Maidwell-Being – Next Event Saturday 11th May, 10-12noon
The next meeting will be held at Loder Hall on Saturday , 10-12noon.
Come along to see what it is all about !
Town and Parish Briefing – Friday 26 April 2024
Please find below a link to the latest edition of the Town & Parish Briefing
Northants Police – You said, We did report for Dec 23 to Mar 24
Please download the latest report here.
Families and young people invited to have their say on early support available
| With just over a week left to go, parents, carers and young people are being encouraged to have their say in a consultation to help shape and refresh the early help support offer in West Northants. |
| The consultation asks families and young people on the use and experiences of early support services in West Northants, which includes local 0-19 (and/or up to 25 for young people with SEND) services for children and young people, as well as how they would like to access different forms of support in a way that best suits them and their needs such as; online, in-person and group settings to name a few.
The consultation is open until midnight on 28 April via the link here and provides an opportunity for families, parents, carers and young people to share their thoughts and feedback anonymously. All responses will feed into the Council’s approach to early help support as well as how we commission our services for children and young people aged between 0-19 (25) together with other local organisations. Early help is a huge focus and priority for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and together with other local organisations are keen to review and strengthen this offer further to ensure there is the right support available in a way that is accessible and meets the needs of children, young people and families locally. Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills at WNC said: “When we talk about early help, we are referring to the support available to our children, young people and families that they can access themselves without a referral from a health or support professional. This support needs to be easily accessible and to offer information and guidance on a range of topics – this may be advice on newborn support and development, vaccinations for children, mental wellbeing advice for teenagers, and the list goes on. By ensuring people have access to the right early help can make a difference to their wellbeing, development, and ultimately their life experiences, so it is really important we get it right. “We can only do this by having the input and hearing feedback from our young people and families so I do encourage you to please take the time to complete the survey – whether it is all of it, or you complete the sections more relevant to you. All the feedback is incredibly valuable and shape our future direction.” The consultation focuses on two essential topics of the early help offer, which includes:
The consultation closes on Sunday 28 April, at midnight. All responses from the survey will be anonymous. |
Home Upgrade Grant Expands Eligibility Criteria to Reach More Low-Income Households
| 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. If eligible, the installer will identify which improvements for the home will provide the greatest benefits and arrange any necessary surveys and installations. The home must also be heated by alternative fuels including electricity, oil, liquid propane gas, and solid fuels. The energy efficiency criteria will be determined by the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of the property and residents will be supported with this part of the eligibility process during application. Residents will be provided with a free EPC where they do not already have one. The scheme allows funding per property to provide a range of energy and cost saving upgrades, depending on the specific circumstances such as the fuel source, energy efficiency and EPC rating of the home, with the most funding available for the least efficient homes heated by the most polluting fuel sources. Cllr Adam Brown, Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “With energy costs continuing to place severe pressure on household budgets, this scheme is an important chance for local residents to improve their homes, save money on their energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions. I would encourage anyone who thinks they might be eligible to get in touch to find out more.” How to Check Eligibility: You can check if your property has an EPC and learn about your SAP score by at Find an energy certificate – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). West Northamptonshire Council understands that energy efficiency needs may change over time. If work has been done on your property since your last EPC assessment, your SAP score may have improved. Our dedicated installers will be able to verify your eligibility during your assessment. |
Digital Adult Training Session – 16th April , Loder Hall
All are welcome to attend Maidwell-Being first digital adult training session at the Loder Hall on the 16th April 1-3pm. Pop along and learn together.
Reminder – Maidwell-Being – Saturday 13th April 2024
Note the new times for the meeting of Maidwell-Being on the 13th April 2024 10-12 noon
Help shape West Northamptonshire’s approach to manage flood risk across the area
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) lead in managing local flood risks, this includes risks of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary (smaller) watercourses.
Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, WNC is required to develop, apply, and monitor a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy which sets out how it intends to manage floods and the effect of flooding on our area. The Strategy will focus on local flood risk from surface water, groundwater, and watercourses including rivers, streams and brooks, culverts and ditches and sets out the way the Council manage flood risks for the next six years.
People across West Northamptonshire are being invited to share their views during this non-statutory consultation which will help shape the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy during the early stages of its development.
This is a consultation on the draft strategic objectives for the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. It is open for people to share their views from Monday 8 April to Sunday 16 June. To view the draft strategic objectives and provide your feedback visit: https://westnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/local-flood-risk-management-strategy
Cllr Pinder Chauhan, Assistant Cabinet Member for Flooding at WNC, said: “Flood risk is changing as changes in our climate contribute towards increased rainfall. In addition, pressures such as population growth and new development across the area means we must adapt to future flood risks. Planning to manage flood risk is more important than ever and the Strategy seeks to consider local issues, including environmental and planning challenges to ensure we’re able to strategically manage flood risk across the area.
“In order for us to shape the Strategy we would like to understand the public’s main issues and concerns in relation to flooding across West Northamptonshire to ensure we are focusing on the right themes to manage flood risk in the future. I would also encourage everyone to review the draft strategic objectives and have their say as part of the consultation.”
WNC’s current Northamptonshire Strategy requires updating as a result of environmental and governmental changes, in addition to West Northamptonshire Council now operating as a unitary body. The feedback collated from the consultation will help to shape the Strategy during the early stages of its development. A statutory public consultation will take place once the draft Strategy has been developed, which will give you another opportunity to have your say. The Strategy will then be presented to cabinet for consideration and adoption.
Contact Information
West Northamptonshire Council Communications Team
communications@westnorthants.gov.uk
Have your say on West Northamptonshire’s new draft Local Plan
Have your say on West Northamptonshire’s new draft Local Plan
We are seeking views on our draft Local Plan which is being prepared, and will guide development up to 2041.
The West Northamptonshire Local Plan is a key document that helps us to plan for the future. Our aims are that residents will live in vibrant, attractive, active, and sustainable communities with the right access to services, facilities and infrastructure. The Plan will help us achieve this through it’s policies which will guide development proposals.
This consultation is your opportunity to get involved with this stage of the local plan process and will help us consider and address issues before a final draft is produced.
For further information and to Have your say please visit Have your say on West Northamptonshire’s new draft Local Plan.
This consultation closes at 23:59 Sunday 2 June 2024
Help shape the future planning in West Northamptonshire
People across West Northamptonshire are being invited to have their say on the draft Local Plan strategy which enables West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to plan for the future of the area positively and sustainably by guiding decisions on future development proposals and creating places where people wish to live, work and visit and will thrive.
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.
Once adopted the new Plan will replace current plans that cover West Northamptonshire and form part of the development plan against which planning decisions are made.
This consultation is gives residents the opportunity to get involved with this stage of the local plan process and will help WNC consider and address issues before a final draft is produced.
People can have their say from Monday 8 April to Sunday 2 June by visiting: Have your say on West Northamptonshire’s new draft Local Plan – West Northamptonshire Council – Citizen Space
Cllr Rebecca Breese, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs at WNC, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for local businesses, residents and community groups to help shape the future of planning across West Northamptonshire.
“The local plan provides the guiding principles for new development, dedicated green spaces and infrastructure across the area; and has an impact on everyone’s lives across the area. We invite the community to review the plans and have their say.”
The Plan is still being prepared, evidence gathered, and proposals considered, and WNC invite comments on the fully developed policies, the partly developed policies and any other parts of the Plan including allocations for housing and employment growth and guidance that applies to your area.
The draft Plan is accompanied by a number of technical documents and other evidence. All can be found on the dedicated New Local Plan for West Northamptonshire page.
The evidence will continue to be updated as the Plan progresses.