Historically, Taser capability for the force has been provided by officers in the East Midlands Operational Support Services unit (EMOpSS), which provides specialist services like roads and armed police officers, the tactical support team and the dog section.

Last year, 100 additional officers in Northamptonshire were trained and equipped in frontline response and proactive teams.

Now, officers from the neighbourhood teams, will join the list of officers who can deploy Taser.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley, said: “Nationally and locally there has been an increase in knife related crime. It therefore makes complete sense that the officers that are out in the communities are equipped and able to respond to incidents quickly and effectively. Extending Taser capability allows us to do that.

“Taser is only one of many tools and tactics available to an officer to help manage threat and risk. For those equipped with Taser, it won’t always be the first or most viable solution to a situation.

“However, crucially it is a less-lethal weapon designed to temporarily incapacitate a suspect. Indeed, we often find that simply the presence of a Taser can calm and resolve a situation without it necessarily being used to combat a violent situation.

“And every time Taser is deployed, it is reported and scrutinised to make sure that it was the correct course of action.”

In 2015, 76 officers were Taser trained, last year that number increased to 176, and this year that number is set to further increase to 226, a significant growth on before.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley, added: “Nationally in 2017/18, 71 police officers on average were assaulted every day as they served the public.

“In Northamptonshire alone, 380 officers were assaulted last year, meaning at least one officer is assaulted every day in our County, in some form or another.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold, who has provided funding of £67,000 to pay for the increase in Taser capability, said: “Northamptonshire Police officers must be able to protect the public and keep themselves safe from anyone intent on causing harm.

“I was keen to make this investment and support the Chief Constable’s view that training more officers to use Taser will give them a real and visible deterrent in situations where they believe that someone’s safety is under threat.”

The Police Federation has been consulted on the decision to extend the use of Taser.
Between September 2017 and October 2018, Northamptonshire Police used* Taser on 317 occasions although it was only actually fired 21 times.

*Recorded use of Taser is defined as occasions when Taser is drawn, aimed, red dotted, arced or fired.

Residents in five Daventry District villages have been asked for their views on neighbourhood development plans.

Villagers are being consulted on the final version of the Maidwell with Draughton Neighbourhood Development Plan which includes policies to protect and enhance the landscape setting, heritage and green spaces in their areas.

The development plan contains plans to meet local housing needs and improve recreation, education and community facilities, and it also encourages improvements to road safety, traffic and accessibility.

The consultation is open until February 4 and the draft can be viewed online or at the Daventry District Council offices, The Stag Pub in Maidwell, Brixworth Library and Market Harborough Library.

The new year will see residents of three villages go to the polls to decide whether they agree with proposed neighbourhood development plans for their areas.

Poll cards will be among the Christmas post for people living in Badby, Guilsborough and Welton as preparations get under way for planning referendums in the three parishes on Thursday, January 24.

Separate plans for Badby, Guilsborough and Welton have been developed by the parish councils in order to guide the future development of their villages.

Residents in those areas will get to vote on whether Daventry District Council should use their respective neighbourhood development plan to help decide future planning applications.

If more than 50 per cent of those who vote are in favour of an individual plan, then DDC is required to make that plan so it becomes part of the statutory development plan.

Polling cards will now be sent out to residents in the coming weeks and the last date to register to vote is January 8.

Residents in Badby will be able to vote in a polling station at Badby Village Hall, while those in Guilsborough should vote at Guilsborough Village Hall and those in Welton at Welton Village Hall.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday, January 24.

Those wishing to arrange to vote by post need to complete an application form and return it to DDC by 5pm on Wednesday, January 9.

Anyone who is unable to get to a polling station, because they are working away or on holiday abroad, for example, can apply for a proxy vote.

Anyone can act as a proxy provided they are willing to do so and are eligible to vote in the referendum.

In order to cast a vote by proxy people need to complete an application form and return it to DDC by 5pm on Wednesday, January 16.

To apply for a postal or proxy vote please email electoralservices@daventrydc.gov.uk or phone 01327 871100

All three neighbourhood development plans have been subject to public consultation before being reviewed by independent examiners, who recommended they go to a referendum.

Meanwhile, work on producing a new Local Plan to help guide and shape future development in Daventry District has taken a step forward after councillors agreed for it to be independently examined.

The Settlements and Countryside Local Plan Part 2 will be formally submitted for examination by a planning inspector, who will determine whether the document complies with legal requirements and whether its policies are "positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy".

The Local Plan Part 2 sets out where new homes and businesses could go, to best meet future need, as well as identifying areas which should be protected.

The Secretary of State will appoint the inspector to conduct the examination and hold a series of public hearings on the plan, which are expected to start taking place in spring next year.

Cllr Alan Chantler, Daventry District Council’s strategic planning portfolio holder, said: “Council’s decision to submit the Settlements and Countryside Local Plan for examination is an important step forward in preparing this key strategic document for our district.

"It marks the culmination of nearly three years of preparations and consultation with our local communities and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved and given their feedback in the process to date.

"We now look forward to the examination stage and its future outcomes."

Nearly 40,000 patients in Nene are waiting at least three weeks to see a GP, new figures reveal.

Doctors say it is important to treat patients early to “avoid conditions getting worse”.

NHS Digital data shows that 37,140 people in the Nene Clinical Commissioning Group had to wait until at least 21 days to see a doctor after booking an appointment in October 2018.

That is 11% of all patients.

Of them, 18,800 waited more than a month.

Waiting times were in line with November 2017, the earliest period for which data is available..

The Patients Association said the impact of the waits “should not be understimated”.

Rachel Power, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It can be incredibly stressful to face a long wait before getting to see a doctor, quite apart from prolonging the length of time someone has to live with the medical issue that is troubling them.

“All of this is a symptom of an NHS running at boiling point all year round.”

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said it was “frustrating” that patients were having to wait too long to secure a GP appointment.

“We want to deliver timely care to patients, in the early stages of illness, to avoid conditions getting worse, when they can be both more distressing for patients, and more costly for the NHS,” she said.

Nearly half of patients in Nene CCG were able to see a GP the same day the appointment was made.

Experts say the figures include patients who need regular appointments and are likely to be booking ahead.

Nationally, 10% of patients waited on average at least three weeks to see a GP in October 18, compared to 9% in November 2017.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “GPs are working hard to provide high-quality care to their patients, with over a million appointments booked every weekday in October and 40% of patients being seen on the same day.

“We are also rolling out extended access hours across the country to ensure that patients can find appointments in the evenings and at weekends, making it easier for people to see a doctor, nurse or other health professional at a time convenient to them.”

Across England, doctors see around one million patients every day, with Mondays shown to be the busiest day of the week.

Northamptonshire County Council’s plans to fund libraries with ring-fenced money is legal and ‘appropriate’, according to its chief executive.

The county council is proposing to keep 14 libraries under council control, with a further 22 becoming community-owned in new proposals.

A judicial review win for library campaigners has helped to bring forward the new proposals to retain a number of libraries which were previously at threat of closure by the authority. A consultation has started today on the proposals, and will end on February 6.

The scheme includes roughly £1 million being ‘invested’ into the libraries through Section 106 funds. The ring-fenced funds are allocated to capital projects for infrastructure, but they cannot be used to run the library services themselves.

This had led to confusion amongst some councillors as to whether the funds could be legally used on libraries, and chief executive Theresa Grant outlined at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting at One Angel Square how they would be used in response to a question by Labour councillor, Jane Birch.

Theresa Grant said: “Just to be absolutely clear, the amounts laid out in the report are monies receipted for appropriate use - that use is set out and agreed. It cannot be used to run the libraries, but it can be used to improve provision within those libraries, such as improving the buildings for extra space.”

The original plans to scrap 21 libraries were thwarted in August by a judicial review that found the council’s decision making had been ‘unlawful’. But Mrs Grant, who started as chief executive just a month prior in July, said one of the first changes in approach she had implemented at the authority was to re-evaluate its attitude towards libraries.

She said: “When I came here I was very surprised by the previous approach to our library provision, and asked for that to be changed prior to the judicial review. I want to retain as much as possible, and that’s because I’m a champion of libraries. It’s why I started a second review, but ultimately I’m still bound by statutory rules such as best value tests. And that’s why I have to make sure that we are fulfilling these tests for public value.”

Council papers asking the cabinet to put the new proposals out for consultation state: “We have recognised the value of the library service as a community hub, and have engaged extensively listening to local communities and partners and we are really pleased to put this proposal forward to transform Northamptonshire’s library service to ensure it is sustainable for the future.”

The future of eight of the proposed 22 community-owned libraries remains unsolved though. These are Long Buckby, Burton Latimer, Finedon and Irchester, and Abington, Duston, Far Cotton and St James in Northampton.

Five of the 22, including Earls Barton, will continue to have statutory funding while under community ownership, which means the libraries would revert back to the council if the community venture collapsed. The proposals will save the authority £543,000 per year in running costs.

Mrs Grant added: “All the groups who have expressed an interest in running a library have met with library officers, and I commend them for coming forward, because we could not keep them open without them.

“We have invested heavily in this and have identified some money in the Stabilisation Plan to see it implemented properly. We will hand hold until community groups are comfortable in running them.”

She added that the county council was also working with Northampton Borough Council into the possibility of a new library in Weston Favell in Northampton.

She said: “We have been working with Northampton Borough Council to look at a community portal and hub. It’s in very early discussions and we want to make sure it’s feasible, and we have submitted a bid for funding towards a feasibility study.”

Councillor Cecile Irving-Swift, county council cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “At the heart of this proposal is the fact that we’ve worked with some wonderful community groups who clearly have a passion for books and libraries.

“At this stage these are simply proposals and what we need now is for people to have their say on what they think of these plans.”

Royal Mail South Midlands is the largest processing centre in the country and staff there have been gearing up to deliver five per cent of the countries post before the big day.

Wednesday (December 12) marked the busiest day on the calendar for the workers.

More than six million items were handled yesterday - about four million more compared to the average day.

Coach Julie Barrett is tasked to look after 96 Christmas casuals on the early shift who were brought in to help with the festive spike.

"Without them we would struggle," she said.

But when she’s not teaching the newcomers she also works hard to sort catalogues, brochures and magazines into the right piles for delivery.

“For us, in this area, it does not have a massive impact until we send out holiday brochures and magazines for the New Year sales,” she added.

‘Self-gifting’ has become a new trend: “We have seen a big rise in subscription boxes that come to your door once a week. It's really taking off, there's lots of ones offering make up.”

She said weather is a contributing factor to how busy her team is.

"We have been really lucky that it's been really mild. People are going to Christmas fairs and markets so they are going out and buying things, but when it's rubbish weather we find people are perhaps sitting in more, writing more Christmas cards and ordering presents online."

The sorting office serves four postcode areas, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Milton Keynes and Coventry, with a catchment area of 2,900 square miles.

Staff numbers have been ramped up to more than 1,500 people to cope with pressure - with 540 seasonal workers employed to work across four processing sites. An additional three sites are used for December.

150 extra vans have been brought in to assist with deliveries and collections and an additional 26 7.5T vehicles are being used to transport mail and large customer collections - on top of the hundreds of extra vehicles and contractors that are being used to help the national network.

The decision to close Great Creaton Primary School was approved by Northamptonshire County Council in September this year, leaving the school marked for closure on December 31.

Following the council’s decision, parent Kirsty Lowe instructed lawyers to fight the closure on behalf of her four-year-old daughter, Maya, who is a current pupil at Great Creaton.

The legal firm Irwin Mitchell has also previously challenged the closure of libraries in the county on behalf of local residents and is involved in cases to challenge other local authority cuts to services across the country.

The lawyers have issued an application for judicial review, seeking to overturn the council’s plans to close the school.

An urgent interim relief application has now been listed for Wednesday, December 12, in Birmingham.

The interim relief hearing will consider whether the closure of the school should be delayed pending the final determination of the judicial review application.

Caroline Barrett, representing Maya, said: “Great Creaton Primary School is an important part of our client’s life, as well as being an integral part of the local community.

“It is a small rural primary school but it provides a vital service in a largely rural county where access to other neighbouring schools can be difficult. Great Creaton is valued by our client and her family as having a warm and friendly setting and has traditionally been a popular choice for parents of children with additional needs as a result.

“Our client believes that the council’s decision is unlawful for numerous reasons, including a failure to lawfully consult with local residents and pupils and to properly consider the impact of the closure on the local community, children with special educational needs, and those who had chosen Great Creaton School specifically because it is a non-denominational school. It is our client’s view that these failings are such that the decision to close Great Creaton School was unlawful.

“Although pupil numbers have been falling in recent years, our client considers that numbers could once again increase with a change in school management, a fresh approach and, hopefully, the support of a local Multi Academy Trust.

“It is vital that an interim relief hearing is heard before the planned closure to ensure the school has the chance to stay open and continue to provide educational services to its pupils pending full determination of the case.”

Great Creaton Primary School, near Brixworth, is a small school with only 25 pupils at the end of the last academic year. The council said that the school’s small size would affect its ability to deliver the curriculum.

In January 2018, OFSTED rated the school as ‘requires improvement’. However, at no point did the inspection and regulatory body conclude that the school’s issues were a result of its small size, Irwin Mitchell says.

Small rural primary schools are given extra protection under the law and councils must consider closing these schools only as a last resort.

Parents argue that the school’s small size and unique and nurturing environment is a positive for many of those who send their son or daughter to the school.

Kirsty, 41, who is part of the Great Creaton Parents Group that was formed to protest the council’s proposal to close the school, said: “I am fighting to keep the school opened because it provides a crucial service for Maya, and the rest of the school’s pupils.

“Although, naturally, we hope that in the coming months and years school attendance will return to sustainable levels, Maya really benefits from the small size of the school, and its positive and welcoming atmosphere. It would be devastating both for Maya and for the other children attending the school, if it was to close.

“Many parents withdrew their children at the end of the summer term because of the threat of closure, but most of them were deeply upset about having to leave Great Creaton. There is a huge amount of local support for the school and I am doing what I can for Maya, to try to save her school.”

Nigel Townsend was killed on the A428 when he lost control of his car.

At his inquest in Northampton yesterday (December 12), the coroner heard how the 70-year-old was only meant to take a short trip from West Haddon to Crick to see a friend when the accident took place.

Mr Townsend's wife of 47 years only found out about a severe coronary heart condition Mr Townsend was struggling with after his passing.

She believes the disease contributed to the crash in June this year.

But at the inquest, assistant coroner Hassan Shah warned the public not to take risks when driving after hearing the retired teacher had been drinking before the short drive and appeared to have not been wearing a seatbelt.

In a statement read by the coroner, Mr Townsend's wife Pamela said: "How do you describe losing such a loving, caring, hard-working and talented man?

"Everyone who knew Nigel will treasure their own special memories of him."

Mr Townsend, who lived in Guilsborough, Daventry, taught hundreds of pupils in three Northamptonshire schools during his career, including the former Spencer Boys School, Millway Primary and Spratton High.

He was a well-respected singer and dramatist in his community and was a keen fisherman, cricketer and expert historian. He also lent his voice as a commenter for the blind at the County Cricket Ground. Over 450 people attended his funeral service in July.

The coroner heard Mr Townsend had been drinking before he drove to West Haddon. Although his heart condition was noted, it was not entered as part of the coroner's conclusion.

Assistant coroner Hassan Shah said: "This was an incident that happened on a well-known road. It was a short journey, in good driving conditions, well within the speed limit and didn't involve any other vehicles. And there were two factors that took what would have been a small incident into one that involved a fatality.

"Those two factors were not wearing a seatbelt and the addition of alcohol into the mix. So I say in the hope that I may prevent someone else coming to inquest court in these very sad and very tragic circumstances."

A popular canalside pub in Braunston has a new owner after being put up for sale in July.

The Admiral Nelson, which dates back to 1730, was bought by Leicester-based Everards Brewery.

Previous owners Mark and Pam Davis and Liam Evans decided to sell the pub and retire.

“After a period of six-and-a-half years it is time for us to move on to pastures new," they said.

"We would like to thank all our fantastic staff past and present for all their hard work over the years.

"A big thank you to all our customers during those years as well, you all have provided us all with some fantastic memories during our time at The Admiral Nelson.

“We would like to wish the new owners of The Admiral Nelson the very best and hope they receive the same amount of support that we did.”

The Admiral Nelson is a well-established ale house which was named as one of the top 10 waterside pubs in the UK in the Guardian, joining the range of other accolades the pub has received over the years.

It was owned by Enterprise Inns until previous owners turned the pub into a free house.

"We have over 175 pubs across the East Midlands and this will join our other pubs in Northamptonshire," said Stephen Gould, managing director of Everards.

"All Everards pubs are run as independent, tenanted businesses and we are already seeking a business owner for this well-located, historic pub.”

The pub features a lounge and bar area, games room, and dining room which caters for over 30 covers.

The outside area is the pub's most popular feature and a favourite spot for locals and visitors alike.

The big beer garden fronting the Grand Union Canalprovides seating for up to 100 people.

No homes were built for social rental in Daventry last year, figures show.

Across the country, the number completed each year has dropped nearly 80% in the last decade.

The Chartered Institute of Housing has criticised the slowdown in building the most affordable properties, saying they are needed to tackle a national housing crisis.

In 2007-08, 27 homes were completed in Daventry for social rental.

Social home building in the area peaked in 1995-96, when 199 homes were completed – more than in the last 12 years combined.

The numbers were first provided for 1991-92.

No social rental homes started being built last year in Daventry either.

Some housing deemed by the Government to be affordable was completed in the area last year.In total, 40 affordable housing units were built. Of those, 53% were for affordable rental, meaning that rental costs are pegged at 80% of the average local market rate.

Nearly 27,000 affordable dwellings were completed across England last year, an increase of 10% on 2016-17.

Chartered Institute of Housing head of policy and external affairs, Melanie Rees, said: “Another year-on-year increase in the total number of affordable homes being built is a welcome step, but we still have a long way to go.

“It’s disappointing to see that so few of those homes are at the lowest social rents - the only truly affordable option for many people on lower incomes.

“We desperately need more genuinely affordable homes to tackle our national housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness.”

Ms Rees said that CIH research showed more than 150,000 homes for social rent were lost between 2012 and 2017, with the figure anticipated to reach 230,000 by 2020 unless immediate action is taken.

Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse, said: “We are determined that more people in need can have access to a good quality home, and have delivered over 293,000 homes for affordable rent since 2010.

“But we must go further and by scrapping the borrowing cap for local authorities, we have set them free to build thousands of new council homes across the country, and our £9 billion Affordable Homes programme will deliver at least a further 12,500 social rent homes in the areas where they are needed most.

Northamptonshire County Council has opened a public consultation on its draft budget, which includes proposals to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent.

Investment in council-owned assets, reducing spend on external contracts and stabilising services that are fit for the future and savings totalling £42.9million are also being proposed.

Funding for uniformed groups such as scouts and guides and allowing them to use community schools for activities will also be reduced to the statutory minimum.

The draft budget was approved by cabinet members on December 11 and is now subject to public consultation, in which residents can give their feedback.

People can take part by completing the online survey, by emailing consult@northamptonshire.gov.uk, by writing to Draft Budget Consultation, Consultation, Equalities and Accessibility Team, BIPM, Northamptonshire County Council, One Angel Square, Northampton, NN1 1ED, and via the council's Twitter (@mycountycouncil) and Facebook pages.

Customer and user groups will also be able to hold their own discussions by using the information available on the draft budget and council plan consultation webpage and sending back the feedback form

The consultation ends on January 23.

An order to postpone elections in Daventry and Northamptonshire has been made to Parliament by the local government secretary.

James Brokenshire, acting under the Local Government Act 2000, has delayed all district and parish elections in Northamptonshire due to be held in May 2019.

Daventry District Council was scheduled to hold elections for one-third of its seats, along with elections for 20 parish councils.

District councillors that were due for re-election in spring will continue their position the extra year and parish councils will instead have their elections in May 2020.

Councillor Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council said: “Postponing next spring’s elections in Northamptonshire is a sensible move by the Government in the light of the continuing developments towards creating two new unitary authorities by May 2020.

“This will not only avoid any confusion and unnecessary election costs for our taxpayers but enable us to focus our minds on preparing for changes ahead of us in Northamptonshire."

The order states that changes will come into effect on January 14, 2019, and councillors will continue in their position until the postponed elections in May 2020.

The cash formed part of £420million highways capital investment in the government’s autumn budget, with Northamptonshire County Council receiving £6.772million as a grant from the Department for Transport.

The funds are set to be allocated to support the repair of potholes, keep bridges and structures open and safe, and to aid other minor works.

Speaking about the grant at Tuesday’s county council cabinet meeting (December 11), portfolio holder Councillor Ian Morris said that the money had been ‘hard fought for’, and praised Corby and East Northamptonshire MP Tom Pursglove for ‘working tirelessly to get the money for us’.

Councillor Morris said: “This is a good example of how working with officers has helped achieve a really good result for the highways maintenance budget.”

He indicated that the Oundle North Bridge could be a recipient of up to £1.3million of this money. Back in May, repairs were estimated at £750,000 but the council had no funds. But no firm details of the projects chosen have yet been announced.

The funds are allocated to be spent for the current 2018/19 financial year, and fellow cabinet member Dr Andy Mercer asked whether future projects could be ‘pulled forward’ to this financial year, in order to free up finances next year to be allocated to the Ditchford Lane project connected to Rushden Lakes, which he said should be a ‘very high priority’.

Councillor Morris replied: “We have a number of projects that are a high priority, and while we don’t want a rush job to spend that money, we do want to prioritise things like the Ditchford bridge.”

Jaden Meek will play Michael Hobbs in the festive show - based on the film starring Will Ferrell - alongside David Essex, Martine McCutcheon, Louise English and Tam Ryan.

"Wow, what an exciting Christmas ahead," said Jaden.

"I can’t wait to be part of something so magical and can’t believe I’m going to be part of one of my favourite Christmas films.

"It's unbelievable and what dreams are made of! I can’t wait to get started."

The Daventry actor honed his skills at the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) in Rugby.

At PQA students spend three hours rotating through hour-long sessions in comedy and drama, musical theatre, and film and television.

Elf the Musical will run at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff from December 14 to 16, the Genting Arena in Birmingham from December 20 to 24 and Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena from December 28 to 30.

The Government released details yesterday of a new funding package which would mean the Northamptonshire force budget jumps from £126m to £135.2m in 2019-20.

Figures include extra money that may come out of the pockets of Northamptonshire taxpayers if police and crime commissioner Stephen Mold decides to ask for the full additional £24 that commissioners can now levy on a Band D property resident.

In a statement released by his office yesterday Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “I welcome the Government’s announcement that the funding available for policing will be increasing. I look forward to seeing the details and understanding what this will mean for us in Northamptonshire.

“I have said many times that Northamptonshire does not receive a fair level of funding through the central government grant and while I welcome the increase announced today, it gives money for the coming year and I am working with the Home Office and with other forces on the Comprehensive Spending Review to further press for a new funding formula that is fair to all.

“I am committed to making Northamptonshire safer and ensuring our police have the resources to do that. I will be looking carefully at today’s settlement so that I can prepare a draft budget and understand how much I will need to ask the people of Northamptonshire to contribute through their council tax.”

The commissioner, who has been in post since May 2016, is currently consulting on a council tax increase for police services.

Speaking at the police and crime panel yesterday (Dec13) after the funding news was released the commissioner said he would only raise precept levels if he was confident it would make a difference.

The role of the police and crime panel, which is made up mostly of nominated councillors from Northamptonshire’s county districts and borough councils, is to hold the commissioner to account.

Daventry councillor Richard Auger, who is a former police officer, took the commissioner to task on his statement that he was unsure how many additional officers were needed in Northamptonshire. The force currently has 2,088 policing staff.

Clrr Auger said: “I find it difficult to understand. We can stick object on Mars. To think there is not sufficient intellect within the force or the university to work out a rough formula to work out how many we need. My head does not understand that. What are we petitioning government for?

“I can’t believe we have not got a rough figure based on priorities at the moment?”

Commissioner Mold said it was hard to predict what would happen in the county and used the recent example in which a person sparked a bomb scare in Wellingborough by putting their fancy dress costume which included a fake device in the bin.

The police and crime commissioner’s finance director Helen King said the Government announcement had included some good news about police pensions with more funds coming from Government to cover increasing costs. Commissioner Mold said the Northamptonshire Force currently spends £11m each year of its £126m budget on pensions for retired staff.

The Northamptonshire force is rated as requires improvement and this summer had a new chief constable, Nick Adderley, take charge.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This is a significant settlement that provides the most substantial police funding increase since 2010, which will result in up to £970m in additional resources for policing in 2019-20, including funding raised through council tax.

“This settlement will help police forces to meet the financial pressures they face next year, while also providing additional money for recruitment and neighbourhood policing, counter-terrorism, and fighting serious and organised crime.

“Northamptonshire Police funding will increase by around £9.2m next year if the Police and Crime Commissioner uses their full council tax flexibility.”

Speaking at the police and crime panel meeting at County Hall in Northampton yesterday commissioner Stephen Mold said prosecutors were not bringing cases to court quickly enough which was leading to poor outcomes for victims.

His comments come at a time when the county’s refuge provision is under threat after it has has had its central government funding pulled. There is a campaign by the Northampton Domestic Abuse Service – formerly Women’s Aid – to raise £100,000.

Commissioner Mold said: “A new area of particular concern is related to the failure rate of domestic abuse cases in Northamptonshire.

“The time it is taking to get these cases to court is having a detrimental effect.

“One case took three years to get to prosecution. If you have been a victim of domestic abuse having to wait that long a time it can mean that people don’t want to go through with it or they get tired.

“The length of time is encouraging the defence to not plead guilty.

“The good news is something is being done about it – next year there will be fast track system.

“But at this moment in time the outcomes for domestic abuse victims is wholly unacceptable.”

There have been 16,427 domestic abuse crimes recorded in the county in the past 12 months, an increase of five per cent on the same time last year.

Daventry councillor Richard Auger said: “There does not appear to be a Northamptonshire domestic abuse violence policy. I don’t think historically we have gripped this up.

“We have too many strands – we need to have this all joined up. We cannot have one refuge closing here and another opening here.

“Can you give us some reassurance that someone is picking this up.”

The commissioner said he would bring a report on domestic abuse back to the panel, which has the responsibility for scrutinising how well he is doing his job.

He said: “Sadly it is not a statutory obligation for anyone and that is the problem here. There are some very real risks that this gets lost with the debate about the two new unitaries.

“We do need refuge provision. It can be paid with housing money if done smartly.

“There are pots of money that people have access to that could make those provisions available. Everybody needs to lean in.

“It needs a collective response. If we are not careful we could have an absurd situation where they are continually at risk. Could I afford to fund it? Not by myself. Everyone has a role to fund it.”

The councillors on the panel will now take the summit idea back to their councils for agreement.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across the county from 9am on Saturday to 9am on Sunday.

Temperatures will struggle to get above zero for much of Saturday with the Met Office predicting it will feel like minus five.

Heavy rain will set in into the evening with temperatures climbing thereafter.

Amanda Currie was killed in the accident on the A361 close to Ashby St Ledgers after her boyfriend Samuel Milo - who was uninsured - drove too fast in 'torrential' rain in March this year.

It caused the Rugby couple's car to spin out of control and tragically collided with an oncoming van on the passenger side.

Currie - who had an 11-year-old son and cared for a boy of the same age fathered by Milo - was airlifted to hospital but died shortly afterwards. She was 31-years-old.

But at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (December 14) the judge told Milo, 32, she would spare him from an immediate jail sentence 'for the sake of your children who need your support'.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking told Milo: "Whatever sentence I pass will not feel like an adequate punishment to Amanda's family. Its impossible to pass a sentence that sufficiently punishes the removal of a much-loved family member.

"Her life has been lost at the age of 31 because of your carelessness. Her family and your children will continue to grieve for her. Nothing I can do will ever heal that.

"[Your two boys] need the support of their family but perhaps, more importantly, the care of their mother's family in order to learn of her and her life. And you must facilitate that."

Milo was handed a 14-month jail term suspended for two years. He was disqualified from driving for two years and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Miss Currie's sister said: "Amanda was a loving caring mum who would have had others if she was able to do so.

"She wanted everyone to see the best in Sam and would try to make him the responsible father and person he could be.

"We have been devastated. It was a day we none of us want to repeat."

The authority’s latest financial position was outlined at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (December 11) at One Angel Square. And while senior leaders are confident that next year’s budget will balance, leader Matt Golby confirmed 2018/19 would remain an ‘incredibly challenging’ financial year.

The council’s forecast in year outturn for 2018-19, based on spending to the end of October, is currently an overspend of £15.6million. Despite the large number it is still an improvement on the £30.1million reported in July 2018, when a second section 114 notice prohibiting new expenditure was announced. The forecast position includes £4.6million of savings from the council’s Stabilisation Plan.

Leader Matt Golby said: “The remainder of this year will be incredibly challenging, but I'm confident we will get there. It does remind us of the crisis that we have been dealing with this year. But I'm confident everyone is focused.”

Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Malcolm Longley, said he was confident progress would be made as he was now working with what he described 'one of the best finance teams I have ever dealt with'.

He added that next year’s budget, which was helped by a £70million dispensation by the government to use capital funds for revenue purposes, was based on productivity rather than cuts.

Meanwhile, the closing position for 2017-18 cannot be fully confirmed until the audit of the 2017-18 accounts has been concluded, which is anticipated to be in January 2019.

An elderly woman was pushed to the ground before her handbag was stolen in a Northampton underpass.

The incident happened on Wednesday, December 12, at about 11.10am, when an elderly woman was walking through the underpass at the bottom of Rickyard Road and was approached by a man.

He pushed her to the ground and stole her maroon handbag, which was later found discarded nearby.

The offender is described as a white man, aged between 30 and 40, with stubble and wearing a black woolly hat, black jacket and dark trousers.

Anyone with information should contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Just 13 per cent of crimes recorded in Northamptonshire over the past three months have been resolved, according to latest statistics.

Between August and October 15,144 incidents were recorded in the county, which works out as an average of 164 per day.

Violent crime made up 4,831 offences, with 533 sexual crimes reported, 881 residential burglaries and 2,119 vehicle crimes.

In the past 12 months there has been a five per cent increase in total crime with 57,996 crimes recorded across the county.

Speaking at the police and crime panel meeting on Thursday (Dec13) councillors on the panel, which has the responsibility for overseeing the performance of the police and crime commissioner, voiced their concerns at the statistics.

Cllr Richard Auger, who represents Daventry, questioned how effective the Northants force was .

He said: “We accept the force is busy. But for me. So what? How are we doing with regards to that busyness?”

Police commissioner Stephen Mold said: “The force is a force that requires improvement. We have not been doing a good enough job.

“But I feel confident that things are going to get better.”

Northampton councillor Danielle Stone, who represents the Abington ward, said drug dealing is a big problem in the area she represents with mothers frightened that their children will be enticed into crime.

She said: “The community feels under siege from criminal elements in the community. What the police say is we want the big boys. There is a big issue about that. The women on the estate are frightened for their children. They do not want their children being groomed by old brothers, cousins, neighbours.

“People understand police focus is to stop it at source. We have real issues. This is happening on people’s doorsteps.”

The crimes which had seen the biggest increase over the past 12 months to October this year were rape which went up by 30 per cent, with 782 rapes recorded. Violent crime also rose by 16 per cent with 18,387 crimes recorded. Anti-social behaviour crime levels dropped by 21 per cent during the recent 12-month period with 21,835 recorded and robberies also went down by 16.4 per cent to 836 crimes.