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24 March 2022
Following a consultation with its five maintained nursery schools (MNS), West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has now finalised its budget settlement for MNSs for the financial year 2022 -23.
All five MNSs participated in the consultation and with their input a funding formula based mainly on pupil hours but also taking account of deprivation, based in the index of deprivation (IMD) in catchment areas was used to set the budgets.
Cllr Fiona Baker, WNC’s Cabinet member for children, families and education, said: “I would like to thank all the heads and chairs of governors who took part in the consultation and for their very helpful feedback. It has been a challenging and complex process and I am pleased that we have now reached agreement on a final budget settlement.
“As part of the budget settlement, all five MNSs within West Northants benefit from a £718,000 funding supplement provided by the government through the Dedicated Schools Grant. At present, Camrose Nursery School receives £259,000 from this grant, some of which is used to provide valued services to its local community outside normal curriculum hours. This has been agreed thanks to the generosity of the head teachers at the other three nursery schools (Parklands is federated with Camrose).
“WNC aims to achieve a more equitable and representative sharing of the subsidy funding across all MNSs over the next three years, requiring the Camrose Nursery School’s supplement to be reduced over time to help deliver this.
“There will be further discussions with all MNSs during the 2022/23 financial year about the formula to be used from 2023/24 and beyond and the council will continue to seek external funding in order that as many children as possible in all deprived areas can benefit from ‘wrap-around-services’.”
To enable Camrose Nursery School to plan its reductions to its future years’ budgets, WNC has allocated it £95,000 as a one-off contribution from a central underspend of the Dedicated Schools Grant.
The head teachers and chairs of governors from Gloucester, Wallace Road and Whitehills nursery schools, who have participated in the consultation on the budget, have acknowledged the plans to move to more equitable funding and have commented: “We are happy with the three-year timescale for the implementation of the maintained nursery school formula in full, as we recognise the difficulties that would be caused to Camrose if it had been immediate.
The head teacher and chair of governors of Camrose nursery school said: “We understand fully the need for the grant to be distributed in a way that is fair to all maintained nursery schools, and are grateful to our colleagues for their generosity in agreeing to spread the budget reduction that Camrose will experience over three years.
“We are also grateful to the council for allocating a one-off grant to assist us in the first year of the transition. However, we want to protect the additional services we currently offer and will be seeking to work as a nursery, and with the council, to identify possible additional sources of funding to continue to provide these.”
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23 March 2022
People are being encouraged to explore some of West Northamptonshire’s fabulous attractions during English Tourism Week (and all year round).
Running through to this Sunday, 27 March, the national campaign aims to celebrate England’s vibrant, exciting tourism sector.
The theme for this year’s English Tourism Week is ‘You’re Welcome’, and we want to encourage visitors and residents alike to experience all West Northamptonshire it has to offer.
From historic homes and landmarks, to parks and gardens, museums, galleries and theatres, and award-winning restaurants, this area offers a fantastic variety of attractions for everyone to explore.
We are showcasing a selection of those attractions on our social media channels this week, and would also urge you to visit our Culture and Tourism pages for a host of ideas for great days out.
The aim of English Tourism Week is to send a message that our tourism industry is ready to welcome visitors and provide an outstanding experience.Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Housing, Culture and LeisureThat is certainly true of West Northamptonshire, so we want to take this opportunity to promote this our area as a wonderful place to stay and visit, and I would encourage people to come and explore what we have to offer. This area is a hidden gem of a staycation destination in the country and you’re welcome here all year round. It’s important to always think local and support local businesses.
You can follow our Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter channels for more ideas, and show your support for your favourite local attractions using the hashtag #EnglishTourismWeek22.
Please tag the Council @westnorthants in your posts so we can share them.
We would also love to see your photos of your favourite local attractions. Please send them to [email protected], so we can share them with others on social media.
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**Correction: In our previous message we said that the man who had died was 29. We would like to apologise as we now know that he is in his 30s.**
A man has died following a fire at a domestic property in Rectory Farm, Northampton yesterday (March 20).
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of a fire at Olden Road at 1.34pm. The first fire engine arrived shortly afterwards and found the property well alight, with smoke billowing from a further three neighbouring properties.
Initially two hose reels, two 45mm jets and two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed to tackle the blaze. Orders were made for further pumps to attend, while police and ambulance were also called as well as the electrical and gas boards.
All properties were searched and evacuated. Sadly however a 29-year-old man was confirmed to have died having been discovered outside one of the properties, and the coroner has been informed.
Efforts by firefighters meant that the fire had been extinguished by 3pm with crews then damping down the area and the aerial appliance from Moulton removing a number of roof tiles to secure the safety of the scene.
After damping down had been completed, and gas and electrics had been isolated to the property, firefighters continued to monitor any hotspots using thermal imaging cameras. The cameras identified a small pocket of fire in one of the roof spaces that had restarted later on, but this was quickly extinguished using a hose reel jet just before 7pm.
Fire crews remained at the scene until just after midnight, with Northamptonshire Police then providing a scene guard overnight. Overall two appliances from Moulton attended the incident, as well as fire engines from The Mounts, Mereway, Wellingborough, Rushden, Brixworth and Rothwell.
Initial investigations to determine the cause of the blaze were started last night, and this morning firefighters returned to the scene alongside colleagues from Northamptonshire Police to continue those investigations.
Station Manager Ronnie Rochester, who attended the fire, said: “Our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the gentleman who sadly died at the scene.
“This was a very harrowing incident for both our firefighters and the members of public who witnessed this. We will be offering welfare support to our firefighters and will also do our best to help anyone else who witnessed it.
“We would like to extend our thanks to those members of public who quickly alerted our control room and provided us with important information which informed our response.”
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Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service have released a short series of films to coincide with Neurodiversity Celebration Week which runs from 21-27 March.
The three films feature neurodivergent police officers, firefighters and staff talking about their personal journeys, their observations, and the strengths their unique perspectives bring to the organisations and to the communities they serve.
Neurodiversity Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported through education and employment. The Week is about raising awareness, increasing acceptance, and understanding of neurodiversity and celebrating neurodivergent people.
The term neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people but is particularly connected to neurological and developmental conditions such as Dyslexia, DCD (Dyspraxia), Dyscalculia, Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The three films produced by the Police and Fire Service explore ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia and provide a real-life insight into how each condition brings different strengths and talents into the workforce.
Today, the first of the short series of videos being released focuses on Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD).
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold said: “The first challenge for any organisation lies in breaking the stigma that neurodiversity is a disability, rather it provides an opportunity to see things from difference perspectives. It’s important to me that both the Police Force and Fire Service value individual differences, nurturing strengths, abilities and talents to enable the individual to flourish and both organisations to benefit from diversity of thought and perspective.
“I am very grateful to those people who have participated in these films and hope that through them we are able to elevate discussions, raise awareness and develop a deeper understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace. In doing this, I believe we will be able to better respond to the challenges we face in protecting people and communities now and in the future.”
In the Police, Fire and Crime Plan 2021 – 2026, the Commissioner has asked Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that they welcome people from diverse backgrounds and that they reflect the diverse communities they serve.
For Police recruitment opportunities, visit www.northants.police.uk/careers
For information on careers in the Fire Service, visit the Careers section on Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service – Making Northamptonshire Safer for all (northantsfire.gov.uk)
You can learn more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week and get you and/or your organisation involved here www.neurodiversityweek.com
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21 March 2022
A woman who paid someone £70 to take her old fridge away has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 in fines and court costs after it was fly-tipped.
Neighbourhood Wardens from West Northamptonshire Council traced the fridge, together with a number of other household items, back to Farhiya Amir after they were found dumped in shrubbery near her home in Melbury Lane, Northampton last May.
Miss Amir (34) admitted she had paid two boys £70 to take the rubbish away and was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice.
But after ignoring the notice she was brought before Wellingborough Magistrates last Tuesday, where she pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the domestic waste duty of care requirements, and was fined £400 and ordered to pay court costs of £1,700 plus a £40 victim surcharge.
Under the duty of care, anyone paying someone to dispose of waste must ensure they use a reputable business with a waste carriers’ licence and documentation to prove it.
We’re doing all we can to target fly-tippers, however residents can play a role in this too, by ensuring they only use licensed, responsible operators to take away their rubbish.Cllr David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory ServicesPlease be on your guard against unlicensed waste operators offering to take away unwanted items on the cheap. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s likely they are not paying for the waste to be properly disposed of, and will simply dump it instead.
Do not be left paying the price. Please protect yourself by making sure that anyone you pay to take your rubbish away is properly licensed to do so.
Also fined by the Court last Tuesday was Lola Declemente (21) of Broughton Place in Eastfield, Northampton, who was found guilty in her absence of littering and fined £250 and ordered to pay £1,300 in legal costs plus a £34 victim surcharge.
The court heard that Miss Declemente had ignored a £150 littering fine issued to her by Neighbourhood Wardens after she dumped two black sacks of rubbish in Eastfield last September.