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12 August 2022

Green Flags have been raised above four parks managed by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) this month after they retained the international mark of quality.
Daventry Country Park, Abington Park, Bradlaugh Fields and Delapre Park have all retained their Green Flag Awards - recognised as the benchmark for the management of recreational outdoor spaces around the world.
Cllr Phil Larratt Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste, said: “The connection between good open spaces and wellbeing is clear and we state the desire for high-quality parks plainly in our corporate priorities.
“On behalf of residents I’d like to thank all the people working hard to maintain our parks including council officers, park rangers, contractors, the Community Payback team and the many community volunteers who show real passion and love for their cherished green spaces.”
Bradlaugh Fields in Northampton was first given the award in 2006 and again in 2020 and 2021, following a community effort to introduce measures to improve biodiversity and conservation practices at the former golf course. Abington and Delapre parks, also in Northampton, have retained their awards for the ninth and tenth years in a row respectively, recognition of their consistently high standards of upkeep and community involvement. Daventry Country Park has seen extensive improvements to its paths, pier, play area and visitor centre in recent years.
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12 August 2022

The 75th anniversary of Indian Independence Day will be celebrated with a flag raising ceremony on Monday, 15th August at 9am, outside the Guildhall on St Giles’ Square in Northampton.
The Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, the Mayor of Northampton and representatives of the Northampton Indian-Hindu Welfare Organisation, will be joined by Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Professor Simon Gregory and Neelam Aggarwal-Singh MBE to raise the Indian flag and commemorate the proclamation of Indian independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947.
Councillor André González De Savage, the Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “West Northamptonshire Council is proud to mark this important anniversary in Indian history and all are welcome to join us in observing the flag raising ceremony and celebrating the country’s heritage.”
Independence Day is celebrated on 15 August each year as a national holiday in India, to commemorate the nation's independence with flag raising ceremonies, parades and cultural events.
Mrs Aggarwal-Singh, who is also the Chair of the Northampton Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation, said: “On behalf of the IHWO, I am delighted that this flag raising is taking place in West Northamptonshire.
“This will be the first time that the Indian flag is raised in Northampton to mark the country’s Independence Day. It is a moment of great significance for us to be able to do this for our community and a time to celebrate.”
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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) and Northamptonshire Police are urging people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to help curb the spate of deliberate fires after a spike in the number of incidents in Northamptonshire over the last few days.
Deliberate fires are dangerous at the best of times, but the county’s Fire Service is warning that in the current conditions, and when firefighters are stretched to the limit, it is “potentially putting lives at risk”.
NFRS attended 18 deliberate fires over the weekend (August 5-7) and that total has now increased to 51. This anti-social behaviour is reckless, potentially life threatening and is causing widespread damage to land across the county.
In this extremely dry, hot weather, what may start as a small fire could rapidly spread causing acres of damage and the potential to affect homes and people’s lives.
Andy Evans, Arson Reduction Officer for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are seeing multiple fires being set across the county and we are spending hours attending these reckless incidents. Many of the fires we have already attended have been lit in open spaces, but there is a real risk that these could spread to urban areas and this could have horrific consequences.
“Eight fire engines were required at one single incident yesterday which meant we had to move appliances and resources around the county to keep other people safe. Resources are being stretched unnecessarily and these deliberate fires are potentially putting lives at risk.
“We are working with police colleagues to prevent deliberate fires being lit and to identify those people responsible. Arson is a crime, and the penalties can be severe for those involved.”
If an incident requires an emergency response, please call 999.
FireStoppers provides an anonymous way to report anything you know about deliberate firesetting. It’s managed by the independent charity CrimeStoppers. Reports of arson passed to FireStoppers will be investigated.
Call 0800 169 5558 or complete the online form at www.firestoppersreport.co.uk if you have any information about deliberate fire setting.
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12 August 2022

A major new programme of transformation work driven by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and its Northamptonshire health and care partners has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at this year’s Health Services Journal (HSJ) Awards.
Integrated Care Across Northamptonshire (ICAN), which is about supporting more people to live well and stay well at home and brings together the support they need across the NHS, local councils, voluntary and community organisations, has been named as a finalist for Provider Collaboration of the Year.
The ICAN Programme’s purpose is to deliver a person focused set of services that help people manage long term health conditions and risks associated with becoming frail or elderly. We are doing this by working with residents and their GPs to help people age well and improve the quality of care in the community as well as ensuring more people return home in a timely way after a stay in hospital. We believe working together we can help people achieve the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes and help them to maintain their independence and resilience for as long as possible.
Cllr Matt Golby, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Wellbeing, and Health Integration, said: “We are delighted that ICAN has been shortlisted for the Provider Collaboration of the Year award. This is an outstanding achievement, and one that truly reflects the ethos of collaborative working across health, social care and voluntary sector partners in Northamptonshire.
“As recognised in this shortlisting, the outputs of the ICAN programme to date have already made a huge difference in reducing the likelihood of people being admitted to hospital, as well as helping those with long term conditions or needing crisis support to access the right care at home.
“The work of ICAN is a fantastic example of joined-up working to better improve residents’ experience of care they receive and I am thrilled to see such positive improvements already being made. This shortlisting recognises everyone’s hard work and commitment across our health and social care system and we are looking forward to empowering residents further and delivering more positive changes through this programme.”
More than 1,000 entries were received for the HSJ Awards 2022, with 219 projects and individuals making it to the final shortlist (from across 162 organisations).
Further to this, a key partner organisation of ICAN, Northamptonshire Carers, has been shortlisted for the System Led Support for Carers Award. The full list of nominees for the 2022 HSJ awards can be found at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/ alongside details of the Awards partners; https://awards.hsj.co.uk/partners
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at the Battersea Evolution Centre, London on 17 November 2022.
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12 August 2022

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will be providing further financial support to pensioners and vulnerable residents as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) extended Household Support Fund.
Eligible pensioners will receive a one-off payment of £100.00 in the form of a Post Office Payout voucher (similar to a store voucher) which may be cashed, paid directly into a bank account, or used to pay a utility bill.
Pensioners who receive the Pension Credit payment and also are already in receipt of disability payments from the DWP will be able to apply for a top up payment £50 food voucher.
Those pensioners eligible for the voucher will receive a letter enabling them to claim the payment from any Post Office branch. To receive the funds all they will need to do is take their letter to their local Post Office, along with official form of identification (further details will be provided in their letter).
Councillor Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We understand how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people’s lives so it’s really important this second round of government funding goes to those who need it most and it’s great to see these arrangements are in full swing.
“Partnering up with the Post Office also enables us to provide pensioners with a flexible form of payment which they can either use towards paying their bills or spending on essentials to help support them this summer. We are working closely with local community and voluntary organisations to ensure we reach households suffering severe financial hardship who may otherwise slip through the net.
“Residents do not need to contact the council to apply for this funding unless they are claiming their disability top up payment – all eligible households will instead be contacted and offered support. Residents facing financial difficulties should visit our Cost of Living Support webpage for details of the other support available.”