Archive for category: General News

Short-term emergency support is available for residents who rely on heating oil and are at risk of running out, ahead of new national funding due to launch later this year.

The temporary scheme will run until 31 March 2026 and is designed to help households who cannot afford the minimum cost of an oil delivery and are at immediate risk of losing the ability to heat their homes.

This follows the Government’s announcement on 16 March 2026 confirming additional national support for low income households using heating oil, which will be delivered through the new Crisis & Resilience Fund (CRF) from 1 April 2026.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is able to use remaining Household Support Fund (HSF) resources until the end of March, allowing WNC to offer this short term help during the transition to the new scheme.

Residents may be eligible if they:

• Live full time in West Northamptonshire
• Use heating oil as their main way of heating their home
• Have 150 litres or less, with priority given to households under 100 litres
• Cannot afford the minimum order required for a delivery
• Are at immediate risk of being unable to heat their home

This support is strictly for urgent situations and cannot be used to help with general cost‑of‑living pressures or long‑term affordability issues.

Applicants will be asked to provide:

• Proof of oil heating, such as a recent invoice, bank payment to an oil supplier, EPC, or tenancy agreement
• Proof of current oil levels, including a dated photo of the tank gauge and tank size if shown as a percentage
• Financial information, such as bank statements from the last month, recent income details, and any savings

This information helps the council confirm that a household is unable to meet the cost of a minimum delivery. Eligible residents will receive a Post Office CashOut Voucher, which can be redeemed for cash at any Post Office branch using photo identification. The cash must then be used to contribute towards the cost of purchasing heating oil.

Residents are advised that the support will not cover the full cost of a delivery, but will act as a contribution towards the increased costs. To request an application form, residents should email: HSFA@westnorthants.gov.uk

From 1 April 2026, the Government’s new Crisis & Resilience Fund (CRF) will replace the Household Support Fund and will include dedicated assistance for households reliant on heating oil.

A copy of the Minutes from this meeting can be downloaded here 

The next Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Thursday 30th April, 6pm at Loder Hall as a follow up on actions from the meeting held in March.
All welcome to attend. An agenda will be published shortly.

A village meeting with West Northamptonshire Council has been arranged for Monday 16th March – 8pm, at the Loder Hall, Maidwell.  This will be an excellent opportunity for you to raise any concerns that you have about the A508 directly with the WNC and members of the Highways teams.  We are hoping that a representative of Northamptonshire police will also attend.  We have also invited Stuart Andrew, our local MP – his office has indicated that his attendance will depend on parliamentary business taking place that evening.

The Parish Council have had ongoing dialogue with Highways and other relevant agencies for a number of years about traffic through the village and as a result, a number of actions have been implemented;

• the speed limits have been reduced from 50, through 40, to 30 mph.
• gateways have been built at either end of the village to reinforce that drivers are entering a residential area
• hatchings have been placed along the side of the road to create an impression of narrowing
• a 40 mph limit was introduced on the south side of the village as it was felt the 30 mph limit was too extensive and was not complied with
• Speed Indicator Devices have been placed at the north end of the village and in the village to encourage drivers to slow down and to provide us with detailed speed data.

There has also been a programme of repairs over the last 18 months which were recently completed. We have been appreciative of Highways support in working with us to implement changes. We also have regular visits from the police speed van, which is the most effective deterrent in terms of speed through the village.

Residents continue to raise concerns about the volume and speed of HGV’s that travel through the village, particularly at night. Their weight, combined with the uneven road surface, creates tremendous noise and residents indicate that their properties shake and have cracks. The A14 repairs over the next 4 months mean that overnight traffic through the village has increased significantly and this is a further concern. Residents also report that the current road surface creates greater noise than previous surfaces that have been in place.

In addition, there are concerns about the speed of vehicles leaving the village to the south, ignoring speed limits and completing dangerous overtaking manoeuvres past the crossroads to the south end, due to frustrations over vehicles in front complying with the speed limit.

Given ongoing concerns raised by residents, the Parish Council felt that it would be constructive to hold a meeting so that residents can express their concerns and frustrations directly to WNC/Police and hear directly what they have to say.  We would encourage you to attend if you wish to raise any issues.

If you require any further information or have any questions about the evening, please contact one of the councillors or the Parish Clerk.

Maidwell with Draughton Parish Council