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14 June 2022
Residents of Pitsford will go to the polls next week to decide whether they agree with proposed neighbourhood development plans for their area.
The referendum in Pitsford on Thursday, 16 June will ask residents whether West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) should use their neighbourhood development plan to help decide future planning applications in their area.
If more than 50 per cent of those who vote are in favour of the plan, then WNC is required to consider The Pitsford Neighbourhood Plan when deciding any future planning applications in the village.
Cllr Rebecca Breese, WNC’s Cabinet Member for strategic planning, built environment and rural affairs, said: “A neighbourhood plan does not prevent development taking place, but it can give communities a stronger voice so that when development does come along, it meets the needs of existing, as well as new residents and businesses.
"The Parish Council Working Party have carried out a huge amount of work, involved as many people as possible, leafletted every home, and nursed their plan through an independent examination.
I would urge everyone registered to vote in Pitsford to support that hard work and make your voice heard during the referendum."
Village residents can cast their vote at Pitsford Village Hall between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, 16 June.
This development plan has been subject to public consultation before being reviewed by an independent examiner, who recommended that it goes to a referendum.
For more details, including the public consultation and the examiner’s recommendation, visit Neighbourhood Development Plans (Daventry).
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13 June 2022
Residents should start seeing immediate improvements to roads and signage in West Northamptonshire when the new highways service launches this autumn, according to proposals set out by Council’s preferred contractor.
Cleaning road signs, removing vegetation, replacing worn road markings and providing better updates and information to residents, parish councils and businesses are among the plans for the first few months of the new highways maintenance contract, agreed between the council and the contractor, when it starts this September.
Under the new contract with Kier, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will deliver a brand new service with priorities and requirements specifically tailored to West Northamptonshire and a fresh flexibility to meet the changing priorities of the council and needs of its community.
The Council is increasing investment to the service by more than £1million per year, and will also have greater control, putting in place its own contract management team to monitor performance, which will include clear, strong goals for improving customer focus and providing value for money.
In the run-up this summer, WNC will be working with Kier on developing and agreeing a programme of work for the first 100 days of the service, which will then lay firm foundations for continuous improvements.
The new contractor has also set a commitment to working with the Council on its sustainability goals to achieve net zero by 2030, including ensuring its fleet of vehicles are either ultra-low emissions or run using alternative fuels as well as plans to pilot future green solutions such as hydrogen.
Kier has also pledged to create additional social value benefits equivalent to 30 per cent of the annual contract budget to benefit the wider West Northants community and economy, including ensuring at least 70 per cent of supply chain spending is with local businesses and SMEs by the end of the first year, employing 10 per cent of the workforce as local graduates and apprentices, providing work opportunities for young people not in employment, education or training and increasing the number of employees with disabilities year on year.
The new contract will run for seven years, with the potential to extend to a maximum of 14 years, based on performance and quality of the service.
The decision for West Northamptonshire was made under delegated authority by the Council’s Executive Director Place, Economy and Environment and Executive Director Finance, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste Services, and the Portfolio Holder for Finance, using a necessarily rigorous process.
WNC has worked closely with NNC on the process for procuring the new highways contracts, which started in November 2020 and has involved several selection stages to narrow down and shortlist prospective suppliers.
The highways contract will also be the subject for discussion at the forthcoming meeting on the WNC Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which will be held at 6pm on 28 June.
Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Council Leader, said: "Procuring a highways contract is an extremely complex process and is heavily controlled and regulated as we must adhere to strict, procurement regulations. The process started over 18 months ago, with councillors setting and agreeing the way in which the procurement route would be undertaken, but then they are required to stand back as that process is strictly adhered to.
The whole process is highly confidential to ensure the outcome cannot be pre-judged, with only myself and our Highways Cabinet Member being informed of the successful bidder on the same day of the decision, which was just a couple of hours before the result was then publicly announced.
"However as soon as we were aware we immediately arranged for all elected members to be briefed on the process at the earliest opportunity, and also for our Scrutiny Committee to examine it as soon as they can, which will be 28th June.
"Flexibility to change and address residents’ priorities with a positive attitude, stronger contract management, and more investment make this a better contract for West Northants than the previous contract, but we’ll be reporting the performance of the contract on a quarterly basis publicly at our Cabinet meetings.
"And we want people to see a real difference when this new contract starts, so we’re working with Kier to come up with a plan that makes sure that they do."
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13 June 2022
West Northamptonshire Council has been allocated more than £7m in funding from the Government to boost the local economy over the next three years.
The money will be used to improve people’s life chances, increase skills, create stronger communities, and support local businesses.
It is made up of £5.4m from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the largest allocation in the South East Midlands, and a potential allocation of up to £1.9m in Multiply funding, which both replace previous strands of European social funding.
The Shared Prosperity Fund is intended to:
- Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector
- Spread opportunities and improve public services
- Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging
- Empower local leaders and communities
Multiply funding is specifically targeted at improving numeracy as better education in this area has been shown to improve people’s chances of progressing their careers. Its allocation is dependent on a robust business case.
Its primary aims are to:
- Result in more adults achieving maths qualifications
- Improve outcomes for employers
- Increase general numeracy levels
The council will work with partners and providers to develop proposals to deliver these funds which will have the greatest beneficial impact for West Northamptonshire and support the local community.
Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth, said: “This money will help us ensure that residents, businesses and communities in West Northamptonshire have the support they need to grow and adapt to our changing economic landscape.
“In collaboration with stakeholders, community groups and local partners, we will analyse the greatest needs for West Northamptonshire and develop proposals to best address the opportunities using these funding pots.
“We are dedicated to supporting and growing the local economy, particularly as it recovers from the pandemic. It is the vision for WNC to deliver economic prosperity in this area, making it a place where everyone will thrive.”
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09 June 2022
In line with the council’s recently approved Anti-Poverty Strategy, pensioners, families facing financial hardship and older people with disabilities in West Northamptonshire are set to benefit from a second tranche of the Household Support Fund.
The £2,599,628, from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will be distributed by West Northamptonshire Council and is earmarked to continue to target the most vulnerable households and individuals in the authority, having helped thousands of families since its launch in September last year.
Councillors will meet at a Cabinet Meeting on 14 June to determine how to best use the fund within the scope set out by government ministers. Previous funding has supported households with food, energy and water costs, and this extension will ensure that this support continues through to the end of September.
A third of the funding is already ring-fenced to support families with children, while another third is firmly dedicated to pensioners. This ensures the people who need it most will continue to receive vital support to meet essential household costs.
In line with its recently approved Anti-Poverty Strategy, West Northamptonshire Council is proposing to distribute the remainder of the money to those households in most need of help towards significantly rising living costs and households demonstrating severe financial hardship. Councillors will decide whether or not to back the proposal that the money will be distributed, via various packages, to families and individuals in specific financial hardship over the course of the summer period.
If proposals are approved, families who are eligible for free school meals will receive £20 per week school vouchers during the summer holiday. Plans could also mean that eligible households will get a £100 food voucher in a bid to offset the recent increases in food and fuel costs. Over 6,500 pensioners receiving Pension Credit could also receive £100, with a proposed additional Pension Credit Top Up of £50 for pensioners with severe disabilities.
The exact proposed allocation of the Household Support Fund (2) is as follows:
- £20 per week Food Vouchers to go to 10,530 children, the intention being to cover the holiday period for children on school meals.
- £100 payment for 6,500 residents who receive Pension Credit.
- Pension Credit Top Up for pensioners with severe disabilities - £50 payment for each recipient.
- Payments to Pensioners who are not on Pension Credit but suffering severe financial hardship and identified through appropriate voluntary agencies.
- A maximum of £100 food voucher to each eligible household to offset the recent increases in food and fuel.
School meal payments are expected to be made a couple of weeks before the start of the holidays, with payments for pensioners planned to take place in July. Work continues on shaping arrangements with community organisations to distribute food vouchers to eligible households, with a view to this being ready from late July / early August.
Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health, said:
“I am proud to have been a part of signing up to an Anti-Poverty Strategy for West Northamptonshire and this Household Support Fund presents an opportunity to start to progress on some of the actions and priorities we have already outlined as a council. We know the pressures many are currently facing, especially pensioners, people with disabilities and families with children, which is why it is proposed that this fund targets support to these most vulnerable households across the county.”
“Our Vision is for a fairer and more inclusive West Northamptonshire, where everyone is able to live their best life, prosperous and fulfilling, free from poverty and inequality.’
If the proposals are accepted, details of how to access the available funds will be publicised in the coming weeks.
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09 June 2022
The band Blackjack entertaining last year's festival crowd.Supporting new music and up and coming artists is at the heart of Northampton Music Festival which is set to bring a day of free live music to the town centre on Sunday, 19 June.
The festival will see 61 acts perform across eight locations throughout the town centre, with genres from rock to opera, world music to jazz and more.
Festival Director Graham Roberts said: "I’ve been a part of the music industry for more than 35 years as both a performer, teacher and as director of Northampton Music Festival for the past five year. I’m passionate that new artists should be supported and given professional practice through the experience of taking part in a festival, together with the challenge of playing to a large audience, possibly for the first time.
"Feedback from previous festivals show that this free entry festival is of great benefit to both artists and the general public who may not otherwise be in a position to afford to attend a large live music event.
"The increased footfall has also benefited the town centre, the whole purpose of the festival!"
Kerrie Cosh, Presenter of BBC Music Introducing in Northampton, which was created to support unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar musicians, has worked with the festival to curate part of the line-up of the Main Stage on the Market Square.
Kerrie said: "We are delighted to be working with Northampton Music Festival once again to showcase a wide range of talent from within our county.
"Northampton is a melting pot of diverse and multi-talented artists - and we’re always discovering new musicians we're desperate to share with music lovers.
"We can’t wait to bring that energy to the Market Square stage this year."
Headlining the Main Stage will be Northampton-based band Sarpa Salpa – a band that has been championed by BBC Introducing.
The band first performed at Northampton Music Festival on the BBC Introducing stage in 2018 and, with their current single ‘Dreaming’ receiving critical acclaim, they have now progressed to headlining the entire festival.
Sarpa Salpa frontman Marcus Marooth said: "Having grown up in Northampton, I always used to look out for all the events we could try and get a slot for and festivals were always top of the list!
"There are some fantastic festivals in Northampton that we’ve been lucky enough to play at, and to be invited to headline NMF22 is really great!
"We can’t wait to get out there and give it everything we’ve got!”
New and emerging talent will also be celebrated on the Student Showcase Stage in Element Courtyard on George’s Row with performances from students at Northampton College and the University of Northampton.
Sarah Thursby, Curriculum Manager for Music and Performing Arts at Northampton College, said: "Being part of Northampton Music Festival is an important experience for our students and an insight into life in the music industry and the reality of a large-scale event.
"We go through a rigorous audition process to select the acts who will perform on the day and for many of the students the festival will be their first professional and, importantly, their first paid gig.
"For both Northampton College and the university students, the chance to collaborate and represent the growing talent in our town is essential.
"Supporting the music community, events and profession in Northampton is at the heart of what we do."
Northampton Music Festival takes place from 11.30am until 9pm on Sunday, 19 June, throughout the town centre.
For more information, and to receive news and updates on the acts performing, follow #NMF22 on social media on Facebook @northamptonmusicfestival, Instagram @NNmusicfestival and Twitter @FestNN.
