A 29-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following an incident at Gilbert Scott Court in Towcester yesterday morning (Friday).

Sean Kelly, also of Gilbert Scott Court, has been remanded in custody.

Emergency services including police, ambulance and fire officers were called to the incident at 8.40am.

The victim remains in a critical condition at University Hospital, Coventry.

Neighbourhood policing inspector Kev Byrne said: “I’d like to reassure the local community that yesterday’s incident was an isolated one, though clearly very traumatic for the victim and her family who we are supporting through this difficult time.

“Incidents like this are, thankfully, extremely rare and Towcester is a very safe place to live and work in.

“Our neighbourhood policing teams will remain in the area today to speak to the public and offer reassurance.”

Police investigating the murder of a man in Brackley on Monday (June 25) have today named him.

He is 23-year-old Augustus (known as Gus) Davies from Brackley.

Chief Superintendent Mick Stamper said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Davies’ family and friends and specialist officers are continuing to support them.

“They are devastated by what has happened and we asked that they be allowed to come to terms with their loss without intrusion at this very difficult time.

“The investigation is continuing and anyone with information that may assist the inquiry is asked to contact the incident room on 101 as soon as possible.”

Gus’s family have issued the following statement: “Gus was taken from his family and friends too soon.

“He had unconditional love for all of us and was very popular and had many friends.

“He was a beautiful boy inside and out and will always be remembered for his cheeky exterior.

“He will be sorely missed and forever in our heart.

“At this sad time we would ask to be allowed to grieve as a family and given some respect.”

Three people have been charged with murder following the death of 23-year-old Augustus Davies, known as Gus, last Monday (June 25).

Robert Fields, 22, Simon Atherton, 42, both from Brackley, and Amanda Butler, 39, from Croughton, have also been charged with money laundering.

In addition, Atherton and Butler have been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs - cocaine, heroin and MDMA, and Class B – cannabis.

All three have been remanded in custody to appear before Northampton Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Monday, July 2).

Two other people, a 52-year old man and a 67-year-old woman, who were arrested last Friday on suspicion of assisting an offender, have been released from custody under investigation.

Detective Inspector Justine Wilson, who is leading the investigation, said: “My heartfelt sympathies go to Gus’s family and friends at this devastating time.

“This is a complex, large-scale investigation and I’d like to thank the local community and the public for their help and support over the past few days.

”This is still very much a live investigation and we continue to appeal for information.

“If you saw anything suspicious in the St James Lake or Old Town areas of Brackley last Monday, 25 June, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information about the incident can call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 259 of 25/6/18.

If they wish to remain anonymous, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MAY 2:

Gary Buckseall, aged 30, of Kingthorn Close, Greens Norton, driving without due care and attention; fined £202, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with five points.

Leon Clayton, aged 21, of Spring Gardens, Oxford Close, Daventry, failed to comply with solid white line markings; fined £200, costs £85. No test certificate; fined £200. No insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, licence endorsed with eight points. Failed to produce a licence; fined £200.

Martin Marks, aged 45, of Friars Close, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; fined £400, surcharge £40, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Stefania Mihailescu, of Bowden Road, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; fined £200, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Craig Mitchell, aged 27, of Malcolm Drive, Northampton, no insurance; fined £512, surcharge £51, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Kimberley Smith, aged 27, of Malcolm Drive, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £104. No insurance; fined £314, surcharge £31, costs £85. Faulty tyre; no separate penalty. Driving without due care and attention; fined £209, licence endorsed with six points.

Stephen Hart, aged 32, of Chantelle Court, Headlands, Daventry, no insurance; fined £234, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with eight points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £78. No test certificate; no separate penalty.

Busanisizwe Masuku, aged 26, of Gibbs Acre Court, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £200, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Sundras Simanis, aged 33, of Balfour Close, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £200. No test certificate; fined £200.

Calin Turcan, aged 29, of Wheatfield Road North, Northampton, no insurance; fined £226, surcharge £30 and costs £85, banned from driving for 15 months. Failed to comply with a red light; fined £75.

MAY 3:

Daniel Collett, aged 30, of Hemans Road, Headlands, Daventry, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 69mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £687, surcharge £68, costs £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Susan Bruce, aged 30, of Northwood Road, Northampton, damaged a window; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £20.

Declan Franklin, aged 20, of Randall Road, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £80, surcharge £30 and costs £85.

Ioan Ionut, aged 60, of Kettering Road, Northampton, stole goods worth £32.15 from Asda Stores; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £20. Failed to surrender to custody; conditional discharge for 12 months.

George Pavlou, aged 23, of Station Road, Earls Barton, dangerous driving, driving not in accordance with a licence, no insurance; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Ciprian Radu, aged 23, of Charles Street, Northampton, stole/damaged a jacket worth £45 belonging to Superdry; conditional discharge for 12 months, compensation of £45, surcharge £20, costs £85. Failed to surrender to custody.

Paul Martin, aged 42, of St Leonards Court, Northampton, threatened B&Q staff that property belonging to B&Q would be damaged; fined £40, surcharge £30, costs £85. Assault; fined £40.

Malik Speede, aged 35, of no fixed abode, assault; jailed for four months, compensation £115. Possession of an offensive weapon; jailed for four months consecutive.

Gary Greenway, aged 45, of Oriel Road, Daventry, possession of a class B drug; fined £80. Possession of cannabis; fined £80, surcharge £30, costs £85. Failed to surrender to custody; fined £40.

Shay Dorling, aged 38, of Watermeadow Drive, Thorplands, Northampton, failed to provide a breath test; community order made to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £960, banned from driving for 36 months.

MAY 4:

Vitalijus Belovas, aged 36, of Abington Street, Northampton, stole a BMW steering wheel and iDrive computer worth £1,500; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Ramunas Radzevicius, aged 25, of St Andrew’s Court, St Andrew’s Street, Northampton, stole a BMW steering wheel and iDrive computer worth £1,500; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

MAY 5:

Jessica Malpass, aged 28, of no fixed abode, failed to comply with a supervision order; fined £60, costs £60.

MAY 7:

Jordon Chisholm, aged 23, of no fixed abode, harassment; jailed for eight weeks, surcharge £115, costs £85. Similar charge involving another person; jailed for eight weeks consecutive.

Albert Cirstea, aged 18, of Southampton Road, Northampton, stole clothing worth £633.73 belonging to TK Maxx; fined £80, surcharge £30 and costs £45.

Peter Lambe, aged 38, of Edith Street, Northampton, stole four bottles of whiskey worth £55.96 from B&M Stores; jailed for four weeks, surcharge £115, costs £85. Failed to surrender to custody; jailed for four weeks consecutive.

Mihai Neacsu, aged 26, of Southampton Road, Northampton, stole clothing worth £633.73 belonging to TK Maxx; fined £80, surcharge £30, costs £45.

Sun, speed and a soapbox race.

Welton village hosted its fifth annual soapbox derby on Saturday and race organier Chris Barlow has confirmed it will be back again next year on June 29.

“The event is now in its fifth year and I feel like it’s becoming well-established in the area and across the country,” said Chris.

“I think the weather absolutely put many cherries on many cakes.”

“Overall it was an amazing day, the vibe was just superb,” he added.

“You see everybody come together, a great community spirit and camaraderie between the teams.”

On the day, 40 teams took part in 100 runs down the challenging course, which features a fearsome left-hander where a number of carts have been written off.

Winning the 12-15 category was the Black Bullet with a 42.6 seconds run. Runner-up was the Wilson Flyer (43.9s) followed by Performance Juniors (48.3s).

In the 16 and over category, Team Proformance took gold thanks to its 37.6s run, beating Acceleramus’ 38.9s and The Hoglet Evo’s 39.2s.

Fastest through the speed gun was the Isle of Wight’s Team Streamline whose soapbox was clocked at 37mph.

The Welton derby’s creativity category never fails to deliver and this year’s trophy was won by village residents whose Martin’s Nightmare Sicksaw impressed the judges the most.

In second place was the Union Jack shield-wielding Celtic inspired soapbox Boudicca, closely followed by the Flying Dead Pig bravely ridden by a leather-clad man on his knees.

Click through our gallery to see this year’s runners and riders.

Between 10pm on June 25 and 3am on June 26 a large quantity of copper has been stolen from the roof of All Saints Church, Norton, this has caused some considerable damage to the church roof.

This follows the recent news that lead was taken from the chancel roof of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Watford.

Northamptonshire Police are looking for any information people may have on any suspicious activity that occurred overnight when the copper was taken.

They are looking specifically for a vehicle described as looking similar to a Ford KA or a 4x4, possibly a Vauxhall Frontera or Land Rover Freelander that has been seen acting suspiciously in the village recently.

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting crime reference number 18000297008.

"We ask those who live Norton and other rural communities to be extra vigilant, especially if you live near to a historic church, and call any suspicious activity to us on 999," said PCSO Kirsten Bates.

Plans to build a farm in a county village which would be home to 70,000 game birds have been approved despite residents’ concerns about smells.

The proposal looked to change the use of the land between Clipston and Sibbertoft for the rearing of game birds, as well as for the purposes of keeping of livestock.

But local residents, as well as Clipstone Parish Council, registered their fears that intensive bird farming may well increase excessive unpleasant smells in the area.

At a planning committee of Daventry District Council on Wednesday June 27, one resident told councillors: “Putting birds on this land on such a large scale does not sit comfortably.

“Seventy thousand defecating birds is a problem in the making and will have a detrimental effect.”

The parish council also felt that the farm would affect ‘unspoilt countryside views’ by the erection of sheds and pens needed to house the birds.

Fourteen letters of objection from nearby residents also felt the farm could affect ancient monuments in the adjacent fields.

But planning officers at the council advised that the proposal ‘would not result in a harmful impact to the setting of designated heritage assets, nor will it result in a harmful impact to the amenities of nearby residential properties through noise and smells’.

Councillor Cecile Irving-Swift, who sits on the planning committee, said: “I can appreciate the concerns of residents regarding the smell.

“But would it be possible to give a temporary planning application instead?”

A motion to give planning permission for four years was agreed by the committee.

A classic car festival topped off by an aerobatic flight display has helped a Daventry community raise money to repair its Grade I listed church.

Watford’s Classics on the Green was attended by around 600 people and featured 60 classic vehicles - cars, fire engines and buses.

BBC Northampton radio presenter Bernie Keith opened the proceedings, which were brought to a close with the support of the Blades aerobatics team who performed a brief display over the village.

The money raised from Classics on the Green will go towards the repair and restoration of the village’s Church of St Peter & St Paul.

There’s a new sport to try out at Daventry Country Park this summer for those with a sense of adventure.

Sessions in stand-up paddle boarding are being offered on Saturdays between now and the end of September thanks to Maizu SUP.

Lessons costs £20 per person for one hour 15 minutes, including hire of all equipment together with expert tuition from Maizu SUP’s fully-qualified instructors.

Experienced stand-up paddler boarders with their own equipment are also welcome to join in.

In coastal areas, stand-up paddle boarding has established itself both as a recreational activity and a highly competitive, international water sport. Its popularity on inland waters is now growing, with new clubs and communities springing up on lakes, canals and rivers every year.

Maizu SUP instructor Katie Drewett said: “Stand-up paddle boarding is easy to learn and quick to master, but above all – it’s a lot of fun. We’re really pleased to be able to offer stand-up paddle boarding at Daventry Country Park this year. Join us this summer and try the UK’s fastest growing water sport for yourself.”

Councillor Alan Hills, portfolio holder for community, culture and leisure on Daventry District Council, said: “This is something a bit different and it’s a great opportunity for people to enjoy the water safely under some expert guidance.”

Participants must be aged 12 or over and competent swimmers. A responsible adult must accompany attendees between the ages of 12 and 17. Visit www.maizu.co.uk

A former semi-professional rugby player is offering inspiration to those who want to trim down after shedding nine stone.

Ian Stuart went to slimming sessions with Weight Watchers as well as having gastric sleeve surgery.

Now he can fit into one leg of the trousers he once wore at 25 stone.

The battle of the bulge started for Ian, 54, from Long Buckby, after he broke his neck 20 years ago during a rugby scrum.

Before the injury to his neck, Ian was heavy but considered fit and healthy. However, after the injury, he was not able to get about as he once did and rugby was a thing of the past.

He said: “I hate to admit it but I became a food addict. Losing the rugby affected me and I lost all motivation. I lived for takeouts and beer. I was comfort eating and couldn’t stop and by 2011 I weighed 25 stone. My kidneys were in trouble and I began having heart issues because of the increase in fluid in my body. To top it off, I also had type 2 diabetes.”

In 2016 Ian was offered a gastric sleeve to curb his appetite if he could prove he really wanted to lose the weight. He was referred to Weight Watchers and has shed the stones before and after surgery, now tipping the scales at 16 stone.

A female healthcare worker is under arrest on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six babies after an investigation of a neo-natal unit.

The arrest comes as part of a long-running police investigation following a high number of baby deaths at Countess of Chester Hospital, initially between June 2015 and June 2016.

Police say the investigation has since widened and they are now looking into the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between the period of March 2015 and July 2016.

Police have not said if the arrested woman is a nurse, doctor or other health professional.

Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said: “The investigation into the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing. Since it was first launched in May 2017, a dedicated team of detectives have been working tirelessly on this case.

“This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation and, as you can appreciate, we need to ensure we do everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.

“When the investigation was first launched it was focusing on the deaths of 15 babies that occurred between the period of June 2015 and June 2016.

“In addition the investigation was also conducting a review of six non-fatal collapses during the same period.

“Since the start of our enquiries and, as the information gathering process has continued, the scope of the investigation has now widened. We are now currently investigating the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between the period of March 2015 and July 2016.

“Due to the nature of the case and, as part of our ongoing enquiries, we have consulted with a number of medical specialists to ensure that we carry out as thorough an investigation as possible. We have also spoken to a large number of people to gather as much information as we can.

“As a result of our ongoing enquiries we have today arrested a healthcare professional in connection with the investigation. She was arrested earlier this morning on suspicion of murder in relation to eight of the babies and attempted murder in relation to six of the babies and is currently in custody.

“Whilst this is a significant step forward in our enquiries it is important to remember that the investigation is very much active and ongoing at this stage. There are no set timescales for this coming to a conclusion but we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation as soon as possible.

“We recognise that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public. Parents of all the babies are continuing to be kept fully updated and are being supported throughout the process by specially trained officers. This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children.

“At this stage we are unable to go into any further details about the investigation but as soon as we are able to provide any further updates we will do.

“If anyone has any information that they want to pass onto the investigation team they are encouraged to get in touch via the Operation Hummingbird mailbox at operation.hummingbird@cheshire.pnn.police.uk

The second week of Northamptonshire Police’s summer drink and drug drive campaign, running during the 2018 World Cup, has resulted in 12 arrests.

In the period from June 22 to 28, two people were arrested in Northamptonshire for drug driving offences and 10 people were arrested for drink driving.

The enforcement activities, which include roadside breath and drug tests, form part of Operation Ticket, which is a wider programme of policing activities aimed at keeping the public safe from harm during the football season.

Matt O'Connell, Safer Roads Team leader, said: “It is always surprising that there are still people who will risk their lives, and the lives of others, by getting behind the wheel of a car when they are under the influence of drink or drugs.

“If someone gets caught drink driving, the financial consequences can also be huge. I don’t think it occurs to everyone that if they are caught they will lose their licence for a minimum of a year and for some people this can lead to the loss of their jobs. It really isn’t worth the risk of losing your life or your livelihood.”

Last year, 709 motorists were caught driving while under the influence of alcohol in Northamptonshire. A total of 46 drivers were caught drug driving.

Northamptonshire Police issued the following drink driving advice:

-Beware the morning after. You could be over the legal limit many hours after your last drink, even if it’s the morning after. Sleep and coffee do not help to sober a person up, time is the only way to get alcohol out of your system.

-Plan ahead. If you are planning to go out to drink alcohol, also organise how to get home. For example, agree on a designated driver, save a taxi number to your phone or find out about public transport options before you go out.

-Don’t offer an alcoholic drink to someone you know is planning to drive. Even this simple step could potentially reduce the number of people who are killed and injured every year by drink driving.

-Don’t accept a lift from a driver you know has consumed alcohol. This action could potentially save your life and might make him or her think twice about their actions.

Northamptonshire Police issued the following drug driving advice:

-Take care with medication. Some medication may affect your ability to drive. Remember it is illegal to drive if you have certain drugs above a specified level in your blood.

-Take advice from GP/pharmacist. Seek medical advice if you are unsure whether you can drive safely while taking prescribed medicine.

-Don’t risk a ban or prison sentence. Driving under the influence of drugs is extremely dangerous and can affect driving skills. If you are caught and convicted you could face a driving ban, large fine and a prison sentence.

-Don’t underestimate the effect of cannabis. Cannabis slows reaction and decision times. It can also distort perception of time and distance and result in poorer concentration and control of the vehicle.

-Be aware of the impact of cocaine use. This can lead to a sense of over-confidence with users typically performing higher risk, more aggressive manoeuvres at greater speeds.

To find out more about the laws regarding drink and drug driving, visit here.

Several litters of kittens are among the cats taken in by the RSPCA’s county branch in recent weeks.

The Northamptonshire branch of the animal charity is feeling the squeeze with more than 80 cats in its care.

Among these are 30 kittens, many of which have come from five litters who were all found without their mother around.

Polly Underwood, adoptions co-ordinator for the RSPCA’s Northamptonshire branch, said: “As an animal welfare charity we continue to take in unwanted and abandoned cats.

“We currently have 86 cats in our care and 30 of them are kittens.

“Since the start of the year we have had a high number of cats come through our doors and many have found their new and forever homes but there are still many more who are waiting.

“As well as the cats that are waiting, we continue to take in increased numbers of cats and kittens from all over the county.

“Over the summer months more cats spend time outdoors and those that become sick or injured, are not microchipped and have no owner, will come into our care.

“More litters are being born at this time of year and in the last few weeks we have had five litters of kittens come in to us, all found outside with no mother around.

“We have also had unwanted litters of mum and kittens come in as well as helping those people in need who have had a change in circumstances and can no longer keep their cat.”

With the numbers of cats coming in on the increase, the county branch is looking for foster homes to support them while the cats are in their care, as well as looking for new and loving homes.

And Polly added: “All cats that are re-homed from the branch are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and a home visit will always take place.

“We work on a perfect match process and always ensure it is the right cat for the adopter and the right adopter for the cat.”

Anyone interested in adopting a cat can fill out the form by clicking here

The county branch is also having a cat re-homing event from 5pm to 8pm on Wednesday, July 11, which people are welcome to attend.

For more details about fostering call 01604 881317.

Northamptonshire County Council staff are being offered voluntary redundancy.

The authority is turning to its payroll bill to find part of the £50m-plus worth of savings needed over the next 12 months.

A total of 3,400 permanent staff are employed by the authority.

But staff in the fire service, children’s department, adult social workers and LGSS external service cannot apply to leave.

It also looks like there will be a vacancy freeze and there will be a review of agency staff use.

Leader of Northamptonshire County Council Cllr Matt Golby said: “As part of the council’s ongoing efforts to face up to its significant financial challenges we are currently exploring ways of which we can make further savings.

“As part of this managers are being asked to review whether vacancies need to be filled, review the use of agency staff and to understand what appetite there might be for voluntary redundancy.

“When we have this information we will be able to plan future service priorities in the light of the resources available to us.

“We hope these measures will be sufficient to meet our aims but if we need to make further difficult decisions we will not shy away from doing so.”

A finance report to be considered by the cabinet next week says that the ‘forecast monitoring  position has changed significantly from the prior period’ and ‘in-year spending reductions will have to take place outside of a process of reductions being identified by service departments.’

Cuts to services proposed so far include the stopping of funding to 21 libraries and a reduction of the winter gritting service.

The report states: “Officers have been working with cabinet to develop a workforce reduction plan.

“Since it is proving challenging to identify further sustainable spending reductions in third party spend the only available source of readily available spending reduction is the county council’s payroll cost.

“At this stage it is difficult to estimate the full-year impact of the programme.

“It is vital that it moves with pace so that at least a half-year effect can be gained, with the on-going full year impact contributing to the council’s challenging 2019/20 savings target.”

Lib Dem county councillor Chris Stanbra said the situation is ‘very sad and an indictment of the way the Conservatives have run the county council.’

He said: “I really feel for the staff.

“There will be some that want to take the voluntary redundancy but for many others they will not want to do it.

“They will then have a huge worry that if they don’t take voluntary redundancy they may then be forced to leave at a later date and possibly on less favourable financial terms.

“The work that needs to be done will then fall on less and less staff.

“People will have to be taking on extra responsibility and at this present time with the savings needed and work for unitary there is lots to be done.”

Staff will be given access to a ready reckoner to work out their potential redundancy package.

They can then apply for voluntary redundancy through an expression of interest form on the council’s internal web system.

Heads of service will be required to ‘encourage applications in lower risk services’.

All agency staff are recruited through LGSS Opus which is jointly run by Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire  and Suffolk county councils.

The county council cabinet will vote on whether to approve the redundancy measures at its next meeting at One Angel Square at 2pm on July 10.

Lizzy Bowen was "automatically disqualified" from her Whittlebury seat on South Northamptonshire Council last month because, as per the 1972 Local Government Act, she did not attend a formal council or committee meeting during a six-month period.

The last meeting Councillor Bowen attended, as per SNC's website, was a full council meeting on October 18, 2017. She sent apologies for a full council meeting on February 28 this year.

In a scathing response, the outgoing cabinet member has claimed she was let down on an agreement made with the leader of SNC and the county councillor for her district, who was to cover her Whittlebury duties

Councillor Bowen also says she was not told about being close to timing out and not advised that she could have asked for an extension to the exclusion rule that would have gone to a council vote.

Today she announced she has staood down from her adult social care cabinet role on the county council in which she oversaw the largest budget at the authority.

"There is only so much stress I will put up with and it is therefore with great sadness that I will return to the back benches at NCC," said Councillor Bowen (Con, Nene Valley).

"I have delayed taking this action until now because working with Anna Earnshaw and her team has been the most rewarding job of my varied career and I desperately didn’t want to let them down.

"The department do the most amazing job in very difficult circumstances. I will really miss working in cabinet with them."

She added: "I am available seven days a week, not just informally measured meetings, but on the phone, responding to letters and emails, reviewing documents, plans and budget papers."

Councillor Bowen's disqualification triggered a by-election in her SNC ward, which was won by Liberal Democrat Abigail Medina by a 130 vote margin.

Newly-elected Councillor Medina received 366 votes beating Conservative candidate Martin Barter's 236 votes and Labour's Adrian Scandrett's 44.

"At NCC I have responsibility for adult social care which in the current environment needs all my energy and reserves as we try to ensure we can meet the growing needs of our ageing and vulnerable population in challenging financial circumstances," said Councillor Bowen.

"This is as important for South Northants as anywhere else in the county, as they have a high level of elderly residents there.

"So I was truly shocked and saddened to receive notification and only after residents knew.

"I am very disappointed having put so much effort into my ward that I could not continue to see it through. I feel let down by the system."

She added: "For me this questions my faith in 'doing the right thing' and by putting the needs of the vulnerable in the community above my own.

"It is situations like these that put people off politics and only serves to damage the reputation of the Conservative party."

Leader of the county council Councillor Matt Golby said: “I have today accepted the resignation of Cllr Bowen from her position as cabinet member for adult social care.

“I would like to thank her for everything she has done in this role. Following this resignation I will be looking at what changes are required within cabinet and will announce further changes to our team in due course.”

Daventry's MP has responded to the town residents' complaints of anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and noise-related concerns linked to recent traveller sites across the town.

Chris Heaton-Harris posted on his official website to speak on the issue concerning his constituents.

Travellers have been relocating at various spaces in Daventry for several weeks and were given notice to leave The Hollows by Northamptonshire County Council last week.

"The setting up of illegal traveller sites can be a nuisance for local communities and an inappropriate development of open space," wrote Mr Heaton-Harris.

"I am pleased that the latest count found that 87 per cent of traveller caravans across England were on authorised sites, up three per cent points from the year previous.

"Whilst this is encouraging progress, more must be done, with many local residents across England concerned about anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, and noise related to unauthorised sites. Daventry town has clearly recently become victim to many of these issues.

"It must be said that the vast majority of the travelling community are decent law-abiding people, however, it has come to my attention from constituents that lines have been crossed in this most recent case."

The Daventry MP raised the issue with Ian Vincent, the chief executive of the district council, who along with the police have the power to remove travellers.

In response, Mr Vincent wrote: "There are measures in place at all council-owned parks and open spaces to deter unlawful access.

"We understand how frustrating it is for local residents when their access to parks and open spaces is disrupted in this way and are doing everything legally possible, working with the police and other partners, to investigate the damage to property, ensure unauthorised encampments are move on as soon as practically possible and prevent future problems.

"Any problems or concerns should be reported directly to the council, ideally via the website's 24-hour reporting facility, or to the police as appropriate."

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MAY 8:

Ali Ali, aged 37, of Bourne Crescent, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; fined £270, surcharge £30 and costs £180, banned from driving for six months.

Martin Roche, aged 54, of Plydell Gardens, Northampton, harassment; community order made, surcharge £85, costs £160.

MAY 9:

Dean Foster, aged 36, of Cloutsham Street, Northampton, failed to comply with a supervision order; fined £100, costs £60.

Jonathan Griffin, aged 40, of Kingsland Gardens, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealth with original offence of burglary, fined £300, ordered to pay costs of £60.

Andris Kravalis, aged 38, of Dore Close, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence of false documentation, jailed for six weeks. Failed to surrender to custody; jailed for two weeks.

Robert Jarcau, aged 19, of Harborough Road, Northampton, stole alcohol worth £813.50 belonging to Morrisons; conditional discharge for two years, surcharge £20 and costs £650.

David Cooke, aged 39, of Montague Crescent, Northampton, assault; jailed for

12 weeks, compensation

£350, surcharge £115 and costs £750.

Gheorghe Iacob, aged 26, of Allen Road, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; fined £100, surcharge £30 and costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Cosmin Zara, aged 29, of Mallard Close, Northampton, no insurance; fined £230, surcharge £30 and costs £85, banned from driving for six months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £155.

Jamie Jenner, aged 21, of Blackwell Hill, West Hunsbury, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £318, surcharge £31 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Beata Kulinksa, aged 34, of Argyle Street, Northampton, driving at speeds exceeding 30mph limit; fined £92, surcharge £20 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Peter Brown, aged 63, of North Western Avenue, Northampton, failed to stop at an accident; fined £200, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with eight points. Failed to report an accident to a police officer; fined £200.

Jeanette Fowley, aged 59, of Carlyle Avenue, Northampton, failed to report an accident to a police officer; fined £182, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Gintautas Ivinskis, aged 44, of Spinney Way, Northampton, driving at 50mph in a 30mph zone; fined £351, surcharge £35 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Vidmantas Tamasauskas, aged 60, of St Pauls Road, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; fined £208, surcharge £30 and costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Michael Connors, aged 34, of Kingscroft Court, Great Billing, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Michal Duchna, aged 34, of South Oval, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Kelvin Taylor, aged 55, of Flying Dutchman Way, Timken, Daventry, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Kieron Taylor, aged 49, of Park Drive, Kings Heath, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220. No insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £80.

Ashleigh Bryant, aged 28, of no fixed abode, used

violence to enter home; community order made, surcharge £85, costs £85. Damaged

a door; community order made.

Northamptonshire Police are enacting a recovery plan to help them deal with a backlog of Freedom of Information requests.

The force is currently not meeting maximum 20-day limits to respond to requests for information.

They say their backlog of requests has been caused partly by staff having to meet tough GDPR demands and because of ‘unprecedented demand.’

The Freedom of Information Act allows members of the public and other bodies to request information from public organisations to allow them to scrutinise how money is spent and how the organisation is performing.

It aims to increase transparency and public accountability.

FOI officers have 20 working days to respond to requests for information, a guideline set down by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Northamptonshire Police have usually met this target in the past and have been one of the county’s more efficient FOI responders.

A force spokesman said: “Northamptonshire Police’s Information Team receives approximately 1,000 Freedom of Information requests per year with over 500 in the past six months alone.

“The GDPR framework has also been launched recently, creating a higher volume of work for the team.

“Responding to an FOI request often involves the collection of complex information from departments across the force. At a time of unprecedented demand, not only on the information team, but also on other departments across the force, responses to FOI requests are taking longer than usual and we appreciate the public’s patience during this busy time.

“The Information Commissioner’s Office has been made aware of our current position and the high level of demand we are currently experiencing.”

An ICO spokesperson said: “We are aware that Northamptonshire Police has been experiencing delays in processing freedom of information request responses.

“We have been told that this was due to staffing issues but that the force hopes to have the backlog of requests under control shortly. We are keeping the existing situation under review.”

Here is our guide to this weekend's British Grand Prix.

Northamptonshire Police continues to get an unfair amount of funding from government, according to the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

The comments from Stephen Mold came in his annual report for 2017-18. Mr Mold, who won at the ballot box as a Conservative candidate two years ago, has criticised Theresa May’s Tory government in his report, saying: “Policing in Northamptonshire faces ever greater demands on its budget.

“I have continued to raise my concerns with the Government that Northamptonshire Police does not get a fair funding settlement when compared to other police forces. Whilst I accept there is only a finite amount of money they can commit to policing, I do not believe the way this money is allocated is fair or equitable.”

Currently, the Police Funding Formula gives Northamptonshire Police £73m of its £123m budget, with the rest being raised from council tax precepts.

Earlier this year, the Home Office and police partners discussed potential changes to the police funding formula, and those changes will be revisited at the next police spending review.

Mr Mold says he has spent ‘a great deal of time and effort lobbying central government to recognise the weaknesses in the way policing is funded’ and how Northamptonshire Police has been historically underfunded. It is, he says, ‘a situation which has placed real pressures on the delivery of frontline policing in our county'.

He added: “I now look forward to a conclusion of the fairer funding formula review which I hope will yield a better outcome for Northamptonshire in the long term.

“This is vitally important as we currently get a raw deal for money per head of population in comparison to other police forces of a similar size – who receive more cash per person than we do.

“This is a situation which needs to be addressed and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we get a fairer settlement. Despite the funding pressures however, I will continue to ensure that I work closely with the Chief Constable to ensure the £123m we receive to provide policing in Northamptonshire is spent wisely.”