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07 February 2024
Organisations in West Northants heard first-hand from, Young Healthwatch, about how they can help tackle youth vaping as part of a multi-agency summit to better understand the challenges associated with this, and how we can work as one to tackle the increasing issue.
Youth vaping continues to be a priority issue for many organisations in West Northamptonshire including; schools, health colleagues, councillors, parish councils and council services like public health, waste and recycling, community safety and trading standards. With the concern shared with many parents, relatives and even some young people themselves with these audiences supporting the work underway.
The Vaping Summit took place Monday 5 February and brought together these organisations to take the first step in developing a strategy to tackle this head on.
Work underway to date includes working closely with schools to develop and distribute resources on how they can support young people with acknowledgement that further resources are needed, as well as engagement with children and young people to gain further insight. Our Trading Standards team continue to ramp up activity as they have seen a significant increase from illegal vape seizures in 2023-to date (284,000 vapes) compared to 2022/23 seizures (1500 vapes), showing the scale of the rapid increase in availability and the issue at hand. This includes a large scale seizure from a warehouse in Northampton, which prevented £2.7 million worth of vapes being sold in West Northamptonshire. In addition to this, the Trading Standards team in 23/24 to date have tested 40 premises reported to be selling vapes to those underage to purchase them, with an overall non-compliance of 43% which is again up from the previous year.
The recent announcement from the Government regarding the ban on disposal vapes is very much welcome and this will no doubt help to tackle the onward rise in youth vaping we are seeing. However, listening to the issues raised and speaking to the young people themselves – there is more that we can do locally to further tackle this issue and build on the commitment many partners have made.Cllr Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at WNCOur recent Health and Wellbeing strategy for West Northants sets out how together, we aim to help our young people have the ‘best start in life’ and that includes giving them the right information and support to say no to vaping or to help them stop if they are already doing so. A core focus for us next is going to be how we further work and seek feedback from young people and their parents we can implement the right actions going forwards.
It is alarming to see an increase in shops selling vapes and tobacco-based items to people under the legal age of 18. As part of our commitment to tackling youth vaping, we will seek to seize illicit vapes and take action where we find non-compliance from those selling these items. By hearing from young people first-hand, we can better understand how we can all work together to tackle this head on.Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Engagement and Regulatory Services at WNCWNC will be working with young people to develop and deliver their plan to reduce vaping in young people, which includes developing a communications campaign, developing support for schools, parents, and young people, and working with partners across the system to deliver this.
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07 February 2024
West Northamptonshire Council introduces enhanced Report It functionality in the Council app, enabling a seamless and efficient way to interact with the council, report issues and stay connected with the local community on the go.
The app is the go-to resource for West Northamptonshire residents, providing easy access to essential council services and timely local news. Now, with the addition of the Report It features, residents can report incidents ranging from fly tipping and graffiti to abandoned trolleys and street cleansing, all from the convenience of their mobile devices.
We're thrilled to introduce the Report It feature to our West Northamptonshire Council App. It's all about making life simpler for our residents and keeping our community connected and informed.Cllr Mike Hallam, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and HRWe want you to have the tools you need to stay in the know, report issues, and actively contribute to our vibrant community. The enhancement of the Report It functionality takes this commitment a step further, empowering you to report incidents quickly and conveniently without the need to phone us.
The app offers a host of functional features designed to enhance residents’ experience allowing you to access council services near your location. Whether you're looking for the nearest council offices, car parks, food banks, libraries, parks or other essential local services, such as the network of Welcoming Spaces, the information is just a few taps away.
This app has been crafted to cater to the diverse needs of our residents, providing them with a one-stop solution to easily access local services, news, and real-time updates. Whether it's receiving reminders for bin collection schedules, so you never forget to put your bins out, accessing our recycling guidelines, making it easier for you to make sustainable choices, or receiving alerts about any potential disruptions to collections, the app has it all.Cllr Phil Larratt, WNC Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste
Download or update the West Northamptonshire Council App from your device's app store to explore the new functionality. The app is continuously being developed, and we will be adding new features as we progress.
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07 February 2024
People living in our Council’s East Hunsbury and Shelfleys electoral ward can go to the polls today (Thursday, 8 February) to vote for a new councillor to represent their area.
The by-election is being held following the resignation of former West Northamptonshire Councillor Suresh Patel, and will see one councillor elected.
The candidates are as follows:
- Clare Robertson-Marriott (Labour and Cooperative Party)
- Daniel Soan (Conservative Party)
- Carl Neville Mark Squires (Liberal Democrats)
Voting
Polling stations across the ward are open from 7am until 10pm, and are located at the following places:
- Collingtree Golf Club, 90 Windingbrook Lane
- Abbey Centre Baptist Church, Overslade Close,
- Blackymore Community Centre, Butts Croft Close,
- Mobile Unit in Ladybridge Drive.
The details of your polling station will be printed on your poll card. You do not need to take your poll card with you in order to vote, but you must bring a valid form of Voter ID.
Acceptable forms of Voter ID
By law, you must present a valid form of photo ID at the polling station in order to vote.
You can use expired photo ID, as long as the image on the ID remains a good likeness to you. You only need to bring one of the documents to the polling station to vote in person, but it must be the original document.
You can use:
- Passport (UK, EU/EEA, Commonwealth issued)
- Driving licence (including provisional licences) (UK, EU/EEA issued)
- Blue Badge
- Certain older/disabled people concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
More information is available on our Voter ID page
Results
The votes will be counted following the close of polls at 10pm, with the result posted on our X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook pages as soon as they are announced.
The result will also be posted on our Elections Results page
Find out more
More information about this by-election can be found on the Statement of Persons Nominated document on our Elections pages
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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue has welcomed twelve new wholetime firefighters to the Service.
The new firefighters have completed an induction to the service where they were given the opportunity to learn about the organisation by spending time with departments form around the service, including Prevention, Protection and Business Services.
They also helped to form the guard of honour at Firefighter Hilmi Say’s funeral on January 24.
The new recruits have now gone to the Fire Service College in the Cotswolds, where they will spend eight weeks learning how to use breathing apparatus, put out different types of fires, and deal with hazardous materials.
Once they have finished the intense training course at the College, they will have a Passing Out Parade before returning for three weeks further training at Northamptonshire, where they will then be posted to a Watch at one of the stations around the county.
The new intake was welcomed by Acting Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill at the Service HQ at Darby House in Wellingborough.
He said: “It was fantastic to meet the newest group of recruits and to wish them well as they head off to the Fire Service College.
“Being a firefighter is a very rewarding job, and one I hope they will all enjoy as they go through their careers with us.”
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold added: “It is brilliant to welcome the newest cohort of recruits to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue. They join us at an exciting time for the Service with new investment in fleet and equipment.
“Eight new fire appliances and a 42-metre turntable ladder have joined the fleet, and four more will be delivered soon, ensuring that firefighters have the best possible equipment to keep the county safe.
“This investment means that we have more resources to respond to incidents when our residents are in need and ensures our staff have the best tools available to do the job.”
One of the new recruits is 26-year-old Harry Copley-Watts. Harry worked in recruitment before becoming a firefighter and he is now looking forward to making a difference in people’s lives.
“The thought of being able to make someone’s life better, whether that be responding to an emergency or via Prevention or Protection work, has always been something that appealed to me.
“The Service has done a really good job at showing us how it works, but now I am really looking forward to learning new skills at the Fire Service College and continuing my journey with a really good group of people.”
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05 February 2024
Work to improve safety and security in two Northampton crime hotspots has been completed as part of the Government’s Safer Streets initiative.
Six CCTV cameras, funded by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) with support from the Government’s Safer Streets fund, have been installed in Blackthorn and Bellinge following high levels of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity including drug-dealing, assaults and shoplifting.
The cameras are situated in Blackthorn Road, Black Bridge Court and behind the shopping area in Blackthorn, and on Fishponds Road, Fieldmill Road and Billingmead Walk in Bellinge. A new CCTV camera was also installed in Blackthorn’s Spinneyside Walk last year which has resulted in a 100% reduction in crime in that area.
Blackthorn and Bellinge have disproportionately high crime levels and part of this is due to the prevalence of alleyways, underpasses and deprivation.
In addition to the CCTV cameras, WNC has utilised £99,000 of funding to improve safety in these areas by installing new lighting in underpasses and providing a targeted youth project to engage young people and divert them from criminal activity, including one-to-one mentoring with young people not in education.
Keeping residents safe is one of the Council’s top priorities and we have invested significantly to improve areas which have historically been hotspots for anti-social behaviour and where we have been told that people feel unsafe.Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services at West Northamptonshire CouncilIt is fantastic to see the positive impact this work is already having on the lives of residents and local businesses and communities, and we look forward to continuing to work with partners to further reduce criminal activity across West Northamptonshire and make our streets safer and more pleasant for everyone.
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