Richard Church was re-elected as the County Councillor for Kingsley on June 4th. The full result was-

Richard Church (Liberal Democrat) 709

Eamon Fitzpatrick (Independent) 493

Labour 463

Conservative 457

Green 284

Thank You to everyone who voted in this election

I attended a meeting of Kingsthorpe Hollow Residents Association on Thursday evening. Residents were particularly concerned that a number of new tenants in the flats were causing a nuisance, particularly where there were elderly neighbours in sheltered accomodation. I am also taking up a request from residents of Monarch Rd for the cul-de-sac sign to be replaced to stop lorries turning in.

There was a lively discussion about the town centre, and agreement on the need to redevelop the bus station and expand the Grosvenor centre to provide better facilities for bus passengers and a better selection of shops.

Pot holes and unsafe pavements have got worse after four years of Conservative control of the County Council. Streets in Northampton have been neglected while money has been spent elsewhere.

This year Lib Dem County councillors proposed an additional £3 million to tackle potholes and broken pavements. Our proposal was voted down by the ruling County Tories.

Sadly, it looks as if last year’s Balloon Festival may have been the last. It has been a popular event for nearly 20 years, but since the sponsorship for shaped balloons ended a few years ago it has been more and more difficult to make the festival pay for itself. Even with the charge, to hold it again would have cost the equivalent of £3 for every council tax payer, at a time when the Council is having to find over £8 million in savings due to the recession and lack of government funding.

To continue the balloon festival there would have had to be more severe cuts in other council services. With many other difficult decisions to take we do not believe that could have been justified.

New road signs have been put up at the junction of Kingsley Road and Abington Grove. It’s a long time since Abington Grove had any street signs, many people didn’t even know it was there!

Tree planting throughout Kingsley has started. New trees have been planted in Kingsley Rd, Park Avenue North,  The Drive, The Vale, Milton St. North, Kenmuir Avenue and Kenmuir Crescent. The trres have funded by my County Council budget for Kingsley.

Trees have been selected based on the mature size appropriate to each site, and are well protected against vandalism. Let’s hope they flourish.

Despite overwhelming opposition from pupils, parents, teachers; governors and the local community at Unity College, the County Council are going ahead with the next stage of fast tracking Unity to become an academy.

I attended the meeting, together with parents, pupils and teachers, where the Council’s cabinet member for schools, Conservative Councillor Joan Kirkbride made the decision to go ahead. There were many excellent conributions from those who spoke, and no-one had a good word to say about the proposal, or the botched consultation that has happened so far.

With the support of at least 7 other councillors, I am going to ask that the decision is ‘called in’ for examination by the councils scrutiny committee.

With a new head and new buildings, Unity desperately needs a period of stability in which it can work to improve. Now is not the time to be fast tracked into another organisational shake up with little evidence that it will achieve anything that cannot be done under the current arrangements.

The Council have declared Barrack Rd and the Park Avenue North/Kettering Rd roundabout as designated air quality management areas. Some other busy junctions, such as the Cock Hotel, have already been AQMA’s for a while.

Both of these areas have been tested over recent months for Nitrogen Dioxide, one of the main pollutants from traffic, and they are above the government targets, requiring that they are designated as air quality management areas (AQMA).

Both areas will continue to be monitored, and if the level of pollution does not fall then a management plan has to be prepared to show how the pollution may be tackled. This is particularly a matter for the County Council as the Highways Authority to show how traffic levels may be reduced. Ultimately though, it’s up to all of us. The more people use public transport, bike or walk into town, the less traffic and the less pollution particularly for people who live in the immediate vicinity of these roads.

Plans for some low play mounds for young children, to be placed near the playground at the Barrack Rd end of the Racecourse will be on display at the Friends of the Racecourse/ Healthy Living Hub open meeting on Tuesday 3 February at 7.30pm at the Best Western Lime Trees Hotel, 8 Langham Place, Barrack Road, Northampton NN2 6AA.

There will laso be a discussion and presentation about the playmounds and an update on the progress of the Healthy Living Hub.

Plans have been announced to turn Unity College into a Church of England academy school. Consultation is underway on these proposals, and they can be viewed at www.pcaaun.org . A campaign opposing the plan has been established, and their website is http://www.saveunitycollege.org.

There is a public meeting on the proposal on 7th January 6pm-7.30pm at the school.

I have written to the County Council to object. The proposal is that 50% of places at the school will be reserved to children whose parents express a preference for a Church of England education. I believe this is divisive and discriminatory against those of other faiths and none. Only 600 places will remain for the whole of central area of Northampton for those who want to send their children to a local mixed sex school and who do not express a wish for a specifically Church of England based education.

Kingsley needs a good local secondary school which treats everyone fairly, regardless of their religious faith. We need a school which serves its local community, that children can access without having to be driven miles across Northampton.

You can take part in the consultation on thse plans whether you are a parent at the school or not.