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27 July 2022
COVID-19 rates are rising both in North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire and we are particularly concerned about rates in the over 60s population and pressures on our health services.
As it’s the Summer holidays there is likely to be increased mixing which unfortunately translates to additional COVID-19 cases when it is in high circulation in the local population.
This means that when outbreaks occur now, and they are increasing, they are generally driven by cases originally in the community.
We call this community transmission driven rather than being location based such as hospitals, care homes, or workplaces as was frequently seen earlier in the pandemic.
So we need you all to be extra careful around others, particularly those who are vulnerable.
Although we are in period of the Government’s Living Safely with Covid we do need to take sensible precautions to ensure that rates can be controlled.
We have a duty to advise Northamptonshire residents of these measures, including a strong recommendation as directors of public health to return to mask wearing for those who have stopped doing so.
In Northamptonshire we are seeing a system wide return to mask wearing within all NHS hospitals, GP practices, dentists and other health settings.
Staff, outpatients and visitors are requested to wear masks in response to the high levels in the county, to protect inpatients and help control staff sickness rates while COVID-19 is in such wide community circulation.
This is a decision which has been taken by many healthcare systems elsewhere in the UK.
Our advice is that face coverings be worn by care home visitors as we need to particularly protect this vulnerable part of our population. Care home staff have been wearing masks throughout the pandemic so far and will continue to do so.
We are also strongly recommending face coverings are worn in all crowded places where distance cannot be easily kept.
This is because in times where there is a high case rate, such as the present, mutations to COVID-19 are more likely to occur with the potential of even more variants in circulation.
Although not likely to be popular we believe that this is sensible and proportionate behaviour to strongly recommend and hope that Northamptonshire residents can understand and support this stance.
Other important measures include ventilation of spaces or meeting up outdoors, staying at home if unwell, and regular handwashing.
It’s vitally important to remember the basics of good hygiene. Following these rules will help protect you and others too from COVID-19 as well as many other common infections.
Coughing and sneezing increase the number of particles released by a person as well as the distance those particles travel and the time they stay in the air. An infected person who coughs or sneezes without covering their mouth or nose significantly increases the risk of infecting others around them.
Covering nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing reduces the spread of particles carrying a virus.
So cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough using a disposable tissue Dispose of the used tissue in a bin as soon as you can and wash your hands thoroughly or use a hand sanitiser.
If you don’t have a tissue sneeze or cough into the crook of your elbow not into your hand.
Sanitising your hands is a good temporary measure after coughing or sneezing but should only be used as a short-term alternative to thoroughly washing your hands.
Washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds kills most germs, including those responsible for sickness bugs like norovirus which aren’t killed by sanitiser. How to wash your hands - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
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26 July 2022
Artist and comedian Jim Moir was in Northampton on Friday to open his exclusive new art exhibition entitled ‘Daisies, Romans, Ones and Twos.’
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, the home of the largest collection of shoes in the world, hosted Jim, AKA Vic Reeves, and his wife Nancy Sorrell as they welcomed guests to experience a unique preview. As well as the works created specifically for Northampton, focusing on shoes, the exhibition also features his well-regarded bird artworks as well as more surreal and humorous pieces.
The free exhibition, ‘Daisies, Romans, Ones and Twos’, is named as such because Jim, loves cockney rhyming slang. He explained that his wife and in laws are from the East end of London and they often talk in the dialect. He said: “Daisies is for ‘Daisy roots or boots, Romans for Roman candles or sandals and ones and twos for shoes.”
At the newly refurbished Central Hall, the accomplished artist and well-known comedian, who has loved shoes since he was a boy and whose favourite shoe is a working man’s boot or a brothel creeper, talked through various pieces, including a number of different types of shoes in watercolours. He explained how he and his agent approached the museum to host his collection because of his love of shoes and his fascination with the large collection housed there.
The gallery welcomed the suggestion and turned around the idea to exhibition in a matter of weeks.
Jim Moir said: “It’s absolutely magnificent that the museum has set up and hung the art so brilliantly and quickly. It’s a dream come true. I have always wanted to come to the shoe museum. I was talking to my agent and said I have been painting shoes and I fancy going to the shoe museum to have a look for some more ideas.
“We then said why don’t we do a show or put up a few paintings there, and bingo! As quick as you like here we are in! It’s fantastic and it’s a great place.”
His message to potential visitors to the museum was: “Come and have a look at this fantastic shoe collection here and when you have done that, have a look at some of the shoes I have painted. Everyone wears shoes. Most people have a car and there is not a lot of difference between a car and a pair of shoes. You get in it and you travel and then look good. If it’s a good looking car or a bad looking car you can reinterpret it as a shoe.”
Councillor Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of West Northamptonshire Council and Cabinet Member for housing, culture and leisure
"We are absolutely delighted that Jim Moir chose the museum to exhibit his work and we would encourage other artists to come forward with ideas if they have an exhibition in mind. We want to put Northampton on the map; in the minds of artists and art lovers alike.”
All of the works in the exhibition are for sale.
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27 July 2022
Traders will have an undisturbed Christmas after the decision was taken not to start work on the redevelopment of Northampton’s Market Square until the new year.
Once complete, the work will deliver a major new water feature, additional trees, new paving and public seating, redesigned market stalls and a new lighting scheme.
Relocation of the market to Commercial Street is necessary as construction work, additional traffic, noise, dust and disturbance make it impractical to keep it on the square during the redevelopment.
Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration, and Growth said: “We’ve listened to what a range of traders – both from the market and surrounding businesses – have told us and we’ve decided that work should start after Christmas.
"This will give everyone some stability at one of their busiest times of year, before we commence work on the extensive redevelopment of Market Square.
"The improvements we have planned will undoubtedly cause disruption, but we’ll continue working with traders to minimise the impact on their businesses.
"Once the work is complete, I know people will be extremely impressed with the new space we’re going to deliver for them.
"Alongside the enhancements we’re also providing in Abington Street and Fish Street, and all of the other projects we have in the pipeline, Northampton town centre is set for a renaissance."
The new-look Market Square will be available for use for a variety of events, as well as being a catalyst in attracting new businesses and opportunities to the town.
A number of potential options for moving the market were considered, including a variety of locations in Abington Street, Wood Hill, the Grosvenor Shopping centre.
Commercial Street was the only option which allowed the entire market to remain together as splitting it up would have resulted in lower footfall to the separate sites, which the council believes would impact on its long-term sustainability.
The council will continue to help promote the market in the lead-up to and after its move to Commercial Street next year.
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- Ratings for efficiency and effectiveness move to good from requires improvement
- More work to do on ‘People’ area, which requires improvement
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has been commended for the improvements that it has made in keeping the county safe, in its second inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services.
A full inspection of the service was carried out earlier this year. In a report published today (Wednesday 27 July), the Inspectors say that they are “pleased to see the service has made significant progress since the 2018 inspection in how effectively and efficiently it keeps people safe and secure from fires and other risks.”
The inspection looks in detail at work across three categories – effectiveness, efficiency, and people. The inspection found that there had been major improvements in the Service’s effectiveness at responding to and preventing fires and protecting the public through regulation.
These areas of work were individually graded as ‘Good’, and the Service received a ‘Good’ grading across the board for its operational effectiveness.
Efficiency, making the best use of resources and having a robust plan to manage its finances well into the future, also received a ‘Good’ rating overall from the Inspectors.
These areas had been graded as requires improvement in the previous inspection in late 2018.
Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey and Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold praised the work of firefighters and staff, which they said has clearly resulted in an improved service to the people of Northamptonshire.
They also acknowledged that there is more work to do in the ‘People’ area, however, where the HMICFRS graded Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service as ‘requires improvement’.
The ‘People’ area looks at work such as promoting the right values, ensuring fairness, and encouraging diversity. HMICFRS found that improvement is needed in each of these areas. They noted, however, that the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service leadership team is showing “strong strategic intent” to push forward in this area of work.
HMICFRS praised the Service’s improvement and overall direction, saying that they “commend the service on the changes it has made and expect it to continue to resolve the further areas for improvement we have identified.”
Darren Dovey, Chief Fire Officer of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “I am pleased that the fantastic efforts of our firefighters and staff have had an impact and resulted in such a significant improvement. It’s testament to how hard we have worked that this Service is now judged as good across the board in the services that keep the public safe.
“The last three years have not been easy but now we can see that our hard work is showing results. I want to thank the firefighters and staff of this service, who have taken us from strength to strength, working to make improvements against a challenging financial background and at the same time as dealing with and supporting other services through the pandemic.
“Moving to the governance of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has been central to our improvement, giving us stability and independence and the support of his office, including fighting for increased funding, has allowed us to reach a stable financial position and to make the investments we need to modernise.
“Our performance has come a long way, but now I will be challenging everyone to put the same energy into improving the culture of our organisation to make Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service the most supportive place to work, where everyone can be themselves and give their best.”
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “I am very pleased that the independent assessment from HMICFRS confirms what I believed was the case – that Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is providing a much-improved service in the way they keep the county safe.
“During the extraordinary heatwave last week, we saw our firefighters and staff working hard in very challenging situations and I know that people join me in thanking them. They should be proud of how much they have improved, and I always believed that moving under my governance, with increased opportunities for joint working, would enable Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to deliver the best possible service to the people of this county.
“But I am disappointed by what HMICFRS had to say about values and inclusion and there is clearly much work that needs to be done in that area. I know the Chief Fire Officer and his team will be as disappointed as I am in the report’s findings, and I know they will be working just as hard to create a better culture as they have done to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
“I expect to see plans in place to improve the culture as soon as possible. I will also be looking for opportunities for further collaboration with Northamptonshire Police as both organisations work to build trust and confidence across the board.”
The full report can be viewed or downloaded from the HMICFRS website
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26 July 2022
Blackthorn and Bellinge in Northampton will see safety and security improvements thanks to £99,000 from the Government’s Safer Streets fund.
The two areas have disproportionately high crime levels and part of this is due to the prevalence of alleyways, underpasses and deprivation.
West Northamptonshire Council applied for the funding to improve lighting in the area, introduce more CCTV and to create activities to engage young people and divert them from criminal activity.
Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services, said: “This funding is vital, and we will be teaming up with the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner which has also won funding to improve safety on our streets.
“The money we’ve been awarded will go toward tackling specific issues in Bellinge and Blackthorn, on the eastern side of Northampton, where there are high levels of antisocial behaviour and violent crime.
“In particular, we want to do what we can to begin diverting young people from this kind of activity into something more positive, and we’ll be using team sports as the catalyst.”
There is also a plan to gate alleyways to prevent them from being used as areas for antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and violent crime.
