Leaders at Northamptonshire County Council have today (Tuesday) executed an about-turn on library closures, with the proposal to close 21 of them now the only option.

Below is the list of libraries that would remain open and those that would be closed.

The recommended proposal would see the following eight large libraries retained: Corby Cube, Kettering Library, Wellingborough Library, Northamptonshire Central Library, Weston Favell Library, Rushden Library, Daventry Library and Towcester Library.

The seven medium libraries to be retained in this option are: Burton Latimer Library, Irthlingborough Library, Hunsbury Library, Duston Library, Oundle Library, Brixworth Library and Brackley Library.

The 21 libraries to be closed in this option are: Danesholme, Desborough, Rothwell, Earls Barton, Finedon, Irchester, Wollaston, Higham Ferrers, Raunds, Thrapston, Abington, Kingsthorpe, Far Cotton, St James, Wootton, Long Buckby, Woodford Halse, Deanshanger, Middleton Cheney, Moulton and Roade.

The final budget must be ratified by tomorrow (Wednesday).

Today's revised county council budget recommendations have proposed cuts of £295,000 for 2018/19 and 2019/20 to highways maintenance which would result in changes to repairs and inspections of roads.

The authority recognises that this could place it outside national guidance, at risk of legal challenge and unable to carry out significant repairs in a timely manner.

MORE NEWS ON TODAY'S CUTS U-TURN
Northamptonshire County Council revised budget puts 21 small libraries at risk
Twenty-one small libraries set to shut as Northamptonshire County Council announces revised budget savings
The new, updated list of Northamptonshire library closures
Slashed bus subsidies will take us back to the 'Stone Age' fears Northamptonshire villager

"I'm going to issue Northamptonshire Highways with a Section 56 notice for failing to maintain our roads," said Mark Morrell, aka Mr Pothole, who plans to do so on National Pothole Day on March 8.

"They have a legal responsibility to maintain the roads.

"They're currently not meeting their legal obligations, and they're putting lives at risk."

Section 56 of the Highways Act 1980 enables any member of the public to demand a highway authority to restore the surface of a road or bridge if it is "out of repair".

The procedure then gives the authority six months to carry out the repair.

If it fails to do so in time the member of the public can apply to the magistrates' court for an order to force it to do so.

The council's highways maintenance contractor, KierWSP, has also hinted at legal action after it advised the authority any further cuts pose a significant risk "from a professional perspective".

KierWSP has formally notified the authority that, because of the Section 114 notice preventing further council expenditure, the current situation could give rise to a "compensation event" in line with their contract.

NCC said the Department for Transport's pothole grant would help mitigate the budget proposal, but Mr Morrell doesn't think it will help the resolve the state of the county's roads.

According to Mr Pothole, Northampton road maintenance has over £300 million in backlog, dwarfing the £700,000 Government grant given to the county.

"It's peeing in the sea," he said.

Businesses in the county are being given the chance to win thousands of pounds at the inaugural Northamptonshire Business Awards.

The awards open for entries on Thursday, March 1, to all organisations in Northamptonshire and the top prize for the overall ‘Business of the Year’ award winner will be given £10,000 to invest in their business.

The nine category winners will also receive £1,000 of marketing support from the Northamptonshire Chamber and they may also be eligible for the regional and national finals of the prestigious British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Chamber Business Awards.

Northamptonshire Chamber chief executive Paul Griffiths said: “These awards will really make a difference to businesses in our county.

“We know the awards will give a fantastic boost to the profiles of the winners and finalists and by offering these fantastic prizes we will enable our winners to invest further in the future of their organisations.

“The awards will throw a spotlight on the best of our county’s businesses so firms should make sure they have submitted their entry by May 25 if they don’t want to miss out on their chance to shine.”

The headline sponsor is Wilson Browne Solicitors and a glittering awards ceremony and dinner will be held at the Park Inn, Northampton, on September 13.

The nine awards categories are: Best Use of Technology sponsored by J motion, High Growth Business of the Year sponsored by Ellacotts, Employer of the Year sponsored by Beyond Theory, Education and Business Partnership sponsored by CJS (UK Management) Limited, Customer Commitment Award sponsored by GPW Consulting, Digital Communications Campaign of the Year sponsored by Kemps Publishing, Export Business of the Year sponsored by Kuehne + Nagel, Small Business of the Year sponsored by HR Solutions and Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Starting Off.

Yesterday, Northamptonshire County Council's cabinet approved a set of proposals aimed at saving £9.9 million in next year's budget.

The Conservative cabinet agreed to slash all of the subsidies the council provides to local bus routes, to cease running 21 libraries and to freeze staff pay.

Leader of the council, Councillor Heather Smith said the "regrettable" cuts were because of a chronic under-funding from central Government.

But the meeting yesterday heard how Northamptonshire Adult Social Services (NASS), the arms-length company that looks after elderly and vulnerable adults in the county, is now desperately struggling for staff after successive cuts.

Managing director of NASS, Anna Earnshaw told the meeting: "There are currently 2,000 cases unassigned - that's not a place I want to be in.

"External reviews have shown us we are seriously underfunded. In fact they say the savings we are being set are unrealistic."

Ms Earnshaw said The Local Government Association has labelled Northamptonshire as the worst-funded social services authority in the country

Adults can be assigned social workers if they suffer from a disability, if there are concerns about an individual's behaviour or if there are reports of violence within a family unit, among other reasons.

But cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Bill Parker, said the cost of offering people a care package has gone up so much, NASS cannot afford to recruit enough people.

He said the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is due to carry out an inspection of the county's adult social services this year.

"If we are not successful in that inspection, we could lose £5 million," he said.

But Unison, the union that represents more than 1,000 employees at One Angel Square, said the proposals to freeze staff pay will make even more social workers leave to find work at better-paid authorities bordering Northamptonshire.

Branch secretary Penny Smith, said: "They are not employing enough frontline staff and they are putting too much pressure on the ones that are there.

"Cutting pay will not recruit or retain social workers.

"In actual fact they will not have to make people redundant they will just leave of their own accord."

Mrs Smith said the pay freeze has been particularly galling after former chief executive Paul Blantern was given a £95,000 leaving payment and the previous director of human resources was given a £50,000payout.

Staff have recently each had a day’s salary deducted to help the council balance their books and have also seen their terms and conditions reduced over recent years
including their entitlement to sick pay.

Branch Secretary Penny Smith is dismayed by the recent proposals. “hard working staff are fed up with managers who have put the council in this precarious position, receiving
large salaries and pay-offs while those front line staff who deliver the services the residents rely on are being rewarded with job insecurity and effectively another cut in
pay."

The gold chain and its pendant are currently being evaluated by the British Museum after it was found using a metal detector in a field near Byfield.

The find qualifies as treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act because it contains a minimum of 10 per cent of precious metal and is more than 300 years old.

As a result, the British Museum has been given the chance to acquire the item – which weighs 6.7g – but should it not want it, the finder will be eligible to keep or sell the pendant, subject to any rights of the land's owner or occupier.

Daventry Town Council said it will contact the museum once an official valuation is made.

Members of the town council's museum committee "concurred that it would be appropriate for the museum to pursue the treasure case and agreed it would be of public and of local interest to be able to acquire the item."

The committee's development and liaison officer, Sophie Wallace, said the plan would be to have the item on display so that people can learn more about the item and its time period.

To acquire the item, Daventry Museum might have to apply for a grant or crowdfund to raise the money, with any final decision to be taken by the full town council.

Dated to the early Roman period, between 100 and 200 AD, the chain and pendant could have been worn as a bracelet or an attachment.

Hanging from the 17.5cm chain is a teardrop or leaf-shaped pendant which is decorated on one face with a beaded border. The back of the 3cm pendant is smooth and undecorated.

The chain is of a single figure-of-eight looped form and is composed of 27 loops.

Councillor Heather Smith faced has faced a number of calls to resign over the past month after the county council issued a section 114 notice to halt all non-essential spending.

Last week, the council was told the budget it had proposed for the 2018/19 year was "unlawful" because of the way it planned to use sold assets to prop up day-to-day finances.

But Conservatives at County Hall have now issued the leader a vote of no confidence.

It means she will remain leader of the council, even though she is now no longer leader of the Conservative group.

Councillor Matt Golby, the former cabinet member for children’s services and education, has been installed as interim leader.

Group business leader for the Tories, Councillor Suresh Patel told the Chron: "It will be a sad loss.

"It's just that the county council is going through tough times at the moment.

"Backbenchers are looking for a fresh start."

It is understood Councillor Smith will remain as council leader until at least May.

The Labour group tried to pass a vote of no confidence against Councillor Smith in November, which was defeated.

Council rules mean there must be at least six months between no confidence votes.

A Northamptonshire charity which provides assistance and support to the county's blind and partially-sighted residents could lose a quarter of its annual budget.

In the county council's latest round of proposed cuts, Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB) looks set to lose their £73,000 contract with the authority - a quarter of its annual £300,000 budget for community services.

If the proposal is approved, the group will be served a three months notice, as will other providers of discretionary adult services working with the deaf, people deemed "on the edge", and in mental health services.

"We work with some of the most vulnerable people and cutting the funding will have a big impact on the services we provide and on the charity as a whole going forward," said NAB's marketing and fundraising manager Stefanie Weldon.

"In the last 12 months our Community Services have carried out over 1,100 visits to visually impaired people in their homes for essential support, we have received 900 telephone support calls, our three Sight Centres have been visited more than5,000 times and we currently host 19 activity groups which all meet at least once a month.

"All of those services are part-funded by the council contract."

The charity has around 3,000 people on its database who will all be affected by the cut, but that tally does not include the friends and families of those signed up or those who will need NAB's services in the future.

NAB is one of the most long-standing charities in the county, having been founded in 1896, and is the only provider of services to county residents experiencing or who have lost their eyesight.

The NCC contract dates back 22 years and helps to reduce care costs to the authority through its prevention work.

Aside from losing a quarter of its community services budget, the cut is likely to have an impact on the association’s ability to secure further funding.

The £73,000 it receives from the council helps leverage other funding and not having it is likely to have a negative impact when it comes to attracting other funding down the line.

"Last year’s 10 per cent cut to the contract value was bad enough, but never in our worst dreams did we think that the council would simply stop supporting blind and partially sighted people in this way.

"We will have to review our business plan if they do,” said NAB's chief executive, Alex Lohman.

"In the short-term we will continue as best we can but it’s simply not sustainable in the medium to long-term."

The county council has proposed to cut £300,000 from adult's discretionary services. This includes "contracts with the voluntary sector or small grants to support prevention for customers who are deaf, blind or on the edge or mental health services".

It proposes to cancel these contracts and serve three months notice.

In so far as the impact of the cuts, the council recognises the services prevent escalating care needs and that, in stopping the contracts, there is a risk that clients become eligible for formal care if their needs escalate in the absence of early intervention.

You can contact the NAB via their helpline on 01604 719193 or their website.

The delayed budget for 2018/19 was passed 35 votes to 13 this afternoon with just three Tories voting against the party whip, despite several members saying how they could not support the proposals.

A frosty meeting saw public speakers from Brackley and Middleton Cheney, among others, tell how the cuts to libraries would be a loss into their communities.

Poignant speeches told how elderly residents would be cut off without buses and many lashed out at the Tory strategy of freezing council tax in previous years.

Cabinet member for finance Councillor Robin Brown stopped several times during his budget speech to listen to heckles from the public gallery.

"What these interruptions show is simply a lack of understanding" said the finance chief in response.

But the reaction seemed to prompt anger from the cabinet member's own party.

Councillor Adam Brown (Con, Bugbrooke) said: "I’ve never been so utterly ashamed as when Councillor Brown dismissed members of the public’s concerns with contempt.

"If he has any dignity he would resign following that outburst."

Robin Brown apologised that some of his words had been "taken out of context".

"Within our own party I’m being pilloried and it’s claimed I’m causing my namesake (Adam Brown) to be 'ashamed'," he said.

"I would ask him to read the last three years of cabinet reports and to read the letter we have sent to our Secretary of State to see how we have worked for this county."

Several other Tories followed suit in calling for their own cabinet to resign, stating they could not support the budget, aimed at saving some £40 million.

Councillors Sam Rumens, (Con, Kingsthorpe North) Jason Smithers (Con, Higham Ferrers) voted against the budget, while Councillor Rob Gough (Con, Earls Barton) abstained.

But some who delivered scathing speeches about their own cabinet's financial plans then went on to vote in favour of them.

Among them Councillor Martin Griffiths (Con, Irchester) said: "It’s time for an apology to the library groups and users. I believe it’s time to apologise to the elderly people in our community m who will be isolated.

"I believe it’s time to apologise for the lack of foresight. It’s definitely time for change."

In the end the minor rebellion was not enough to stop the plans from being approved in a recorded vote.

Responding, council leader Heather Smith - who lost a vote of no confidence to leader the Conservative group last night - said: "What is absolutely clear is the budget we are presenting today has got things in I don't like any more than the rest of you do."

If the nationwide TV weather forecast doesn’t give you enough detail, a fast and reliable way to check the local conditions is to view live traffic webcams.

The so-called ‘Beast from the East’ is sweeping the UK, and has resulted in the Met Office issuing weather warnings across the nation.

Police across the country have advised motorists to avoid driving if possible owing to poor visibility and treacherous conditions.

But if you need to see what driving conditions are like, these locally positioned traffic webcams will give you the latest picture of both traffic levels and weather on your route.

You can view the cameras on the M1 near Daventry here.

Follow the link below and click next/back to scroll through the various cameras along the M1 northbound.

The cameras update the images every 60 seconds.

As revealed by the Chronicle & Echo yesterday, cuts are being made to the opening hours of libraries. At the time, the council spokesman could not confirm how many libraries were affected. However, last night, the full list was made available online.

Earlier in the week, Northamptonshire County Council revealed in a statement that eight large libraries would be retained and 21 libraries would close. It also listed eight "medium" libraries would be retained.

The plans were approved at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

It has now emerged that 21 libraries will also have reduced opening hours with immediate effect. The libraries affected are not the same 21 listed for future closure.

A statement on the county council's website says: "The Section 114 Spending controls currently in place within Northamptonshire County Council restrict expenditure on recruitment, temporary staff or existing staff working overtime.

"As a direct consequence of this Northamptonshire County Council instruction, the library service (operated by First for Wellbeing) has to remove temporary staff and additional hours from its staffing allocation. This has a direct and immediate impact on the ability to keep libraries open.

"[Some libraries are] now operating a heavily reduced timetable," the statement added.

The full list of library opening times are as follows:

One day a week:

Abington: Tuesday from 9am to 6pm

Brackley: Tuesday from 10am to 6pm

Danesholme: Thursday from 2pm to 6pm

Deanshanger: Thursday from 2pm to 6pm

Earls Barton: Friday from 1pm to 6pm

Far Cotton: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

Finedon: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

Higham Ferrers: Thursday from 10am to 2pm

Irchester: Tuesday from 1pm to 6pm

Irthlingborough: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

Kingsthorpe: Friday from 9am to 6pm

Long Buckby: Thursday from 10am to 6pm

Middleton Cheney: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

Moulton: Friday from 1pm to 6pm

Raunds: Tuesday from 10am to 6pm

Roade: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

St James: Thursday from 2pm to 6pm

Thrapston: Wednesday from 10am to 6pm

Wollaston: Monday from 2pm to 6pm

Woodford Halse: Wednesday from 10am to 2pm

Wootton: Friday from 2pm to 5pm

More than one day a week:

Brixworth: Weekdays from 10am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Burton Latimer: Tuesday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 10am to 2pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Corby: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm Daventry: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Desborough: Tuesday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 10am to 2pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Duston: Monday from 9am to 6pmHunsbury: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Hunsbury: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Kettering: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Northamptonshire Central Library: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Rothwell: Monday, Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm

Oundle: Tuesday and Friday from 9am to 1pm

Rushden: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Towcester: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Wellingborough: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

Weston Favell: Weekdays from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm

This is the view of campaigner Rachael Ball who has been using Kingsthorpe library for over 30 years and fell in love with reading when her grandma first introduced her to books when she was a little girl.

After giving birth to baby Georgina, now 1, she has started to use the library service in a different way and takes her daughter to singing classes, which she has been doing since she was six weeks old.

She said: “The loss of the children’s services will impact new mums greatly - me and my daughter have met some many lovely friends through the library. It is a wonderful place to educate our children whilst having fun.”

This news comes after Northamptonshire County Council yesterday officially announced plans to slash 21 libraries in the county, including Kingsthorpe, after a set-back budget meeting.

She added: “Being a new parent can be a completely overwhelming experience and having a local support network is vital. I fear for new mums that will not benefit from this wonderful place.

“I personally want to thank the staff of Kingsthorpe Library who are fantastic. I have been taking my daughter to the singing classes since she was six weeks old and she adores it.

“I have no idea what we are going to do now. We will be so sad to see the doors close for the final time.”

Friend of Moulton Library, Charlotte Yarker has also been fighting hard against the closures.

She says one of the main frustrations campaigners have is that Moulton library has been classed as a ‘small library' - which the community believes has made the book-lending service easier to shut down.

She said: “We also struggle to understand how the Northamptonshire County Council can justify spending £400,000 in the past year helping us to open the brand new library facility in Moulton Community Centre, only to now potentially close it.

“This seems to lack forward planning on a colossal scale, and perhaps gives a hint at how the council has found itself in this financial predicament in the first place.”

Daventry District residents are being given the opportunity to take advantage of the cheap gas and electricity tariffs secured by an energy switching scheme.

The Big Switch scheme is a joint effort between Daventry District Council and its switching partner iChoosr to use collective purchasing power to secure better energy deals for residents.

Everyone who registers for the scheme is entered into a collective, with energy companies then invited to bid for their custom in an auction. The deals offered are often cheaper than those advertised to the general public.

The winter auction took place in February, with discount tariffs offered by So Energy, Green Star Energy and Economy Energy winning the process.

More than 65 per cent of Daventry District residents who registered this time were able to make a saving, allowing them to reduce their annual bill by around £150 on average.

However, there is still time for others to sign-up to the scheme and take advantage of the cheap tariffs being offered.

People have until 5pm on Tuesday, March 27 to register at www.daventrydc.gov.uk/BigSwitch.

People who wish to register by phone can do so up to 5pm on Tuesday March 20 by phoning the pouncil on 01327 871100.

Registration is quick and easy, with just an annual energy bill or evidence of annual energy usage required to complete the process. There is no obligation to switch and no fees or charges involved whether people decide to switch or not.

A number of schools are shut today (Thursday) due to bad weather in Northamptonshire.

A number of Northamptonshire schools have taken the decision to close today after yesterday's snowfall turned to ice overnight as temperatures plummeted to below freezing.

See the full list of school closures here

Conservative fallout over the most controversial budget ever set at Northamptonshire County Council has hit new levels after a public Twitter row involving the leader.

Yesterday the Tory-led authority approved a £40 million raft of cuts affecting 21 libraries, winter gritting and bus routes around the county among a host of other measures.

The fiery meeting saw Conservative members call on their own cabinet to resign - with one councilor saying he was "ashamed" of the way the party's finance chief had addressed the public.

The fallout spilled over into social media yesterday as well.

Councillor Jason Smithers, one of three Tories to vote against the budget yesterday, directly demanded the council leader Heather Smith call it a day.

Councillor Smithers tweeted: "@LeaderNCC cllr Smith why don't you just throw in the towel just go before you cause anymore damage to the reputation of the council. You and some members of your cabinet have failed. I hope that the SFO (Serious Fraud Office) is brought in to investigate your conduct. #failedleadership."

The councillor for Higham Ferrers, elected to the seat in a recent by-election, was given a swift rebuttal from the council leader.

"Why dont you resign?" she replied on Twitter. "I have never come across a Conservative Councillor like you before. Your behaviour in the short few days since your election has demonstrated how unsuitable you are to represent anyone."

But it did not stop there.

"Ouch I'm sorry if you don't care for my style cllr Smith," Councillor Smithers tweeted in response.

"One thing I will do is always put the needs of the people before my own empire building. We are dealing with real people with real lives and our actions effect these people. I wish you well in your new job."

The Twitter spat yesterday came as library staff across the county learned many premises would be reduced to opening just {https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/revealed-the-libraries-in-northamptonshire-now-open-for-just-one-day-a-week-after-county-hall-cash-crisis-1-8397950|one day a week| immediately, due to he emergency spending controls in place at One Angel Square.

The UK's national library institute has called for a suspension to library closures in Northamptonshire and has pledged to request a national inquiry into county council cuts.

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) today - World Book Day - responded to the news of the closure of 21 libraries and a reduction of staff hours.

It has called on elected members, councillors and officers to suspend the implementation.

Nick Poole, CILIP's chief executive, said: "It is clear that the very significant cuts will result in a library service that can in no way be seen to be ‘comprehensive and efficient’, as required by the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act.

"CILIP will be writing to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to call on them to mount an inquiry into this failure of provision. We urge Northamptonshire County Council to suspend the implementation of this decision pending any such inquiry.”

He added: "This World Book Day it is simply staggering that the residents of Northamptonshire are facing unprecedented cuts to their libraries and a County Council with a very uncertain future.

“Libraries are no longer places of books and quiet study. They are the living, breathing heart of their community – a truly universal service which meets a wide range of needs from learning to wellbeing, enterprise to digital engagement and combating social isolation.

"They provide access to a range of information resources, opportunities for people to come together and build their skills a much-needed place of intercultural dialogue and understanding.

"Cutting libraries is a false economy – it simply transfers costs on to other frontline services such as adult social care, formal education and healthcare provision while reducing the value and attractiveness of local property and businesses.

“We understand the financial pressures on Local Authorities as a result of the reduction in Central Government Grants. However, we are in discussion with Councils across the UK who are finding ways to maintain or invest in their libraries despite this.

"Once you lose a library, it is extremely hard to get it back and the economic impact on communities reverberates through generations."

"We are therefore very disappointed that the council has approved the closure of 21 libraries before the outcome of the Communities Secretary’s review of financial management and governance is known.

“I would like to express our solidarity with and support for all of the staff and library workers affected by this decision. Professional library staff dedicate themselves to meeting the needs of their community.

"They have the expertise to run efficient, safe services which respond to local needs – from helping people get online, developing literacy and skills and supporting young families to supporting local businesses and providing much-needed contact for those at risk of social isolation.

"We urge any CILIP members affected by this decision to make contact with our Customer Services Team who will be able to advise on the support we can offer through this difficult period."

Yesterday a member of the public reported a concern to the county force after seeing a homeless man living in a tent. Officers were sent to check on him but no one was in the tent.

When PC Dave Lee and PC Ryan Warren went back today (Thursday, March 1), the man was there so they bought him a McDonald's breakfast wrap and a large coffee.

PC Dave Lee said: “When we couldn’t locate this man yesterday after the initial call from the member of the public came in, I was determined to go back today and check on him.

“No one should be living outside in this kind of weather. We plan to check on him again over the coming days to check he’s okay.”

PCs Lee and Warren also gave a man a lift home after his car broke down and he was quoted six hours for the breakdown company to arrive.

PlumbProud, based in Hood Street, The Mounts, is offering tips to help families protect their home from the cold after seeing residents across the town struggle to heat their homes.

A spokeswoman said: "Our phones have not stopped ringing today because people all over Northampton are struggling with no heating in particular. One of the ladies we helped this morning was a 95-year-old lady with no heating."

PlumbProud are offering these tips to protect boilers and taps from the cold:

1. Leave indoor taps dripping

When water freezes it expands; this can result in burst pipes. Leaving a tap dripping will give relief to the pipework as the water has somewhere to go as it expands. The tap doesn't need to be fully open, just dripping will be plenty.

2. Bleed your radiators

You might find although your boiler is on max your radiators have cold spots at the top. This could simply be down to there being air trapped in radiators. Before calling a plumber try bleeding your radiators using a bleed key.

3. Shut off your outdoor taps

Ensure all outdoor water outlets are shut off. Turn off outdoor water outlets such as outside taps and watering systems at their shutoff valves if they have one.

4. Reset your condensing boiler with boiling water

The majority of our call outs today have been broken boilers where we have found the condense pipe to be frozen. If you have a condensing boiler and you get home tonight to find your boiler isn't working, it's very likely to be because your condensate pipe is frozen outside. Simply pour boiling water onto the pipe three to four times and reset the boiler. This should fix the issue.

5. Insulate your pipes

Ensure any pipework exposed to the cold weather is protected with pipe lagging. If water passes through a pipe that isn't kept warm it increases the risk of burst or frozen pipes. All pipework exposed to the cold weather, such as in garages, out buildings, lofts and in the garden needs to be insulated with lagging as much as possible. Most DIY stores sell lagging. Don’t worry about lagging gas pipework.

6. Disconnect your hose pipes

A water-filled hose will freeze if it is left out in the cold. If the hose is still connected to the faucet, ice can back up into the pipe inside your house, causing the pipe to crack. To save you being unable to water your garden come the warmer weather, disconnect all hoses from their supply connection, drain them and store them away somewhere warmer (such as the garage or a shed) for the winter.

7. If you’re lucky enough to be escaping the cold weather, don’t turn the heating off altogether

Apply frost protection. Modern heating controls will have a ‘frost protection mode’. Read through the manufacturer's literature and ensure this is activated if you won’t be home for the night (or week). This will protect you from a burst pipe and ultimately a very cold home, as the heating will come on if the temperature inside your home drops below five degrees. If you don’t have frost protection don't worry, you can get the same result by turning your heating on to constant at the programmer and setting your thermostat to 5 degrees.

8. Treat your boiler like your car

Book your annual service. Just like you car, your boiler is a working machine with moving parts and when it's cold it's having to work so much harder - just like your car. You wouldn't miss your MOT or annual service, so don't skip your boiler service either. It requires a service every year to check it is safe and working to its full capacity.

PlumbProud are available on 0845 055 8110.

Back at the end of 2015, finance chiefs at county hall announced plans to, over the next five years, begin outsourcing services to four mutual companies and reducing its core workforce from 4,000 to 150.

The "next generation" model, as it came to be known, was initially reported as the panacea for a cash-strapped authority and promised to save £350 million.

The companies would be free to offer better terms to new employees and, freed from the shackles of local government rules, they could even be free to generate their own income.

But this week confirmation came that the whole scheme, masterminded by former chief executive Paul Blantern, was officially dead in the water.

It seemed inevitable.

First for Wellbeing, the first mutual company to be set up of the four companies, has now been absorbed by Northamptonshire's adult social services. It was intended to look after libraries - 21 of which will be closed this year.

NASS - the new name for adult social services, ended up being nothing more than a rebrand and Olympus Care, the council's care delivery "vehicle" has now also been brought back in house.

At the crucial budget meeting this week, cabinet member for finance, Councillor Robin Brown announced the scheme had collapsed.

He said: "Today we recognise that we don't have the funding, the equity or the capital resources to be able to do this.

"In the past few months it has been clear that this has had to change."

It is understood the council will still seek to set up a separate company to look after children's services this year as it has been given government funding.

But the original intention of outsourcing all but a core group of around 150 staff to mutual companies has now certainly been canned.

The plans were controversial from the start.

Opposition members said the mutuals could operate with less accountability and unions feared their members' terms and conditions would change when they transferred over to the new companies.

Speaking at this week's meeting, Labour's shadow cabinet member for finance, Councillor Mick Scrimshaw, said the plan was doomed to fail from the start.

"This council has spent time and money desperately trying to make private sector mentality fit a local government model," he said.

"It was never going to work."

But Councillor Brown's speech this week suggested that a lack of funds to set up the new companies came about following a perfect storm of funding withdrawals.

The council was hoping to be included in a pilot scheme allowing it to retain 100 per cent of all business rates collected in the county. But it was not successful.

It also failed to sell a parcel of the Buckton Fields land for £12 million and was told by auditors it could not simply use all of the proceeds from sold assets to prop up next year's day-to-day running costs.

Though the Conservative group has been criticised in recent years for not raising council tax by small amounts, Councillor Brown claimed the former Labour administration in 1996 had to bear some responsibility.

Back in the 90s the authority raised council tax by some 84 per cent - but Councillor Brown said the council should have pushed tax up by 94 per cent, as neighbours in Oxfordshire did at the same time. This, he argued would have improved the authority's baseline budget for years to come.

Either way "we are where we are " as embattled council leader Heather Smith said this week.

Now, there is a real possibility people in Northamptonshire will be asked to vote in a referendum to raise council tax above the statutory three per cent next year.

A Daventry woman has returned home after serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Laura Topp, 21, recently arrived home after completing her 18-month mission in Hawaii.

Laura continued what has become a family tradition of missionary service for the church, following her three older brothers who served missions in Germany, the Czech Republic and Scotland/Ireland.

“I think most people see the beach and the palm trees, but what really makes Hawaii for me is the people," said Laura.

"They’re so welcoming and loving, even if they don’t know you and, for missionaries, aren’t particularly interested in our message. The aloha spirit is very real”

When applying to the church to serve a mission, Laura and others accept that they can be sent to any part of the world.

While in Hawaii, Laura - who was very excited to have been assigned to such an idyllic place - was involved in service projects in the community, as well as teaching people about the church and about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I think the two biggest things I learnt were how to love people the way that Christ would and to trust in God’s plan for me," said Laura.

Laura is now settling back into normal life and plans to study at university.

A seven-and-a-half mile stretch of a Northamptonshire A road is blocked both ways because of snow.

The A5 is blocked between the A43 roundabout in Towcester and the A45 roundabout in Weedon with the AA reporting numerous callers citing snow drifts as the cause.