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08 April 2024
18 entrepreneurs from West Northamptonshire have been awarded business grants of £2,000 from the Business & IP Centre Northamptonshire’s (BIPC) Build Your Business initiative.
This project has received £374,600 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, allocated by West Northamptonshire Council who host BIPC Northamptonshire for the county. Build Your Business sees the potential entrepreneurs participate in various business support sessions, designed to help strengthen their business and enable them to establish sustainable new enterprises, followed by the opportunity to secure seed funding.
The Build Your Business programme comprises five modules covering a range of essential topics including marketing, business growth and financial planning, all tailored to businesses’ individual needs. As part of the complete package of support, drop-in sessions are also available at Brixworth, Towcester, Wellingborough and Kettering libraries.
A key component of Build Your Business is the opportunity for entrepreneurs in Northamptonshire under one year old to apply for a £2,000 start-up grant to help turn their idea into a reality. Following completion of the modules of the scheme, eligible businesses are invited to secure this financial boost to implement into the operation of their new enterprise. BIPC Northamptonshire support is also free and unlimited, meaning businesses can utilise their ongoing knowledge and expertise as they continue to grow and develop.
The successful grant winners of the first round of grants are:
Alessandra Amico-Jones - Alessandra Amico-Jones EFT
Chris Bartley - Towcester Carpet Cleaning Company
Leah Campbell - The Inclusive Strengths Co
Callie Early - Ace Decluttering
Milly Fyfe - No Fuss Meals For Busy Parents
Brendan Gilbert & Harry Evans - TwelveTwentyFive
Stephen Hodgkinson - Affordable EV Charging Solutions
Nicola Kay - Kay Howard Tutoring
Zoe Laughton - Laughton Young Consulting Limited
Roddy Lloyd-Jones – LJPhotostop
Tessa McAndrew - Remidy Clinic
Francis Robertson-Marriott & Ralph Major - The Cool Classics (TCC)
Aveline Rust & Aprille Russell - Glam-Start Hair and Beauty Academy
Davit Sikharulidze - Mavis Technologies Limited
Vicky Skinner - Animal Focused
Gareth Watson & Sarah Watson - Procare Clean
Adrian Watt - Brackley Ewaste Recycling
Michelle Westgarth - Wootton Wellness Counselling Services
Animal Focused provides Educational Consultancy, Training and Animal Assisted Therapy.
“We have been using the BIPC Northamptonshire services since we first set up in April 2023, having 1:1 sessions with James and attending some of the webinars and events.Animal Focused founder, Vicky Skinner“The support and guidance has been invaluable and provided the reassurance that I could actually run a business!
“Having been awarded the Build Your Business grant we are now able to purchase an online learning platform and develop our online course to support schools who are bringing dogs into classrooms for therapy and educational support, providing downloadable resources like risk assessments and infection control policies as well as providing guidance on ensuring the dogs welfare and introducing learning to the dogs.”
Following the success of this first round of grants, the BIPC Northamptonshire is thrilled to announce a second round of funding under the Build Your Business programme. If you're an aspiring local entrepreneur with a business under one year old, you have the chance to apply for a start-up grant of £2,000 to help towards business-associated costs and benefit from expert advice from the Team.
“A huge congratulations to all the winners of the Build Your Business programme.Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration & Growth“Entrepreneurs and start-up businesses thrive in West Northamptonshire and we are dedicated to delivering the necessary support to amplify these activities even more and enable long-term business survival in the area. It is for this reason that we are proud to host the BIPC Northamptonshire Team in West Northamptonshire Council, along with hosting the South East Midlands Growth Hub and our very own Economic Growth & Inward Investment Service.
“As a local authority we want to see every business in our area thrive and for this reason we have allocated the majority of our UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Prosperity funding towards supporting businesses and creating employment opportunities to sustain the local economy. I encourage all businesses to take a look at our funding website to find details on how to apply for all of our support and grants.”
Businesses interested in taking advantage of the Build Your Business programme are encouraged to visit the BIPC Northamptonshire website where they can learn more, find dates for drop-in sessions, register for workshops, webinars, one to ones and more.
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08 April 2024
Candidates have been announced today for the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner election due to take place in Northamptonshire next month.
On Thursday, 2 May voters across Northamptonshire will go to the polls to elect their Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
They are:
Martyn Emberson – Conservative and Unionist Party
Ana Gunn – Liberal Democrats
Danielle Stone – Labour and Co-operative Party
The Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) is elected to oversee local policing and fire and rescue services, manage the police & fire and rescue budget, set council tax rates for policing, and ensure transparent communication about police activities in the community. They will also make key appointments of the Chief Constable and the Chief Fire Officer for the Northamptonshire area.
Anyone who is not yet registered to vote should do so by Tuesday, 16 April in order to take part in this election. You can register to vote on the gov.uk website.
People can apply for postal votes by 5pm on Wednesday17 April (this deadline is for NEW applications to vote by post or postal-proxy and those making changes to or cancelling their postal or postal-proxy votes) and those wishing to vote by proxy (when someone votes on your behalf) can also do this in advance of the deadline of 5pm on Wednesday, 24 April (not for postal-proxy or emergency proxy applications).
Students have the option of registering at both their home and term-time addresses, and if they are in different local authority areas, they can vote in both locations for this election.
The UK Government has introduced a requirement for voters to produce acceptable photographic identification when voting in person at a polling station. This new requirement will apply to this election.
Voters intending to vote in person are urged to ensure they have one of the acceptable forms of photo ID prior to attending their polling station. Residents without an acceptable form of ID have until 5pm on Wednesday, 24 April to apply for their Voter ID.
For more information and to view the timetable of the election visit our website
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08 April 2024
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) lead in managing local flood risks, this includes risks of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary (smaller) watercourses.
Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, WNC is required to develop, apply, and monitor a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy which sets out how it intends to manage floods and the effect of flooding on our area. The Strategy will focus on local flood risk from surface water, groundwater, and watercourses including rivers, streams and brooks, culverts and ditches and sets out the way the Council manage flood risks for the next six years.
People across West Northamptonshire are being invited to share their views during this non-statutory consultation which will help shape the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy during the early stages of its development.
This is a consultation on the draft strategic objectives for the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. It is open for people to share their views from Monday 8 April to Sunday 16 June. To view the draft strategic objectives and provide your feedback visit: https://westnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/local-flood-risk-management-strategy
"Flood risk is changing as changes in our climate contribute towards increased rainfall. In addition, pressures such as population growth and new development across the area means we must adapt to future flood risks. Planning to manage flood risk is more important than ever and the Strategy seeks to consider local issues, including environmental and planning challenges to ensure we’re able to strategically manage flood risk across the area.Cllr Pinder Chauhan, Assistant Cabinet Member for Flooding at WNC“In order for us to shape the Strategy we would like to understand the public’s main issues and concerns in relation to flooding across West Northamptonshire to ensure we are focusing on the right themes to manage flood risk in the future. I would also encourage everyone to review the draft strategic objectives and have their say as part of the consultation.”
WNC’s current Northamptonshire Strategy requires updating as a result of environmental and governmental changes, in addition to West Northamptonshire Council now operating as a unitary body. The feedback collated from the consultation will help to shape the Strategy during the early stages of its development. A statutory public consultation will take place once the draft Strategy has been developed, which will give you another opportunity to have your say. The Strategy will then be presented to cabinet for consideration and adoption.
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02 April 2024
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is exploring options to address the growing need for temporary accommodation in the local area.
This month, officers from WNC attended Milton Keynes to view 70 new modular homes and assess if this form of temporary accommodation would be suitable in West Northamptonshire.
The three-storey modular homes two-bedroom units act as a practical alternative to providing B&B stays to local families and individuals in urgent need of somewhere to stay.
Each residential unit is equipped with furniture and contains a living/kitchen/dining space, a double-bedded room, a single/bunk bedroom and a shower room with WC and sink.
The units are intended for families to live in for up to 12 months during which time they would have access to support services including opportunities for training and work.
“Across the country we are seeing demand for temporary accommodation rocket due to cost of living increases and a lack of affordable housing.Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure.“As a result, local authorities are having to source emergency temporary accommodation such as B&Bs and hotels for an unprecedented number of people, which is expensive for councils and taxpayers.
“Modular housing can be a cost-efficient alternative and would enable us to support families while they get back on their feet and help them to find more permanent accommodation.
“The council is actively exploring options to ensure we’re able to meet the safety and support needs of our vulnerable residents and address the growing demand for homes in West Northamptonshire.”
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02 April 2024
Vulcan Works, which offers office space, coworking opportunities and business support from its base in Northampton’s Cultural Quarter, is a finalist in two categories of the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards which recognise industrious, hardworking and enterprising small and medium sized businesses.
The centre is up for the Business Innovation Award, which celebrates companies doing something new, different, smarter or better that will make a positive difference, and also shortlisted for the Positive Impact Award, which is looking for those who are innovating and adapting their business to not only thrive but benefit the wider community.
In the 12 months since it opened, the Vulcan Works team has supported countless startups and small businesses through workspace provision, events, workshops and partnerships with other organisation, including Barclays Bank.
“We are absolutely delighted that Vulcan Works has been shortlisted for these awards and we are very proud of all that we have achieved in just a year.Garrick Hurter, Centre Manager at Vulcan Works.“Vulcan Works has quickly established itself as a key part of the Northamptonshire business community and our customers, partners and local business support organisations have made the centre the thriving, bustling, exciting hub that we hoped it would be.”
“It is fantastic news that Vulcan Works has been shortlisted for two categories at the prestigious Northamptonshire SME awards. This truly reflects the hard work of all those involved in bringing this project to life, and all the continued dedication of our partners at Oxford Innovation to provide innovative business support to local SMEs.”Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth
The SME Northamptonshire Business Awards take place on Thursday 2nd May at the Mercure Daventry Court Hotel.
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