A Braunston shopkeeper handed over a £50 cheque to his local school last week with the money his store raised through the 5p plastic bag charge.

“I have a soft spot for the school,” said Jay Odedra, the 40-year-old Braunston shopkeeper.

“A lot of the kids come through here so it was an obvious choice.”

The cheque was accepted on behalf of Braunston Primary School by teacher Mrs Willis, along with members from the school’s Anti-Bullying Committee and the Parent Teachers Association.

“We were really pleased that Jay chose the school,” said Mrs Willis. “We work hard to make sure we are working with the Braunston community and the school and Jay’s shop are both part of that.”

The children will now hold a discussion before voting on how best to use the money.

A 'superb' Northampton pre-school has been rated 'outstanding' in all areas by Ofsted.

The inspectors praised Brixworth Centre Pre-School, in Church Street, Brixworth, as an 'excellently planned and highly engaging environment' with 'extremely warm and affectionate staff'.

They were upgraded from their previous 'good' rating to 'outstanding' following the inspection in March.

Emma Hinde, supervisor of the pre-school, said: "I cried a bit when I first read the report. We're all delighted.

"Getting that rating is so difficult but the staff here are such a good team.

"Because we all live in the same village it makes it much more of a community. They are all the children of our friends in the village. It helps us work together for the benefit of the children.

"I'm lucky to have such a brilliant team."

Brixworth Centre Pre-School is managed by a committee of volunteers made up of the parents of children at the nursery.

The report said: "Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in this superb pre-school. They immediately settle and play in the excellently planned and highly engaging environment.

"Children make very secure attachments to extremely warm and affectionate staff.

"Parents are full of praise for the pre-school; they are extremely complimentary.

"The children are emotionally prepared for school."

Brixworth Centre Pre-School was established in 1984 and has 46 children on its roll.

Two men have been arrested after a tip-off from a member of the public led to the discovery of an illegal car breaking operation on a Northamptonshire farm.

Officers were alerted to a vehicle reported as stolen being towed on a trailer in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire on Wednesday, May 3.

Activation of a tracking device on the vehicle allowed it to be traced to an address in the Daventry district.

A search revealed four stolen vehicles, as well as a large quantity of other items which are believed to be stolen, including four trailers.

Sergeant Sam Dobbs, who is leading the operation for Northamptonshire Police, said: “What officers have found is what we call a chop shop, where high value vehicles are being dismantled, presumably for parts, and that’s part of an ongoing investigation.

“What we have here are two vehicles stolen from the Leicestershire area, one from the Hull area and one from the London area.”

Searches of the farmhouse and farm buildings are ongoing with 20 officers examining the premises.

Officers from Northamptonshire and Leicestershire Police are in attendance, supported by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Also involved were representatives from Daventry District Environmental Health, Northamptonshire County Council Trading Standards and the RSPCA, which was called to ensure the welfare of a number of animals on the premises.

Sergeant Dobbs praised the vigilance of the caller who reported their sighting of the vehicle trailer.

He said: “We are the thin blue line in the rural areas because the rural areas are safe places to live. We put out messages to the public about the kind of things we want them to tell us.

“One of the things that we’ve said we want to know about is if they see plant, tractors, diggers or high value vehicles being towed around the area on trailers. That’s exactly what was reported to us yesterday and that’s what started off this job.”

He added: “One of the messages we need to get out is this is happening under our noses in a very quiet part of rural England. It can happen here, it can happen everywhere.

“What prevents it happening is the vigilance and support of the members of the rural community such as we have had this time.”

One man aged 35 from Crick and another aged 72 of East Haddon were arrested on suspicion of the theft of motor vehicles. Both remain in custody in Leicestershire. Further arrests are expected to be made today.

For help and advice on rural crime prevention visit www.northants.police.uk/information/crime-prevention

To report an incident call 101. In an emergency always call 999.

A 28-year-old man from the Daventry area is wanted in connection with a number of offences including a racially aggravated public order, vehicle interference, drugs possession, assaulting a police officer, and dangerous driving.

Northamptonshire Police have warned the public not to approach Jack Pointon.

If anyone has information about his whereabouts, they should call 999 as a matter of urgency or Crimestopperson 0800 555111.

The votes have been counted to decide the political face of Northamptonshire County Council for the next four years.

The polls on Thursday May 4 saw people voting for all 57 seats on the county council. In the end the Conservatives tightened their grip on the county council, while the Liberal Democrats and UKIP lost out.

This article originally appeared in The Conversation

If you’ve heard an interview with any Conservative politician during the current election campaign, you’ve probably heard the phrase “strong and stable leadership”. Theresa May used the phrase three times in seven minutes on the day she announced the vote.

It was clearly a key slogan – and therefore a key aspect of the campaign – right from the start. Since then, Buzzfeed has tracked May’s use of the phrase (giving up at 57 times in ten days). It even featured in the political cartoon for the first edition of the London Evening Standard under its new editor.

It would be easy to dismiss this as just one of those irritating political hooks that are part and parcel of any election. Political history is littered with some far worse campaign slogans (remember the Conservatives’ 2005 “Are you thinking what we’re thinking?” – an obscure slogan, to which the public’s answer was a clear “no”). But everything we know about leadership tells us that language is central, so we have to take this careful repetition seriously. What does Theresa May mean by “strong and stable leadership” – and why is it important?

Constructing a reality?

Linda Smircich and Gareth Morgan, two of the world’s most prominent and insightful analysts of organisation, argued in the early 1980s that “successful” leadership (that is, persuading someone to do something they wouldn’t normally do) depended on a leader persuading people of a specific reality. This process of social construction happens mostly through language. That makes language central to politics, as a means of persuasion as much as a means of communicating ideas or policies.

“Strong and stable” tells us that the Conservative party strategists want us to think of all other options as weak and unstable. Social theorists have been telling us for a long time that the meaning we derive from language is relational. The idea of “strong” is therefore understood in relation to an implicit idea of “weak”. Conservative-sponsored adverts in this election and the last in 2015 are keen to tell us the parties and leaders who are weak and unstable.

There’s usually a hierarchy in this way of constructing meaning. The implication here is that strong is better than weak. This is especially true of the idea of leadership. We are bombarded daily with implicit and explicit messages that strong leadership is the ideal. You don’t have to be a believer in “servant leadership” to doubt the idea of strong leadership. There’s plenty of evidence of the damage that strong leaders, in politics and in workplaces, can do.

The strong man?

There’s another factor at play here, too. The repetition of “strong and stable” is becoming important because it carries a series of assumptions with it. Who do you think of when someone talks about strong leadership? Someone tall, able-bodied, probably white, speaking in a deep pitch – and probably male. This ideal is reinforced by corporate commissioned leader portraits and by the representation of leaders in popular culture.

The promotion of this leaderly ideal by a Conservative party led by a woman at the moment isn’t especially surprising. We’re in the midst of a significant fourth wave of feminist activism and theory and political representation is one of the key areas of activity. British politics, with the honourable exception of the Labour party, is notoriously resistant to structural change through positive discrimination schemes such as quotas. In representing their woman leader in this way, the Conservatives emphasise their contribution to that wider social movement, but without really questioning it.

This election campaign will see a lot of discussion about whether we can trust political party leaders. Laying claim to being “strong and stable” shouldn’t mean unthinking followership. When any of us hear a politician, or someone with leadership responsibility in a workplace, tell us what kind of leadership they think we need – ask why they need to use language in this persuasive way, what they’re not saying, and what associations the linguistic images bring with them. Then maybe we can avoid following leaders without thinking. That can only end badly.

The by-election for a Daventry District Council seat saw the Conservative Party hold the position as UKIP were pushed into last place by the Green Party.

Malcolm Longley was elected to the Long Buckby Ward with a total of 1170 votes after a 43.81 per cent turnout.

Mr Longley received more than double the amount of votes for Labour’s Susan Myers, who finished second with 565 votes.

Neil Farmer, the Liberal Democrats’ candidate, came third with 253.

UKIP failed to make an impact on the ballot as Ian Dexter received 151 votes, 18 less than Green Party candidate Tom Harper with 169.

A total of 2312 votes were cast in the by-election in a ward with an electorate size of 5277.

One ballot was rejected because the person had voted for more candidates than entitled to, and three were wither unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty.

The by-election was called after Councillor Diana Osborne resigned her seat in March.

A notice of vacancy for the Long Buckby ward seat has been posted and the council has received the required number of elector requests to hold an election.

Provisional figures released by Northamptonshire County Council suggests turnout is up 2.16 per cent on the 2013 poll, though many predicted that to drop with the General Election just weeks away.

The overall provisional turnout for the county was 33.71, but counting of the ballots is not set to start until 2pm today.

Across the country so far almost 1,200 local council seats have been declared, with early signs showing gains for the Conservatives, but a collapse from UKIP.

So far the Tories have taken control of five authorities and have increased their number of councillors by 138 - the only major party to increase their seat total.

Here in the

For live coverage of the count at Kettering Conference Centre today, follow our live feeds here.

For Northampton Chronicle & Echo: CLICK HERE.

For the Daventry Express: CLICK HERE.

For Northamptonshire Telegraph: CLICK HERE.

The result means the Tories will retain control of County Hall for the next four years, with Labour confirmed once more as the official opposition.

Earlier today, Conservative group leader Heather Smith said she was thrilled with retaining her retaining her seat.

On retaining control of County Hall altogether, she said: "Actually at the moment I feeling quite overwhelmed by it all, because we had 36 out of 57 seats before and it's quite clear now that we will exceed that this time.

"The figure might be nearer 40 seats, but it's actually quite sad in some ways, the councillors we work with from other parties who we know have been really hard working councillors it will be sad to see them go."

As it stands and with an hour left to go of the count, the council is split between just two parties.

But asked whether she thought that was a bad thing for local democracy, she said: "To be frank no, mainly because when we have council meeting, very often we seem to go round and round in circles, everybody wanted to have their say.

"It's really good if you have a good strong opposition and you know, at the moment there are a number of seats that were Liberal Democrat to be declared, so at the moment we don't know whether Lib Dem will have a voice or not."

And on whether she felt that the county council elections had been decided on national lines, she said: "I really hope not, I thought when the general election was declared that the down turnout would be lower.

Chris Heaton-Harris paid a visit to one of Daventry’s schools last week where pupils got the chance to quiz him on his life as a politician.

The Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village, which was recently classed as ‘good’ after an Ofsted inspection, was the venue for the Conservative candidate’s visit on Friday, April 28.

After posing for photos Mr Heaton-Harris sat down with representatives from the primary school council, Ellie-Marie Bracken, Paige Walters, Brooke Marks and Marks Asaks, all of whom were eager to find out more about what being an MP entails.

The children asked several questions ranging from what Mr Heaton-Harris’ life and daily routine were like and how Parliament works, to whether he drove a limo and lived in a mansion.

Mr Heaton-Harris offered the nine and 10-year-olds advice on public speaking, a skill the children had demonstrated when campaigning for election to the school’s council, and he retold the story of his maiden speech to the House of Commons.

Next he met the senior school’s head girl and head boy, Kara Terry and Eshaveer Panesar, along with other students from Years 10 and 11 to answer some more questions.

The topics included changes in education policy which had affected the students, the impact of HS2 on Daventry, whether Theresa May was the right person to lead Britain through Brexit, and whether wind turbines were the best solution to stop climate change.

DSLV’s principal Simon Cotton and vice-principal Adam Crawte then joined Mr Heaton-Harris for lunch.

The trio discussed the improvements made at the academy in recent months which led to the school’s positive Ofsted rating.

Mr Heaton-Harris is currently campaigning to regain his Daventry seat ahead of next month’s General Election.

Young members of the Daventry community say their goodbyes to Ann Squire of the Abbey playgroup after she decided to step down from her role looking after the children.

Mrs Squire, a mother to seven children of her own, looked after the 40 or so toddlers from the popular playgroup.

To show their gratitude for the work Mrs Squire did, the youngsters got together and with their pocket money – they were all under five years old – they bought her a pair of slippers, while her adult colleagues presented her with a dressing gown.

The playgroup originally began in a 
private house at the home of Peggy Grubb, where a dozen children would gather.

Very soon afterwards they had to move to a different location, the Abbey Buildings, before eventually settling at the Foundry Schools where they spent four of the seven years of the group’s existence.

Originally Mrs Squire would play the piano for the children before graduating to looking after the youngsters as they played games or made items with their hands.

By the time Mrs Squire left the group in Easter 1973, she was supervising a total of 150 children, four mornings a week.

A popular range of tumble dryers has been recalled by Curry’s following safety fears.

The electrical retailer has discovered that the heating element in a small batch of Logik LVD7W15 dryers may pose a safety hazard.

The heating elements in machines manufactured between March and April 2016 can overheat which may lead to a fire.

Customers who believe they may have an affected unit are advised to STOP using the tumble dryer immediately, switching it off and unplugging it at the mains.

They should then contact the company as soon as possible by calling Knowhow on 0344 561 6202 - lines are open Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-6pm and Sun 10am-5pm.

Customers will need the serial number of the tumble dryer (it’s on the inside of the door or on the rating label on the back of the tumble dryer), as well as the postcode at the time of purchase.

Curry’s will arrange for a technician to visit customers with an affected appliance in order to change the heating element free of charge.

If a heater element replacement is not possible and a product exchange is required, this will be done via Sheffield.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Although this risk is very small, as a responsible manufacturer we’re contacting customers to make them aware and check if their product is affected.

“Customers are being contacted directly by email or letter in the first instance.”

Eating half an avocado a day helps to shed the pounds and stave off heart disease and diabetes, say scientists.

A study of almost 30,000 people found those who regularly consumed the fruit were a third less likely to be overweight.

They weighed more than half-a-stone (7.5lbs) less on average, had a waist that was more than an inch slimmer and a BMI (body mass index) that was one unit lower.

Dr Carol O’Neil, of Louisiana State University, and colleagues said avocados may be associated with an overall better diet and higher consumption of essential nutrients.

She said “Avocado consumption was associated with better dietary measures and weight parameters than seen in non-consumers; consumption should be encouraged as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.”

The fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fibre - making people feel full for longer.

Unlike other fruits 77 per cent of their calories come from fat but these are mostly oleic acid - a monounsaturated fat found in olive oil.

This is the staple food of the Mediterranean diet which has been shown to decrease inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease.

In the study of 29,684 adults aged 19 and over avocado eaters had higher intakes of fibre, good fats. vitamins E and C, folate, magnesium, copper and potassium.

They also had lower consumption of carbohydrates, added sugars and salt compared to those who didn’t eat the fruit.

There was significantly reduced incidence of metabolic syndrome - a combination of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

The avocado group also had lower levels of a chemical called homocysteine that can be a sign of hardening of the arteries, blood clots and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

Dr O’Neil said: “Avocado consumption was associated with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables.

“This is noteworthy, since consumption of fruit and vegetables is important for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

“These findings suggest a role for avocados in improving nutrient intakes and may be a strategy for getting Americans closer to meeting the fruit and vegetable

recommendations.”

The study funded by the Hass Avocado Board and published in the journal Internal Medicine Review said a healthy intake was about half a medium avocado a day.

Nikki Ford, Hass Avocado Board director of nutrition, said: “These findings indicate incorporating avocados could be one way for Americans to meet the recommended fruit and vegetable intake and potentially improve physiologic measures.

“As we fund additional clinical studies investigating the relationship between fresh avocado consumption and weight management and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we continue to encourage healthcare professionals to remain committed to recommending avocados as part of an overall healthy diet.”

In recent years the avocado has become popular among the health conscious and often referred to as a superfood.

It can weigh anywhere from 8 ounces (220 grams) to 3 pounds (1.4 kg).

It is often called ‘alligator pear’ - because it tends to be shaped like a pear and have green, bumpy skin like an alligator.

Since they were first introduced to the UK over 40 years ago avocados have become a staple of the British diet eating more than 35 million each year.

Multiple scientific studies have linked avocados with health benefits ranging from anti-ageing to warding off heart disease and even cancer.

With school term just restarted, frustrations are already starting to show as parents have revealed their top school run gripes.

Bad parking by other parents is the number one concern during the school run with one third of parents citing is as their biggest bugbear, according to a new study from online parenting resource www.familiesonline.co.uk.

Indeed, 84 per cent of parents believe more needs to be done to tackle the growing problem of disrespectful and dangerous parkers.

More than a third of parents say they would be in favour of a school traffic warden scheme (made up of both parents and teachers) who volunteer to issue ‘school parking tickets’ to fine bad parkers – with the money being donated to the school PTA.

Almost another third believe it is appropriate to name and shame bad parkers in school newsletters and on school noticeboards.

In an ideal world, 16 per cent of those questioned say they would ban people who live within a two-mile radius of the school from driving when they can easily walk.

However, a further 16 per cent say there is little point in doing anything about the parking problem, as they believe that things won’t change.

Bad parking wasn’t the only thing that got parents hot under the collar - the second biggest complaint was the growing numbers of parents setting a bad example to children by smoking outside the school gates during drop off and pick up times.

Another major irritation for parents, ranking in the top three, was dog mess left on the ground outside school, ranking in the top three concerns.

Mother of two and Marketing Director at Families, Faye Mingo said: “Bad parkers continue to be a problem for parents and schools during the school run but what is interesting is the number of parents that want to take action to do something about it.

“The numbers of parents smoking outside school despite the education geared towards young people around the dangers and health issues associated with cigarettes is also worrying.”

Top pet hates at the school gates

Bad parking

Parents smoking outside school

Dog mess outside school

‘Cliquey’ mums gossiping

Groups of parents chatting and blocking surrounding pathways

Toddlers on scooters

Teachers lurking at the gates to shame late arrivals

Smokers across the UK are being warned about new rules on cigarettes and tobacco that will come into force this month.

By the end of May, cigarettes and tobacco will no longer be sold in bright, glitzy packs, but in drab green packages.

The packages will have large graphic images, warning people about the health effects of smoking, on the front and back of them.

Health warnings will also be appear at the top of all packs.

The new laws came into effect in May last year but shops were given a one-year transitional period for the sell-through of all old stock.

The law changes are part of the EU Tobacco Products Directive which was brought into force on May 20 last year.

The legislation will fully come into force on May 21 – almost a decade after the original smoking ban.

Under the new laws, ten-packs of cigarettes which are “particularly appealing to young age groups with limited spending power” will be banned.

Hand rolling tobacco will also only be sold in a minimum of 30 gram packets and, by May 21, the cheapest packet of cigarettes will cost £8.82.

The new laws will also require combined picture and text health warning to cover 65 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packs as well as roll-your own tobacco packages.

Promotional or misleading descriptions on packaging, including “light” “natural” and “organic” will also be banned.

Menthol cigarettes are also set to be phased out with it being completely prohibited from May 20, 2020.

Some flavoured cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco, with appealing flavours, including fruit and chocolate will also be banned.

However, the new law does not ban e-cigarettes but, for the first time, certain safety and quality requirements have been introduced for e-cigarettes containing nicotine.

A new law has been passed which could mean ten years in prison for those using their Kodi box to watch illegal streams.

The Digital Economy Act received Royal Assent last week, which means it has now officially passed into law.

The changes now mean the maximum prison sentence has been increased from two to ten years.

The act will also cover broadband speeds, access to online pornography and government data-sharing.

Matt Hancock, the minister of state for digital and culture, said: “I’m delighted the Digital Economy Act has become law.

“This legislation will help build a more connected and stronger economy. The Act will enable major improvements in broadband rollout, better support for consumers, better protection for children on the Internet, and further transformation of government services.

Talking to the Mirror, chief executive of FACT Kieron Sharp said the copyright measures included in the bill are primarily targeted at those committing a serious offense. Anyone “making a business” out of selling illegal content could potentially face up to ten years rather than two.

He also stated that It is extremely unlikely those who casually stream a couple of movies every once in a while would prosecuted to such extremes.

What is Kodi?

Kodi is a free, open-source hub which was originally created for the Microsoft Xbox originally called Media Center.

The system gives any device from smartphones to TVs the ability to stream files from the internet using third-party apps.

Home improvement and DIY chain B&Q has recalled a pair of heaters due to safety concerns.

The 3000W convector and industrial fan heaters have both shown excessive heat build-up in the plug, leading to scorching or deformation of the plug itself.

According to a company statement, a “precautionary decision to recall this product” has been taken “due to a potentially serious nature of the risk and our commitment to safety”.

The affected items are the Electric 3000W white turbo convector heater with timer, model DL 18A and with product barcode number 3663602910930, which was offered for sale between August 2016 and March 2017.

Also subject to the recall is the Electric 3000W red industrial dan heater, model: D030Y01, product barcode number 3663602911098, which was offered for sale between August 2016 and March 2017.

Anyone having purchased either product should stop using it immediately and contact the helpline - UK: 0300 303 4482 ROI: 1800 946 327*

*Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MARCH 16

Casey Matty, aged 21, of no fixed abode, damaged a glass vase worth £10 from a bed and breakfast; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30, compensation of £10 and costs of £85.

Joseph Roche, aged 49, of no fixed abode, assault; conditional discharge for three years, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

William Bradshaw, aged 36, of Oakley Street, Northampton, stole four coats belonging to Marks & Spencer worth £200; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20.

Jack Chapple, aged 28, of Halls Lane, Brackley, assault; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

Richard Dunne, aged 43, of Kingsland Avenue, Northampton, stole items including coffee and fruit worth £30 belonging to Aldi; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30.

Sabrina Manson, aged 29, of Strobel Drive, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 87mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £240, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 22 months.

Robin Rule, aged 53, of Campbell Street, Northampton, stole Gillette razor blades worth £50 from Boots; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20, compensation of £60 and costs of £85.

Howard Heslop, aged 63, of St Matthew’s Parade, Northampton, intentionally exposed genitals; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20, compensation of £50 and costs of £100.

Darren Kay, aged 40, of Redruth Close, Northampton, made an indecent photograph of a child; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £60 and costs of £85.

MARCH 17

Michael Jephcott, aged 38, of Clevedon Court, Middlemore, Daventry, driving at speeds of 37mph in a 30mph zone; fined £512, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £51 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Mark Leefe, aged 50, of Banbury Road, Moreton Pinkney, Daventry, drove at speeds of 49mph in a 30mph zone; ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £38 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 45 days.

Joanne Tarry, aged 34, of Ruskin Road, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £225, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Lee Wheldon, aged 48, of Harlestone Road, Northampton, driving at 50mph in a 40mph zone; fined £231, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Catherine Cook, aged 39, of Glebe Avenue, Hardingstone, Northampton, driving at speeds exceeding 40mph in a 40mph zone; fined £350, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £35 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with five points.

Tatenda Mynyaradzi, aged 23, of St James Road, Northampton, no car insurance; fined £576, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £57 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Stephen Rogers, aged 39, of Harrison Road, Lower Harlestone, drove at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Scott Bullock, aged 22, of Rose Close, Hartwell, failed to report an accident to a police officer; fined £230, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Failed to stop at an accident; no separate penalty.

Kristian Clarke, aged 22, of Gladstone Road, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £66 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 24 months. No test certificate; fined £220. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Ruslans Cerepanaks, aged 37, of North Holme Court, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £86; further time ordered to pay.

Warren Chambers, aged 19, of Pitstone Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £80; further time ordered to pay.

MARCH 20

Vincent Joseph, aged 21, of St Leonard’s Road, Northampton, no car insurance; fined £120, banned from driving for 28 days. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. Obstructed a police officer; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85. Possession of cannabis; fined £80.

Patrick Ginnelly, aged 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £5,500; further time ordered to pay.

Samantha Kiff, aged 48, of Rillwood Close, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £666.95; further time ordered to pay.

Sean Williamson, aged 46, of Hollingside Drive, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £327; further time ordered to pay.

Luke Isom, aged 19, of Admirals Way, Daventry, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence which was as follows. Handled stolen goods, namely a moped; community order made.

Patrick O’Sullivan, aged 30, of Appleby Walk, Northampton, failed to comply with a supervision order; jailed for 14 days. Stole two bottles of vodka worth £60 from Morrisons; jailed for 14 days consecutive, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £115. Stole various items of food and alcohol of £26.22 belonging to Tesco; jailed for 14 days consecutive. Stole various items of children’s clothing worth £245 belonging to Next; jailed for 28 days consecutive.

Macarie Adam, aged 49, of Peverels Way, Ross Road, Duston, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 80mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 20 months. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Corrina Docherty, aged 46, of Royal Terrace, Northampton, stole cargo trousers worth £25.99 belonging to New Look; fined £50. Assault; fined £50. Ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85.

Henry Wilkinson, aged 19, of Kingsley Road, Northampton, had a kitchen knife in a public place without good reason; community order made to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85. Commission of a further offence while on a conditional discharge; no action taken on breach.

Marcin Bazan, aged 37, of Campbell Street, Northampton, stole Easter eggs worth £10 belonging to Poundland; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Vincent Macintosh, aged 44, of Hemans Road, Daventry, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 107mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 26 months.

MARCH 21

Algis Auryla, aged 43, of Seymour Street, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £100; court order made.

Robert Fenlon, aged 35, of Euston Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £1,023; court order made.

Iosif-Marius Moldovan, aged 35, of no fixed abode, attempted break-in at Old Five Bells pub; jailed for 182 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £115.

Lea Read, aged 24, of Godwin Walk, Northampton, harassment; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Connor Malone, aged 24, of Dryleys Court, Northampton, stole baby milk, drink and kitchen towel worth £33.97 belonging to Tesco; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £33.97. Stole toiletries worth £658.80 belonging to Wilkinsons; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £200.

Asher Edwards, aged 22, of Welland Way, Northampton, breach of a court order; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £500.

A Wellingborough woman whose life was transformed by her foster carers is encouraging more people to consider fostering during a fortnight-long event to raise its profile.

Amy Barton, now 18, was six years old when she was placed in foster care with her now adopted parents Julie and Kevin.

She says they’ve helped her to achieve ambitions she would never otherwise have been able to.

She said: “Being fostered has been perfect for me.

“I was initially placed with my parents Jules and Kev for just a week but they were so welcoming and made me feel at home straight away.

“I didn’t want to leave.

“Now I’m looking to go to university, which I would never have dreamed of before.

“My parents have supported me throughout my education.

“People sometimes think that children in care don’t go on to achieve things and be successful – but look at me now.”

Foster Care Fortnight, which launches today (Monday), is a national event and aims to raise the profile of fostering and show how foster care transforms lives.

To mark the event, Northamptonshire County Council is appealing for more people to consider making a difference to a child or young person’s life by becoming a foster carer.

Lesley Hagger, director of children’s services at the county council, said: “Fostering a child can be challenging but our carers tell us it is also one of the most rewarding things they have ever done.

“All you need to make a great foster carer is the ability to be flexible, consistent, patient, tolerant and have an understanding of children’s needs and development.

“A sense of humour definitely helps and a spare room in your home is essential.

“Our fostering team will provide a huge amount of support and training at all stages of the approval process and beyond, and we can put applicants in touch with other foster carers who can share their own experiences of fostering.

“I really would encourage anyone who is thinking about applying to be a foster carer to contact us for an informal chat to find out more.”

There are many different types of fostering, including short term, permanent, emergency foster care, remand foster care, providing homes for siblings or even short breaks for parents of children with disabilities.

Northamptonshire County Council offers a full training and support package for its foster carers, and carers receive a competitive weekly payment which is higher than the government recommended rates.

An information event is being held at Caroline Chisholm School in Wootton Fields, Northampton, on Thursday, May 18, between 6pm and 8.30pm.

Further information is also available here or by calling 0300 126 1009.

Political opinion polls have taken a bit of a battering in the past few years. There was wide agreement on the eve of the last UK general election that the outcome would be a hung parliament. Few pollsters saw Donald Trump winning the 2015 presidential election in the US. And almost everyone agreed that Brexit would not happen. So are opinion polls worth the paper they’re written on any more?

Polling made its entrance onto the political stage in the United States presidential election of 1936, at a time when various prominent American newspapers were confidently predicting victories for Republican Alf Landon on the basis of polls of their (rich, unrepresentative) leaderships. George Gallop realised that he could achieve much more accurate predictions reasonably cheaply by taking a random sample of the population, and by doing this successfully forecast a landslide victory for Franklin D Roosevelt.

The key words in this statement are “random sample”, and this is where modern day polling is running into trouble. When Gallop began building his market research empire, gauging public opinion was a complicated business. It involved sending trained interviewers out to randomly selected addresses to interview a specific named person. If they couldn’t get hold of them, they were asked to go back again and again until they found them. What pollsters call “response rates” – the proportion of people agreeing to be interviewed – were very high. So was the cost. You had to train your interviewers, send them out, and tabulate the results, which in the BC years (before computers) was done by hand using punched paper index cards.

However, overwhelmingly, results were good, politicians came to rely heavily on poll predictions, and newspapers got into the habit of using them in order to report politics as entertainment about who was winning.

Polling today

These days technology and changes in the ways political opinion polling is done allow market researchers to get answers much more quickly and cheaply. Polling can also be done by post, online, or by phone. Rather than genuinely random samples, it’s usually cheaper for market researchers to use what are known in the trade as “quota samples”. Interviewers talk to certain numbers of people in different demographic categories (by gender, income, social class, ethnic group and so on).

However, they face several increasingly difficult challenges. Some kinds of people are just harder to reach than others, especially people who work full time – a group who are still a bit more likely to vote for conservative parties. We are now asked our opinions about so much so pointlessly that response rates for polls are desperately low at around 25-30%. We all suffer from poll fatigue.

Respondents are also self-selecting. People who are interested in politics are more likely to be willing to share their views with a stranger, and also are more likely to be left wing. All of these factors mean that the samples used by the pollsters to make their predictions simply aren’t as good as they used to be, and they all tend to err in the same direction.

This doesn’t mean that polls are now redundant. Well-constructed surveys which are properly carried out still get representative results. For example, the sample used by the British Social Attitudes survey, carried out via face-to-face interviews and requiring revisits where the randomly selected individual was unavailable for interview, correctly forecasted around a six point lead for the Conservatives in the 2015 general election.

However, these high quality polls are expensive, and take a long time. Given that the mass media mostly wants poll numbers rapidly, and for entertainment, it hardly seems likely that they will want to make the extra investment.

Parties’ own internal polls do take the time and trouble and do get accurate results, ones which will no doubt have been part of the prime minister’s decision to go to the country. Current published polls show the Conservative Party has a 20 point lead over Labour, if not more. Is the true situation in the country likely to be anything other than a large Tory lead? Absolutely not: even cheap polls are not that inaccurate. As it stands, you’d be most unwise to take the 12:1 odds currently offered by some bookmakers on Labour being the largest party on June 8.

This piece originally appeared in The Conversation