In 2018, 1,076 food parcels were handed out by Weston Favell Centre Food Bank to people in the Eastern District of Northampton, as well as people from further afield who make the round-trip by bus. These parcels, on average, can feed a family of three.

Also the provision of hot meals handed out by on-site Cafe Emm to Weston Favell Centre Food Bank users has seen a year-on-year increase of 232 per cent.

Northamptonshire Community Foundation has now match-funded three projects tackling child poverty in Northampton - including the Weston Favell Centre Food Bank.

The money is intended to purchase baby essentials and will help families facing fuel poverty.

Each of the three groups - which also include Homestart Northampton and Springs Family Centre - have been given £1,007.

The money has come from a ring-fenced pot for children - called the Fair Deal for Kids campaign - which Northamptonshire Community Foundation launched with the Chronicle & Echo in 2015.

Northamptonshire Community Foundation grants director Rachel McGrath said: "The Weston Favell Centre Food Bank is meeting the immediate needs of families with children in crisis; those that are being forced to choose between heating and eating in order to manage their budget.

"By providing food parcels and baby essentials and helping with utility bills they are providing an urgent safety net helping prevent local children and their families from slipping into further poverty.

"All the projects chosen will be providing much-needed support to tackle child poverty in Northampton, which is a priority need in the town as highlighted in our Hidden Needs Report last year. The more funds raised through the appeal the more projects we will be able to support, which is why we are delighted that Novacroft has chosen the Fair Deal for Kids appeal.”

Food bank manager Jo Alderman said: "We are very appreciative. It's come at a good time as funds are getting low. Any donations that we get in will be used for buying extra food that we are short of and helping people with gas and electric top ups.

"People who need nappies, baby milk, toiletries and wipes we will go out and buy them.

"All the stock that we had built up from Christmas and Harvest is starting to dwindle because we have had such an increase in need."

Northampton firm Novacroft, on Bedford Road, has chosen the Fair Deal for Kids campaign as its charity of the year.

Debra Charles founder and CEO of The Novacroft Group, said: "On behalf of team Novacroft we are delighted to have chosen the Fair Deal for Kids appeal as our charity of choice. For all our futures, it's vital that every child gets a chance to thrive."

READ MORE: Donations urgently needed as users of Northampton food bank triple in one year

READ MORE: On-the-spot meals given out to desperate Northampton food bank visitors more than double in one year

Keeping every player happy is one of the trickier aspects of football management but, for Cobblers boss Keith Curle, honesty is most definitely the best policy.

Curle has had to leave out some high profile names in accommodating others over the past few weeks, with strikers Junior Morias and Andy Williams among those to have barely featured during Town’s five games in February, combining for only one start between them.

The latter has not been shy in expressing disappointment at his lack of game-time this season and he once again voiced his ‘frustration’ after coming off the bench to score the winner at Stevenage on Saturday.

“He’s disappointed and angry and it’s one of those that there’s no better way to shove it down my throat than by putting the ball into the net,” said Curle.

“That’s the type of mentality I want. I want that hunger, I want that desire, I want that disappointment from players and I want them to go and take their chances when they get them. Shove it down my throat and I’ll digest it.”

When questioned how he approaches managing those players unhappy with their game-time, Curle explained: “I’m a talker. I’ve got an open door policy and I will get players that have different emotions – anger, frustration, disappointment – and I manage those.

“The best way to manage is to not shy away from it. I don’t shy away from difficult questions as in ‘why am I not playing, what have I done wrong, what do I need to work on’ and so on.

“It’s an open door whereby players know that I don’t shy away from the difficult questions that I’m going to get asked.

“All I can be is honest and tell players what they need to be doing. I’ll give them the opportunity and when you play, show me what you’ve got.”

Curle was delighted to see Williams go out and prove him wrong on Saturday when, in stoppage-time, the striker raced clear of Stevenage’s defence before producing a lovely deft finish to grab all three points for the Cobblers.

“He outpaced their midfield player and a defender and the finish was sublime,” added the Town boss. “It was quality finish and showed a good understanding of where people were around him.

“It was good body strength to hold people off and he was relaxed and composed enough to put the ball where he wanted. It was a very good finish.”

It comes after increasing concern from the public about numerous stabbings in our town over the past 12 months. These statistics are the latest available and cover the month of December 2018.

Back in October 2018, the actor and TV presenter, best known for playing Eastenders hard man Grant Mitchell, came to Northamptonshire to speak to four police officers about being confronted with weapons during incidents in which they were unarmed.

In March 2014, PCs Alex Prentice and Debbie Wishart were confronted by a man wielding an eight-inch kitchen knife in Corby. Body-worn footage shows the man swinging the knife several times towards the officers before he is distracted, disarmed and arrested.

In November 2014, PCs Rob Monk and Gary Liddle were called to an incident in Appleby Walk in Boothville in which PC Monk ended up being stabbed with a samurai sword. Body-worn footage captures the moment he was stabbed and the immediate aftermath.

Both incidents will be featured in the documentary, Ross Kemp: In the Line of Fire, which is part of ITV’s Crime and Punishment season. It seeks to answer the question - should all police officers in the U.K. be armed?

Rich Edmondson, head of corporate communications at Northamptonshire Police, said: “Ross Kemp’s visit to Northamptonshire generated a lot of interest from members of the public back in October and, as a force, we’re really looking forward to seeing the finished product on Thursday.

“The interviews with the officers were filmed in exactly the places where the original incidents happened.

"That, coupled with the body-worn footage that is going to be aired as part of the documentary is going to make a really compelling piece of television.”

The document, which looks at the impact of a no deal Brexit on financial services, warns there may be a greater risk of scams during any period of change.

This is because criminals will want to take advantage of people's uncertainty about changes to everything from banking, health and tax to insurance, mobile phones and driving licences.

The Home Office and UK Finance are reminding consumers to 'Take Five to Stop Fraud' - if you receive a request to provide personal or financial information, you need to take a moment to reflect and step back from the situation. Stop and think about what’s really going on.

Read more: No guarantee about data roaming charges in case of no deal Brexit

Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and fraudsters can now fake the telephone number on your screen, fake internet pop-ups and websites, find out some of your basic bank and personal details, and even appear to know some of your recent internet search history if you've been looking for cheap flights. Most people think they wouldn’t fall for a fraudulent text or email, but criminals are more sophisticated than ever.

The Take Five campaign has issued some top tips to prevent yourself from fraud:

- A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. Only give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you have given your consent to, that you trust and that you are expecting to be contacted by.

- Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text, even if it appears to be from a place you know and trust - such as your bank, HMRC, Amazon, Apple, or the DVLA.

- Always question uninvited approaches in case it’s a scam. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number..

- Just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and address or even your mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine. Be mindful of who you trust – criminals may try and trick you into their confidence by telling you that you’ve been a victim of fraud. Criminals often use this to draw you into the conversation, to scare you into acting and revealing security details.

- Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision. Under no circumstances would a genuine bank or some other trusted organisation force you to make a financial transaction on the spot; they would never ask you to transfer money into another account for fraud reasons. Remember to stop and take time to carefully consider your actions. A genuine bank or some other trusted organisation won’t rush you or mind waiting if you want time to think.

- Listen to your instincts. If something feels wrong then it is usually right to question it. Criminals may lull you into a false sense of security when you are out and about or rely on your defences being down when you’re in the comfort of your own home.

- Have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information. It’s easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations. But it’s okay to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it. Never hesitate to contact your bank or financial service provider on a number you trust, such as the one listed on their website or on the back of your payment card.

To find out more about the different types of financial fraud and scams, and how to protect yourself, visit the Take Five website at takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/advice

If you need any advice on changes during the Brexit period, visit www.gov.uk/euexit

Drum ‘n’ bass superstar Andy C and dance duo CamelPhat will join other acts at the MK Arena in April for a two-day electronic music event.

Thousands of fans are expected to attend the ice rink at MK Arena which will be transformed into a 16,000sq ft dance floor with top level production for an explosive programme of clubbing events.

The event kicks off on Friday, April ,5 with BassJam presents Andy C.

The superstar drum ’n’ bass DJ will headline, fresh off the back of selling out Wembley Arena and a 13-week headline residency at XOYO.

He will be joined by the likes of Dimension, Darkzy, Problem Central, James Hype and FooR.

The following day will feature Grammy-nominated duo CamelPhat presents BLOW! with Andrea Oliva, Detlef, Eli Brown, Max Chapman and others.

The event marks a new partnership between MK Arena and events company Our Next Event - known as ONE.

The Sussex-based company is best known for staging events around the South East of England with brands like PierJam, Cafe Mambo, Garage Nation and many more.

Our Next Events director Oliver Ibrahim said: “We are aiming to develop MK Arena into one of the UK’s best electronic music event spaces.

“The ice will be covered to create a 16,000 square foot dance floor and the arena will be transformed with industry-topping production.

“The rear stand will be converted into a VIP viewing platform giving guests an elevated and amazing view of the arena.

“The side stands will be draped to transform the space and improve acoustics. This is just the beginning of what is set to be an exciting event calendar for Milton Keynes.”

Tickets cost £25 before fees for each day and available via www.skiddle.com
VIP tickets are also available for both events.

The MK Arena is in South Row, MK9. Music is from 9pm until 4am each day.

For more details, visit www.facebook.com/miltonkeynesarena.

The Silverstone Classic will be celebrating 50 years of Woodstock this summer with the music of Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker and many others.

The Classic returns from July 26 to 28 and the organisers have revealed the entertainment which will take place along the racing.

This year, the shows on both Friday and Saturday nights will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary festival.

In what is believed to be the biggest Woodstock golden birthday party outside of North America, all seven bands performing at the Classic will boast strong musical links to the notorious festival in upstate New York that rewrote rock history.

As a founding member of Ten Years After, Leo Lyons was one of the legends who played at Woodstock in August, 1969.

He will be sharing his memories – and TYA’s music with classics including Spoonful and I’m Going Home with his latest blues rock trio, Hundred Seventy Split.

Kenney Jones, originally of the Small Faces and Faces fame, joined The Who after the death of the band’s original drummer, Keith Moon.

He will be at the Classic performing many of The Who’s greatest hits including My Generation and Pinball Wizard with his band The Jones Gang.

This group of individually renowned musicians will top the bill after sunset on the Saturday night.

Are You Experienced? are widely recognised as Europe’s premier Hendrix tribute band and will be keeping Jimi’s extraordinary vibe alive with legendary tunes like Purple Haze and Hey Joe.

Completing the special homage are four more top international tribute bands, Creedence Clearwater Revived, Viva Santana, We Remember Joe Cocker and Patrick Alan’s Everyday People.

Silverstone Classic CEO Nick Wigley said: “We are particularly honoured to have a true Woodstock veteran in Leo Lyons and are now really looking forward to sharing his memories as well as rediscovering so many of the great songs that made Woodstock so revered right around the globe.

“Woodstock was a seminal moment in festival history and we are really proud to have put together such an incredible line-up to mark its 50th anniversary at the Classic.”

The Friday will feature We Remember Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revived, Hundred Seventy Split and Patrick Alan's Everyday People.

The Sunday will feature Viva Santana, Are You Experienced?, and The Jones Gang.

While the cars are always the stars at the Classic, the live music – included in the standard price of admission – is a huge hit with the thousands of festival-goers, club members and drivers.

Early Bird adult tickets start at £37 admission includes access to both race paddocks, the majority of the funfair rides and family fun activities, dynamic demonstrations, car clinics, trackside grandstands as well as both evenings of live music concerts.

There will also be air balloon glows and pyro air displays at sunset.

For full details, as well as hospitality packages and weekend festival camping, visit www.silverstoneclassic.com

Platinum-selling Welsh singer Shakin’ Stevens is bringing his Great Hits – and More tour to Royal & Derngate this weekend.

Stevens has released more than 30 top 40 hit singles and will be joined by his band to perform his much-loved hits and fan favourites including Oh Julie, Hot Dog and This Ole House as well as some surprises.

Stevens said: “I’ve been going through my catalogue of songs in preparation for the tour and re-introducing myself to the many and varied styles of music I’ve recorded during my solo career.

“From country rock to Cajun, classic rock to Latin, and blues to Americana I’ve had the pleasure of re-discovering the ‘jewels’ from my repertoire that are so well-liked.

“Of course, there’ll be hits and some songs that I haven’t performed live on stage for a decade or two - so some surprises.

“I’ve also included well-known songs from other artists whose work I admire, together with album tracks and newer songs, bringing it right up to date.

“I can’t wait to get back on the road and to have a great time with the audiences.”

His latest album, Echoes of Our Time, was released in 2016.

Shakin’ Stevens headlines the Derngate stage on Saturday, March 2 with the show starting at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £37 before fees and can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

A charge of £3 applies for all transactions of £15 and over. Exclusions apply.

This performance is recommended for ages 12 and upwards.

The award-winning tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Walk Like A Man heads to The Core at Corby Cube on Saturday.

The show takes audiences on a musical journey through the incredible career of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Valli’s unmistakable voice dominated the airwaves for more than two decades with classics such as Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, My Eyes Adored You, December 63 (Oh What A Night), Bye Bye Baby, Who Loves You and many more.

The show combines infectious personalities, amazing vocals, slick harmonies and even slicker dance moves to deliver a show full of energy and nostalgia.

Walk Like A Man is on Saturday, March 2 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £24 before fees and can be booked by calling 01536 470 470 or online at www.thecorecorby.com

The inaugural Squad Up will feature some the best crews in drum ‘n’ bass coming together at the Roadmender this weekend.

The launch event will include Problem Central (Logan D X Majistrate X Eksman X Evil B Vs B Live), Shadow Demon Coalition Ft Upgrade Music (Upgrade X Trigga X Mc Bassman), TNA (Nu Elementz X Grima X Azza), Basslayerz

(Slipz X MC Spyda X MC Blu Bomma), Standard Procedure Dnb (Rowney & Propz X Toddlah & MC Tnt), Gritty Committee, (Tyke X Nutcracka Macka), Random Concept Origins (DJ Garry K X Presha MC X Aon X J Dub X Raw X Firefly), Core Alliance Audio (Warden X J Wilz X Load B), GTA (Lady V Dubz X Enamie), Spartanz (Tension X Raj X Startah X G Dizzle),

They will join dozens of other acts playing during the event.

Tickets for Squad Up on Saturday, March 2, cost £21.70 before fees with VIP tickets also available.

There will also be giveaways, dancers, LED screens, inflatables and confetti cannons.

Doors open from 9pm until 5am with the last admission at 2am.

Tickets for all forthcoming gigs at the Roadmender are available via www.theroadmender.com

Northampton residents will pay an extra 2.99 per cent in council tax to the borough council this year, after the authority’s budget for 2019/20 was agreed last night.

The maximum permitted rise is one of the headline figures for what is likely to be Northampton Borough Council’s last ever budget, with it set to be replaced by a new unitary authority for West Northamptonshire next year.

It means the average Band D property in Northampton will pay an extra £6.56 this year, which works out at an additional 13p per week. The rise will net the borough council an extra £448,000.

Controversial plans to increase parking charges are also set to generate extra revenue of £625,000, although those plans are still subsequent to consultation.

But the borough council is also investing £135,000 to continue the Northampton emergency night shelter, has allocated an additional £1million to tackle homelessness and temporary accommodation, and says it has slashed business rates to save up to 3,000 businesses more than £3million.

Cabinet member for finance Brandon Eldred said this was ‘a balanced budget that doesn’t require any service reductions or staff redundancies’.

But Labour leader Danielle Stone said that while the budget was deliverable, it ‘does nothing to ensure the longer-term sustainability or the regeneration of this town’.

Amendments from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats were rejected by the Conservative administration.

The Labour amendment suggested using £500,000 allocated for the change to the unitary authority be spent elsewhere, as the party ‘fundamentally disagreed with this spend’ as it feels Northampton should be a unitary in its own right. It suggested that it should be spent instead on an all-weather sports pitch in Kings Heath.

But Councillor Eldred said that any extra facilities in Kings Heath should be funded by developers building thousands of new homes nearby.

And the Liberal Democrats proposed using £350,000 of capital funds to provide immediate temporary accommodation for the homeless, and £100,000 of revenue funds to build a temporary day centre for rough sleepers during the three months of worst weather in the year. The party said that the funds could come from reserves.

Lib Dem leader Sally Beardsworth said: “This is a small thing to ask for. It’s chicken feed in terms of a £30million budget.”

But Councillor Eldred said that partners such as the Hope Centre already offered services for homeless people.

And Conservative council leader Jonathan Nunn said: “This is a sensible amendment, but we cannot support it. We are re-organising the homelessness team and investing in tackling homelessness. This doesn't require an extra £350k from reserves to achieve the same aim."

But Councillor Beardsworth said that the amendment was to 'act now' as current council policy was making it slow in tackling the change.

The budget has been delivered against ever-shrinking funding from central government. The total grants from Westminster to Northampton Borough Council has reduced from £18.743m in 2010 to £6.722m in 2019.

A hearty meal followed by hours of music and dancing will await more than 150 visitors at a special St Patrick's Day event in Northampton.

Northampton Irish Support Group have organised the St Patrick's Day Dinner and Dance at Kingsley Park Working Men's Club for the day itself, Sunday March 17.

Festivities begin at 11.30am with a two-course meal of bacon and cabbage with parsley-covered new potatoes, followed by apple pie and ice cream.

It will be followed by traditional Irish dancing and live music from Michael Gallagher. Revellers can also expect Ceili dancing, waltzing and line dancing until 4pm.

Organiser Josephine Shally said: "There's always a great atmosphere. People get up and have a good time and the dancefloor is always full.

"It's great fun and everybody gets on."

Tickets priced £15 are still available and can be purchased by calling Northampton 629502.

The Northampton Irish Support Group is a community focused non-profit which has been running since the 1990's, funded mainly by the Irish government but also through fundraisers.

It was set up to provide social and welfare support to the elderly Irish population in Northampton, many of whom arrived here in the 1950s and 1960s.

Cobblers striker Andy Williams admits he’s determined to finish the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer after netting his first goal of 2019 at Stevenage on Saturday.

Of the players currently at Northampton, Williams leads the way with eight goals in all competitions, two more than Aaron Pierre but two fewer than fellow striker Kevin van Veen, who left Town for Scunthorpe United during last month’s transfer window.

The 32-year-old’s cause has not been helped by his omission from recent starting line-ups, with his last start for the Cobblers coming at Cambridge United over a month ago.

He’s played just 85 minutes across Town’s last six fixtures, but having scored a fine solo effort to snatch victory at the Lamex on Saturday, he’s hoping to reignite his challenge to top the scoring charts this season.

“It’s always in my mind because I’ve achieved it at every club I’ve been at bar one,” said Williams. “I don’t want to finish my time at the Cobblers without ending as top goalscorer for at least one season.

“It’s a long way to go until I achieve that. I’m not even into double figures yet and that’s disappointing for myself personally, but I think I have eight goals in about 17 or 18 starts which isn’t the worst return in the world.”

Williams’ stoppage-time goal at Stevenage came in front of the 650 Cobblers supporters in the away end, who celebrated in similar style to three years earlier when Ricky Holmes also scored a late winner.

“I said to the lads I try not to lose my emotions too much but I lost it a little bit when I scored,” he admitted. “But it was a great feeling to score the winner in front of the travelling supporters.

“It’s not far to come to Stevenage but it was brilliant support and it was nice to get the goal in front of them.”

Here we take a look back at this time last year in comparison to the current weather - and the iconic images which show what happened when the Beast from the East hit the UK.

A disused office, a mid-20th-century house and a vacant car park in Castilian Street could all be demolished to make way for 95 studio and one-bedroom flats.

The estimated £8.8million build was put to the borough council's planning board on Monday (February 25).

It would mean demolishing 41-43 Derngate, which is a mid-20th-Century house, and a vacant office at 2 Castilian Street.

This would make way for the six-storey aluminium-finish block with 83 one-bed apartments and 16 studio flats.

A design statement for the development by Rickett Architects says: "This is an opportunity to provide high-density housing within Northampton Central Area and encourage young professionals to take residents in the Central Area."

The statement also claims it would help the borough council hit a target to increase the town centre's population by 50 per cent 2026.

HMRC is offering two different types of grants in preparation for the UK leaving the EU.

Businesses can apply to get funding for:

- Training that helps their employees to complete customs declarations and processes.

- IT improvements to help their business complete customs declarations more efficiently.

Firms can apply to the Customs Training and IT Grants Scheme if they complete customs declarations and are established in, or has a branch in, the UK. This includes customs brokers, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators.

For the training grant, companies must complete customs declarations for themselves or someone else (or intend to in the future) and import from, or export to the EU and complete customs declarations (or intend to complete customs declarations in the future). The money must be used to give employees the skills to complete customs declarations and processes or help other businesses with import and export processes. The grant will cover up to 50 and 70 per cent of training costs, depending on the number of company employees and its turnover.

To be eligible for the IT improvements grant, firms must currently complete customs declarations for importers and exporters, have 250 employees or fewer and have an annual turnover of less than €50 million. The grant must be used to buy software that will help the business to complete customs declarations more efficiently. It can also be put towards hardware that’s needed for the software to run, the installation of the software and hardware, the first year licence and training for employees to use the software. The maximum grant available is £200,000.

Businesses can apply for just one of the grants, or both.

Visit www.customsintermediarygrant.co.uk/registration to apply.

Mr Pothole, the Brackley town councillor turned national road surface campaigner, is retiring – much to the sadness of road users across the country.

Mark Morrell is hanging up his cape after nearly six years of being a pain in the backside to local authorities all over the UK, few more so than Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire county councils.

The current Brackley mayor said his mental health problems, a subject he openly talks about with his mayoral charity as Mind, have made him decide not to campaign any longer.

“I am extremely lucky to have the support of my long-suffering wife. For those on their own, Mind can provide support,” he said.

Mr Morrell’s campaigning, which has seen him appear in two national documentaries, countless articles and radio shows, forced the repair of thousands of potholes and supported hundreds of claims, gaining millions of followers on social media.

The Transport Select Committee’s decision to launch an inquiry into the state of England’s roads is a proud achievement of his after years of calling for it.

“I am overwhelmed by the messages I have received from people since I announced my stopping campaigning. I didn’t expect it,” he said.

"I hope that the inquiry by the Transport Select Committee makes a difference.”

Elsie’s Cafe, of Market Street Community Rooms, serves up hot meals from ingredients intercepted from shops before it is thrown into the bin. The café runs on a pay-as-you-feel premise where diners are asked to either make a donation or offer to volunteer instead.

Due to the increasing popularity of The Mounts venue, the café owners decided to open a second outlet to store - and dish out - their inercepted goods

They have now taken over a shop in St James next to the Library called Shop Zero, which will open its doors on Monday.

READ MORE: Northampton cafe rescues three tonnes of food every week for people on the breadline

General manager Shena Cooper said: "The benefit of this is we have more of a shop where people will be able to come on the same basis as they can for the cafés. They can come, choose their food and donate.

"You can pay either with money or with your time - so you can pay in whichever way you feel is appropriate for yourself."

The shop will offer customers tinned goods, packets, vegetables and bread, which have been collected by volunteers from major town centre supermarkets, including Tesco and Morrisons.

"Nothing has gone off, " she added. "It's over ordered basically. We don't sell food that's gone off.

"If you buy a loaf today in the supermarket you don't think its gone off tomorrow - but they would throw it out tonight if it's not bought.

"It's about the environment - this food in landfill would give off huge amounts of CO2. In fact, food in landfill is the biggest producer of CO2 in the world."

Shop Zero could rescue a further three tonnes of food a week, which has past its sell-by date.

It will operate as a community interest company and open its doors to everybody, including those who might be struggling to make ends meet.

"We are working towards Northamptonshire being the first zero-waste food county by 2025 so we want all the manufacturers, producers, and shops who see good food that would be wasted to contact us and we will rescue it for you if you can't get it here."

In the UK every day consumers chuck out 1.4 million bananas and it is estimated that the world produces twice as much food as the population needs.

The new shop officially opens on Monday (March 4) and is open every weekday from 11.30am until 1.30pm.

The Grade II listed Georgian house – adjoining 80 Derngate – has been open to visitors in its current guise since 2003, following a £1.4 million restoration project.

The 78 Derngate Northampton Trust has been managing the building since 1998 - after it was given to them on a 100-year lease from the borough council.

READ MORE: Before its time historic Art-Deco house is a Northampton treasure not to be missed

Now the trust has launched an ambitious fundraising appeal to extend the atrium area - the open-roofed entrance hall - to make way for a bigger shopping area and a new tea room.

It has already been granted £200,000 from Northampton Borough Council, but the trust believe they can match fund the sum.

The aim is to secure the monry by the summer and bosses at 78 Derngate are asking supporters to donate £100 each.

For each £100 the donors’ names will be recognised on the engraved glass panelling located in the new atrium.

Donations can be Gift Aided, paid for at reception or online through the secure portal here.

The new extension will also make way for better disabled access, a bigger storage area andr reception and will free up the pantry in 78 for visitor viewing - which bosses say will increase revenue and reduce running costs.

Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh was asked to work on the terraced house in 1916 by Northampton-born model maker Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke - though Mr Mackintosh did not ever visit the house in person.

The house’s later history saw it pass out of the hands of the Bassett-Lowke family. By 1964, it was the base for Northampton High School.

When the school sold the site, a campaign was launched, backed by the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, to enable its preservation and restoration; a dream which came true thanks to the work of the 78 Derngate Northampton Trust and financial support from Heritage Lottery funding.

Confusing council papers sometimes make politics look more befuddling than it actually is, and this is especially true when it comes to budget time in February.

So we’ve deconstructed the council jargon to explain simply how everything that is decided by elected officials affects you. So here’s a brief rundown of the 2019/20 budgets in Northampton.

HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING IN COUNCIL TAX?

Let’s start at the business end. Your council tax bill is what will be of most importance to you. It’s important to remember that your overall council tax bill goes to several different organisations.

The amount you pay is determined by the price of your home. Media reports will often refer to Band D properties, and this effectively is the ‘average house’ in Northampton.

This year a Band D (average) property in Northampton will pay a total of £1,784.85.

Here’s who gets what from that sum, and in brackets is how much this year’s figures have increased by:

Northampton Borough Council = £225.84 (2.99% rise)

Northamptonshire Police & Crime Commissioner = £245.04 (10.86% rise)

Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Authority = £60.76 (2.99% rise)

Northamptonshire County Council = £1,236.10 (4.99% rise)

Parish Precepts (average) = £17.11 (1.31% rise)

The county council gets the vast majority of your council tax bill, whereas the borough council (which collects the council tax bill and distributes it out) gets much less.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM ALL?

One of the most confusing aspects is understanding which council does what. The county council looks after services such as health, social care, libraries, highways and education. Whereas the borough council looks after housing, parks, planning and rubbish collections.

Councils are only allowed to raise their council tax by a maximum of 2.99 per cent. If it wants to raise it by any more, then a referendum needs to be held for the public to vote on whether they accept it or not. However, due to its well documented financial troubles the government has allowed the county council to raise it by 4.99 per cent. This is not normally allowed.

The Police and Crime Commissioner PCC is not restricted by a cap on how much they can raise their precept by however, hence a steep increase of 10.86 per cent this year. As of January, the PCC is also responsible for the fire service, though that part of the precept is ring-fenced and shown separately on your council tax bill.

THE 2019/20 BUDGET KEY DETAILS

As with every council budget, there are two separate pots of money - revenue and capital. Revenue is what your council tax bill goes into, while capital funds are set aside for building projects and investment in infrastructure. So if the council builds a school for example, it’s not necessarily paid for by your council tax increase.

Let’s have a look at Northampton Borough Council’s budget, and the two pots of money, in more detail.

REVENUE

The total revenue budget totals £28.67million. Funding from this comes from council tax, business rates and fees and charges.

The fees and charges for council services include things such as paying to park in a council car park, buying an allotment plot, hiring The Guildhall for a wedding or booking a football pitch at the Racecourse.

The revenue funds also include grants from the Government, but these are getting smaller by the year. For context, in 2010 the borough council received £18.74million in government grants, but in 2019 that figure was down to just £6.72million.

So the council is having to trim its budget, but also make it balance at the same time - a legal requirement.

As a result it is proposing £1.13million of ‘savings’. This includes:

£625,000 in extra income from increased parking charges

Removing £50,000 from a ‘business incentive’ scheme

Reducing the council’s IT budget by £50,000

But there are also some things the borough council is investing in, to the tune of £970,000. This includes:

Spending £135,000 on continuing the Northampton emergency night shelter

£533,000 investment in staff (including recruiting) to tackle homelessness

There are also some other one-off investments, including an extra £1million to deal with homelessness and temporary accommodation, and £2,500 set aside for a three-month trial where the cost of using the bulky waste service will be reduced, in order to combat fly tipping.

The borough council also has to set aside money in case things go wrong. The council agrees that there should be £4million in ‘reserves’ as a minimum for its general fund. It had held £5.5million at the end of March 2018, but £1.5million of that was set aside to fund the legal costs for recovering the £10.25million Sixfields loan money.

If reserves are spent, that money is gone, and the money for the reserves next year has to be found from elsewhere such as service cuts. The county council, across the road, had this problem when it spent all its reserves recently.

CAPITAL

This one is a little bit easier to follow. It’s effectively money that the borough council has set aside to spend on projects or assets for the financial year. The capital budget for 2019/20 is worth £52.52million.

Here are some of the investment projects the council has ringfenced capital funds for:

£2.09million funding for Upton Country Park

£4.2million for the Northampton Northwest Relief Road

£750,000 on street lighting

£200,000 on restoration works at 78 Derngate

The funds can come from various sources. They can come from capital receipts i.e the sale of council assets (the borough council did this in selling the Sekhemka statue to fund the redevelopment of the museum). It can also raise money from section 106 funds, which is effectively a payment developers have to make to the community when they build housing estates. Or the council can even borrow money for its capital projects.

CONCLUSION

This is likely to be the final budget that Northampton Borough Council makes. Next year it is set to be replaced by a unitary authority. It will effectively see Northampton merge with the district councils in Daventry and South Northamptonshire.