The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MAY 10

Andrew Hector, aged 32, of Wellingborough Road, Earls Barton, drug-driving; community order made to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months. Similar charge; community order made to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for 24 months. Possession of class A drug; community order made. Failed to stop when required to do so by a police officer; no separate penalty.

Olegs Jermolajevs, aged 29, of Overstone Road, Northampton, damaged a lamp, television and tablet belonging to Ibis Hotel; community order made, compensation £400, surcharge £85 and costs £85.

Gavin York, aged 40, of Lodge Close, Grange Park, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 95mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made, surcharge £85 and costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months. No insurance; no separate penalty. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Saleh Abdallah, aged 42, of Northwood Road, Northampton, driving at 52mph in a 30mph zone; fined £81, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Akinyemi Akintoye, aged 22, of Baker Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £276, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Lisa Baldwin, aged 47, of Brook Lane, Northampton, failed to give information in relation to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66 and csots £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Marcel Bangaliu, of Talan Rise, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Paul Bishop, aged 46, of Whernside Way, Duston, driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Kimberley Brockway, aged 28, of Raeburn Road, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Angela Carr, aged 43, of Woodward Close, Southbrook, Daventry, driving at 50mph in a 30mph zone; fined £120, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Shiva Chauhan, aged 27, of Tintern Avenue, Northampton, failed to give informaion relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Stefandradu Chiriac, aged 26, of Turners Gardens, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Craig Downing, aged 36, of Stoneyhurst, Briar Hill, Northampon, driving at 67mph in a 40mph zone; fined £250, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Kieran Essam, aged 26, of Roderick Court, Roderick Way, Headlands, Daventry, driving at 85mph in a 70mph zone; fined £220, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points. No registration plate; no separate penalty.

Joe Firth, aged 23, of Stimpson Avenue, Northampton, driving at 56mph in a 30mph zone; fined £350, surcharge of £35, costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

John Fordham, aged 50, of Tweed Close, Daventry, driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220; surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Brigitta Gergely, aged 23, of Pantagenet Square, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Mark Gledhill, aged 33, of St Albans Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £440, surcharge £44, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no seperate penalty.

Shoina Henderson, aged 42, of Queen Eleanor Road, Northampton, driving at 56mph in a 30mph zone; fined £440, surcharge £44 and costs £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Mihai Ilinoiu, aged 57, of Greatmeadow, Northampton, driving at speeds of 40mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points. Driving at 53mph in a 40mph zone; fined £220, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Eailuan Lazar, aged 23, of Baker Street, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Natalie Mitchell, aged 29, of Cutler Close, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Octavian Movila, aged 26, of Bouverie Walk, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with seven points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No test certificate; no separate penalty.

Daniel O’Hanlon, aged 41, of Tennyson Road, Headlands, Daventry, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Darell Osbourne, aged 49, of Arbour Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points. Failed to produce an insurance document when asked by a police officer; no separate penalty.

Ashley Painter, aged 41, of Harlestone Road, Northampton, driving at 54mph in a 30mph zone; fined £500, surcharge £50, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Amanda Phoenix, aged 50, of Webb Close, Crick, driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £44, surcharge £30 and cost £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Laura Piliutyte, aged 28, of Nicholls Court, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £260, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Nicole Roberts, aged 31, of Arlbury Road, Northampton, driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Katarzyna Sieczkowska, aged 32, of Kingston Close, Headlands, Daventry, driving at 39mph in a 30mph zone; fined £130, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with three points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Fortune Simmons, aged 21, of Sheaf Street, Daventry, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Aleksandrs Stephans, aged 25, of Robert Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Northamptonshire County Council’s shared service partnership with two neighbouring authorities is to come under the microscope.

Local Government Shared Services (LGSS ) provides a large chunk of NCCs services such as payroll, HR, revenue collection, IT and legal services.

Yesterday (July 10) in an unusual move the Conservative councillor responsible for finance Cllr Michael Clarke asked the finance scrutiny committee, which is chaired by opposition Labour councillor Mick Scrimshaw, to have a closer look at how effective LGSS is.

NCC is currently in severe financial difficulty and is making cuts across large parts of the organisation in a bid to save at least £35m this year.

Cllr Clarke said at the cabinet meeting held at One Angel Square: “One area that is troubling the cabinet is the value for money we are receiving from our commitment to LGSS.

“We need to be assured that our current investment in LGSS is bringing savings.

“Unfortunately auditors have not done a best value report on LGSS so we do not have a yard stick to measure it with.”

Last year NCC delegated about £32m of its budget to LGSS and according to the organisation’s website it has a combined delegated budget of £85m from its members.

As well as providing services to Cambridgeshire and Milton Keynes, LGSS supplies services for a number of other councils including Northampton Borough Council and Norwich City Council.

LGSS was heavily criticised in March’s damning Max Caller report which led to Secretary of State for local government James Brokenshire sending in two commissioners to oversee NCC.

In his report Mr Caller said: “LGSS claims to have delivered significant savings over its period of operation but it is very hard to see what additional saving has been produced by the structural grouping and what could have been generated by normal management action.

“Further, much of the reported saving is not more for less but routine service reductions.”

The organisation, which was set up in 2010 by former NCC chief executive Paul Blantern, is now being run by consultant Sarah Homer who is being paid £1,220 a day to oversee matters.

She replaces John Kane who earned more than £150,000 per year and left in February with a £66,000 pay-off.

A joint committee meeting of LGSS members being held at County Hall tomorrow (Thursday) will include reports on the performance of LGSS and also  recruitment agency Opus LGSS which was created and partly run by LGSS.

A paper understood to be about the how the organisation operates is being discussed in private.

The break-in took place at a house in Bliss Close, Nether Heyford, some point between 10:30pm on Wednesday (July 4) and 7am the next day.

An orange Triumph Street Triple R Motorbike - registered KU59VLX - was stolen.

A blue Jaguar was also taken but later recovered.

Other items were also taken, including a blue and white motorcycle helmet, Alpinestars GP pro leather gloves, a handbag, a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, a man’s watch, and an iPhone 6S.

Witnesses, or anyone with information about the stolen property or those involved, are asked to
contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on
0800 555111

An unarmed Northamptonshire Police officer who faced down a man brandishing a gun and claw hammer has been nominated for a Police Bravery Award.

PC Johnny Brereton has been nominated to win an award at the 23rd Police Bravery Awards in London tomorrow (July 12).

During the incident, the man - who was known to have mental health problems - made threats towards the officers and to harm himself.

At the scene, PC Brereton and a colleague could see him through a glass window in the door of his flat, sitting on the bed with a claw hammer in one hand and a metal revolver in the other.

When the man came outside holding onto the claw hammer and pointing the gun at PC Brereton, both officers were forced to withdraw to the car park

PC Brereton told his colleague to run, before he moved out into the open, drawing the man away.

At times the distance between them being as little as 12 to 15 feet which continued as he kept the man’s attention until the firearms team arrived. Following his arrest, the man admitted he had wanted to be shot by police.

Steve Pace, Chair of Northamptonshire Police Federation, said: “The bravery and professionalism shown by PC Brereton went above and beyond the normal call of duty. He showed exceptional bravery, putting his own life at risk.”

The Police Bravery Awards, which are held by the Police Federation of England and Wales and sponsored by Police Mutual, honour and recognise police officers who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.

Stephen Mann, CEO of Police Mutual, said: “Police Mutual is very proud to be supporting the Police Bravery Awards for the tenth consecutive year.

"To all of you who have been nominated, be proud of yourselves and your achievements.

"When it mattered most, you stepped up.

"You proved that your commitment to keeping the public safe did not waver, even when tested in the most trying of circumstances.

"At Police Mutual, my colleagues and I are deeply honoured to be able to show our appreciation for your bravery in keeping us safe.”

Peter Borg-Neal, CEO of popular pub-restaurant operator Oakman Inns - which has venues across Herts, Bucks, Oxon, Northants, Warwickshire and Bedfordshire - was recognised with a Pub & Bar Award at the 35th Annual ‘Cateys’ in London.

The Cateys are one of the UK’s most respected industry awards and every year the best of Britain’s chefs, hoteliers, publicans, brewers, suppliers and managers eagerly wait to see if they have been shortlisted by the distinguished judging panel.

Peter has been an integral part of the hospitality industry for almost forty years. At 16, he started work as a cellar boy and by 2002 had become a divisional director at both Allied Domecq and Whitbread. However, creating his own unique brand was now his driving force, and in 2005, he founded Oakman Inns and opened his first pub, The Akeman in Tring, in December 2007, establishing the new concept of a ‘modern public house’. Ten and a half years later, the pub group, which is ranked in the Top 20 of the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, is operating 22 distinctive pubs, employing nearly 800 people across Southern England and the West Midlands and is opening its 23rd pub, Royal Foresters in Ascot, at the end of this month.

Peter is thrilled that the work that he and his fellow professionals at Oakman Inns has been recognised by their peers. He said: “Ever since I was first flicking through the appointments section of The Caterer & Hotelkeeper as a teenager, the magazine has been a big influence in my career. Back then, I aspired to being mentioned in an article or even on to the front cover! Winning this Catey means so much to me and symbolises a significant milestone in my career. Every day, I realise how lucky I am to be working in this dynamic industry and to be supported by such a talented team.”

One Award judge, Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality’s Chief Executive, said: “A relentless focus on continuing improvement in business, community investment and people. The award recognises Peter’s commitment to bringing old buildings back to life and the regeneration impact association with it, as well as industry leadership on initiatives to do with straws single-use plastics, environmental concerns and promotion of diversity in the sector.”

Another judge, Paul Salisbury, Lovely Pubs’ MD, commented: “He won for his work promoting the industry and working on great causes. A year of exceptional growth in a tough climate.”

A Northamptonshire Healthcare survey into the care needs of Armed Forces veterans has highlighted several recommendations that could shape the future of their treatment in the county.

More than 450 people took part in the study between February and May 2018 and a report on the findings has been published today.

In particular, the report highlights the mental health needs of Armed Forces veterans and their families and some of the difficulties experienced when they leave the Forces and transition back to civilian life.

The report recommendations call for a greater awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant in the county, more timely access to suitable mental health support, and further preparation for civilian life when people leave the armed forces.

These recommendations will be addressed through the Northamptonshire Armed Forces Covenant Partnership of organisations from across the county who work closely together to ensure the Covenant aims are upheld.

Vikki Barr, Northamptonshire Armed Forces Covenant Officer said: “This report is welcomed by the partnership.

"Data is a key problem nationally for covenant partnerships and although there is a lot of national research, until now it has been unknown as to what the needs of our local community are.

"The recommendations will be addressed across the county, to ensure improvements are put in place for the benefit of our Armed Forces community.”

The Armed Forces community includes people serving in the Armed Forces as regulars or reservists, volunteers, ex-forces members (veterans) and family members of past and present service personnel.

As not much is known about the Armed Forces community in Northamptonshire, Healthwatch Northamptonshire carried out a survey on behalf of the Armed Forces Covenant Northamptonshire to find out more about the health and social care needs of this community.

Deirdre Newham MBE JP DL, Chair of the Armed Forces Covenant Partnership said: “This is a well-researched report, which gives all our partners the information needed to put in place plans to fully support our Armed Forces Communities in the county.”

The report by Healthwatch Northamptonshire will help the Armed Forces Community Covenant Partnership address issues such as the return to civilian life and mental health.

Kate Holt, CEO of Connected Together CIC (Healthwatch Northamptonshire) said: “We are pleased to have reached so many of the Armed Forces Community in Northamptonshire and have shared our findings with the University of Northampton for more in-depth analysis as part of their evaluation of the Armed Forces Covenant Partnership.

"Connected Together connects commissioners and service providers to communities and supported Healthwatch Northamptonshire to develop the AFC project.”

The work on the section of the M1 between junctions 13 and 16 will, on completion, see 60 miles of smart motorway connecting the south of England at the M25 all the way to Catthorpe (Leicestershire) at junction 19.

According to Highways England's website, the scheme will complete in March 2022.

Some enabling work has been undertaken since June ahead of next month's start date.Highways England project sponsor, Tabatha Bailey, said: “This is vital work to improve journeys through a busy stretch of the M1 and once complete, will boost the local economy by increasing capacity and supporting future housing development.

“It will provide a continuous smart motorway from the M25 all the way to junction 19 at Catthorpe. This means that a key arterial route in England will offer increased capacity and more reliable journeys for the hundreds of thousands of people that use the M1 every day.

“To make journeys more reliable, motorists using that stretch of road will be given real-time traffic information using the latest technology which will allow them to plan more efficiently.”

Narrow lanes will be in place for the duration of the work with a speed limit of 50mph.

Work officially starts on the scheme on August 8 and once completed Highways England say some £959m of benefits for the area will be delivered by "boosting productivity with less congestion and more reliable journeys".

It will also provide added-lane capacity on the motorway to support the development of new houses.

Motorists travelling through the area currently can expect to face daily traffic volumes of around 116,000 vehicles per day on each section, with that number shooting up to more than 140,000 vehicles per day on a Friday.

In amongst that mix, heavy goods vehicles include between 16 and 21 per cent of the total traffic flow.

Once complete, the work will see:
• An upgrade of junctions 13 to 16 to four lanes running with no hard shoulder to increase capacity
• 38 new emergency areas (EAs) and emergency roadside telephones will be installed at emergency areas
• provision of new superspan gantries to support variable mandatory speed Limits and driver information
• The hardening of the central reserve and installation of a rigid concrete barrier (RCB) between J13-15 to help prevent vehicle cross-overs from opposite sides of the carriageway

Almost 500 roads in Northamptonshire will no longer be gritted as a priority from October.

Today the Gusher can reveal the routes which are being downgraded – with many near schools, train stations, shops and bus stops.

It’s part of a move to save Northamptonshire County Council £475,000.

But Liberal Democrat leader on the council, Cllr Chris Stanbra (Oakley, Corby), says the move is dicing with the public’s safety.

He said: “I warned that this was not a good idea during the budget-setting process and the Tories chose to go ahead with those cuts.

“Next winter when it gets cold and icy there will be 497 roads which people are used to being gritted that won’t be.

“You can be pretty sure that as a result there will be accidents and as a result there could be injuries.

“Let’s just hope that some of those people do not lose their life.”

All 497 roads are being downgraded from the ‘precautionary’ network to the ‘adverse’ network.

Gritting is undertaken on precautionary routes whenever there is a forecast temperature of 0.5C over a 24-hour forecast period and take priority when it snows.

Roads on the adverse network, which these 497 roads will now be part of, will instead be treated in daytime hours in advance of a high confidence forecast for snow or when temperatures are not forecast to rise above zero for 48 hours. In effect, it means it will have to be much colder for much longer for these roads to be gritted.

Cllr Stanbra said the effects of the cuts would be disproportionate to the amount saved, adding: “What’s one person’s life worth?”

The move has also been criticised by Labour councillor Mick Scrimshaw (Northall, Kettering), chairman of the finance scrutiny committee.

He said: “It’s outrageous because public safety will absolutely be put at risk. We had some bad snow at the end of last year and it caused chaos.

“The public were calling for more gritting and the response from the council is to provide less gritting.”

Cllr Scrimshaw added that the council could cover the cost of its savings by using capital receipts it was planning to spend on transformation projects, which it has now been told it can’t do.

He said that capital can’t be used for gritting but by using it to cover pothole work it would free up money which could.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said the reduction in gritting would return levels to that of 10 years ago.

The spokesman said: “Given the financial challenges faced and a very difficult budget positon, further tough decisions are needed in order to deliver a balanced budget.

“The proposals this winter would see a reduction in the precautionary network from 43 per cent to 32 per cent.

“Before 2008, we gritted around 34 per cent of the network and in 2008, this was increased to 46 per cent.

“These proposals would bring gritting levels in line with those of before 2008.”

One of the roads on the list, Lyveden Way in Corby, has only been gritted since 2009 after a series of complaints because it was initially unadopted.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, urged against reducing gritting levels.

He said: “It is vital that road safety does not become a casualty of ever-more stretched council budgets. Icy roads are incredibly dangerous and it is crucial that the right precautions are taken.

“We strongly urge against any reduction in road treatment and, with 70 people killed or seriously injured on our roads every day, encourage road safety to be made more of a local investment priority.”

The downgraded Daventry area roads:

Newnham Road, Badby

Staverton Road, Badby

Bunkers Hill, Badby

Main Street, Badby

The Green Badby

Pinfold Green, Badby

Spratton Road, Brixworth

Main Street, Church Stowe

Christchurch Drive, Daventry

Badby Road West, Daventry

Tyne Road, Daventry

Thames Road, Daventry

Staverton Road, Daventry

Ashby Road, Daventry

Clare Avenue, Daventry

Cowper Road, Daventry

Hemans Road, Daventry

Burns Road, Daventry

Daneholme Avenue, Daventry

Welton Road, Daventry

St Andrews Drive, Daventry

Sunningdale Drive, Daventry

The Fairway, Daventry

Hillside, Daventry

Trafalgar Way, Daventry

Church Lane, East Haddon

Ravensthorpe Road, East Haddon

The Green, Guilsborough

Nortoft, Guilsborough

Coton Road, Guilsborough

New Road, Harlestone

Duston Road, Harlestone

Naseby Road, Haselbech

Maidwell Road, Haselbech

Loddington Road, Harrington

High Street, Harrington

Rothwell Road, Harrington

Moulton Road, Holcot

Long Buckby Road, Long Buckby

Murcott, Long Buckby

West Street, Long Buckby

King Street, Long Buckby

Haselbech Road, Maidwell

The Grove, Moulton

Holcot Road, Moulton

Haselbech Road, Naseby

Staverton Road, Newnham

Teeton Road, Ravensthorpe

High Street, Ravensthorpe

East Haddon Road, Ravensthorpe

Guilsborough Road, Ravensthorpe

Coton Road, Ravensthorpe

Brixworth Road, Spratton

Teeton Road, Spratton

Badby Lane, Staverton

Nether Heyford Road, Stowe Nine Churches

Main Street, Stowe Nine Churches

Preston Capes Road, Stowe Nine Churches

Farthingstone Road, Stowe Nine Churches

Spratton Road, Teeton

Ravensthorpe Road, Teeton

Old Road, Walgrave

Long Buckby Road, Watford

Everdon Road, Weedon

Crick Road, West Haddon

West End, West Haddon

Yelvertoft Road, West Haddon

Northampton Road, West Haddon

Yelvertoft Road, Winwick

Byfield Road, Woodford Halse

Scrivens Hill, Woodford Halse

Church View, Woodford Halse

School Street, Woodford Halse

Station Road, Woodford Halse

Hinton Road, Woodford Halse

High Street, Yelvertoft

The Gardman warehouse suffered heavy damage during the blaze, which at his peak was tackled by 50 firefighters.

There is no mention in the planning documents of fitting sprinklers. Speaking after the fire, Councillor Andre Gonzalez De Savage said the blaze could have been avoided if there had been sprinklers in the warehouse.

The application seeks planning permission to build a replica of the previous storage and distribution warehouse, offices, and other surrounding features.

Gardman had occupied the 38,686sqm, 15m high warehouse - originally built in 2017 - for less than a year before it burnt down.

VIDEO: Astonishing drone footage shows fire blazing at Daventry warehouse inferno

A report has found there is "no system" in place to use elderly patients' feedback to improve care as a whole in Northamptonshire.

A review of care across Northamptonshire by the CQC, which was published this morning (July 11), has pointed out a string of issues affecting care for people aged over 65.

It states that Northamptonshire's health services are dealing with "poor relationships, financial constraints and issues of capacity," and that healthcare groups are not working together to patients' feedback to develop how they work.

The review was launched to look at how hospitals, GPs, care homes and homecare agencies work together to prove "seamless" care for people aged over 65.

Professor Steve Field, CQC’s chief inspector of general practice, said: "While there is an intent from the system to improve how people move through health and social care services, the reality has been variable, with fragmented services, disjointed care and unsatisfactory experiences for older people.

"If an older person was admitted to hospital, they were more likely to have longer hospital stays and people’s experience of being discharged from hospital was not always timely or person-centred.

"There is a need for partners to take this important work forward at pace so that older people are seen and cared for at the right place at the right time by the right people."

Other issues included patients' experiencing "varied and sometimes unsatisfactory care" and significant workforce pressures.

They also cited there was no systematic or joined-up approach across the county to use feedback from people, their families and carers, and public involvement in the development of strategy and services.

The review was carried out in April 2018 using feedback from across the county.

It has suggested improving relationships between providers and commissioners and "sharing of lessons".

"It is with regret that I must pull out of the 'Democracy in Daventry' event at the @The_iCon_Centre on Saturday," tweeted the MP.

"Unfortunately the event appears more like a negative political campaign than an opportunity to discuss the future of Northamptonshire.

"My apologies to those going."

Danny Moody, CEO of Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils, will take part in the panel instead of our MP.

The conference, organised and chaired by Abigail Campbell, will be at the iCon Centre in Eastern Way next Saturday (July 14) from 6pm-8pm.

Read more at: https://www.daventryexpress.co.uk/news/question-time-style-debate-on-future-of-local-government-to-be-held-in-daventry-1-8561557

Horses, tennis or swimming? Enjoy all three at this family home in Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire!

In the height of summer and with Wimbledon in full swing, who doesn’t dream of a house with a swimming pool, tennis court and plenty of room courtside to drink Pimm’s?

West End House at the end of a no-through lane in the leafy village of Weston Turville in Buckinghamshire ticks all those boxes and more.

Set in more than three acres with a pond, paddocks, stables and gardens, this property offers the ultimate in stylish family living split over three floors.

Downstairs the open-plan layout is naturally light and bright and includes a newly fitted kitchen/breakfast room and family room with doors to the terrace and gardens.

The tennis court and swimming pool make this property cry out for parties and you’ll have plenty of space for overnight guests. On the first floor are five of the six bedrooms, including a master with sleek ensuite including twin basins - apparently the secret to marital bliss.

The second floor has a further bedroom and a games room.

For longer-stay guests or a perfect Airbnb, a self-contained annexe is positioned just off the entrance hall on the ground floor.

If you decide to venture out (why ever would you?) Weston Turville has a parade of shops, a school, two pubs and a church. Aylesbury town centre is just over two miles away for more extensive shopping trips, sports facilities, the Waterside Theatre, and a mainline railway station.

West End House is available through Michael Graham, Aylesbury (01296 336227).

For more information and photos, visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-AYL180071

Offers in Excess of £1,600,000.

A warning has been issued by the Met Office about possible thunderstorms tomorrow which impacts Northamptonshire.

The yellow (be aware) warning is from 11am tomorrow (Friday July 13) until 8pm.

It covers comes into the Northants area and is sweeping across the South East.

The Met Office says: “Heavy showers, which will become thundery in places, are expected to develop quite widely across parts of England and Wales later Friday morning and through the afternoon.

“A few places could receive 20-30mm of rain within an hour.

“As is the nature of showers however, some places within the warning area will miss them altogether, and have a dry day.

However, thunderstorms flagged up in two recent similar warnings failed to materialise.

A new chief executive has been appointed at Northamptonshire County Council.

Theresa Grant, most recently chief executive at Trafford Council, has been given a fixed term two-year contract following a long and distinguished career in local government and health.

This follows a recruitment process where the government-appointed commissioners and the council have been supported by the LGA in recruiting from a range of experienced chief executives across the country.

The interview panel was led by the commissioners and included the leader of the council Cllr Matthew Golby and a politically balanced group of councillors.

This appointment will be taken to full council next Thursday.

Cllr Golby said: “I am delighted to be able to announce that we have selected a preferred candidate who I have no doubt has the experience, skills, leadership and expertise which we require here in Northamptonshire.

“There was an exceptional field of candidates for this role and we now look forward to moving through the next two years and the transition to unitary governance with such a distinguished chief executive in role.”

Lead commissioner Tony McArdle said: “I am very pleased to commend to council, for its endorsement, the appointment of Theresa Grant.

“Theresa has shown throughout her career that she is an exceptional chief executive and I have confidence is the right person to lead the organisation as improvements are put in place to deliver better financial management, governance and ultimately service outcomes for the people of Northamptonshire.”

Daventry District Council says "teething issues" have led to bins going uncollected.

Daventry District Council says "teething issues" have led to bins going uncollected.

The new 1-2-3+ Daventry Norse service began on June 4 which sees a weekly food waste collection, a fortnightly recycling collection and a general waste black bin collection every three weeks.

But residents in Canons Ashby Court have had to report missed bins to the council after their waste was collected as planned on June 4, but not the following round.

"I've got six dogs and it's been very hot - I can't describe how bad the bins smell in 30-degree heat," said Canons Ashby Court resident Nicci Bennett, 56.

"This was one year in planning.

"If you switch from a fortnight to three-weekly collection the least they can do is get it right."

As of July 9, Mrs Bennett's bins had not been taken away since the new contract's launch on June 4.

Daventry Norse did eventually solve the issue later in the week.

Daventry District Council’s business manager, Simon Bowers, said: "We first received reports of missed waste collections from a number of properties at Canons Ashby Court on 25 June and these were immediately logged for action.

"Regrettably, the properties were missed as the new bin crew was unfamiliar with the rural and remote nature of the area.

"When the new service launched, changes were required to the IT systems so that our new service provider Daventry Norse could deal with reports of missed bins, however unfortunately there have been some teething issues with this new technology.

"This meant these missed bin reports were overlooked and we apologise to those residents affected for the inconvenience and frustration this may have caused. The bins have now been collected and steps have been taken to try to ensure this does not happen again."

The issues within shared service organisation LGSS have been highlighted at a meeting of all partner councils. 

The lack of transparency within the organisation, the wide-scale issues it had with the rollout of a new £8m business system and the governance of a recruitment agency it set up were all questioned by councillors who met at Northamptonshire County Council’s One Angel Square headquarters yesterday (July 12).

The organisation, which manages £85m of services across partner councils Northamptonshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and Milton Keynes Council, has come under fire recently.

It was heavily criticised by the government inspector Max Caller in his best value report of NCC, when he questioned the claimed savings of the organisation. NCC’s cabinet has also been ‘troubled’ by the value of money it is bringing to the county council.

Interim chief executive Sarah Homer, who is being paid £1,220 per day to lead the organisation, presented the summary of achievement reports for the year 2017-18 and said £7.2m of savings had been made through contract reviews.

But councillors were not too impressed with the overall performance of LGSS in recent months.

Conservative Cambridgeshire county councillor Chris Boden, who is one of nine councillors on the committee, said: “I am finding it hard to convince others in my authority that LGSS is important to support.”

Lib Dem Cambridgeshire county councillor Sebastian Kindersley also queried the openness of the organisation.

He said: “One of the issues that we have is the opaque nature of LGSS. A lot of the passive language has been used in reports. It says things like ’it has been agreed that’, etc. I would like to know who made the agreement.”

LGSS’s director of business services Mark Ashton presented a report to the meeting about the recruitment agency LGSS Opus, which was set up by the Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire councils with Suffolk County Council.

He said the agency’s aim was to directly source staff to cut out add-on costs from other recruitment agencies. However, just 30 per cent of LGSS Opus appointments are made directly and the rest are sourced by the organisation’s 90-strong supplier network.

Northamptonshire County Council spent £11.1 m with the agency in the most recent financial year.

The meeting also heard about the problems that had been caused by the implementation of the new ERP gold system. The original 2017 date was delayed by one year and its introduction in April this year was beset by a series of problems with staff payroll issues and suppliers being paid late.

Head of HR at LGSS Martin Cox said: “It has been a rollercoaster like I have never experienced.”

Sarah Homer said: “It is absolutely regrettable. Not something we were happy with at all.

“Every invoice that is a backlog is somebody waiting to be paid and we are aware of that. Any situation that we hear about we address speedily.”

Chair of the meeting Milton Keynes Councillor Rob Middleton declared he was ‘trying to be a voice of positivity’ and thanked LGSS officers for the work they had done.

At the meeting it was resolved to ask auditor KPMG to do a best value inspection of the organisation. It was also decided that a change of names for LGSS Opus and LGSS Law would be considered to avoid confusion with LGSS.

A discussion about the future governance arrangements of LGSS was held in private with press and public excluded.

Sarah Ward

Local Democracy Reporter

Thousands of Little Mix fans descended on Northampton last night to enjoy the girl’s Summer Hits Tour.

Pop superstars Little Mix performed to a sell-out crowd at the Northamptonshire County Cricket Ground in Northampton last night (Thursday).

Click here to see our picture special of fans arriving at the county ground

The tour began in Hove earlier this month and came to the Wantage Road venue where they performed hits including Touch, Shout Out to My Ex, Black Magic and Wings.

Tickets went on sale at the end of November last year and sold out within six hours.

At the time a spokesman for the County Ground said: “Little Mix are the biggest girl band in the world so we knew we would have huge interest.”

Road closures were in place around the cricket ground for much of yesterday as thousands of fans arrived at the ground in the summer sunshine.

Little Mix recently released The Platinum Edition of their smash hit album Glory Days.

The original version of the album spent five weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart, surpassing any other album released by a female group this century and becoming the longest- reigning girl group number one album since Spice Girls’ debut 20 years ago.

They have continued their run of hit singles in 2017 with smashes such as Touch, No More Sad Songs, Power and Reggaeton Lento (Remix).

Click here to see our picture special of fans arriving at the county ground

What better way to cool off in the long hot summer we’re enjoying than by taking a dip in your own swimming pool?

These are the top five properties - which all include their own swimming pool - available to buy through Michael Graham Estate Agents across our region.

1. Boa Vista is a modern detached home in a picturesque rural location, Higham Gobion in Bedfordshire.

The property, available for oieo £1.5m, boasts six bedrooms and five reception rooms and its heated swimming pool sits in grounds of about 1,84 acres.

Inside, the property includes a home cinema room - and outside are stables, a tack barn and hay barn.

For more information, visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-BED180195.

2. West End House, in Weston Turville, Aylesbury, is available for oieo £1.6m.

The contemporary detached house is set in grounds of about 3.17 acres and includes six bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Apart from the swimming pool there is also a tennis court and paddock.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-AYL180071 for more.

3. Larchwood, in Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, is available for £975,000.

The detached 1960s house has five bedrooms (two with en suites) and three reception rooms.

Outside, as well as the swimming pool, there is a double garage and parking for up to seven cars.

For more information, visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-WBS150167.

4. Eakley House is in Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire, and is available for £1.35m.

The 15th century stone-built property includes five bedrooms and six reception rooms.

Horse owners can also take advantage of the property’s two stables and a tack room. The property is set in grounds of about six acres.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-OLY180126 for more.

5. This property, in Little Lane, Wollaston, is available for £910,000.

The extended detached house has four bedrooms (one en suite) alongside its four reception rooms.

Apart from the indoor swimming pool there is a double-length garage, workshop and outbuildings.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-OLY180111 for more.

Volunteers and staff of Northamptonshire’s heritage sites and attractions have won their own places in the history.

At the tenth annual awards ceremony held by the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum guests gathered to see who would be named the best in the county.

This year they were the guests of Forum patron Earl Spencer at his stately home of Althorp.

The Forum was created in 2002 to provide a unified voice for its members.

Run by a committee of volunteers the Forum is dedicated to supporting and promoting the membership, which includes museums and galleries, historic houses, battlefields, transport heritage museums, history societies, heritage centres and individuals.

To form a short list Forum members were invited to submit entries for as many categories as they wish.

A panel of heritage specialists then judged the entries and chose a winner for each award, with a highly commended certificate for worthy runners up.

The panel then chooses the organisation which has most impressed them overall to be named as Northamptonshire Heritage Organisation of the Year 2018.

Sulgrave Manor, under the leadership of Alison Ray, scooped the top title for ‘their thoughtful and innovative total redevelopment of their visitor offering’.

The People’s Choice Award, supported by BBC Radio Northampton and voted for by the public was won by Rushden Museum.

Radio presenter, John Griff, long-standing support of the awards and master of ceremonies for a decade was awarded a plaque for his contribution over the years.

Jane Baile of Prebendal Manor, and chair of the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum thanked all the members for their enthusiastic participation.

She said: “The Forum is considered to be one of the best supported and most innovative in the country and the biggest thanks need to go to the two thousand plus volunteers who make up most of the workforce in the heritage sector.”

The look on my six-year-old daughter’s face when she saw the size of the bed she was sleeping in was just one of the memorable moments during a weekend stay at Warwick Castle.

Warwick Castle has always been a favourite destination for the family. It is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable and entertaining day out in the region.

Now there is the option to stay overnight and extend your visit by an extra day, it makes it all the more special.

We stayed in one of the medieval glamping tents. They are all themed to tie-in with the magic of Warwick Castle and are just a short walk from the castle itself.

Each tent is decked out with a four poster bed and additional single beds – all incredibly comfy – and decked out with coats of arms and decorations. All the tents are fully lit, with wooden floors, power sockets, free Wifi, a mirror and a large oak storage chest.

Outside of the tent, there is a decking area with seats and is set in beautiful parkland with plenty of spaces for children to play in and for everyone to relax and enjoy the view.

Glamping is available throughout the summer, until September 9.

I took two of my children – one aged six and the other 12 – and they absolutely loved their stay.

You can arrive at the camp site at 10am to start your day in the park, check in is later in the day at 4pm. Once there, you are given a code to enter the main parkland through a gate specially for campsite guests – much easier than queuing!

Warwick Castle has changed over the years and there is so much more to do than I remember as a young child.

The highlight, as always, is the castle itself. Both inside and out, it is an imposing and impressive building that leaves children in awe whenever they visit.

Away from the castle, there is lots to see and do.

For my children, their favourite was the new War of the Roses show. Performed in a custom-built arena, it is an impressive and engaging show based on the battle between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. With jousting, sword-fighting, dramatic confrontations and romance, the show has it all. Performed largely on horseback, the stars of the show are the horses, but the actors are all equally talented and the half-hour raced by. When we were planning the second day, it was first on the list to see again.

There are other shows to see at Warwick – the birds of prey demonstration is excellent and seeing those fantastic birds in the majestic setting of the castle is something special. The trebuchet demonstration is equally impressive – the power of the 13th-century weapon is awesome. For both shows, the quality of the presentation and the information from both speakers was engaging and informative.

Elsewhere, the Horrible Histories Maze was another highlight the children really enjoyed – the love Horrible Histories and the maze captured the balance between humour and history the show is famous for brilliantly.

For those dreaming of being a princess, my six-year-old definitely fits into that category, a visit to the Princess Tower is a must.

A trip to Warwick Castle always feels so relaxing. Although busy, you never feel rushed or cramped. There is plenty of time between the shows and other attractions to just sit and relax in the beautiful grounds.

And, with the added benefit of an overnight stay, you have two days in the castle grounds, so you can take your time and revisit the things you enjoyed the day before.

Dinner at the campsite restaurant is a must – great food, the chance to quiz a knight and entertainment for diners through the evening.

Put simply, we had a brilliant, family-orientated weekend and one that I would thoroughly recommend.

For more information about Warwick Castle and the weekend breaks, visit https://www.warwickcastlebreaks.com