town centre to become a place where businesses can thrive and that local people want to visit.
“I stood for election on a pledge to bang the drum for our town centres and I am determined to do just that. None of this will be a quick fix but there are things we can do straight away to make a difference.”
Westminster Watch
MP for Northampton North Lucy Rigby has been given a government role in the department of justice. The MP, who was elected in July and is a lawyer, is now a parliamentary private secretary in the ministry of justice.
NN Events
Comedian Rachel Parris is performing at the Royal and Derngate on Tuesday.
Read again
Yesterday’s post was about the problems at West Northants council’s social housing company. If you missed it, read it again here and we will be following up on this developing story next week.
This Friday brief is later than usual as I have been on a training course. Normal timings back next week.
Like WNC, Northampton Partnership Homes are now a top-heavy operation - it's time to take housing management back in-house.
Congratulations to Lucy Rigby MP for her new role in the Ministry of Justice. Maybe now she can do something to correct an injustice for one of her constituents, Daniel Shaw. Daniel is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for taking part in a Zoom call to plan a peaceful climate protest. This is how the system that is destroying our planet protects itself. To understand how vindictive and punitive this sentence is, compare it to the rioters from this summer's race riots who got sentences of 2 or 3 years for punching police officers and setting fire to a police van. Violent racists are not a threat to the wealth of the powerful. Non-violent climate protesters are.