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15 April 2024
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will be marking Stephen Lawrence Day on Monday, 22 April to commemorate the life of the 18-year-old who was killed in an unprovoked racist attack 31 years ago.
Following a memorial service marking the 25th anniversary of his death in 2018, it was announced that there would be a national day to remember Stephen’s life with the aim to also focus on young people and the communities they live in, enabling them to make positive choices and live to their full potential.
A ceremony will take place at the Guildhall, Northampton, from midday to 1.30pm and will be attended by local organisations and community representatives including Northamptonshire Police, the University of Northampton (UON) and local Town and Parish Councils.
Speeches on the day will be provided by WNC’s Chairman Cllr John Shephard, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire Hassan Shah, WNC’s Diverse Forum Co-Chair Councillor James Hill, Local Policing Commander Superintendent Rachael Handford, and Co-Chair for the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) Network Marcella Daye.
The ceremony will conclude with the lighting of candles and time for reflection followed by refreshments in the Guildhall court room.
“The anniversary of Stephen’s horrific death provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made in society thanks to his family’s steadfast pursuit of justice and tireless campaigning, whilst also acknowledging that there is still work to be done before we achieve true equality.Councillor David Smith, WNC's Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services“In West Northamptonshire, we celebrate our diverse communities and I hope that people will join us in observing this day and reflecting upon Stephen’s legacy as we continue to pave the way for a greater understanding of discrimination, equality and cultural change in our communities.”
"It’s been 31 years since Stephen’s tragic murder however the shock and injustice of his death remain as poignant as ever.Superintendent Rachael Handford“He was only 18 when he was murdered and as the mother of a child of a similar age, his parents and family remain in my thoughts as the sense of loss is just unimaginable. They have always shown such strength and dignity in their fight for justice and equality.
“Commemorating Stephen Lawrence Day is really important as it serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring fight against racism and inequality in our society - a fight in which everyone has a part to play, including the police.
“Celebrating diversity within our communities is really important to us as it fosters understanding, tolerance, and unity – values which Stephen stood for and values we aim to echo when policing our towns in Northamptonshire.”
Social media users can help spread awareness about Stephen Lawrence Day and make a pledge by using the hashtags: #stephenlawrencedaypledge #SLDay23 #StephenLawrenceDay #StephenLawrence #BecauseOfStephen #ALegacyOfChange #LiveYourBestLife. For more information please visit the Stephen Lawrence Day website.
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15 April 2024
Brackley is a unique market town based on a proud heritage and boasts independent businesses, boutique shops, quaint eateries and more. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) are keen to establish a clear vision for building on Brackley’s strengths to ultimately enhance the community and sustainably grow the economy.
Residents and visitors are being asked to share their ideas about enhancing Brackley and any improvements they would like to see made to the high street.
Nationally, high streets across the UK are facing a variety of challenges and many people are using them differently to how they have done in the past. Now is the time to reflect on the future of the high street and particularly how Brackley can prosper.
WNC’s Brackley Town Centre Manager has been working closely with local businesses, organisations, and Brackley Town Council to champion the local community, to harness the pride in the town and to establish opportunities to improve the local high street and benefit every local resident, business and visitor.
We need your help to shape ideas for these improvements and have set out a series of questions to understand your current and future uses of Brackley High Street and how you’d like to see the high street improved.
Some of the ideas already suggested include:
- An improved marketing strategy to raise awareness around what is available to residents and promote the town to visitors
- Working alongside landlords and commercial agents to encourage leasing of empty premises and provide more choice to prospective businesses and investors
- Attracting more independent businesses to relocate to or open additional branches in Brackley
- Tailored support & guidance to nurture new business start-ups
- Delivery of more town centre events; including music, pavement dining and activities for families
- Additional markets and stalls to provide more choice and attract people to the town
- Considering the introduction of a Town Gift Card or loyalty scheme to encourage people to spend locally
“Everyone in Northamptonshire knows our area is a unique destination for every resident, visitor, business and investor to enjoy time and time again, and that’s why we want to make visiting here the best experience it can be.Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration & Growth“Brackley is one of the gems in West Northamptonshire’s crown and I encourage everyone in the County and beyond to take part in this idea gathering exercise and help us to shape, develop and prioritise projects and adapt the high street experience to meet the needs of the local community and visitors.”
Take part in the survey by visiting the WNC Consultation Hub by midnight on Sunday, 26 May.
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15 April 2024
Businesses in West Northamptonshire can now access a new decarbonisation support programme aimed at helping them to reach net zero and achieve their sustainability goals, including free business support, tailored energy audits and match funding up to £20,000 to implement energy efficiency measures.
The programme is specifically tailored to help small and medium sized businesses make the transition to net zero and implement their sustainability plans and has received £630,854 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a central part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.
The Net Zero West Northants project combines technical advice and diagnostic work with access to grant funding to enable qualifying businesses to invest in decarbonisation activities, and is part of the Council's commitment to supporting sustainable economic growth across the West Northamptonshire area. West Northamptonshire Council has a target for the area to reach net zero as a whole by 2045 and this fund will be a catalyst to realising this target.
Following a competitive tendering process, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has appointed Ngage Solutions to deliver the programme.
Ngage are leaders in this field and will work with local businesses to help them understand more about their carbon footprint, providing information, advice and guidance on decarbonisation solutions, including how the business can monitor reduction in carbon emissions. The free support will include 1-2-1 sessions, workshops and the use of expert diagnostic tools.
Grants are match-funded and will initially cover 50% of project cost between the value of £1,000 - £20,000. Examples of projects that can be funded include LED lighting, solar panels, insulation and glazing, heating and cooling systems, new energy efficient equipment, and water and waste reduction technologies.
"This decarbonisation programme highlights our commitment to supporting local businesses while reducing West Northamptonshire’s carbon emissions as we all move towards a net zero future.Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth“As well as saving businesses money, energy saving solutions have many cross-benefits for the wider community, including better air quality and improved health and wellbeing for residents.
“This scheme is one of many ways in which we are actively driving the local economy to ensure inclusive, sustainable growth, making West Northants the perfect place to live, work, visit and invest. I encourage all businesses to take a look at the website and see how they could benefit from this support today.”
"We are thrilled to be partnering with West Northamptonshire Council to support local businesses in measuring their carbon footprint and providing the necessary funding to fuel their decarbonisation endeavours.Daniel Cope, Climate Change Project Manager at Ngage Solutions“Often, just knowing where to start on the journey can be a major hurdle for many organisations to take action, and that’s where our team can step in to assist.
“With our extensive experience of closely collaborating with hundreds of businesses to accelerate their journey to net zero, we've witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of sustainability initiatives. From driving cost savings to boosting staff morale and seizing green marketing opportunities, the benefits are tangible."
Find out more about how your business can take part by visiting the Net Zero West Northants website.
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11 April 2024
The new road being built to replace part of Sandy Lane near Harpole could soon be open, using a temporary link while further work takes place.
Sandy Lane Relief Road, as it is currently known, was required to serve new housing developments being built in the area.
It will provide a new route for vehicles that might previously have used Sandy Lane which stretched from the Kislingbury roundabout on the A4500 to the junction of Berrywood Road and Roman Road.
There has been a clear impact on Harpole and Duston residents, who have seen an increase in vehicles cutting through those areas.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) agreed the construction of a temporary link as a potential solution some time ago with developers which has been progressed.
However, due to other work the council was not aware of, implemented by the developer to respond to resident concerns, we have had to reassess the safety of the temporary link to take this into account.
We can confirm the safety audit is complete and we now await timescales from the developers to undertake the resulting works prior to opening of the road
“We’re conscious that this work has caused lots of frustration and disruption and we have sympathy for everyone affected.Cllr Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste“We’ve been working as hard as we can to try and provide a temporary solution, to get the road open or at least partially open, but unauthorised work by the developers has made this difficult to achieve.
“We’re continuing to work with the developer as we would like to see the road open as quickly as possible, but of course it must be safe for residents and road users alike.
“We know there are businesses that have been affected by the works and we are confident that once everything is complete, they will see significant benefits. We are sorry that this has been so long in coming.”
We anticipate that a permanent link will be opened between Sandy Lane Relief Road and Sandy Lane by early summer. This is already under construction and once complete would allow the temporary link to be closed.
Sandy Lane Relief Road consists of two stretches:
- Southern section that runs north from the A4500 opposite Upton Valley Way North, on land owned by Homes England – partially completed in 2010
- Northern section that runs south from Roman Road, crossing Sandy Lane, and progressing toward the land owned by Homes England - due to complete in 2024
For construction of the northern section to take place, Sandy Lane had to close, and parts of it will not reopen to through traffic.
WNC continues to meet with Homes England to connect both stretches of the relief road as quickly as possible and thereby complete the route.
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12 April 2024
Bringing together events, activities and offers of support happening where you live, keeping information relevant and local to you.
The new ‘Live Your Best Life’ website, brought to you by local health, care, community, police, fire and voluntary sector organisations in West Northants aims to be a central point of information for all things local.
Currently in its ‘first phase’ of launch, the new ‘Live Your Best Life’ website explains the role of the nine Local Area Partnerships, also known as LAPs in West Northamptonshire and how by working together with partner organisations, as well as community and voluntary sector organisations we can ensure local services and activities are better coordinated and focused on the needs of each area they serve. By working in this way with local communities, we can design services that really make a difference, to help residents, their families and their neighbourhood, to live their best life.
If you live in West Northamptonshire, your area will be part of one of the following Local Area Partnerships:
- Northampton East: Billing and Rectory Farm, Riverside Park and Talavera
- Northampton South: Delapre and Rushmere, East Hunsbury, Nene Valley and Shelfleys
- Northampton West: Duston East, Duston West, St Crispin and Sixfields
- Northampton Central: Abington and Phippsville, Castle, Dallington, Spencer and St George
- Northampton North: Boothville and parklands, Headlands, Kingsthorpe North and Kingsthorpe South
- Rural North: Braunston and Crick, Brixworth, Long Bucky and Moulton
- Rural West: Daventry East, Daventry West and Woodford and Weedon
- Rural South: Brackley, Middleton Cheney and Silverston
- Rural East: Bugbrooke, Deanshanger, Hackleton and Grange Park and Towcester and Roade
You can see which one covers your area by using the interactive map. Simply, type in your address and click anywhere within the boundary and it will give you the information of your LAP.
Each of our LAPs covers communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people, so your neighbourhood may be part of a LAP with surrounding villages or towns and will include some local organisations specific to your area. You can see the organisations involved in your area by visiting your Local Area Partnership page. (You can find links to all 9 LAP pages on the homepage).
Each of the LAPs has their own webpage that includes information about the neighbourhood, spotlights events and activities happening locally, partner organisations involved as well as what the priorities are and latest news / updates – bringing lots of local information together in one place. From Knit & natter classes, to Carpet Bowls, Family Fun sessions and creative expression workshops there is lots on offer within your local area – so take a look on the webpage for where you live to find out more.
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