Organisers of the fourth Brixworth Music Festival say this year’s is going to be the biggest and best one yet.

Taking place from Saturday, April 20, to Sunday, April 29, the festival promises to have something to suit all musical tastes.

Vivienne Olive, joint artistic director at Brixworth Music Festival, said: “This festival is attracting ever more attention and is growing from year to year.

“It is a festival that caters to all tastes and with the new offer of a Festival Pass for £25 for all concerts during the festival week, we are hoping more people might be tempted to come along and discover something new – not just the larger events, but the quieter, gentler concerts.”

The programme includes brass music, a pop group and orchestral music.

“Concerts with large ensembles are undoubtedly attractive and we all love them,” added Vivienne.

“And in this respect the Brixworth Music Festival will not disappoint you.”

Intimate, smaller concerts offer something for those quieter moments, where visitors can sit back, switch off and reflect.

Vivienne added: “With your Brixworth Festival Pass you can not only go along to the opening pop concert, enjoy one of the of the best brass bands in the country, and the newly formed Brixworth Festival Orchestra, but you can also enter the gentler world of the Tedesca String Quartet, the piano recital of Oksana King and the Old English Fantasy.”

For more visit www.brixworthmusicfestival.co.uk

Children at Barby CE Primary School have put on their running shoes to help a boy with muscular dystrophy.

They supported sports teacher Steve Fenton, who is taking on the London Marathon on April 22 for Archie’s Army.

His run is in aid of a young boy locally who suffers from the muscle wasting condition.

As part of Steve’s continued training, he led a lunchtime club so that pupils could train for the run and then, on Monday, March 26, the whole school took part in a sponsored run around the school field.

He completed a half marathon, the rest of the school were challenged to run as far as possible.

Steve said: “I’ve always wanted to do the marathon, it’s on my bucket list, and what better way to do it than on behalf of a charity for someone local to me.”

All together, the children and staff at Barby CE School ran 272 miles.

Jody Toone, headteacher, said: “Chelsey in Year 6 managed to run the same distance as Steve Fenton – 13.1 miles in two hours 20 minutes without stopping – a fantastic achievement. We have raised over £900 in sponsorship.”

Visit https://uk.virgin moneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=SteveFenton&pageUrl=1

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has praised Northamptonshire County Council’s Shared Lives service following its recent outstanding Care Quality Commission rating.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has praised Northamptonshire County Council’s Shared Lives service following its recent outstanding Care Quality Commission rating.

Jeremy Hunt has personally written to the county council to commend the staff and carers who provide the Shared Lives service, which provides long and short-term support in a family home environment for adults with disabilities.

It comes after the service retained its outstanding rating following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in January. It was also rated outstanding when inspected in 2015.

In the letter, Mr Hunt said: “From visiting organisations throughout the country, I know that the immense amount of hard work that will have been behind this outcome cannot be underestimated. It is greatly appreciated, not just by me, but by all who will be benefiting as a result.

“It should be particularly pleasing to you to have been recognised for your outstanding safety, care and leadership.

“Please pass on my personal congratulations and thanks to everyone who has made this happen.”

The CQC inspection team praised the council’s Shared Lives staff and carers who, they said, consistently went above and beyond to enable people to have a fulfilled life.

It also recognised the work of the service to support people to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and the strong caring relationships between people and their carers.

County council cabinet member for adult social care Cllr Elizabeth Bowen said: “The letter from the Secretary of State for Health is much-deserved praise for the brilliant work being done by the Shared Lives staff and carers.

“Given the immense demand and funding pressures our adult social care services are facing, it is fantastic that the Government has recognised the incredible support being offered through the service.

“I’d like to once again offer my own congratulations to the whole team on their outstanding rating from the CQC.”

Forecasters are predicting sunshine and high temperatures in Northants next week.

Temperatures will start to hot up this weekend with highs of 15C on Saturday, which could mark the end of weeks of wind, rain and snow.

Heading into next week temperatures will continue to climb hitting 19C on Wednesday (April 18), according to BBC forecasters.

The Met Office forecast for the week beginning April 16 states: "Into the working week, it is likely to become gradually more settled, with dry and probably sunny weather.

"It will be locally warm in central and southeastern areas."

The spring phase of Operation Crooked, which is tackling burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, saw 37 arrests in crime hotspot areas in Kettering, north-east Northampton and south-west Northampton during March.

Increased patrols, community engagement and crime prevention events took place in each area. Officers also visited and disrupted known and suspected offenders, with support offered to those wanting to break the cycle of crime.

Head of local policing, superintendent Chris Hillery, said: “The first phase of Operation Crooked has brought some great results, including information from the public which has informed our proactive policing and led to the arrest of wanted criminals.

“Work continues to tackle serious acquisitive crime across the county, as we know these kinds of offences can and do cause serious harm and distress to victims.

“We ask people to continue to follow our prevention advice and to report information about crime, criminals and the sale of stolen goods to us.”

Further targeted Operation Crooked work will take place in the summer and autumn, tackling seasonal spikes traditionally seen in serious acquisitive crime offences at these times.

Anyone with information about serious acquisitive crime, the handling or sale of stolen goods, or the whereabouts of wanted offenders should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.

For more information on crime prevention visit www.northants.police.uk/Operation-Crooked

Victims and witnesses of crime can access support at http://voicenorthants.org

Daventry District Council is inviting residents to join a community clean-up on the Headlands Estate.

The event, co-organised with the Clean and Green Project from Daventry Volunteer Centre, takes place on Thursday, April 12 between midday and 2pm.

Free refreshments together with discount vouchers for McDonald's will be provided to everyone who lends a helping hand on the day.

Paul Knight, Environmental Health Improvement Manager at Daventry District Council, said: “The dropping of litter is a real blight on our District but we have seen in other areas how communities can work together, with help and support from the Council, to make big improvements.

“Clean-up events such as this can be a great way to meet fellow members of the community and make new friends, as well as offering an opportunity to meet representatives from the police, fire service and the Council and discuss any issues you may have.

“The vast majority of residents take pride in their community, and by working together to make our open spaces cleaner and greener, we send a message to the litterbugs that it is not acceptable for them to drop their rubbish.”

Anyone who can spare some time to help should head to the shops in Edinburgh Square, where there will be litter picking equipment including litter pickers, tabards, gloves and bags.

The event is also an opportunity to meet representatives from the police and fire service, as well as officers from DDC’s Environmental Health team, and the Clean and Green co-ordinator.

Voice for Children and Young People, a free service for young people who have been affected by crime, will attend in their outreach bus to offer emotional and practical support and advice to any young people who need it.

The event is being held as part of DDC’s ongoing Clean Up My Community campaign, which aims to support volunteers who are working to make a positive difference in their area.

The county’s police and crime commissioner has said there is long-standing morale issue in his police force with staff having “been allowed to swing the lead”.

Northamptonshire PCC Stephen Mold made the damning comments to the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Panel on Thursday, April 5, after he was hauled over the coals for the county police force’s recent ‘requires improvement’ rating from the Home Office.

Last month the force was deemed to be not meeting the standard in most judged areas and not carrying out basic policing duties.

Chief Constable Simon Edens is responsible for the day to day running of the force.

Mr Mold, who has been in office for almost two years, said: “I think there has been a morale issue. Northamptonshire Police still has a cultural problem and the Chief Constable recognises this, but would say you don’t turn it round in five minutes.

“People have been allowed to get away with swinging the lead or not working as hard as they should be.”

Mr Mold told the panel of an incident in which an officer let a handbag snatcher off with the crime because he did not have the time to deal with it.

He said he was going to give the police chief just a short time to turn it round and he would make changes if necessary.

The police commissioner has the power to fire the chief constable.

Panel member Cllr Richard Auger, who served as an officer at Thames Valley Police, said it was a very worrying situation.

He said: “There are 18 improvement areas and 15 of them are flaws in basic policing.

“The public are asking for an effective job whereby the villains are being arrested.

“Where you get an improvement area where cops aren’t nicking bad people that tells you something about this organisation.”

He told Mr Mold: “I think this is serious, because it is not just this year. It is last year as well.

“Something is wrong somewhere. I think you have a significant problem and I think this is going to stain all the excellent stuff that is going to be done. Because if we can’t police effectively and if we don’t know what threats are out there then what are we sitting here for if we can’t protect the public?”

The commissioner said he would bring the chief constable before the next police and crime panel meeting in July to answer questions.

Last month, on National Pothole Day, Mark Morrell – AKA Mr Pothole – served the authority with two Section 56 notices (of the Highways Act 1980) citing the council’s failure to maintain two roads: Halse Road in Greatworth and the Welsh Lane route (B4525) from Crowfield to the A43 roundabout.

On April 4, Mr Morrell received written confirmation from the county council stating they accepted the roads are public highways maintainable at the public expense, and thus it was the relevant authority to undertake the maintenance work.

A Northampton drug dealer who set up a small-scale cannabis oil factory in his garage has been ordered to pay £55,000.

Dean Darmanin, 41, was jailed for two years after police found the operation in his home in Sherwood Avenue, Spring Park, in October 2015.

But a new order has been made after police ruled Darmanin had profited to the tune of £55,000 over five years of dealing - and has now been told to pay it all back.

He now has until April 27 to repay the full amount or face two more years imprisonment.

East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme released its annual figures this week, which revealed Northamptonshire had the smallest amount (26) due to the county not having as many doctors compared to other areas.

Call-out rates in Northamptonshire did increase slightly when compared to the same period last year.

In response to the call-out data, chair of EMICS, Dr Tim Gray said: “The doctors responding on behalf of EMICS continue to show enormous support and enthusiasm for the scheme and I am so impressed by their dedication.

"We work closely at all times with the East Midlands Ambulance Service who mobilise our team of doctors, coordinating their efforts alongside other emergency medical personnel at all times of the day and night.

"However, we could be responding to even more emergency call outs if we had the funds to replace the two retired team members.

"There are also doctors waiting to join the scheme who are keen to volunteer and have the experience and skills to save lives but are awaiting sufficient funds to pay for their specialist equipment.”

All EMICS doctors receive no payment for their work with EMICS, working voluntarily over and above their normal general practice or hospital work. The scheme currently consists of 24 doctors from many medical backgrounds and specialities.

They work alongside and in support of paramedics and crews from the East Midlands Ambulance Service, as and when they are available.

All the doctors involved volunteer in their holidays and spare time to attend emergency situations – often performing lifesaving interventions at the scene of a wide variety of incidents such as road traffic collisions and medical emergencies.

Operating at the request of and in support of staff from the East Midlands Ambulance Service, last year EMICS doctors were called out on 1,531 occasions and were required to deliver pre-hospital emergency care on 1,277 of those occasions.

The number of call-outs relates to the period between April 2017 and March 2018 and represents a reduction of 154 calls on the same period the previous year.

This reduction in call-outs is likely to be due to the fact that there were 26 doctors responding in the previous year compared with only 24 currently.

Call-outs by region were as follows:

Leicestershire had the highest rate with 691, followed by Lincolnshire with 342, then Derbyshire with 194, Nottinghamshire with 186, Rutland with 92, and lastly Northamptonshire.

Call-out rates in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire increased slightly on the same period last year but in Rutland they remained exactly the same and in all other areas, call rates were reduced.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

March 1

Sergiu Barbul, aged 34, of Oasis House, Northampton, had articles connected with theft at Marks & Spencer in Abington Street namely a pair of pliers and a commercial de-tagging tool; community order made for rehabilitation. Stole a number of jackets from Marks & Spencerin Abington Street; community order made for rehabilitation. Assaulted a person in Northampton; community order made for rehabilitation. In Northampton went equipped for theft with a pair of cutters, cutters to be destroyed, community order made for rehabilitation. Had in his possession a quantity of cannabis; community order made for rehabilitation. Committed an offences while subject to conditional discharge (original offence was assault of police officer, a PC Clayton); community order made for rehabilitation.

Jack Bryan, aged20, of Fitzroy Place , drove a vehicle on Spencer Bridge Road and Raymond Road while disqualified; community order made to carry out unpaid work of 80 hours, surcharge £85. Drove along same roads without insurance. No separate penalty.

Steffan Stratford, aged39, of Lapstone Road, Northampton, of , drove a vehicle along The Green in Hardingstone after consuming so much alcohol that he had 59mcgs in 100 ml of breath; fined £600, surcharge of £60 , costs of £85, disqualified for 22 months (to be reduced by 22 weeks if course costing £250 is completed).

Rosemary Wright, aged 46, of Harborough Road, Northampton, emailed Northamptonshire Police and in doing so breached a community protection notice; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge of £20 , costs of £85. Criminal behaviour order for five years banning any contact with police, fire orr ambulance services unless genuine emergency, banning entry to any library in Northampton, banning contacting of three named people, banning the posting of untrue material online likely to cause harrassment alarm or distress, banning possession of mobile phone not registered to her (any new phone must have its number registered with police within 24 hours).

March 5

Laszlo Biro, aged55, of no fixed abode , drove in the M1 services at Watford Gap Southbound service area; fined £667, surcharge of £67, costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Richard Williamson, aged 52, of Bristle Street, Northampton, assaulted PC Price in the course of the officer’s duty, fined £625, compensation £50, surcharge of £62 , costs of £85.

Liviu Caprean, aged 38, of Trinity Avenue, Northampton, drove a vehicle in Kettering Road after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion in his breath was 123mcgs in 100ml; community order made, unpaid work of 180 hours. Surcharge of £85, costs of £85. Banned from driving for 30 months (reduced by 30 weeks if a course is undertaken). Drove along same road without insurance; no separate penalty. Drive otherwise than in accordance with a licence. No separate penalty.

Declan Casey, aged27, of Dell Crescent, Northampton, guilty of disorderly behaviour while drunk in Balloon Bar, Bridge Street; fined £160, surcharge of £30.

Ilko Dobrev, aged25, of Clinton Road, Northampton, drove a vehicle in Kettering Road after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion in his breath was 66mcgs in 100ml of breath; fined £400, surcharge of £40 , costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months (reduced by 18 weeks upon completion of a course).

Members of a Daventry gymnastics team became county champions last month when their academy entered its first competition in Northamptonshire in 18 months.

Daventry Phoenix Sports Academy had to take a year-and-a-half break due to the centre's recent redevelopment.

The new facilities have helped the young gymnasts progress to compete and they proved it with all their hard work and dedication the results well and truly paid off.

DPSA took 10 gymnasts, Amelia Carpenter, Alexandra Rumsey, Keeley Thorneycroft, Victoria Luchniak, Lucy Pepin, Charlotte Stowe, Ashlie Neate, Lara Gordon, Chloe Carpenter & Nadia Golonka, to compete in the county Level 9, Level 8 and Level 7 Floor and Vault competition, which was held at Corby Gymnastics Academy on the March 11.

"All the gymnasts performed floor routines and precise vaults and did their club and coaches proud and rounded the day off with a huge success," said head coach Rachael Urda.

Medal winners in the junior development squad were Amelia Carpenter, who took silver overall in the 7/8yr at Level 8 category; Chloe Carpenter and Nadia Golonka won joint gold overall in the 9yr, at Level 7 category making them joint county champions.

General improvers squad medal winners were Keeley Thorneycroft, who took bronze overall in the 12yr, Level 8 category; Lucy Pepin took silver overall in the 13+, Level 8 category; Charlotte Stowe took gold overall in the 13+ Level 8 category, making her the county champion; Ashlie Neate took silver overall in the 11yr, Level 7 category; and Lara Gordon took silver overall in the 13+, Level 7 category.

More recently the DPSA hosted and participated in an invitational team and individual competition alongside Stratford-upon-Avon's JNB Gymnastics Academy and gymnasts from Gevelsberg Germany on April 7.

Centre director Marie Brannigan said the day was extremely successful.

"I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and commitment to the new centre," said Marie.

"We hope this is the beginning of many more opportunities for exchange groups from other European Countries to attend this amazing facility."

Police are issuing a warning about a sophisticated new phone scam in which the victim is targeted with a phone call from a loved one’s phone number.

Police have issued a warning after a man received a call from his wife’s mobile number.

On answering the call, a man with a ‘foreign sounding accent introduced himself as a doctor from the Friarage Hospital, stating that his wife had been in a car accident and required emergency surgery.

However, he was also told that the procedure was not covered by the NHS and requested bank details to make a transfer of £300 to cover the surgery.

The police warning, which has originated in Yorkshire, added: “The reportee has replied by stating he would make his way to the hospital immediately and so the caller has hung up.

“He has then called his wife’s number back, who answered fit and well. The incident has been referred to Action Fraud and NYPs Economic Crime Unit for further investigation, as the perpetrators appear to be using sophisticated methods to link two mobile numbers together, in order to achieve the necessary impact, to fulfil their scam.

“This incident has been distressing for the parties involved, but luckily no bank details were given out.”

According to replies on the force’s Facebook page, the scam has spread to other parts of the country.

The statement added: “Please make friends and relatives aware of this incident, especially the more vulnerable.

“If you do receive such a call, please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.”

The cash-strapped county council will be turning its buildings and roundabouts into advertising sites to pay for its marketing and public relations staff.

Schools, libraries, county parks and office buildings will all be used to generate income for Northamptonshire County Council.

The local authority, which is in dire financial straits, has 200 buildings and 150 roundabouts, which will be used to raise much-needed cash.

The marketing department costs £396,000 to run and employs nine full time staff.

The authority estimates the scheme could raise up to £2.6m but a large chunk of this would go to a contracted advertising agency who will manage it.

Councillors at yesterday’s cabinet meeting (Tuesday, April 10) welcomed the initiative to bring in the extra funds but some questioned where the proceeds would be funnelled.

Cllr Bob Scott, who represents the Lloyds ward in Corby, said he backed the initiative but had some reservations about using the income to pay for communications.

He said: “We have far more areas where this money could be used effectively, not in a propaganda department.”  

The council hopes to earn almost £200,000 in 2018/19 from the scheme so that the cost to the authority for its marketing team is £188,000. It wants to reduce this again the next financial year and for the department to be entirely paid for by advertising revenue in 2020/21.

The authority says any surplus will go towards other, as yet unspecified, departments.

The plan to use funds made from billboards at libraries has been called into question by library campaigners.

As part of cost savings NCC is planning to close up to 21 libraries across the county, a move which could face a Government inquiry.

Spokesman for the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals Mark Taylor said: “Any advertising and promotions should be sympathetic to the role and purpose of libraries and in Northamptonshire should provide much-needed support for library services across the county.”

Voluntary Voices, formed to provide a voice for the county's voluntary sector users, has consulted with more than 40 local organisations to identify key concerns and says it is now essential that their opinions and those of their service users are heard.

The group says it wants to work in partnership with the Government-appointed commissioners and believes the lack of consultation with the sector by both the county and district councils has had an "extremely negative effect" on local groups and individuals with the greatest need.

"The voluntary sector in Northamptonshire is under severe pressure," a Voluntary Voices spokesperson.

"The situation at the county council means that this is a crucial time for the services we provide across the county.

"We want to work in partnership with the commissioners to secure the future of the sector. We're chomping at the bit to be part of the solution and want to make sure we have a seat at the table when the commissioners come in."

Last month, Mr Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced that commissioners would take over the county council and wrote to authorities in Northamptonshire inviting them to make representations about the outcome of Max Caller's inspection report.

In a letter to the Secretary of State in response to this, Voluntary Voices said: "Our fundamental concerns are to ensure the proper representation of the communities, groups and individuals we serve within our county within the processes that follow the review.

"This letter is sent on behalf of the combined voluntary sector of Northamptonshire following a series of meetings held to discuss the implications of the report into Northamptonshire County Council and the budget they have set; including as it does significant cuts to the voluntary sector in our county and impact on individuals and communities in great need.

"The problems of Northamptonshire have been building over many years, and it’s time for root and branch change and new thinking."

On Monday (April 16) parents in Northamptonshire will find out whether their child has been given a place at one of their preferred choices of primary school.

All children born between September 1 2013 and August 31 2014 are eligible for a September school place.

Many parents disappointed with their allocated school may consider the appeals process. However, according to the most recent government data, the success rate of primary school appeals varies greatly throughout the country.

In the 2016/2017 academic year, 33% of appeals heard in the North East were decided in the child’s favour, while in London the success rate was only 7%, with some local authorities not registering a single successful appeal.

Elizabeth Coatman, a state education consultant at The Good Schools Guide, recommends the following to parents who don’t get their preferred choice of school:

· Top of your list should be to accept the place you’ve been offered. You may well be able to track down an alternative over the next month, but if the initial offer is not accepted, there’s a chance that your child won’t have any school to attend come September;

· So you’ve accepted the place. Now write down the schools you would have preferred and attempt to get onto their waiting lists – this can even be schools to which you did not originally apply. There is a big shake up between now and the beginning of the new academic year and some places are bound to materialise.

· Have a closer look at the school you’ve been allocated. There’s a chance that you have been making a judgement based on out of date information. When was the most recent OFSTED inspection and have things improved since? Perhaps the local reputation of the school is based on a previous headteacher or board of governors and is now unjustified. Go to the school gates at pick-up time and talk to parents with children already at the school.

· Try not to let on to your child how much you hate the school at which they’ve been given a place. If you’re negative about the school but then fail to find another one, your child may start at the new school feeling they’re starting a five year sentence.

· If you feel you have no choice but to appeal, you must remember that you can only appeal to the schools to which you previously applied. Each school will require a separate appeal. The grounds for a legitimate appeal will be published on your local authority website: the bar for success is very high. You’ll need to prove a mistake was made when the admissions process was carried out, that the admissions policy is unlawful or that no reasonable person would come to that admissions decision – ‘reasonable’ being used in the legal sense. This entails proving the negative impact on the school caused by going over numbers is out-weighed by the potential disadvantage to your child, and that only this particular school can meet their needs.

The countdown to the Women’s Tour returning to the county has started after its official launch in Rushden.

Northamptonshire will welcome some of the world’s top female cyclists on Thursday, June 14, for stage two of the 2018 race.

It will start in Rushden at 10.30am before the cyclists make their way across the county, covering 145km over the space of three to four hours before finishing in Daventry.

Riders will pass through the market town twice during this stage as part of a challenging finishing circuit that will also see the peloton tackle the notoriously steep Newnham Hill twice.

Today’s official launch in honour of the county’s involvement in this prestigious sporting event was held at Rushden Lakes.

The launch included race organisers SweetSpot, Northamptonshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for public health Cllr Cecile Irving-Swift, and representatives from the borough and district councils in the county who are hosting a section of the race.

Last year’s event – the third time the Women’s Tour came to the county – was watched by 80,000 people, generating a record-breaking £1.75m for the local economy.

Northamptonshire is the only county to have featured in every edition of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour since it was launched by SweetSpot in 2014.

17 teams will take part in this year’s race, including 14 of the top 15 ranked teams in the world and four British teams.

Joe Bailey, healthy and active lifestyles officer for East Northants Council, is hoping for a ‘carnival atmosphere’ in Rushden as the cyclists gear up for a day’s cycling through the county.

Invites have gone out to primary schools in Rushden and Higham Ferrers to go along for the start of the race at Rushden’s Hall Park, where they will be able to enjoy the race build-up and then take part in a duathlon event with running and cycling.

Younger children from local pre-schools will also be invited along for a teddy bears picnic in the walled garden of Hall Park.

Other fun and games will be on offer at the park on the day and Joe said: “We are expecting about 500 kids at Hall Park.”

This will be the first time the Women’s Tour has come to Rushden, and Joe is hoping that youngsters as well as adults will be inspired by the ‘unique’ sporting event coming to their town.

Stephen Mold will now become the police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC), a day after facing a backlash for suggesting a small amount of police staff had been allowed to "swing the lead".

Governmental approval of the business case submitted by Mr Mold’s office follows a public consultation in the county last year, which found 60 percent of respondents were in favour of him taking control of the fire service's budget - instead of the cash-strapped county council.

The eight-week consultation sought opinions from people from across the county, including fire service employees, police personnel, and staff from Northamptonshire County Council.

Fire service employees were significantly in favour of the change, with 92% agreeing with the transfer plans.

Although no firm date has yet been set, governance of the fire and rescue service will move to Mr Mold’s office this autumn.

He said: “Closer collaboration between the police and the fire service can bring real benefits to our communities so I am delighted that the Home Office has approved the business case, and agree that our vision for greater blue light integration is the right step forward for Northamptonshire.

"I am confident this change in governance is in the best interests of everyone in the county."

The new PFCC will replace the current county council fire authority, which is made up of 57 councillors.

Under the new model, the commissioner will hold the chief fire officer Darren Dovey to account for service performance.

The police and fire services will continue to be "operationally independent from one another", according to Mr Mold, and responsible for the day to day running of their respective services. The services will keep their separate uniforms, and carry on delivering separate skills.

All assets relating to the fire and rescue service, including its budget, fire appliances, vehicles, equipment and buildings will transfer to the commissioner’s office. The PFCC will also be the employer of fire and rescue staff.

He added: “There is scope for developing more aligned strategic plans for police and fire and increasing further collaboration. We would look at opportunities for joint attendance at incidents, providing joint crime and fire prevention advice, sharing more buildings and support functions, and having joint procurement. This would both increase effectiveness and efficiency.”

The budget for the fire service was previously part of Northamptonshire County Council’s overall budget. However, under the new governance arrangements, this budget will now transfer to the Commissioner and be ring-fenced and collected as part of each household’s council tax.

The fire and rescue service precept will be shown separately from the total council tax – just as the police precept currently is.

The police, fire and crime commissioner will then allocate a budget to the Chief Fire Officer to run the organisation, in the same way he does currently with the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police.

Chief fire officer Darren Dovey added: “I am pleased the wait is over and we now know who will be governing the fire and rescue service and can begin to develop our plans for the future.

“Ensuring that we are able to keep the people of Northamptonshire safe is our number one priority and I am very much looking forward to working with Stephen Mold to develop a strategic vision for the fire service that supports the needs of the communities we serve."

Minister for policing and fire, Nick Hurd, added: "Collaboration presents a real opportunity to improve the services provided to the people of Northamptonshire.

“There is strong local support for these proposals, which will encourage innovative thinking, joint working and the sharing of best practice."

The county’s police and crime commissioner has been forced to  make an apology to the force’s staff after suggesting some had not been pulling their weight.

Stephen Mold made the damning comments to the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Panel on Tuesday, after he was hauled over the coals for the county police force’s recent ‘requires improvement’ rating from the Home Office.

Last month, the force was deemed to be not meeting the standard in most judged areas and not carrying out basic policing duties.

Mr Mold, who has been in office for almost two years, said Northamptonshire Police still has a "cultural problem" and said that a handful of people have been "allowed to get away with swinging the lead or not working as hard as they should be.”

Mr Mold told the panel of an incident in which an officer let a handbag snatcher off with the crime because he did not have the time to deal with it.

He added that he would only be giving his chief constable Simon Edens a short time to turn the performance of the county force around.

But the comments immediately sparked a backlash.

Yesterday, Northamptonshire’s Police Federation, a body that looks after the interests of serving officers, tweeted that it would be obtaining an “explanation” from Mr Mold.

Chief Constable Simon Edens also took to social media.

“Despite unprecedented pressure on policing (fewer resources, greater demands), our workforce here remain focused and committed,” he said via Twitter, though he declined the offer to comment.

His tweet was shared 50 times and 'liked' close to 200 times.

Yesterday (Wednesday), Mr Mold sent staff an internal memo apologising for the comments, stressing that he was only referring to a minority of staff. It is understood he will be meeting the police federation this week.

In a statement to the Chron, he said: “I am sad that my remarks have caused concern amongst the hard-working, committed officers and staff of Northamptonshire Police – that was truly never my intention.

"My comment was that – as in every organisation – there is a very small minority of people who are not working as well as they could. This is something that both the Chief Constable and I agree should be dealt with as we work to improve the performance of the Force.

“But I have always been clear, both in public and in private, how proud I am of the officers and staff of Northamptonshire Police, who work with dedication to provide the best possible policing service to the people of this county, in very challenging circumstances and who do their utmost to keep this county safe.

“I would not wish the remarks I made this week, about a very limited number of people, to overshadow the awe I feel every day when I see the selfless hard work of the vast majority of officers and staff, day in, day out. My gratitude to those people is total and I know that my appreciation is shared by people across Northamptonshire.”

A Daventry village boxing club for young people aged 10 and older has been given £1,000 by the team at Amazon's fulfilment centre.

Members of the Amazon Daventry team visited the Weedon Boxing Academy to deliver the donation and joined the club’s members in a boxing class.

The donation will be used to fit scaffolding inside the boxing hall to hang additional punch bags and improve the layout of the hall, giving more space to the boxing club.

Aaron Hill from Weedon Boxing Academy said: “Boxing has such a positive influence on our young people, and we love seeing the smiles it brings to their faces when they participate.

"The club helps children in our community by providing them with a positive space to play and meet new, supportive people. Thank you to the team at Amazon for this support.”

The donation forms part of the “Amazon in the Community” programme whereby the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK.

Speaking on the donation, Victor Pulido, site leader at the Amazon Daventry fulfilment centre, said: “It is a pleasure to support the Weedon Boxing Academy. Boxing is a fun and empowering form of exercise, and we’re delighted to play a part in helping the club continue to offer its services across the community.”