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08 November 2023

Chartered Building Contractor Steele and Bray Ltd, based in Northampton, have been appointed by West Northamptonshire Council to carry out the second phase of improvement works to 24 Guildhall Road.
NN Contemporary Art and West Northamptonshire Council are working in partnership to transform this historic building into a major new cultural centre in the heart of Northampton’s cultural quarter.
The £4.7 million project will see the five-storey heritage building transformed into a vibrant creative community, with a contemporary art gallery, affordable creative studios and public space.
Through extensive regeneration, the building is being brought to life to provide a gallery and artists spaces alongside cultural-commercial opportunities. The second phase of works started on site in October and consist of installing new heating and electrical systems, improvements to the expansive upper floors and detailed refurbishment to NNCA’s space.
We are delighted to be working with local based contractors Steele and Bray to carry out the second phase of work to deliver this ambitious project. Once open, 24 Guildhall Road will offer a unique cultural hub in the heart of the Cultural Quarter in Northampton, complementing the ongoing redevelopment of this part of town.Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at WNCWorking in partnership with NN Contemporary Art and SEMLEP, we are able to combine our vision to regenerate this central building and offer a space for artists and entrepreneurs across our county and beyond. We look forward to continuing to offer local jobs as we enter into the second phase of redevelopment works, supporting our local economy.
To find out more about the regeneration of Northampton Town Centre visit www.wearenorthampton.com
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An off-duty firefighter who rescued a distressed man on a dual carriageway, and a Station Manager that carried a 95-year-old woman to safety from her bungalow, are among those to have been commended for their lifesaving efforts.
The annual Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service awards ceremony took place in Northampton on Friday (November 3) and saw firefighters and fire staff commended for their actions as well as their long service.
In what was his first ceremony with the Service, Acting Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill handed out a number of commendations during the event – awarded to individuals, crews or teams that had helped to either save life or delivered an outstanding service to the public.
Firefighter Alfie Pendred, who is stationed at Rushden, was one of those commended (pictured above). While off-duty last December, Alfie, who was just 19 at the time, noticed a distressed man climbing over a bridge above the A45, and acted swiftly and calmly to prevent the man from jumping into the oncoming traffic.
He then helped raise the alarm for emergency services to arrive while offering assistance to the man. In his written commendation, ACFO Simon Tuhill said that Alfie had ‘demonstrated the qualities and attributes that make the Fire and Rescue Service so highly regarded within our community’.

Station Manager Nick Gayton (above) was also commended for rescuing a 95-year-old woman from a house fire in Burton Latimer. He managed to gain entry to the home, find the woman, and safely lead her away from the smoke-logged property.

Crew Manager Steve Corcoran and firefighter Tony Labrum were rewarded for successfully extinguishing a challenging fire that had engulfed the basement at Northampton General Hospital back in March, stopping it from spreading to other parts of the hospital. And Blue Watch at the respective stations of The Mounts, Mereway and Moulton were collectively commended for rescuing a woman from a flat fire in Newnham Road, Northampton in August 2022.

Watch Manager Jason Sorbie was also recognised for his rescue of a man from an assisted living complex that was on fire in Kettering in February earlier this year.

The last CFO accommodation was awarded to Station Manager Mark Layer, Watch Manager Mick Titcombe, and firefighters Paul Maher and Murray Wainwright for their respective roles in helping to rescue fellow firefighters, who had been injured while tackling a blaze at a commercial premises in Rushden in May.

As well as commendations for lifesaving efforts, the awards ceremony recognised achievements from across the Fire Service. This included the day shift crew at Rushden being given an award for the work they had carried out in the community – including public safety events at Rushden Lakes, Stanwick Lakes and holding blood donation events at the station – as well as rewarding the Brackley on-call crew for providing the best availability for cover within the county.

A number of individuals, both firefighters and fire staff, were also rewarded for their long service and good conduct over 20 and 30 years of service.

They are as follows:
Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, awarded for 20 years of service, were given to: FF Michael Bending, WM Jodi Brown, CM Graham Dexter, FF Christopher Dix, FF Christopher Evans, WM Philip Jones, WM Christopher Lane, WM Jamie Law, CM Lindsey Ramsay, FF Simon Reedshaw, FF Stephen Saddington, FF Tracy Turner, WM Lee Vanderhoeven, FF Philip Verity, FF John Wadsworth, WM Casey Waldock, WM Lee Dawson, CM Andrew Ilsley, FF James Moore, CM Mark Reeve, CM Richard Riddell and WM Darren Whitaker.
30-year Service Pins were awarded to: WM Darren Black, CM Steve Corcoran, FF Janice Dmytreczko, WM Mark Douglas, FF Nicola Evans, Retired ACFO Dr Shaun Hallam, AM Kev Hardwick, FF Paul Maher, WM Aidan Phillips, FF Bradley Smith, FF Peter Dixon, WM Andrew Garner, FF John Lynch and WM Dan Moore.
And Fire Protection Officer Ian Grieve was also given a 20-year long fire staff award.
Acting Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill said: “Since my arrival at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, I have been very impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication I have seen from the people who work here, and I have already seen some fantastic examples of the vital work that we do to keep our residents safe and serve our communities.
“Many of the people we deal with will be suffering one of the worst days of their lives, but the commitment that we all have to keep our residents and communities safe is what I honestly believe drives us all.
“It was great to celebrate these achievements, and we are very proud of each and every firefighter and member of staff that were recognised for their efforts.”
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06 November 2023

Plans to transform one of Northampton’s largest derelict sites and provide much-needed high-quality housing are set to move forward as West Northamptonshire Council has now completed on the purchase the former St James’ Depot.
West Northamptonshire Council is pleased to announce that the Council has completed on the purchase of the site totalling 4.5 acres and will now carry out the necessary steps to ensure the area benefits from regeneration to meet the needs of our local community.
The site to the west of Northampton town centre has stood vacant for more than a decade. The future scheme will complement the wider extensive regeneration of Northampton, and this area has been identified to significantly benefit from redevelopment.
The Council has acquired the site from Church’s Shoes and will now carry out a detailed feasibility report to deliver much-needed affordable housing. On a key route into the town centre, it is important for local businesses and the local community that the best regeneration and economic potential of the area is realised.
To match market offers, WNC purchased the site at £3 million, with a further £300k budgeted towards legal fees, stamp duty and future remedial work. This work will follow on from the previous works which Church’s have carried out to the site.
The former St James Bus Depot represents a prominent large brownfield site, close to Northampton town centre. This important landmark site has been vacant for some time, and we are dedicated to bringing forward a scheme that reflects the history of the area where appropriate and provides high-quality affordable housing which meets local needs. We look forward to carrying out further feasibility work and necessary planning to bring forward a viable scheme.Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at WNCConcerned that the site was heading for use as open storage, which we felt would not benefit residents, or maximise the contribution it could make to the attractiveness and the overall life of this area, the council felt that it was essential to step in and acquire the site. Following cross-party consultation, the council therefore took swift action using delegated powers, to ensure the site benefited from considered regeneration.
In order to deliver the regeneration project, WNC will seek funding opportunities through the Enterprise Zone and Government’s brownfield land release fund. The brownfield land release fund seeks to provide Councils with funding to develop empty industrial sites to provide much-needed local housing.
To stay up to date on the regeneration of Northampton, visit the We Are Northampton website.
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07 November 2023

West Northamptonshire Health and Wellbeing Board approved a new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy in September, which focuses on helping residents to “Live Your Best Life”. This is a joint strategy working with a variety of partners including health, voluntary and community sector organisations, police and fire colleagues as well as many more.
The strategy focuses on tackling health inequalities throughout West Northamptonshire by looking at “wider determinants”, which are external elements that can affect a person’s health and wellbeing.
Together, over the next five years we aim to achieve the 10 ambitions that are embedded at the heart of the strategy, via West Northamptonshire’s nine Local Area Partnerships (LAPS). LAPs allow us to look at areas from a more local perspective, enabling us to identify and understand the needs and challenges faced by each of these nine different areas and implement services and support through organisations that are specific to each individual area.
The 10 ambitions are:
- The best start in life
- Access to the best available education and learning
- Opportunity to be fit, well and independent.
- Employment that keeps you and your family out of poverty
- Good Housing in places which are clean and green.
- Safe in your homes and when out and about
- Connected to friends and family
- The chance of a fresh start when things go wrong.
- Access to health and social care when you need it.
- Accepted and valued for who you are
The strategy sets out how together, we will meet each of the 10 ambitions by highlighting where we are now, what the inequalities are as well as how we are going to achieve improvements.
I am delighted to announce the approval of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. This is our health and wellbeing commitment to our residents for the next five years. These 10 ambitions are the starting point for us as we take forward and embed our own Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy and will be key in our mission to ensure the people of the West Northamptonshire are supported.Cllr Matt Golby, Chair of West Northants Health and Wellbeing Board and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council
You can view the strategy on the WNC website.
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07 November 2023

Please see below, an updated statement on Boniface House.
Following the announcement regarding the closure of Boniface House after a public consultation was undertaken, the Council has become aware of false information being circulated regarding the future use of Boniface House Care Home, located in Brixworth. The decision to close Boniface House was approved at cabinet due to it being significantly under-occupied and the outdated design of the care home, causing it to no longer provide the much-needed facilities to meet the needs of people who require residential care.
The false information in circulation suggests that the building is set to accommodate asylum seekers - which is not true. The Council is still in the process of considering the future use of this building and will provide an update when this decision has been made. To be clear, there is no agreed plan in place for the use of this building.
We have been made aware of inappropriate behaviour towards our staff at Boniface House relating to this. The Council will not tolerate offensive or threatening behaviour towards our colleagues and all such matters will be reported to the Police'
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