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23 January 2024
A man who illegally allowed his waste to be dumped in public areas over the course of four months in 2022 has been prosecuted and was ordered to pay £9,628.35 by Wellingborough Magistrates Court on 16 January 2024.
Following successful prosecution by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Mr Luke Daniel Brown, was charged with four offences of breaching Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Brown aged 30 of Furnace Lane, Wellingborough pleaded guilty to all four charges.
Neighbourhood wardens investigated four separate fly tips across West Northants.
The offences took place on 15 February at Court Farm Lane, Overstone, 3 March, at Pritchard Close, Rectory Farm, 15 March at Leyside Court, Overstone Lodge, and 6 June at Pritchard Close, Rectory Farm, Northampton.
During the investigation all the fly-tips and waste could be linked to Mr Brown and his business activities.
West Northamptonshire Council’s senior lawyer from the in-house legal team highlighted to the court that the offences were committed for financial gain and contained large amounts of household rubbish, together with unidentified animal carcasses, rotting meat, soiled bedding, empty food packaging and faeces, from the unlicensed dog breeding business that Mr Brown had been running from his home at the time.
Given the amount and type of waste you produced the offences were despicable and disgusting. If you were going to pay someone to get rid of your waste for you, especially given its nature, you should have been even more careful.The Magistrates
Mr Brown received a fine of £1,000 for each offence, was ordered to pay a £1,600 victim surcharge and the council’s full costs of £4,028.35, a total of £9,628.35.
Our officers worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome and ensure those who illegally fly-tip are held accountable. We will not hesitate to take action against those who think they can carelessly discard of their rubbish on our streets and green areas, causing a negative impact on our environment and our communities. There is simply no excuse for not ensuring waste is correctly disposed of, and offenders will face the consequences of their actions. We would like to thank the members of the public that supported our investigations.Cllr David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services at WNC
Anyone can report fly-tipping on the WNC website, along with details of any information which can help to pinpoint the offenders. We value the support of our communities to help reduce fly-tipping and encourage pride in our local areas. To find out more visit our cleaner communities page.
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22 January 2024
An event to empower more women to conquer and flourish in business will take place in Northampton this summer, with ‘Queen of Shops’ Mary Portas announced as the headline speaker.
The Female Founders Summit 2024 - organised by accredited master coach Lucienne Shakir in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council and a number of local businesswomen - will be hosted across various town centre venues on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th July.
Well known businesswoman, broadcaster, author and activist Mary Portas made her name during her BBC series Mary Queen of Shops, having previously worked with some of the biggest names in global retail.
As the co-chair of the Better Business Act, Mary now heads a coalition of businesses calling for a change in the law to ensure UK companies align their interests with those of wider society and the environment. She will be taking the stage at the Royal Theatre on the Saturday evening.
I am thrilled to be bringing the Female Founders Summit to my hometown for the first time, and to be welcoming such an inspiring and celebrated public figure to share her insight and experience as a successful businesswoman.Lucienne, Coach of hundreds of female foundersWe also have Emma Bridgewater and many more high-profile experts lined up to be announced soon, so I am not exaggerating when I say this will be a truly accessible, transformational and actionable live experience that will leave a lasting impact on those who attend.
Female Founders Summit 2024 will include deep learning and masterclasses hosted at a number of venues within a stone’s throw of the cultural quarter over the weekend, including Royal Theatre, Delapré Abbey, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton Film House, and Vulcan Works.
Topics of talks will cover the blueprint for generating a £1million reoccurring revenue, how to grow an online presence and personal brand without fear, and other interesting and useful themes relevant to being a female founder. With only one in five female-led businesses in the UK making the £1million revenue mark, and women experiencing less financial backing for their entrepreneurial ideas, Lucienne says the Female Founders Summit is needed.
Female founders don’t have a home.Lucienne, coach of hundreds of female foundersThere are not many live events designed specifically for us that cater to our needs as female founders. No space that is set up for us to win, and no roster of experts that deliver powerful content based on their lived experience, especially for those who cannot afford coaching and support. The Female Founders Summit, now in its third year, aims to change that.
Female Founders Summit is in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council, and local female-led organisations: The Brady Creative, Goldings Communications and The Lewis Foundation.
Early Bird tickets go on sale at the beginning of March. For notification nearer the time you can join the waiting list.
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19 January 2024
Residents, parishes, and businesses in West Northants are invited to actively participate in shaping future electoral and governance arrangements for parishes within the area via the West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) consultation hub before midnight on Wednesday, 31 January.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) launched the Stage One consultation for the Community Governance Review in November 2023 to seek views and proposals from residents, parishes, and stakeholders regarding existing parish boundaries, numbers of parish councillors, and potential changes to parishes.
Responses to the consultation could include abolishing, renaming or combining existing parishes, or creating new ones. Proposals for change should seek to reflect local communities.
Before starting the consultation, the Council sought requests from parishes that wanted to make certain changes to their parish arrangements. The outcome of this pre-review consultation, in addition to the recently concluded Local Government Boundary Review of West Northants Council wards, has determined the identified parish areas for inclusion in this consultation.
Parish councils can provide a formal local government voice for their residents, and services for local people such as clubs for youth, elderly, parents, sports & leisure facilities, libraries, additional care for the local environment, and much more. So the Community Governance Review is more than a process—it's an invitation for you to bring positive change to your local community by getting involved in shaping the future of West Northamptonshire.Councillor Jonathan Nunn, the Leader of West Northamptonshire CouncilYour input will contribute to building local parish and town council arrangements that best reflect your local community and that will stand the test of time.
Proposals from the Stage One consultation will be refined through the Stage Two consultation launching in April 2024.
New parish arrangements resulting from this review will take effect at the May 2025 local elections, providing long-term benefits for the community and ensuring an efficient and representative governance structure.
For more information, please visit the Community Governance Review webpage.
Residents can submit their feedback online or request a paper form by contacting [email protected].
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19 January 2024
Plans to bring more council services together into a central office in Northampton, whilst safeguarding the town’s historic civic traditions, received the go-ahead this week.
At their meeting this week (Tuesday, 16 January) West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet members agreed proposals to move the majority of its back-office workers to its Northampton base in One Angel Square (OAS) with key sites in Daventry and Towcester continuing as local hubs where customers can access support and help.
Under the proposals, WNC staff currently based in the modern part of the Guildhall will relocate to OAS with the exception of the Coroner's service which will relocate to the historic part of the Guildhall. The historic Guildhall building will continue to be the democratic heart of West Northamptonshire and host civic and ceremonial events and activities, including continuing as the home to the Mayor of Northampton.
Northampton Town Council (NTC), a new council which covers parts of the town, was formed alongside WNC as part of government reorganisation in April 2021. WNC put in place a licence for NTC for to use part of the historic Guildhall for three years while it established itself and its plans. WNC has now agreed to extend this license by 12 months whilst NTC identifies suitable alternative accommodation. WNC is working with NTC on this, but the town Council will move from the Guildhall in early 2025. This will allow the Northamptonshire Coroner’s service to be based in the historic building where it currently holds Coroner’s Courts for the County. This is a historic service itself dating back to the 1100’s.
Some WNC teams currently working from The Forum in Towcester will relocate to OAS in stages during 2024 and early 2025 and Northampton’s One Stop Shop will also move from the Guildhall to the lower ground floor of OAS, resulting in a more modern and accessible service for residents.
The proposals are expected to save taxpayers at least £350,000 a year initially, increasing as the rationalisation of property and new ways of working bed in. It follows a thorough review which identified that WNC has significantly more office space than it requires, along with a need to change how it uses its buildings to better support residents. The Review also looked at the potential to rent space and the cost to convert and refurbish space. None of these offered taxpayers the value for money that the approved proposal will now deliver.
“As we adapt to the challenges across public services, it’s important we do not waste valuable taxpayers' money on things like surplus office space and that we make plans to reduce office space and maintenance costs. But it’s not just a financial decision; it's about bringing our teams closer, so they can work even better together, and that we ensure we adapt our services and locations to reflect residents’ needs.Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council“The plans moving forward in 2024 maximise the use of our building spaces but also recognise the importance of protecting our heritage and maintaining ceremonial and civic traditions, as seen in our plans for the historic Guildhall, and ensuring Mayors can continue to use the historic section of the Guildhall. Whilst the office of the Mayor is far older than the building – dating back to 1215 – welecome the opportunity to continue the association of the Mayor with the building.
“These plans also align with our goal to be net zero by 2030, with OAS being the most energy efficient of all the councils' offices.
“Alongside these changes, we are reshaping and improving our service provision for residents in local communities across West Northants, working with partner public services in hubs at places our residents already access in their neighbourhoods such as libraries. We also have outreach teams from various departments who visit communities, taking our services out to residents. The expansion and development of locality hubs in Towcester and Daventry reflect our commitment to adapting to the needs of our community.
“While we want customers to be able to do more online and are working to make this simpler, we also know that many people face complicated circumstances and need to access multiple services for support. The existing Northampton One Stop Shop is one of the busiest we have but it cannot expand to meet the growing complexity of some customers' needs. Currently, some customers have to move between the Guildhall and OAS to see our different services and many of our adult and children's services visitors can be vulnerable and emotional. Neither the current Guildhall One Stop Shop or the existing OAS facilities are suitable for these kind of visitors and in the new One Stop Shop, we will have private rooms and facilities to allow more teams to work with vulnerable residents. This, coupled with our existing customer outreach sessions, will mean we can support vulnerable people more effectively."
The plans follow the successful relocation of services from Lodge Road, Daventry in the summer, and the development of the nearby Abbey Centre into a locality hub including Adults, Children’s and other frontline WNC services joining community and voluntary partners.
See more detailed information about the plans.
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19 January 2024
Over 50 businesses in West Northamptonshire have come together to increase opportunities for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the workplace.
Held by West Northamptonshire SEND Partnership, the ‘Business Brunch’ brings together local employers to start the conversation around employment opportunities for young people with SEND and how together, improvement can be made on current employment figures in West Northants:
- 86% of people with Special Needs would like to work
- 22% National percentage for adults with Autism in employment
- 4.7% National percentage for adults with learning disabilities in employment
- 1.4% West Northamptonshire figures for adults with learning disabilities in employment
The first ‘Business Brunch’ saw real enthusiasm in the room from employers as conversations looked at how employers can better support young people with SEND and increase opportunities to support them in employment, preparing them for their adulthood journey.
At the heart of the Business Brunch, included hearing from young people with SEND who are currently in work or have experienced the employment process, as well as hearing from employers such as Kempston Controls GXO who currently have employees with SEND who explained the positive impact these colleagues have on the workplace.
Every child and young person deserves the same opportunities in employment and those with SEND have so much to offer – they bring new ideas, experiences and skills to the workplace, all in which are really valuable.Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills at WNCI am incredibly passionate about this piece of work and how together with the business sector we can improve work opportunities for our young people. The figures quoted above are stark and show just how important this project is. It was really encouraging to see so many businesses come along to the brunch, all keen to find out more, share their ideas and be involved. This project is at the beginning with lots more understanding and scoping to get us to where we want to be, however I am confident from conversations in the room that together, we can take this work forward in a way that will make a difference.
Include a link for further opportunities or where people can find out more please contact: [email protected]
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