James Thorpe - Independent

Come along to our event on the 28th October to find out more about volunteering at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.

If you volunteer at Northampton General Hospital, you will play a part in delivering the best possible care to patients and their families. Their opportunities include becoming a ward buddy, helping with admin and general support, or helping to run the library for inpatients.

Whatever you do, you'll have an amazing opportunities to develop your skills and confidence, meet people from all walks of life, and give something back to people who really need support.

Come along to the event to find out more!

How you can have your say on bus service improvements across Northamptonshire Both councils are taking part in a consultation with bus operators to improve services

Thank you to all those who voted for me in today's by-election at Talavera. I stood to give you an alternative to a Labour and Lib Dem two horse race in the area.

Congratulations to the winner, Cllr Fuchshuber.

The final tallies were;
Jacqueline Fuchshuber, Lib Dem 444
Marianne Kimani, Labour 437
James Thorpe, Independent Network 96
Spoiled 14

Turnout 991 or 12.33%

Don't forget to vote today in Talavera - polls are open until 10pm

Northampton council leader 'furious' after Tories call £20K by-election but FAIL to submit candidate's papers "It's going to cost about £20,000. That's a lot of money for the town council. I am absolutely furious."

We’ve been made aware of an attempted scam in which someone claiming to be from the council phoned a resident to tell them they needed to pay £50,000 to replace their roof, windows and boiler.

Fortunately the resident called our colleagues at West Northamptonshire Council were able to confirm it was a scam, but we wanted to highlight it as a reminder for people to if anyone calls them out of the blue to talk about financial or personal information.

Neither we or WNC will never cold-call anyone in this way, and would encourage anyone with suspicions about a caller who claims to be from the council to hang up and check with us by calling 0300 330 7003, or completing the following online enquiry form at https://crowd.in/gtUR9T

For more information about Taking Five to stop fraud, visit https://crowd.in/fmu7ET

Full schedule of three-month roadworks starting soon in busy Northampton roads The area is a major route for many motorists including the emergency services

This is unbelievable (or at least should be!) the Conservative-run council giving nearly £1/4 million of YOUR money to a company owned by Prada!

Sold for a loss: Another bad deal by the Mackintosh regime Northampton Borough Council sold the bus depot for a £200,000 loss to Church's on the same day it bought it

We want to hear your views on proposals to provide land near Moulton to the Department for Education, so it can build a new free school to meet demand for places.

Complete the online survey at http://ow.ly/HFkP50FK2Xj

Today, I have submitted my Nomination to stand as an Independent candidate in the Talavera Ward by-election for Northampton Town Council.
This by-election is needed because May's winning Labour candidate failed to complete their paperwork and accept their position...
Dont forget to vote on 2nd September!

Northampton parkrun set to return this weekend after more than a year out The popular community run has been given the green-light by the government to start up again

This is a shameful decision by Highways at West Northamptonshire Council - they should be encouraging people to exercise for physical and mental health, as well as those of us who need to lose a few lockdown pounds. (The concessionary tickets were limited to 2 hours - enough for the run and to support the cafe afterwards).

Want to learn how to ride a Voi scooter safely and pick up a free helmet?

Voi invites you to join them for their local in-person safety event which will take place in Northampton this Friday, from 10am-3pm.

This event is perfect for new users who would like to start riding or existing users who need to improve their road safety knowledge, riding confidence, and parking skills. To book your place visit https://bit.ly/3g6x2LM

Following the success of recent bike marking events, officers from Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team, together with Crime Prevention officers and NBC Community Safety Team, will be more events this week, at;

The Racecourse, Kettering Road entrance (NN1 4LG), on Friday 21 May from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Market Street Community Rooms (NN1 4BG), on Saturday 22 May from 11 am to 3 pm

Please bring along your pedal cycle if you would like it marking, or simply come and speak to your Neighbourhood officers about issues or concerns you may have within your local area.

Neighbourhood Team would ask all attendees to comply with social distancing rules and consider wearing a face covering for these outdoor events.

Sign up to our page to receive notifications of more Bike Marking and other Neighbourhood Team events during the summer.

It took them less than a week...

West Northants Tory leadership hopeful suspended Ian McCord has been suspended

Failure rewarded: What can we make of Northamptonshire's election results? Fading memories and national issues are behind Northamptonshire's electorate giving the Conservatives another reign of power argues Kate Ironside

Thanks to those of you who voted for me in the Town Council elections, alas I lost out again and the sitting councillor won.
Thank you too to Anna and my friends for their support.

Not going to fib but this one is more frustrating than yesterday, losing to someone who you never see/hear from and who lives on the opposite side of town rather than in or even near the ward...

The full results were;
Nahar Begum (Con) - 258
Jane Birch (Lab) - 517 ELECTED
James William Edward Thorpe (Independent Network) - 170
Turnout: 30.01 per cent

I'd like to thank the 349 people who gave me their vote for the WNC unitary election yesterday.
I'm pleased that, with my wife Anna's support, I came within 150 votes of both the the Lib Dem and Conservative candidates.
Congratulations to the winning Labour Councillors who are all experienced councillors and, I hope, will represent St George well.
The Town Council count is tomorrow afternoon.

The results in full were;
Gary Austin - Con: 480
Cali Muna - Lab and Co-op: 1,030 ELECTED
Lori Gale-Rumens - Con: 593
Sam Kilby-Shaw - Con: 635
Dumitru Manole - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition: 167
Cathrine Russell - Lab and Co-op: 1,258 ELECTED
Winston Allister Strachan - Lab and Co-op: 954 ELECTED
Elizabeth Jane Marianne Taylor - Lib Dem: 468
James William Edward Thorpe - Independent Network: 349
The turnout was 26.72%

The polls open tomorrow from 7am until 10pm. Please go and exercise your right to vote, whoever you vote for, although I obviously hope that you'll vote for me!
Remember that you vote for 3 councillors for the West Northamptonshire unitary, 1 for the Northampton Town Council and also vote for the Police and Fire Service Commissioner.
Finally, you can request an emergency proxy vote tomorrow until 5pm if you have a medical need - details at https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/councillors-and-democracy/how-vote

West Northamptonshire Council Welcome to West Northamptonshire Council, the single unitary council covering the areas of Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire

Some helpful information on the new Town Council here.
Please remember to go and vote on Thursday!

A lot of people have been asking about the new town council such as what it does and why have we still got two councils. The website talks a lot about what town (parish) councils may do but it doesn't mention much specifically about what this glorified parish council will do.

We asked the question of the Town Council Clerk and his reply is attached for your information.

In addition, political parties do not traditionally stand candidates in Parish Councils, there are no rules on them. This means they can have more of a community feel to them, with the council made up of a wide range of background and views.

The main local authority will be the West Northants Unitary Council, with responsibility for all the major items, such as housing, highways and schools, for example.

It's a beautiful morning out on the Racecourse.
Marshalling at Junior parkrun - if you have children aged 4-10, sign them up for a 2k run every Sunday at 9am at https://www.parkrun.org.uk/northamptonracecourse-juniors/

Days left to register to vote in upcoming Northamptonshire council elections 'Extremely significant' poll represents a fresh start for local government in the county

Was great fun volunteering with the Northampton Junior parkrun test event earlier.
If you have children aged between 4 and 10, the Junior parkrun starts on Sunday 18th on the Racecourse at 8.45 (by the basketball court).

I am the ONLY candidate standing in Trinity Ward for the Northampton Town Council who lives IN the ward.

I'm officially on the final list for the St George Division election to one of the 3 seats on West Northamptonshire Council
Also on the list are 3 Cons, 3 Labour, 1Lib Dem and 1 Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

Remember, you will be electing 3 councillors so, you can vote for me and still support another political party candidate if you wish.

COUNTY ELECTIONS: Everyone standing for Northampton in next month's new unitary council elections Northamptonshire has been divided into two unitary authorities. Here is everyone standing for a local seat in Northampton

4 big boxes of leaflets arrived today so got out with my little helper to make a start on delivering them!

Our mutual exchange service has now reopened after several months downtime.

You can find out more on our website and complete your application - https://www.nph.org.uk/exchange-your-home.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Vote for a fresh, independent voice for St George's and Trinity