In the heart of beautiful Northamptonshire
WNC have confirmed that we do not need to hold an election for the Parish Councillor vacant seat.
If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor please do not hesitate to talk to me or any Councillor to find out more, or see this post.
If you would like to nominate yourself for co-option to the Council, please email Ruby a short note stating why you would like to be a councillor, before 14 May.
The Parish Council will co-opt at their meeting on 15 May.
David Walker, Chair
Kier have this evening confirmed that the priority working feature (“chicane”) on Sywell Road will commence construction on 20 May, with Sywell Road being closed for up to two weeks.
See the road closure details here.
WNC have published their consultation for their draft local plan – the full notification is below. For a summary and process detail visit here.
The document set is extensive, but the place to start is the Regulation 18 Local Plan document.
This consultation is important as the final local plan will set the primary WNC planning and development policies through to 2041.
WNC says…
“The draft Plan sets out a vision and objectives for the area, its ambitions for new development and commitment to dealing with climate change. The Plan allocates land for housing and employment and contains a series of planning policies for these and many other topics such as leisure, transport, health and wellbeing, infrastructure and the environment, and where development can and cannot take place.”
For instance, potential local impacts in the Regulation 18 Local Plan document include a policy related to 2000 houses to be built on the west side of the A43 north of Moulton (page 118-) and a ring/relief road to the north of Northampton (page 255).
Comments have to be submitted by 2 June. At next week’s meeting, the Parish Council will decide the process by which it will respond.
There are public exhibitions to view the draft plan and ask questions. No appointment is necessary.
| Location | Address | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moulton | Moulton Community Centre, Sandy Hill Ln, Reedings, Moulton, NN3 7AX | Thursday 18 April | between 1 and 5pm |
| Daventry | Daventry Leisure Centre, Saxon Suite, Lodge Road, Daventry, NN11 4FP | Tuesday 23 April | between 2 and 6pm |
| Wootton | Wootton Community Centre, Curtlee Hill, Wootton, Northampton NN4 6ED | Thursday 25 April | between 2 and 7pm |
| Brackley | The Old Fire Station Community Room, High Street, Brackley NN13 7DW | Wednesday 1 May | between 2 and 5pm |
| Northampton | Grosvenor Centre, Gather Unit, 1st Floor, Northampton, NN1 2EW | Thursday 2 May | between 12 and 5pm |
West Northamptonshire Local Plan 2041
Regulation 18 Draft Consultation – April 2024
Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 Regulation 18.
West Northamptonshire Council has prepared its new Local Plan, Regulation 18 Draft, which it proposes to consult upon for a period of eight weeks.
The Local Plan, Regulation 18 Draft (2024) and supporting documents are being made available for public inspection at locations across West Northamptonshire,
providing people with the opportunity to make representations for consideration as the plan progresses to its next stage.
Full details of the consultation can be found here.
The eight-week period of public consultation will commence Monday 08 April 2024 and run to 23:59 to Sunday 02 June 2024. Representations received after this time will not be accepted.
This notice outlines the documents which are available for inspection, their subject matter and the locations where they can be inspected. It also provides information regarding the process of submitting representations.
Continue reading “WNC : Local Plan Consultation”
Keith has found a bracelet.
I have picked up on Sunday a bracelet on Moulton Rd, near Tithe Farm Entrance about 500 yards south, outside of Holcot.
It includes a charm split in half. The charm half has a love heart symbol next to ‘BE’, underneath it has ‘FRI’. Suspect the whole charm 2 halves would read ‘BEST FRIEND’ and therefore quite important to the owner? The bracelet itself is a coloured flexible plastic thin wire loops.
Nearby was a small soft toy.
My Contact : Keith 07748454288.
A message from the organisers of the Holcot Hotspot.
Holcot Hotspot: this Thursday afternoon 16th May 2.30pm – you (and your neighbours) are invited!
If you’re an adult Holcot resident who’s free to do as you wish this Thursday afternoon, then YOU are invited to the May session of the “Holcot Hotspot”*.
PLEASE ALSO MAKE SURE YOUR NEIGHBOURS KNOW ABOUT THIS IN CASE THEY DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO THE WEBSITE
(*click here to read the full details)
Warning signs have now gone up – Sywell Road will close for construction of the chicane on 20 May, being closed for up to 11 days.
See the road closure details here.
The Police’s national Action Fraud service is warning of a rise of fraudsters targeting WhatsApp groups.
WhatsApp group chat members are being warned they could be targeted by criminals, as Action Fraud reveals it has received 636 reports from victims of the messaging app this year.
The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending or claiming to be another member of the group. This is done to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group.
Continue reading “Action Fraud : WhatsApp Groups”
May’s Parish Council is on Wednesday next week.
The agenda, which includes the AGM of the Council, has been added to the Parish Council page in the normal way.
A message from Citizens Advice offering free help claiming Universal Credit. See this poster or this website (the Leicestershire service applies to Northamptonshire).
Help to Claim is a dedicated service from Citizens Advice. Our service:
WNC Children and Young People’s Services are seeking feedback on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) funding recommendations. This is a final stage of consultation before the WNC SEND funding changes in September 2024.
The details are here – closing date for comments is 2 June.
A consultation for carers and their supporters from WNC.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) are asking for local carers or someone supporting a carer to share their views and feedback on the newly drafted five-year Carer Strategy.
The draft strategy is for all unpaid carers that live in, or care for someone that lives in West Northants, and has been developed together with local carers, ensuring their voices drive forward progress over the next few years to provide the right support and information for them.
Chosen by our local carers, 17 priorities have been identified to focus on improving over the next five years as well as specific measurements to track progress which the Council would like to seek views on. Each priority has a set of actions that will support achieving the priority over the five year period. More details on each of the priorities and how they will be achieved can be found in the strategy.
Continue reading “WNC : consultation for carers” A message from WNC regarding a new grant scheme:
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has launched a new grant scheme which aims to support local people to develop their learning and skills and help them get into work.
The Skills for Communities grant scheme is open to community, voluntary and social enterprise organisations that operate, or are prepared to operate, within the geographical area of West Northamptonshire and must be used to provide support to residents aged 16+ who are no longer in full-time education and who would like to develop existing or learn new skills.
Local voluntary and community organisations including registered charities, community interest companies and social enterprises are invited to apply for the grants of between £10,000 and £300,000.
Continue reading “WNC : Grants to help develop learning and skills” Thank you everyone who came along to the APM yesterday evening. I hope you agree with me that the speakers did a great job.
The reports mentioned and/or presented during the meeting have been added to the meetings list on the Parish Council page. You will see my report, Cllr Warren’s report, two reports from Northants Police and the financial summary for the year.
The draft minutes will be added once drafted.
David Walker, Chair
WNC are promoting grants for energy efficiency and clean heating upgrades.
| Low-income off-gas households with an annual income of £36,000 or less across West Northamptonshire are urged to find out if they could access essential funding to help them deliver energy efficiency upgrades and install clean heating systems. |
| The funding is made possible through the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 funding bid secured by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC). Responding to feedback and a thorough review of the program, the Department of Energy and Sustainable Net Zero (DESNZ) has increased the household income threshold to £36,000, up from £31,000, to ensure that more families can benefit from this vital initiative. The expanded eligibility criteria are anticipated to increase the number of eligible households by approximately 19% nationally within the scheme. This means more families will have access to the support they need to improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel poverty, and contribute to the UK’s Net Zero commitment by 2050. WNC is partnered with Agility Eco to be able to offer this scheme to the people of West Northamptonshire this opportunity by arranging and carrying out the improvement assessment and all the retrofit work. Local installers in each region will guide customers through the application journey, helping them understand and establish eligibility for the scheme. |
A message from Emma Parry at WNC regarding volunteering at repair cafes.
| From: | Emma Parry <Emma.Parry@westnorthants.gov.uk> |
|---|
Good Morning All
West Northants Council (WNC) plan to host a programme of pop-up repair cafés during June and July within WNC libraries. They are planned to run between 10am and 2pm on Saturdays.
The events will be promoted to members of the public who have small broken electrical items e.g., soup maker, hairdryer etc who can bring their item along to see if it can be repaired.
We are looking for volunteers with suitable skills (and hopefully tools) to come along to the repair cafés to assess and, where possible, repair electrical items brought in by members of the public.
Whilst these events are one-off events, we hope to stimulate interest within local communities for running repair cafés on a regular basis which will help reduce waste and build local community resilience.
Dates and Locations:
Continue reading “WNC : Interested in volunteering at repair cafes?” West Northants Council are promoting No Mow May and environmental awareness.
| As we enter the spring and summer months, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is looking at ways it can help promote environmental awareness for the natural environment and gain further understanding on how people locally support national campaigns to enhance biodiversity. |
| Last year, WNC supported the national campaign run by Plantlife, No Mow May. The Council will again be supporting the campaign this year in May and will be enabling some of the green spaces it looks after to grow wildly for May, where safe and reasonable to do so. People across West Northamptonshire are being asked to share their views on the national campaign and let the Council know if they take part in these, so that it can gain a better understanding of how West Northamptonshire residents positively impacted biodiversity. The six-week online engagement will take place from Monday 8 April to Sunday 19 May, and people can have their say here: https://westnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/no-mow-may |
The Parish Council decided on Monday that they would develop the Council’s response to the local plan at the next meeting – Wednesday 15 May.
Everyone can input to the consultation as described in this post. If you decide to comment directly, please consider letting the Parish Council have a copy of your comments by emailing Ruby.
Starting tomorrow WNC are holding public events as follows – just turn up.
| Location | Address | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moulton | Moulton Community Centre, Sandy Hill Ln, Reedings, Moulton, NN3 7AX | Thursday 18 April | between 1 and 5pm |
| Daventry | Daventry Leisure Centre, Saxon Suite, Lodge Road, Daventry, NN11 4FP | Tuesday 23 April | between 2 and 6pm |
| Wootton | Wootton Community Centre, Curtlee Hill, Wootton, Northampton NN4 6ED | Thursday 25 April | between 2 and 7pm |
| Brackley | The Old Fire Station Community Room, High Street, Brackley NN13 7DW | Wednesday 1 May | between 2 and 5pm |
| Northampton | Grosvenor Centre, Gather Unit, 1st Floor, Northampton, NN1 2EW | Thursday 2 May | between 12 and 5pm |
Thank you everyone who returned the questionnaires delivered with the recent newsletter.
The Parish Council has revised the draft Parish Plan using your comments, and yesterday approved Version 1.0.
The Parish Plan will now be used to drive the Parish Council’s agenda wherever possible. It will be revised occasionally.
A message from WNC regarding grants for businesses.
—
| Grants of up to £20,000 are available from the University of Bedfordshire to local businesses as part of a new programme launched by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to deliver business support, growth and innovation in the region. |
| The initiative seeks to forge pathways to innovation while fostering a dynamic business ecosystem that fuels local pride, skill enhancement, and the expansion of employment opportunities, with £325,000 in funding available as part of the support package. As part of this comprehensive programme, the University will deliver business growth initiatives, including activities designed to empower businesses with innovation and technological support, enhancing their productivity and competitiveness. From fully-funded participation in short courses to personalised 1-2-1 consultancy sessions with industry experts, businesses will receive tailored support to address their unique needs.Funded by £625k of UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF), a central part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda, this project marks a strategic investment in local businesses operating within the West Northamptonshire region. Building upon the successful outcomes of previous partnerships, this venture is poised to deliver tangible results in business innovation and support. Find out more about the business support available through this programme via the University’s Research & Innovation Service. |
You will have seen that Holcot Parish Council has a vacancy for a Councillor. We also expect a second vacancy shortly.
I was asked for further information about the role of a Parish Councillor. The Good Councillor’s Guide is a great place to start.
In Holcot, Councillors are involved in representing and supporting many aspects of the community, from ensuring that the street lighting works, through dealing with West Northants Council highways, planning and other services. Councillors look after the playing field, maintain community communications through the website and newsletter, and help Parishioners deal with specific issues…. and a whole lot more.
Want to help lead Holcot’s response to the Green Hill Solar Farm? Road safety? Local massive housebuilding? Our response to climate change? Please consider becoming a Parish Councillor!
Continue reading “Being a Parish Councillor”
Information from WNC about cost of living and mental health support.
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Please find attached information on our Cost-of-Living Support Hub and NHFT/Mind Northamptonshire’s Mental Health Support Card, we have these available at our offices across the West to collect for distribution:-
For further information please see here Cost of living support | West Northamptonshire Council (westnorthants.gov.uk)
Continue reading “WNC : Cost of living and mental health support”Holcot Parish Council has been made aware of a project to build a solar farm across several Northamptonshire locations connected to a hub at Grendon. One solar array site is proposed to be on farmland to the south of Holcot. It is early days, but there is now a website with basic information https://greenhillsolar.co.uk/.
The formal consultation regarding the proposals is expected in the Autumn, and subject to national-level approval, construction will be towards the end of the decade. We are engaging with the applicants and will post further information on the website as it becomes available.
Also includes December’s schedule. Don’t forget about recycling small electricals too!
Holcot Parish Council have recently received complaints about dog fouling in the village. This is a topic which never really goes away. So in-line with the new laws that go live on Tuesday 3rd October HPC will be investigating getting signs added to lamp posts around the parish to remind everyone of the penalties of both dog fouling and smoking in the playing field. HPC would also like to hear from any volunteers who would be happy to spray any dog poo with fluorescent spray paint to help bring it to everyone’s attention! Hopefully with the changes in the laws and the visual reminders around the parish we can encourage everyone to make Holcot safer and cleaner for our families and friends. To find out how to report a dog fouling incident please click on the link here.
Northamptonshire Police has launched the Flare Report App that allows women to report, anonymously and quickly, any incidents or behaviour that make them feel unsafe when they are out and about in Northamptonshire. Police will collate and analyse the reports made, so that problem areas can be identified and action taken to improve those areas where people feel unsafe. Flare Report can be downloaded to Apple or Android devices. Please share this news with your friends and family.
The app can be used to report incidents and behaviour that are inappropriate and make people feel unsafe, such as cat calling, comments or touching, street harassment or other threatening behaviour. Crimes can be reported on FlareReport but not if they need an immediate police response.
Did you know you can easily report damage & obstructions to roads and pavements with just a quick click?! As we are heading into pothole season this tool if perfect for anyone who sees or is impacted by a pothole. However this service can be used for many different issues which could impact the safety of anyone driving or walking around Northamptonshire. It can also be used to report low hanging and dangerous vegetation which could obscure visibility or fall into the road.
If you have anything to report, please don’t hesitate and click here to notify WNC. You can also click on the Street Doctor button on the website Homepage. Here you will find more information about the WNC Highways responsibilities.
To help everyone keep up with what is happening in Holcot or what is affecting parish life, you can ‘subscribe’ to notifications.
Each time there is a new item added to the homepage, subscribers are automatically notified by email of the item. So whatever is added, from road closures to planning applications to lost cats, this information finds its way to subscribers’ email inboxes as an easy way of finding out what is going on in and around our Parish.
Have you tried to subscribe but did not receive the confirmation email?? Click on this link for instructions of how to resolve this
If you need help subscribing just email..
