Dan Biggar is back in the starting 15 as Saints make eight changes to face Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Friday night.

Biggar returned from Wales duty earlier this week, having helped his country to claim a Six Nations Grand Slam.

And he immediately steps in for James Grayson, who is not in the squad this week after being named man of the match in last Sunday's Premiership Rugby Cup final win against Saracens at Franklin's Gardens.

Cobus Reinach comes in for Alex Mitchell at scrum-half, while Tom Collins is handed a rare start as he starts on the wing, with Ahsee Tuala shifting to full-back and George Furbank benched.

Rory Hutchinson takes the place of Luther Burrell, who suffered concussion in the early stages of last weekend's win.

In the pack, Francois van Wyk, James Fish, Jamie Gibson and Heinrich Brüssow replace Alex Waller, Reece Marshall, Tom Wood and Lewis Ludlam respectively.

Ludlam is not in the squad as he is given a well-earned rest.

Teimana Harrison will skipper Saints, with Waller and Wood both on the bench.

Australian back Andrew Kellaway returns to the squad as he is named among the replacements.

Leicester welcome back five of their England internationals for the Gallagher Premiership game.

Manu Tuilagi, making his first appearance since agreeing a new contract at the club, is joined in the starting line-up by Jonny May, George Ford, Ellis Genge and Dan Cole on their return from Six Nations action.

Ben Youngs is rested after taking a knock on England duty and Wales cap Jonah Holmes is also unavailable for the first Premiership fixture since the end of the Six Nations.

But Tigers do welcome back Brendon O’Connor and Sam Harrison after injury.

Guy Thompson lines up at No8 in the absence of Sione Kalamafoni, who starts a three-game ban following his red card against Sale Sharks in round 16.

Matt Toomua and Gareth Owen also return from injury and are included among the replacements.

Leicester Tigers: Olowofela; Aspland-Robinson, Tuilagi, Eastmond, May; Ford, Harrison; Genge, T Youngs (c), Cole; Spencer, Kitchener; Williams, O'Connor, Thompson.

Replacements: Kerr, Gigena, Heyes, Wells, Fitzgerald, White, Toomua, Owen.

Saints: Tuala; Collins, Hutchinson, Francis, Naiyaravoro; Biggar, Reinach; Van Wyk, Fish, Hill; Moon, Ratuniyarawa; Gibson, Brüssow, Harrison (c).

Replacements: Marshall, Waller, Franks, Craig, Wood, Mitchell, Kellaway, Furbank.

Fixture: Leicester Tigers v Northampton Saints

Competition: Gallagher Premiership (round 17)

Venue: Welford Road, Leicester

Date and kick-off time: Friday, March 22, 2019, 7.45pm

Television coverage: BT Sport 1

Referee: Wayne Barnes (212th Premiership game)

Leicester Tigers: Olowofela; Aspland-Robinson, Tuilagi, Eastmond, May; Ford, Harrison; Genge, T Youngs (c), Cole; Spencer, Kitchener; Williams, O'Connor, Thompson.

Replacements: Kerr, Gigena, Heyes, Wells, Fitzgerald, White, Toomua, Owen.

Saints: Tuala; Collins, Hutchinson, Francis, Naiyaravoro; Biggar, Reinach; Van Wyk, Fish, Hill; Moon, Ratuniyarawa; Gibson, Brüssow, Harrison (c).

Replacements: Marshall, Waller, Franks, Craig, Wood, Mitchell, Kellaway, Furbank.

Outs: Saints: Andy Symons (knee), Harry Mallinder (knee), Mikey Haywood (knee), Dylan Hartley (knee), Ehren Painter (calf), Courtney Lawes (calf), Paddy Ryan (knee), James Haskell (toe), Fraser Dingwall (ankle), Luther Burrell (concussion), David Ribbans (ankle).

Most recent meeting: Saturday, January 26, 2019: Saints 47 Leicester Tigers 20 (Premiership Rugby Cup pool stages)

Tom's preview: There may have been scenes of understandable celebration at Franklin's Gardens last Sunday, but Saints must put (most of) the Champagne on ice.

That is because while the Premiership Rugby Cup final success provided plenty of reason to cheer, they know that more huge matches lie in wait over the next few weeks.

They have just five days between the final at Friday's crucial Gallagher Premiership game at Welford Road, where they will lock horns with old rivals Leicester Tigers.

It seems an unfair schedule, especially considering Tigers were able to take last weekend off.

But after Friday's game there is a little more respite for Saints as they have nine days before their Challenge Cup quarter-final trip to Clermont Auvergne.

The big matches just keep coming.

And how sweet the Champagne would taste come the end of the season if they can achieve big things during what remains of this campaign.

They are still just about alive in the their bid to make the Premiership play-offs, but they really must beat Leicester if they are to keep the flame burning.

And while a trip to Clermont is a daunting task, a win at Welford Road would be another big morale boost.

What Saints have to make sure of is that last Sunday's celebrations are not the last of what has been a largely enjoyable season so far.

They will be desperate to take the momentum they've gained from last weekend to Welford Road, where they won in impressive fashion last season.

By doing so, they ended a wait for a victory at Leicester that stretched back to 2007.

They have smashed that hoodoo and they smashed another one last Sunday, ending Saracens' nine-match winning streak against Saints.

Now they have to back it up in another match that really matters.

There is no reason why they can't especially when you consider Tigers have had a really tough time this season.

But Saints must sort out an away record that has seen them win just twice on the road in the league, beating Bristol Bears and Worcester Warriors.

Both of those sides, like Leicester, are currently below Chris Boyd's men in the league.

And Saints will hope to keep it that way by making sure last season's Welford Road success and last Sunday's cup final delight are more than just a flash in the pan.

Tom's prediction: Leicester Tigers 23 Saints 27

Northants have announced the appointment of two vice-captains for the 2019 season.

Rob Newton will be vice-captain in the Specsavers County Championship with Josh Cobb supporting club captain Alex Wakely in the Royal London One-Day Cup and Vitality Blast.

This is the first time in several seasons that the club has formally named vice-captains.

And head coach David Ripley believes both Newton and Cobb have the ability to be successes in their new roles.

"I feel the time is right to formalise the role to add another layer of support for Alex and add to our leadership group," Ripley said.

"Rob Newton captained the red-ball side in Alex's absence last season along with Adam Rossington, with both doing a great job, and I'm looking forward to seeing Rob grow into the role.

"It's a natural progression to name Josh Cobb as white ball vice-captain. He has already captained the side on several occasions, has an excellent cricket brain and is an extremely consistent white ball run scorer."

The Specsavers County Championship campaign starts at the County Ground against Middlesex on Friday, April 5, with the Royal London One-Day Cup getting underway at Durham on Wednesday, April 17.

Nick Adderley said some members of the public still believed officers should not be visibly taking time out among the people they protect.

But the chief constable believes doing so can have a number of benefits for the public.

He said on Twitter: "I encourage my officers and staff to have their break in public, not cooped away in a police station somewhere.

"[It's] better for wellbeing, for engagement and to react and respond to an incident.

"[The] majority of the public get and appreciate this, the minority- well what can I say!!"

Mr Adderley cited as an example the robbers who were caught holding up the Starbucks drive-thru at St James Retail park by two armed officers who were taking a time-out.

He has been backed by Northamptonshire officers who gave recent examples of arrests made on the back of intelligence gathered while on their break.

And their support was echoed by several members of the public on social media.

Derek Taylor said: "Personally I think it's great to see them out and about as in any case they're never really off duty."

Robert Moon said: "I was fortunate to be seconded to the Police in the USA for four months.

"It was absolutely normal to go into a cafe or restaurant and sit down for a meal. Not just takeaways. The public seemed to love it and so did I because I could talk to them. Should be the norm here too."

Sarge Mart praised Mr Adderley for giving the policy a high profile.

He said: "Great call for the staff. Everyone knows where they stand.

"As for the minority, well try and be more accepting if you can.

"Personally if an officer is there, it makes me, an older member of the public feel safer."

Northampton School for Boys were beaten 23-5 by Wellington College in their England Rugby Under-15 Schools Cup final on Thursday afternoon.

Lucas Kitson claimed a second-half score in a spirited NSB showing, but Wellington dotted down four times to make sure of the victory at Twickenham.

Wellington applied the pressure early on through the forwards but it was the backs who got the job done from a quick lineout as NSB were unable to make tackles out wide and full-back Finn Tawse scored.

With an early 5-0 deficit to overcome, NSB set about pushing forward, spending time camped in the Wellington 22, but a knock-on gave the opposition some relief.

It was all NSB in the 15 minutes that followed the try, but a last-gasp tackle denied Joshua Tuck as he looked to race home in the corner.

Fly-half George Patten was pulling the strings with some impressive kicking, while flanker George Diggin was delivering an all-action display as well as ruling the lineout.

But with NSB unable to make their possession and territory pay, Wellington almost punished them before the break.

Scrum-half James Lloyd produced a superb charge-down, giving his side a five-metre scrum, but NSB did brilliantly to defend on their own line, forcing a knock-on.

Wellington did manage to extend their lead to 8-0 before the break thanks to a penalty from flanker Murdoch Lock.

NSB almost conceded a try just after the restart but they scrambled well and Wellington wasted their opportunity, having had a two-on-one on the break.

Wellington were bossing possession but it was NSB who struck first in the second half as they broke with real speed and eventually Patten produced a fine pass for the onrushing Kitson to score.

Patten sent the conversion just wide but the gap was now down to three points with 18 minutes remaining.

But Wellington hit back almost immediately as they showed great patience in attack and Tawse cruised in for his second score of the game.

NSB were now desperate for a try to get them back in the match, but Wellington put the result beyond any doubt thanks to a converted score.

There was still time for more as man of the match Lock finished things off with his team's fourth try.

The upper floors of number 112-116 Abington Street were severely damaged by flames when the building caught fire in June last year.

The blaze caused the roof to collapse and the efforts of firefighters to control the flames resulted in water damage.

Currently empty while it is being rebuilt, the building is to become home to eight one-bedroom flats. The flats would be constructed on the first and second floors, with the basement and ground floors retained as retail use.

Documents written by architects Stimpson, Walton Bond said, unlike many recent renovations in the town centre, the flats will not by aimed at students.

It says: "The proposal seeks to provide the new accommodation within a sympathetic development within the existing building envelope.

"The applicants' brief is to provide good quality accommodation of interesting character, which will not be targeting the student accommodation market."

The existing building was built in the mid nineteenth century as a Baptist Chapel and from the records appears to have closed a century later.

The building now occupies a corner plot at the junction of Abington Street and York Road although historical maps show it had buildings either side originally.

The main Abington Street and York Road elevation is considered of some architectural value, and therefore no material change has been proposed to these elevations as part of the application.

Stimpson Walton Bond said the building has not been fully let for for some time.

The documents says: "When the current occupier relocated in 2016 it has only managed to be partially let for some of the time.

"One of the main reasons for the limited viability is the lack of viable business parking spaces nearby for both the employees and members of public visiting the site.

"The partial conversion of the property to flats will continue to build on and improve the local area by bringing more people into the town centre and increasing the use of local businesses and facilities.

"There is no parking associated with this site, which therefore lends itself to occupiers who will live and work in the town centre or take advantage of the local public transport systems."

Nuclear warheads are regularly driven from Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) near Reading to Coulport, Scotland, for loading onto the Trident missile submarines.

On Tuesday, a 20-vehicle convoy was spotted heading north passing close to Bicester on the M40 before nearing Brackley and Towcester on the A43 and, shortly afterwards, navigating the Northampton stretch of the M1.

But the campaign group Nukewatch say that if the lorries carrying the weapons were involved in a major crash, a fire could cause radioactive contamination over a wide area.

Though a minor incident, the convoy on Tuesday was delayed near Didcot, Oxfordshire, after a breakdown. Last year a warhead-carrying lorry broke down on the slip-road at junction 9 of the M40.

Nukewatch’s Nigel Day described the convoy as "probably the most deadly cargo in the country" and said the campaign group has serious concerns about it travelling along the accident-prone stretch between junction 15 and 16 of the M1 and the A43.

"What we are saying is that this is a particularly dangerous convoy and there is a possibility of an accident because these things happen all the time on these roads," he said.

"When the convoy travels along, cars often travel in and out of it - in that respect, it is quite dangerous."

Sometimes, though not always, the convoy is flanked by police vehicles and a rolling roadblock is put in place.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: “For security reasons, MOD does not discuss the purpose of specific convoy movements.”

Artist Kardi Somerfield has embarked on a project to sketch as many of Northampton's most loved building as possible.

The FridgeStreet project sees Kardi turn the art into fridge magnets, which are for sale at Vintage Guru in St Giles Street. And this week we challenged you to identify as many from the nightspots range as you could. See how successful you were below.

Boss Keith Curle has spoken of the ‘accountability’ he has instilled at the Cobblers, and revealed it even stretches to how well the players park their cars ahead of training every day.

The Town manager admitted that, aside from turning things round on the playing side, the hardest task he has faced since taking the reins at the PTS Academy Stadium has been ‘changing the attitude within the changing room’.

Curle took the helm at the beginning of October, replacing the sacked Dean Austin, and he has spent the past five months trying to stamp his authority and instil his personality on a squad that had been managed by four different managers in just two years.

There have been sticky moments along the way, but it seems as though Curle’s message is really starting to hit home, with the Cobblers on an eight-match unbeaten run, and steeling themselves for the unlikeliest of charges for a place in the promotion play-offs.

With eight games of the season remaining, Town have risen to 11th in the Sky Bet League Two table, and to within six points of the top seven, and there seems to be a real momentum building at the club again.

There seems to be a smile on everybody’s faces, and regardless of how the season ends up panning out, there is definitely a feelgood factor around the place again, and an optimism that things are heading in the right direction

So how has former Mansfield Town, Notts County and Carlisle Unted boss Curle turned things round?

Well, he insists a key part of getting the team performing on the pitch is getting the small details right off it - and that includes parking their cars!

“Probably the biggest shift since I have come here, is changing the attitude within the changing room,” said Curle, who brought in his own team to support him when he got the job, in the shape of assistant Colin West and goalkeeping coach Dan Watson.

“The players are enjoying the changing room, enjoying their environment, but are being held accountable for their environment, which I think is massive.

“It is all about accountability, and making sure the players are aware that what they produce on a daily basis, and their persona and personality in and around the building is what I judge them on, not only their football ability.

“I have enjoyed coming into work, and I am enjoying coming into work because I know the atmosphere is good and people are taking on board the challenges we are setting them.

“Sometimes it can be very minute things that have a big difference, and I will give you an example of where and how the players park their car in the morning

“We have guidelines, we have designated parking spaces between parallel lines, and they have to show that as soon as they get out of their car they are aware that everything they do is monitored.

“When we first came here there were people parking in disabled bays, people parking outside of the white lines and taking up two bays, and it used to annoy me, even though it is a little thing.

“So when they turn up to work they are monitored for the little things that they do, and it is the little things that can have a big impact.

“So I’m not going to say I am a traffic warden, but we do have out parking fines!”

And it is not just the players who are accounable either, with Curle insisting all members of staff in the club’s football department perform at the top of their game as well.

“The tone all comes from the manager, and then there is a domino effect,” said Curle.

“You start from very much in line with the intricacies that are put in place, and people have a good understanding of what my mindset is about, and I like things to be right.

“I want people to be in the right place, be on time, and be accountable, and those things filter through into the environment.

“Members of staff are in charge of their environment, with the expectations that I put on them and how I expect that department to run.

“I don’t run every department, but I am accountable for every department, and because of that my staff are accountable for what they produce.

“Whether that is in strength and conditioning, medical, the kit department, I don’t want to run everey department but I am accountable for all of them, and I give those people the responsibility.

“That is exactly what I do with the players.

“They are accountable and are given responsibility, but they also get an outline of what my expectations are and what they need to produce.

“There is clarity here, and makiing things simple, and making things clear gives a good starting point to build a good foundation.”

An unknown number offenders threw a brick through the window of a property in Ixworth Close, Lings, sometime between 8am and 9.50am before conducting a search of the property.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area this morning.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police were called to the Cottesbrooke estate earlier today (March 21) after the deaths were reported.

Officers from the force’s Rural Crime Team are reminding owners they have a responsibility to keep their pets under control, and that dogs chasing livestock can legally be shot dead by farmers.

PC Abbey Anstead said: “Every year we remind dog owners and walkers of the repercussions of livestock worrying, and sadly every year we still see animals who are killed as a result of it.

“Although the images are naturally upsetting, we’ve taken the decision to release them to bring it home that this is a problem happening here and now in Northamptonshire.

“Finding dead lambs, or any animal killed this way, is just awful for farmers, and especially when one simple thing – a lead – could have prevented their deaths.

“I’d ask all dog owners to act responsibly, do the right thing and help to protect all animals by making sure their pets are kept on the lead and under control around livestock.”

She added that incidents of livestock worrying should be reported to police on the non-emergency 101 number. If a dog is in the process of worrying livestock and cannot be stopped, dial 999.

Anyone who shoots a dog to prevent livestock worrying must notify police within 48 hours.

Last year Northamptonshire Police received at least 30 reports of livestock worrying, including instances of sheep found dead or injured.

The force has released these tips for safe and responsible dog walking around livestock:

- Keep dogs on a lead and under control when walking through fields of livestock

- Always stick to public rights of way and leave all gates as you found them

- If you live beside land where livestock is grazed ensure you know where your dog is at all times, and keep your property secure so your dog cannot escape

- Cows can be curious and may follow walkers. If this happens, keep facing the animal and move calmly and slowly, don’t turn your back to it or run

- Steer well clear of young animals and do not try to pet them. Cows with calves will be protective and may become aggressive

- If you feel threatened by cattle when with a dog, let go of the lead so you and the dog can get to safety separately

A drink-driving taxi driver from Northampton has been jailed for causing serious injuries to himself and two others in a crash where he tried to overtake another car near Aynho.

Kabir Hafiz pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of driving while above the alcohol limit at Oxford Crown Court on January 28.

The 31-year-old, of Boughton Green Road, was sentenced to 28 months in prison and disqualified from driving for five years and two months on March 14.

At around 11.30pm on May 4, 2018, Hafiz was driving his taxi with a passenger inside along the B4100 towards Aynho, when he tried to overtake a car in front.

As the car pulled onto the other side of the road, it collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction.

Hafiz, his passenger and the driver of the other car all suffered serious injuries that required hospital treatment.

A passenger in the other car suffered minor injuries that also required hospital treatment.

Hafiz was charged on October 29, 2018.

Investigating officer, PC Graham Holt, of the Joint Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a serious incident that left four people needing hospital treatment.

“The passenger of Hafiz’s taxi and the driver of the other car have received injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

“Hafiz’s actions were reckless and dangerous, and as a result, he will have to live with the serious injuries he also sustained.

“I hope this sentence reflects the severity of the incident and serves as a warning to others of the consequences of driving dangerously and under the influence of alcohol.”

Pictures of the tidied footpath on The Racecourse were shared to the Northampton's Rubbish Facebook page at 5pm on Thursday (March 20).

The pristine path had been swept clear of any leaves or rubbish, reportedly by the borough council's environmental team Veolia.

The path is also maintained by volunteers on Sundays.

One resident commented they had 'never seen it looking so fabulous'. Another wrote: "This looks lovely. But how long will it last?"

But only 23 hours later - at 4pm today, March 21 - a new picture of the same path was posted to the page - showing three dumped mattresses, a window pane and a wheelbarrow filled with construction material.

Scuff marks on the path suggest the mattresses were dragged to the spot from nearby.

The Northampton's Rubbish community called the flytipping 'vile and disgusting'.

Heartbroken residents will see their garages demolished after a planning application to replace them with two new homes was approved by councillors.

Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) had applied to knock down the 20 garages at Keswick Drive, in Boothville, but faced fierce opposition from 165 locals who signed a petition to keep them.

An original application had been deferred by Northampton Borough Council’s planning committee in December so officers and NPH could examine whether some of the garages could be saved.

But the new application, approved by the planning committee on Tuesday (March 19), heard that there were ‘structural issues’ with some of the garages, an assertion disputed by residents who used them.

Ann Brooks, who lives next to the garages and leases one of them, told councillors that residents had also been poorly consulted.

She said: “Yet again I find myself in front of you, and nothing has changed since the last time. I have not received any communication and feel like I’ve been discriminated against for being a spokesperson for the Save Our Garages campaign. I have not been offered any alternative garage.

“The local community don’t deserve to have their garages demolished. The 165 people who signed this petition should be listened to.”

Matthew Berry, from NPH, told councillors the application needs to be viewed in the context of lots of small applications being brought forward which will deliver 200 affordable homes in the town.

Nicky McKenzie, assistant director of housing at NPH, says they have 3,677 people on the housing register.

She says 13 of the 20 garages at Keswick Drive were being used, but she accepted that NPH were not currently letting out garages. Residents say they would be full if they were.

Mrs McKenzie says that all residents will be offered a replacement garage, with the best case scenario seeing a new garage 48 metres further away than current, with the worst case scenario being 137 metres away.

The planning committee passed the application, with one of its members, Councillor Matt Golby, saying: “We’ve heard from the residents and we have to judge each application on its merits. But new housing is a big significant factor.”

And Arthur McCutcheon added: “Where do you draw the boundaries? We work as councillors for the whole borough, so I think we should make our contribution on that basis.”

The residents had been backed in saving the garages by their ward councillor Paul Joyce.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: “It’s very disappointing. It feels like residents have not had their concerns addressed. One hundred and sixty five people have put their names to this petition because it does impact a lot of people and some residents are concerned about losing their garage.

“I guess it boils down to the fact there isn’t enough housing stock, and this is what it has come down to.”

Film crews from BBC1's The One Show were on board The Ark Cafe last Saturday (March 16) to talk about feeding pets meat-free dinners.

Presenter Christine Walkden was on hand to ask eight different dog owners about what they fed their pooches and how healthy they think a diet without any animal products is for canines.

The Ark's events manager Hema Patel told the Chronicle and Echo: "It was good to have do many dogs on board for the filming.

"I don't have a dog myself so I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of feeding them vegan diets. But the message I got from the dog owners there were their vegan dogs were incredibly healthy."

The Ark - which is moored on the Nene off Midsomer Meadows - was chosen for the filming as they have a dog-friendly policy and also only serves vegan food and drink.

Hema said: "Vegan diets are lot safer for the environment. I think people are being more aware these days on how their actions affect the environment

"If you feed your animal a meat-based diet then more animals have to die and it all contributes to carbon in the atmosphere."

Critics say homemade vegetarian diets for dogs are often deficient in protein, essential amino acids and other vitamins and minerals. Others say chewing bones and meat is a relaxing experience for dogs and should not be taken away from them.

The Ark's appearance on The One Show is due to air within the next three weeks, although an exact date has not been announced.

Councillor Fiona Baker made the admission today (March 21) as the council supported a motion from the opposing Labour party calling on the authority to do what it could to raise standards.

According to the council’s latest performance report, only 64 per cent of secondary schools are graded as good or outstanding by Ofsted. The remaining 36 per cent are ranked by school inspectors as requires improvement or inadequate. This compares to 82 per cent of Northamptonshire primaries being graded as good or better.

The motion, from Councillor Julie Brookfield, called on the council to make education a priority, and to ‘intervene to ensure a trust acts more swiftly’ when it identifies that an academy is at risk of underachieving.

Councillor Brookfield said: “I’m concerned that there is a widening gap in performance, as judged by Ofsted assessment, in Northamptonshire secondary schools and academies.

“The council recognises that, while there are exceptions, too many of our secondary schools and academies are inadequate or require improvement and that there should be a concerted effort to improve the quality of educational provision for all children and young people in Northamptonshire.

“While the council has limited influence over academies, there remains a duty to ensure pupils make good and sustainable progress in their education.”

Cabinet member Councillor Baker indicated that the ruling Conservative group would be supporting the motion. She said: “We are fully aware that education levels are not at the level we would wish them to be. In the last 16 months, we've held regular conversations with school ministers.

“Some academies are not performing well, but Key Stage 4 key performance measures are improving. There is ongoing work to narrow this gap, and we do fully support this motion."

Liberal Democrat leader Chris Stanbra added: "Clearly there's an issue with the way the school system is increasingly out of the control of this county council. We should take a more active role in ensuring that education standards in the county rise."

The agreed motion also called on the authority to write to the regional schools commissioner, Martin Post, to request his intervention as a matter of urgency whenever a school requires improvement or is inadequate.

Conservative councillor Dr Andy Mercer called for an ‘abolition’ of the academies system during his speech, saying: "I support the motion and love the sentiments behind it. Accountability comes through the Secretary of State for these academies, not parents or this council. I can't vote the Secretary of State out if I don’t think they are doing a good enough job on that front.”

Deputy leader Cllr Cecile Irving-Swift was standing in for council leader Matt Golby, who was in London discussing the local government reorganisation with government ministers.

She added: “We are supporting this motion as we are already doing a lot of what it says.”

The newest artwork to adorn the walls of a neglected Northampton underpass has been unveiled.

The newest artwork to adorn the walls of a neglected Northampton underpass has been unveiled.

Over the past three months, street artists have transformed the rundown walkway between Sheep Street and the Market Square.

The walls have been spray painted with murals and street art to bring new colour and life to the neglected pathway, formerly known as Emporium Way.

Now, the newest artwork has been unveiled as a tribute to men's mental health in the form of Prodigy front man Keith Flint.

The 49-year-old founding member of the internationally famous electronic dance act took his own life on March 4.

The new mural in Northampton features the vocalist's face in blue and red, with 'TALK' printed across the centre.

It is the work of nationally-renowned street artist Uncle Stubble 2, who also painted the mural on the west side of the underpass.

The artwork was commissioned by town-centre renovation charity NorFAMton, and comes ahead of an afternoon of street food and live music later this month.

'FAMfest' will be held in the underpass on March 30 between 12pm and 6pm, with hot street food, dance and musical performances.

It will be the culmination of NorFAMton's work to renovate the area and make it fit to be the town's first street art gallery.

Charity co-founder Shereen Ingram said: "The tribute to Keith Flint is already attracting comments from people, in particular several men who said they were moved by the image, having themselves suffered mental health issues.

"Towns and cities around the world are really embracing the potential of street art.

"It give communities identity, pride and a way to celebrate their heritage. It brightens the place up and also gives artists a very public canvas on which to show their work."

For more information on NorFAMton, visit their Facebook page.

The rate of permanent exclusions has been increasing in Northamptonshire, rising from 95 in 2015/16 to 150 in 2017/18. Latest figures show fixed-term exclusions have also increased from 4,651 in 2015/16 to 5,525 in 2016/17.

This equates to 29 children being temporarily excluded every school day in Northamptonshire.

Northampton, however, has the lowest secondary exclusion rate in the county with 0.16 per cent of senior school pupils permanently excluded.

A free East Midlands Academy Trust conference, backed by Ofsted, is set to be open to all schools in the county next week and will look at a new approach to keeping pupils at risk of exclusion in mainstream education.

East Midlands Academy Trust chief executive Joshua Coleman said: “School exclusions are a crucial issue for everyone in education at the moment and are a key feature in the new inspection framework from Ofsted, which is particularly cracking down on off-rolling, a process where pupils are informally taken off a school’s roll without a formal exclusion."

The initiative is a collaboration between a small number of Northampton schools working together to find the most appropriate setting for students, thereby avoiding the need for a formal exclusion. If successful, it is hoped that the initiative could be rolled out countywide.

Alan Hackett, the national executive member for the NASUWT Teacher's Union in Northamptonshire said: "Schools need to reverse the trend for increasing class sizes, removal of valuable SEND experts and teaching assistants from the classroom and offer a broad and balanced curriculum that will motivate and inspire children.

"Behaviour management needs to be embedded into every aspect of school life and the responsibility for it owned by everyone from the head teacher to the pupils and their parents. Children should choose to learn and learn to accept the consequences of poor behaviour.

"It is also well understood that many pupils are lost or off-roll when Ofsted is due.

"29 exclusions is 29 life chances restricted. Greater investment in keeping children engaged with education for as long as possible must be the priority for any political party's manifesto."

Neighbouring local authorities including Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire will also share their own learning about reducing school exclusions, and the Fischer Family Trust will give a presentation on pupils who leave the school roll.

Mr Coleman added: “As an academy trust, we want to help to shape the way we support pupils at risk of exclusion by working with neighbouring schools to find the best place for them and thereby keeping them in mainstream education.

“We’ll be launching the initiative at the conference, which we hope will improve the current system of managing excluded pupils and give students across the county the very best chance to succeed in education in the best setting for them.”

The event will take place on Thursday, March 28 at Northampton International Academy.

Schools can book their free place here.

Chris Boyd knows Saints will get left behind in the battle for a Gallagher Premiership play-off place if they don't start picking up points as soon as possible.

The black, green and gold have suffered defeat in their past two league matches, against Saracens and Bristol Bears, having won four of the previous five.

They now prepare to head to Welford Road on Friday night with more than just points on the line.

Both sides will be desperate to secure the east midlands bragging rights as well as a win that would enhance their chances of a strong league finish.

Saints are currently seventh in the Premiership standings, nine points adrift of the top four.

Tigers are 10th, three points behind Saints.

And Boyd said: "Where we end up will depend on what other teams do as well.

"All we can do is concentrate on our own performances, and there's still 30 points up for grabs.

"Someone could get a bit of a flyer at it and if anybody manages to pick up another 30 points they're going to be in a good situation.

"But if you don't start accumulating you're going to be left behind so it's pretty tight.

"Obviously like most of the teams in the competition at the moment, ourselves and Leicester are in a big bunch in the middle of the pack.

"Leicester have had some good wins and some not so good performances, like we all have.

"The big change for them is they've got six England internationals coming back and four or five guys coming back from injury.

"It's been a little bit of a hard read on them because we understand their framework but the bodies that sit inside that can make a big difference. That's going to make it extra tough.

"We were very disappointed with our performance in the Rob Horne game at Twickenham in October.

"There's a lot to play for but it will come down to the normal crucial incidents and minutes that you dominate or get dominated in that will make the difference.

"We're all expecting a pretty tough battle."

Saints go into the game on the back of lifting a trophy last Sunday as they beat Saracens 23-9 in the Premiership Rugby Cup final at Franklin's Gardens.

But Boyd refuses to believe that will be a big boost ahead of this week's game at Welford Road.

"I don't think the two are related to be honest," he said.

"It was good that we were able to win the inaugural PRC and for us to be able to discover some young guys and give them the opportunity to play.

"From the development point of view, it's been really helpful for us as a club.

"But I don't think that has any correlation to what happens in the Premiership or Europe."

Keith Curle says he isn’t working out the mathematics of what his Cobblers team needs to do to clinch a play-off place at the end of the season.

But the Cobblers boss does admit that the potential of clinching a top seven finish in May is a serious motivation for him and his players.

With eight games of the season remaining, the Cobblers have given themselves an outside chance of an unlikely promotion.

An eight-match unbeaten run and a haul of 18 points from a possible 24 has catapulted Town up to 11th in the Sky Bet League Two table, and to within six points of seventh-placed Exeter City.

Town’s run-in also looks kind, with the team due to face four of the current bottom five in their remaining fixtures, but Curle insists he isn’t working out how a play-off place could be achieved.

Instead he’s sticking to the old adage of taking things one game at a time.

Asked if he has tried to work out the maths of what Town need to do, Curle simply said: “No.

“The focus within the group at the minute is the next game, and the next opportunity for us to try to obtain three points. That hasn’t changed from the day we walked in.

“I still remember the first game against Bury where part of the team talk was that the game was an opportunity for us to get three points, and that doesn’t change week in, week out. The players are enjoying the challenge, and I know we have gained a good points haul, but there are still more available.”

And he added: “The potential of ending the season on a high is very important.

“There is a definite connect between the players in the changing room, the staff, the supporters and the football club infrastructure.

“Everybody is coming on board with a good understanding of what we are trying to produce on the field.”

The Cobblers are back on the road on Saturday when they travel to 17th-placed Cheltenham Town, and although Curle is looking forward to the trip, he is expecting a tough test.

“I find Cheltenham a very enjoyable ground to go to, very friendly, very homely, and I have managed and coached there and had some good games and enjoyed it,” said the Town boss.

“Under a previous regime when it was Gary Johnson there, and he always made me feel welcome.

“They are another team on their day that can cause problems.

“They have got a very good home record over the past five or six games, winning games, and they are a confident bunch who are playing well.

“They have a new manager (Michael Duff) who came in this season, and he is adapting and adopting his style of play to league two, and finding out about the division in his first role in management.

“He has been on a very good learning curve and he is starting to mould a team and a football club into his philosophy, which does take time. But I think he is enjoying his role.”