10 January 2025

Visitors to Northampton’s Market Square can enjoy a day of free winter ice skating and activities between 11am and 6pm on Saturday, 18th January. Children will also have the chance to try out the sport of curling on a separate lane.

Other activities taking place will include New Year Party sessions in The Silent Disco Project’s tent and Arts Development organisation Lemonpop Workshops will be offering ‘Make and Take’ activities, plus budding artists can colour in a section of the ‘Winter Wonderland in Northampton’ community canvas.

Northampton Town Council have partnered with West Northamptonshire Council and Northampton Town BID to organise this one-off event, after the Becket’s Park Winter Wonderland date was cancelled due to bad weather in the lead-up to Christmas.

“It’s a quiet time of year, so we’re delighted to offer this free day of skating and activities to help beat the January blues.

“The newly refurbished Market Square now doubles up as a fantastic events space and this is the first of many that we’re looking forward to hosting there this year alongside our partners.”

Cllr Jane Birch, Chair of the Community Services Committee at Northampton Town Council

"We’re thrilled to partner with Northampton Town Council and Northampton BID to bring this exciting event to the newly revitalised Market Square.

“This space has been transformed into a vibrant hub for the community and is perfect for hosting events just like this that the whole family can enjoy.

“We’re proud to see it being used to support local businesses and boost the town’s economy, especially during the New Year period. We look forward to welcoming everyone to this fantastic day of free skating and activities."

Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture, and Leisure at West Northamptonshire Council

“We’re looking forward to seeing families embracing the chilly weather and enjoy a day of winter activities in the Market Square.

“With plenty of bargains to be snapped up, January is a brilliant time to come shopping and support our retailers. Shopping local throughout the year can have a really positive impact on the local economy so we’d urge everyone to wrap up warm and come out to show their support for the businesses that have made Northampton their home.”

Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID)

All events are free of charge, but booking is required for The Silent Disco Project sessions. More information can be found on the Northampton Town Council website.

09 January 2025

West Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Chief Executive and People Services Executive Director Stuart Lackenby has announced he will be leaving this spring for a new role at Birmingham City Council.

Stuart, who has been at WNC from its very beginning as a new unitary council four years ago, will leave in April to take up the post of Director for Adult Social Care and Health at Birmingham, the UK’s largest local authority.

During his time at West Northamptonshire, he has been an integral part of the Council’s Executive Leadership Team, supporting the unitary’s creation and its covid response, overseeing the continued journey of improvement for children’s services and SEND as well as leading on key transformations and plans including the Live your Best Life health and wellbeing strategy, anti-poverty plan and establishing the new Local Area Partnerships.

“West Northamptonshire is a fantastic place with a bright future and I’m so proud to have served its communities and played my part in establishing their new council and the journey to improve outcomes for our residents, particularly those most vulnerable.

“My time at WNC has been highly rewarding and I have relished both the opportunities and challenges it has brought for me. I hope to build on this great experience with my move to Birmingham that offers the next exciting new opportunity for me at a larger local authority that’s closer to my home and family life.”

Stuart Lackenby

“Stuart will be missed by us all, but his new role is a new challenge in the biggest council in the UK and I am sure his experience and skills will be a real asset to Birmingham.

“We are proud that we have the calibre of staff that attracts such interest from other councils, and we will shortly launch our campaign for Stuart's replacement with a strong focus on our priorities and plans.”

Anna Earnshaw, Chief executive of West Northamptonshire Council

“We will be very sad to see Stuart go, he has been a key member of our Leadership Team from Day One of our Council and has made a fantastic contribution to improving outcomes for all our residents.

“I would like to thank Stuart for all his hard work at WNC and I have no doubt we will continue to deliver on the strong legacy that Stuart will leave behind.”

Councillor Adam Brown, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council

09 January 2025

Plans to deliver a state-of-the-art public mortuary in Northampton have taken a significant step forward, as planning permission has been officially granted. This major milestone paves the way for work to begin later this month on a facility that will transform bereavement and post-mortem services for families across Northamptonshire and the wider region.  

Once completed in autumn 2025, the new mortuary will be a purpose-built facility, designed to deliver the highest standards of care and compassion during some of the most challenging times in people’s lives. It will provide modern, dignified spaces for families, including private viewing and identification areas, ensuring a compassionate and respectful experience for those dealing with the loss of a loved one. 

The facility will seek to provide services that are currently unavailable locally. The facility will simplify existing services by consolidating them into one central location, reducing the need for travel between various local. For professionals such as funeral directors and healthcare staff, this will mean a more efficient and accessible service, while families will benefit from quicker outcomes and reduced delays. 

“The new mortuary is more than just a building – it’s a commitment to better care, greater compassion, and smarter, more efficient services. 

“Bereavement is one of the hardest experiences anyone can go through, and this new facility will make that process a little easier by providing families with the dignity, care, and support they deserve. 

“It’s also a big step forward in how we manage and deliver post-mortem services, using modern technology to reduce delays and create a better experience for everyone involved."

Councillor Mike Hallam, Cabinet Member HR and Corporate services at WNC

Beyond its immediate services, the mortuary will play a vital role in disaster preparedness. It will be equipped to support emergency services and police in the event of a major incident, including mass fatality situations. This capability ensures Northamptonshire is better prepared to respond to unexpected challenges while continuing to provide essential services to the community. 

Construction is set to begin in early 2025, with initial works focusing on ground preparation and site readiness. The project will be delivered by Stepnells LTD, a contractor with extensive experience in delivering projects of this scale. 

09 January 2025

Drivers are reminded that they will face charges if they flout the rules as an enforcement camera on a bus lane in Northampton goes live next week.

A traffic enforcement camera that will go live on Monday (13 January) has been installed at the top end of Gold Street, between College Street and Bridge Street where motorists are not allowed to use the bus lane.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is rolling out enforcement cameras across the area, as part of a phased approach to improve pedestrian, cyclist and driver safety and encourage better driver behaviour.

The camera will enforce existing bus lane regulations similar to The Drapery, and at this location, there will be no statutory six-month warning period for motorists so any motorist who breaches the rules will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

More information is available on this page.

10 January 2025

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has agreed to pursue proposals to partner with other authorities in the South Midlands in a bid to join the Government’s ‘priority programme’ for devolution.

Councillors met last night (Thursday 9 January) and decided the Council should submit an expression of interest to ministers today for a new strategic mayoral authority covering West Northamptonshire, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes and North Northamptonshire.

The proposal covering the six authority areas meets all the requirements, set out by the Government in the Devolution White Paper published last month, for the creation a strategic mayoral authority. This included a population size and a coherent economic footprint. The proposal also builds on the strong history the councils have working as SEMLEP and from which the new South Midlands Authorities (SMA) group was formed to drive economic growth across the region and to lead the new DWP Supported Employment programme for the South Midlands. WNC is keen to seize the opportunity to leverage the hundreds of millions of pounds of further investment that is now promised to devolved areas.

Devolution is used to describe the transfer of powers from national to local government and in places with a regionally-elected mayor, this also means the transfer of significant investment to drive new infrastructure, jobs and growth.

WNC will today submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) supporting the creation of a new South Midlands Strategic Authority and has invited the other five councils to join them, following on from recent discussions and interest from the Government in the South Midlands being part of the Devolution Priority Programme. Any Council is able to submit an EOI and proposal for strategic mayoral authority area, although regions that demonstrate a strong and united approach to devolution are expected to be prioritised by the Government.

In September, the six authorities submitted an initial Expression of Interest to the Government for a combined authority, although at that stage it did not assume a mayor would be put in place. The Devolution white paper made clear however that it expected all areas to be covered by a mayor and to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme we now have to confirm acceptance of this as well as our interest on the fast track process.

WNC is already a unitary authority created in 2021, replacing and simplifying the two-tier system of county, district and borough councils to deliver all their services to residents in the West Northants area. WNC is not currently part of a combined authority or strategic mayoral authority, which are formed by two or more neighbouring councils and typically cover around 1.5million residents. Northamptonshire’s population of approximately 870,000 is more than half of the number of residents required for a new combined authority according to the Government’s criteria.

“It is clear that a strategic mayoral authority covering the six South Midlands councils is not only the one option that meets all the Government’s criteria, but also serves the best interests of all residents across our region.

“The six South Midlands authorities already have a strong history of working together to drive economic growth and building on this will only bring more benefits to all of our communities through a devolution deal that could attract millions of pounds of additional investment.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity that we are ready to seize, regardless of party politics, for our residents and, given the clear advice recently received from Government representatives about its coherence and suitability, we remain committed to pursuing this option.

“We hope our partner councils will join us so that we don’t miss out on this opportunity for all our communities.”

Leader of West Northamptonshire Council Cllr Adam Brown

A strategic mayoral authority is led by a regionally-elected mayor, which is entirely different to civic and ceremonial mayors at town councils and has enhanced powers and funding devolved from national government to make collective decisions on issues such as economic growth, transport, housing, skills and employment.

A new strategic mayoral authority including the West Northamptonshire area would not replace the existing unitary council but would provide it with a stronger say and more significant role in regional investment and decision making.