A man indecently exposed himself to "a number of people" on a canal towpath near Northampton.
The incident happened on the canal towpath near the Northampton arm of the Grand Union Canal between 6pm and 6.55pm on Monday (August 26)
The offender is described as a white man about 5ft 8in tall - at the time he was topless, wearing light blue jeans and holding a large bottle of cider.
Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101.
Officers investigating a robbery where a boy was forced to reset his phone before handing it over have released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to.
At 5.30pm on Wednesday, July 10, the victim was walking along an alleyway between Abington Avenue and Ashburnham Road, while speaking to his father on the phone.
The boy was approached by an unknown man who pinned him against the wall, took his headphones and made him apply a factory reset to his phone before taking it.
The man pictured, or anyone with information about the robbery, is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting the incident number 19000359826.
Theives broke into St Gregory’s Church in Park Avenue North and stole a safe and some keys between 5pm and 7pm on July 17.
The man in the image or anyone who recognises him should call Northamptonshire Police on 101.
A number of stolen tools were recovered after police arrested two Corby men on suspicion of burglary.
Now officers have released images of the property in a bid to trace their rightful owners.
At 12.20am on Saturday, July 20, police were called to a report of a burglary at a premises in Borrowdale Road, and two Corby men were arrested nearby.
A search of premises linked to the pair uncovered a number of items that are believed to be stolen.
The items recovered are: Optima steamer, Echo strimmer, Stihl FS90 strimmer, Makita cut off saw, Bosch 110V drill, Makita 110V drill, Bosch 110V jigsaw and a Milwaukee cordless drill.
Anyone who believes any of these items could be theirs should call Northamptonshire Police on 101, stating incident number 1900379216.
The men arrested on suspicion of non-dwelling burglary in relation to the incident, a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old, have been released under investigation.
Paul Helsby, the man behind the high-profile transformation programme to get the financially fragile council back in shape today (Aug 28) announced that forecasts were predicting that only 80 percent of the planned for savings set out in the February budget would be made.
In a robust grilling by the council’s scrutiny committee, Paul Helsby told councillors the high-profile problems in the council’s failing children’s services department had, in part, derailed the transformation programme.
Cllr Michael Clarke, who was himself finance portfolio holder immediately after the collapse of the council in Spring last year, said he was very concerned some savings predicted this financial year are now being moved into the next year.
He said: “This sounds very much to me like kicking the can down the road. Having been a survivor of previous budget scrutinies over the past several years, we were continually presented with huge sums where the can had been kicked down the road, with unachieved savings from past years. This sounds very much like the same language. Can you persuade me that I am wrong in that respect?”
Mr Helsby, who said the 80 percent forecast was a cautious projection and his team would work hard to remedy the slippage in savings.
He said: “A number of things happened post setting the budget. The first Ofsted inspection in October resulted in a commissioner being appointed and then things started to evolve around the changes in relation to the focussed inspection of the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub.
“The commissioner requirement to have an improvement plan changed direction on a number of things that were planned.”
£5.8m of savings planned for in children’s services and voted for by the conservative administration in February now look unachievable.
There were gloomy faces all round the table at the council’s headquarters on One Angel Square as the state of the council’s finances was made clear again.
When questioned whether the original transformation plan was overly optimistic Mr Helsby said they had been based on the information available at the time.
Cllr Richard Auger asked Mr Helsby, who will now also take on the role of leading the two unitary government reorganisation programme, whether he still had fire in his belly to take on the challenge. He has been in post for eleven months since joining the council from Trafford where he had worked with the council’s chief executive Theresa Grant.
He said: “I don’t like programme management. What really excites me is mending things that were broken and this was broken. That is what gets me up in the morning.”
Cllr Jane Birch said she was concerned that all the easier services cuts had been made and now any additional cuts to make the savings would put more services in a risky position.
Cllr Clarke said it was a pity the conservative run council did not embark on the transformation programme years ago.
A very expensive next generation plan led by former chief executive Paul Blantern in which services were moved into stand alone organisations, did not work and had been widely discredited in the wake of the authority’s financial collapse in 2018.
Cllr Jonathan Ekins and Cllr Malcolm Waters said they wanted to thank Paul and his transformation team for the work they had done so far – the savings target to from April to August has largely been met – as “the damage was done before he got there”.
The savings issues comes after a report to the council’s cabinet earlier this month announced that the funding gap for the next financial year (20/21) is now £34.9m – an increase of 23.7m on what was thought earlier this year.
The council will cease to exist in spring 2021 when the new unitary councils come in. The estimated cost of the transition is upwards of £60m.
The reorganisation is still to be approved by parliament.
A St James sports bar has been granted permission to extend its opening hours, with the owners saying they want to ‘bring something different’ to the area.
Jimmy’s Sports Bar opened in April on Harlestone Road, replacing the Devonshire Club and undergoing a refurbishment.
Marketing itself as a place for sports fans to gather and watch their favourite events, the club now has permission to hold live music events, something which the club’s management says will likely happen ‘once a month’.
Members of Northampton Borough Council’s licensing committee granted the extended hours in a meeting today (August 28) at The Guildhall. The bar will now be open until 1.30am on Friday and Saturday, compared to its previous 11pm closing time.
Club owner Harry Barnes told councillors: “I’ve invested a lot of money into this and we’re doing okay, but we’re trying to bring something different to this area.”
As part of the conditions for the new opening hours, live music must cease at midnight, while the playing of recorded music and the sale of alcohol have to stop at 1am, giving the venue 30 minutes to close for the night.
But one resident, who made written representations and spoke at the meeting, raised some concerns about the potential ‘noise nuisance’ that could come from the venue in the early hours.
He said: “I have not complained about noise before under the previous owners, although I did consider it once or twice. But the noise at that time [the 1.30am closing time] could cause me some grief. My main concern is the noise nuisance that live and recorded music could have, but also from people using the smoking area and leaving the entrance at closing time.”
Despite this, the council considered that as no complaints had yet been made, that they would grant the variation to the licence to the bar, which sits above the Betfred shop and Touchwood chemist on Harlestone Road.
Committee chairman Councillor Tony Ansell, who himself runs a number of cafes in the town, said: “I think this sports bar is a well oiled machine. I was going through all the documentation and noticed you had a five star food hygiene rating. From someone who has received five consecutive five stars, I can say it’s almost like the local equivalent of a Michelin star. The building also looks very good from the outside.
“St James is a very tight knit community and I hope that you continue to run it very well and I wish you good luck for the future.”
The 25-year-old's mother, father and sister thanked people for their 'overwhelming' support following his death in hospital on Sunday - a day after being assaulted.
“This is a tragic and sad loss of our son and brother Glenn - we loved him so much," the statement released by Northamptonshire Police said.
"Thank you for all the overwhelming support from all who knew him, we can’t thank you enough.
"This will leave a massive hole in our heart for the rest of our lives.
"We now ask that our privacy is respected at this immensely difficult time.”
Mr Davies was assaulted in a 'pointless attack' at Old Bank in St Giles Square while on a night out with friends shortly before midnight, police said.
Paramedics attended the scene and he was transferred to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, where he died at about 7.40pm on Sunday.
A 22-year-old man from Northampton was arrested this morning while a 28-year-old man was released on conditional bail yesterday after being arrested on Sunday.
READ MORE: Tributes paid to 25-year-old Northampton man Glenn Davies
READ MORE: Funeral fundraiser set up for Northampton man Glenn Davies as murder inquiry continues
Cobblers midfielder Alan McCormack is edging closer to a return to full training.
The 35-year-old hasn't been seen by Cobblers supporters since the opening day of the season when he pulled up with a hamstring problem an hour into their 1-0 defeat to Walsall.
The injury wasn't as bad as first feared but due to McCormack's fitness injury record over the past few seasons, Curle has taken extra care to guard against reinjury and ensure he's up to full speed.
Steve Arnold and Reece Hall-Johnson also remain sidelined while defenders Scott Wharton and Joe Martin are both doubts for the visit of Plymouth Argyle this weekend.
"They're all on the road to recovery," said Curle. "They have a timescale been put on them by the physio and we have an inside and an outside date that we try and work to.
"With Alan McCormack, he's coming to the period now where he'll be back to field-based training but there's a protocol that we have to follow because of the fear of re-injury.
"He needs minutes on the training ground doing his extra work and joining in with us and he needs to fulfil the protocol to have the best opportunity to have a long run in the team and that's the same with all the players.
"We have to follow a protocol otherwise you end up with players coming in, coming out, coming in, coming out. If we follow the protocol we give them the best opportunity to stay fit for longer."
New data has revealed the extent of crimes reported on Northampton's railways and at their train station.
A complete list of all crimes reported to Northampton Railway Station has revealed the extent of what crimes take place both on the town's railway lines and while waiting at the station.
But the figures also reveal that only one-in-six crimes reported are ever prosecuted or solved.
The figures have been taken from the past five years from 2014, but do not include a complete list for 2019.
When a crime is committed on a train, it is reported to the next available station - meaning many crimes on the list took place with Northampton as its next major destination.
But other crimes took place on the grounds of the station itself.
Below are the most commonly reported crimes at our town's railway station in the past five years.
It has been 16 months since Louis Ryan Menezes died on Drayton Walk, Kingsthorpe, after he was stabbed once in the heart by Amari Smith.
For Louis' mum Cheri and her family, the pain of losing their 17-year-old boy has still not faded.
Every day, they remember their “bubbly” Louis, who went out that weekend ready to see his beloved Liverpool Football Club play in the UEFA Champions League and dreamt of being a motorbike mechanic.
But now, following Smith's conviction for manslaughter last week, Cheri says she never wants another family or mother in Northampton to go through her ordeal - and is calling on parents to take action.
She told the Chronicle and Echo: "Our family never get over this. It's devastated us. Not a day goes by where we don't cry."
"There's no way to describe that feeling when his little sisters came downstairs and you have to tell them their big brother is in heaven now."
During the three-week trial, Northampton Crown Court heard how Louis left the safety of a friend's flat to confront Smith on Drayton Walk on May 25, 2018.
Both boys were carrying knives when they met. Smith admitted it was "normal" for him to leave the house with a knife, and Louis equipped himself with one from the kitchen drawer before leaving the flat.
It was there that Smith inflicted a 9cm-deep stab wound that pierced Louis' heart. He died shortly afterwards.
Cheri said: "He didn't fall off his bike. He didn't have an accident. Someone did that to him. He was stolen from us.
"He wanted to be a motorbike mechanic. All he wanted to do was have his own unit where he could fix bikes. He was so good with them.
"We couldn't have been more proud of him.
"He had dreams. He had goals. That's all been taken away."
For Cheri, she has been left to turn the events of Louis' death over and over in her mind. The toughest question remains: 'Why did Louis take a knife with him?'
But her family's tragedy has given her a new insight into what's happening amongst Northampton's young people.
Now, she has a message - not just for Northampton's young people, but for the parents and adults of the town too.
Cheri said: "There are a lot of gangs in Northampton now, and kids roaming around. And a lot of kids are bullied and beaten up. So now those kids are getting nervous and going out with knives as well because they think they need one.
"But they don't realise the full extent of what it can lead to. It happened to Louis and it can happen to anyone.
"And it won't stop until mums and dads and aunties and uncles and older brothers and sisters do something at home.
"Until we stop and search our kids at home, and count the number of knives in our drawers, and make sure we know where they are and step in if we think they're getting involved with the wrong crowd.
"You might say 'oh that would never be my child' but it's happening right now. I would never have known Louis to carry a knife but I know it's probably not the first time he did. Because that's the way the streets are now."
Louis' family have never stopped thinking about Louis since that day in May 2018. On the anniversary of his death, a balloon release and get-together were held on Drayton Walk in his memory, and his family wore shirts printed with Louis' face to the game when Liverpool won the Champion's League this year.
But she doesn't know when it will ever get better.
Cheri said: "I'm never going to see him drive his first car, or get married or have kids. He had a future and it's been taken away.
"He was the funniest boy. His little sisters adored him. Everyone just mourns him with such deep grief."
Smith will be sentenced for manslaughter in the first week of September.
The Super Camps out-of-school daycare- based at Quinton House School, in Upton - has been scolded by Ofsted after the education watchdog found it was not carrying out DBS checks on its staff.
It means management had failed to formally look into the backgrounds of any staff working at the holiday club for children aged between 4 and 11.
Following the inspection in late July, Super Camps was given three weeks to complete a DBS check on all its staff and ordered to not let anyone on staff have unsupervised contact with children until they passed one.
The inspector's report, published yesterday (August 28), reads: "The manager and leadership team do not carry out the required Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. This places children's welfare at risk of harm.
"The manager does not ensure that staff who have not had their suitability fully checked do not have unsupervised contact with children. This compromises children's safety."
As a result of this serious failure, Super Camps was handed an "inadequate" rating by Ofsted and ordered to make immediate improvements.
However, the report - published yesterday (August 28) - was complimentary on the day care's support for children and otherwise praised nearly all other areas of the service.
The report reads: "The high levels of staff qualifications reflect well in the overall quality of interactions between children and staff.
"Staff are enthusiastic in their support of children's play and are particularly skilled at developing children's imaginations.
"Children take part in daily energetic play in the extensive grounds."
Super Camps earned a "good" rating in its last inspection in 2016 - but the DBS checks failure means it will now have to work its way up from the lowest rating available under Ofsted to get back in the watchdog's good graces.
Bolton Wanderers have, however, survived after the club's administrators announced a sale to Football Ventures had been finalised. (Various)
Sunderland manager Jack Ross remains confident that the club will sign a left-back before the Monday deadline with Declan John and Greg Taylor the latest names to be linked. (Various)
Ex boss David Flitcroft 'gutted' at demise of Bury FC
It is believed Ross' side have had a bid turned down for Kilmarnock's Taylor after the offer fell way short of the SPFL club's £3m valuation. The bid was under £1m. (STV)
The Black Cats could revisit a deal for Marcus Maddison next summer once his contract expires at Peterborough United. (Roker Rapport)
Gillingham manager Steve Evans wants to sign Hearts midfielder Olly Lee, though admits he faces competition from four other League One clubs. (Kent Online)
Portsmouth target Calvin Miller has been deemed surplus to requirements at Celtic with Kenny Jackett 'very keen' to sign him. (Glasgow Evening Times)
Peterborough DOF Barry Fry has revealed he has been in advanced talks with a midfielder for two months but is unsure whether a deal will be struck. (Peterborough Telegraph)
Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton has not ruled out the prospect of new arrivals ahead of Monday's transfer deadline. (Fleetwood Today)
Ex-Leeds United star Danny Mills has claimed that Brighton's Ben White may well not join the Whites on a permanent deal, with his impressive displays likely to attract more high profile suitors. (Football Insider)
Celtic have snapped up Stoke City right-back Moritz Bauer on loan, who become the club's seventh signing of the summer along with the likes of Southampton stopper Fraser Forster. (Sky Sports)
Hull City manager Grant McCann has claimed that winger David Milinkovic will be allowed to leave the club this month, as he looks to secure regular first team football. (Hull Daily Mail)
Fulham are edging closer to signing Leicester City midfielder Daniel Amartey, and are said to have agreed a £6.5m fee for the Ghana international ahead of a January deal. (The 72)
Lee Bowyer has emerged as the shock new 3/10 favourite for the Huddersfield Town job, after impressing with his newly promoted Charlton Athletic side. (Sky Bet)
Stoke City could be set to part ways with midfielder Gianelli Imbula, with Italian side Lecce the current front-runners to snap up the former France U21 international. (Football Italia)
Both West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic and Millwall's Neil Harris charged with misconduct following their altercation last weekend, and could face touchline bans if found guilty. (BBC Sport)
Sheffield Wednesday's Lee Bullen heaped praise on Massimo Luongo and David Bates following the club's 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Rotherham, which saw both players make their first starts. (Sheffield Star)
Detectives in Northamptonshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now appealing for witnesses of the accident, which happened on the B4031 Park End in Croughton.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: "The incident happened at about 8.30pm yesterday, Tuesday, August 27, between RAF Croughton and the village of Croughton, when a black Volvo XC90 driving towards the village collided head on with a black Kawasaki motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction.
"The rider of the Kawasaki was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital where he died a short time later," he added.
Anyone with information or anyone who witnessed this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.
It has been a traumatic and distressing week in the world of lower league football, with Sky Bet League One club Bury being expelled from the Football League.
The Shakers are the first club to have their Football League membership taken away since Maidstone United withdrew from the competition one week into the 1992/93 season.
There were also serious doubts this week over the future of another Greater Manchester club in Bolton Wanderers, but they appear to have been rescued with a takeover at the 11th hour - a reprieve the Bury fans were unable to celebrate.
The financial workings of football can be notoriously gung-ho, and there have been many times when clubs have gone to the brink of expulsion since Maidstone went under, with the Cobblers facing such problems on more than one occasion.
The most recent time Northampton Town was in dire off-field straits was back in the summer and autumn of 2015, with the club just days from ceasing to exist due to financial mismanagement.
Thankfully, Kelvin Thomas and his associates David Bower and Mike Wailing stepped in to save the club from imminent extinction, and the thousands of loyal Cobblers supporters still have a team to go and watch every week.
Almost four years later, the trio are still at the helm of the club, with Thomas as chairman.
It hasn't all been plain sailing under their stewardship of course, with the team struggling on the field for the past three seasons, and huge frustration over the lack of progress on the east stand development, but the club is still here, and is in good health, which is possibly the most important thing.
Following the news of Bury's sad demise, Chron sports editor Jeremy Casey spoke to Thomas about what has happened to the Gigg Lane club, what can be done to try and ensure it doesn't happen again, the financial stability of the Cobblers, the club's future, and what is happening behind the scenes with regards to the east stand redevelopment.
Here is what he had to say...
Has what happened to Bury, and what almost happened to Bolton, surprised you?
"I don't think surprised would be the right word, as I think it is quite well known that Bury as a club have been overspending for quite a while, and there have been issues in terms of payment of players.
"The overriding emotion is one of sadness, sadness for the club, the fans the staff and everybody else involved.
"You hate to see these situations happen, but there are certain realities that come along with any business, any entity, and it seems whatever decisions have been made at Bury have come unstuck.
"From Northampton Town's perspective, it is just very sad to see a club go out of the Football League."
You are chairman at Northampton because of a similar situation which happened under the previous owners four years ago, has there been a feeling of inevitability that the fate that has befallen Bury was going to happen to a club sooner or later?
"Yes and no. I think in reality we came into Northampton in a very similar situation, and what has happened to Bury could have happened at Northampton.
"It may have happened if we hadn't stepped in when we did, and the reality is that football clubs are very difficult businesses to run.
"They are not technically sensible businesses, and it always concerned me when somebody said they were going to take a forensic look at the books (of Bury), because the reality is if you do that you are probably not going to buy a football club.
"You have to understand there are certain things that are different to what you would normally expect.
"You look at our situation and look at Bury's situation, and everybody says 'oh, it was bought for £1, can't you sell it for £1?'
"The fact is we bought Northampton for £1, and by the time we were all enjoying the promotion year, by the end of that season we were probably close to £2 million in, thanks to what we inherited and what we found, what came out of the woodwork, etc.
"But we knew that was going to be the case and it may have been a little bit better than we realised in some areas, and a lot worse in some areas, in terms of the property aspect of the transaction.
"But there is always a speed with these things, especially when a club is about to go under, and you want to try and get the deal done as quickly as possible.
"So at certain times you have to take a bit of a view, we did that, and it seems like at Bury there was too much in the background."
How do you see the EFL's role in all of this? Do you think the EFL should have done more, or can do more?
"I think the problem the EFL have is that they can only operate within the existing rules, and the job now of the EFL is to ensure the rules are amended, changed or improved.
"At the last few EFL meetings this has come up, and I have been quite vocal in saying that my opinion is that clubs should be docked points as soon as wages aren't paid.
"My suggestion is that as soon as wages aren't paid, the clubs have 10 days to pay them in full, and if they don't then they are docked points at that time.
"There would be a set formula as to how many points clubs are docked, etc.
"The thing is, I think people have known about the Bury situation for a long time, this isn't a new situation, and at Northampton we have good knowledge of it thanks to Nicky Adams, who plays for us now.
"Unforutnately, Nicky is owed a lot of money I think, in personal terms from Bury and he may not get that money.
"The alarm bells will always ring when wages don't get paid on time, but there is no punishment for that.
"If clubs knew they would get docked points if they didn't pay their wages on time then I would guess that people would try harder to make sure that wages get paid on time.
"If the wages do get paid, then it means there is money in the football club, and you would hope these problems are less and less, or do not go on for so long that it means the club ends up like Bury has.
"As a football club owner, nobody will ever turn round to you and say 'hey, thanks for paying the bills', or 'thanks for paying the wages on time', because to us and to most people that is an expectation.
"But sometimes it is very challenging to write big cheques out when you have lost a few games or whatever, and we all know that it is what happens on the pitch that people really, really care about.
"But I do think the Football League has a responsibility to ensure that we, as owners, are doing the right things.
"Myself, David and Mike, as board members we know what our responsibilities are. We will ensure for as long as we own the football club that we will keep up with our responsibilities.
"You will not hear people saying they haven't been paid under our watch.
"So I do think there needs to be an earlier intervention, and let's give the Football League the ability to make that earlier intervention."
Football clubs have a history of keeping financial problems quiet, and many times over the years when wages have not been paid it is all kept secret for weeks or even months. It happened at the Cobblers in the summer of 2015. These issues may be known or rumoured within the game, but supporters are kept in the dark. Is that a symptom of the problem as well, should there be more transparency and honesty as soon as problems arise?
"The fundamental issue is all of these cases is typically when you have to borrow money from outside of the ownership group.
"The reality is we have had losses in our time at Northampton. We have had a season where we made a little bit of money, we inherited a lot of things from the previous ownership, and we have made some investment decisions that haven't always worked out.
"But the difference is, that it is our money.
"We are not beholden to bank, we are not beholden to a taxman, we are not beholden to a mortgage company.
"Sometimes we get criticised for different things, but people forget it is our money that we are using, and we can only look at ourselves. If somebody is going to call a debt in, then we are calling a debt in on ourselves so that doesn't make any sense.
"From a football club perspective, we are quite secure financially and we can afford to find the club going forward.
"These situations (as at Bury and Bolton) come about when you run out of money to pay back the debt that you have.
"So we are in a much stronger position in that way, and that leads into some of the discussion about the east stand and the discussions with the council.
"All we are trying to do is to ensure there is some sustainability at the football club, and to ensure that we get a deal going forward that ensures the future of the club.
"We have always said, and we said it from the start, that out goal is that when we do leave, we try and leave the football club in a better place than when we took over, and in a debt free position.
"We certainly didn't take the club on in a debt-free position, we took it on with £18m worth of debt and plus, plus, plus in terms of other things that came out of the woodwork.
"We have dealt with all of that quietly, there is no external debt that we carry, and we are looking to ensure that continues and the council have a responsibility to ensure the same thing, and that is what we are working together to do.
"We are just trying to get some urgency in that, and trying to push it along, so that we can have a better chance of becoming a sustainable football club, utilising any of the income from any of the land associated to mine and David's ownership to benefit the football club.
"We have made it very clear from the outset that is what we are trying to do, and situations like Bury and Bolton just emphasise the importance of that type of approach."
So is there any movement on the east stand and the adjoining land? Any progress on the talks between the club and Northampton Borough Council?
"As has been noted, we inherited a terribly complicated situation, and we spent two-and-a-half years saying there were problems with the leases, and the council confirmed this at their cabinet meeting last year.
"The council have had some internal procedures to go through to ensure they can sit down and work out a deal with us which we believe we are now through, and we believe we are making progress.
"We are certainly not in conflict with the council and we are working together to ensure the deal is right for the football club.
"There have been some wild things suggested in terms of what should go on the land, but we have to live in the real world and have to try and do a deal that is sustanabie for the football club going forward.
"We have already committed to the council and to other stakeholders, that the funds used will be for the benefit of the football club, and we are very comfortable in our position that we will do the best deal possible for the club.
"Bury and Bolton got themselves into problems with the redevelopments of stands and grounds, and borrowed money against the stadium, etc.
"Northampton has recovered the position and is now back to a good position in terms of being able to do a deal on some land that will benefit the football club, which is the position that was agreed five years ago, with the previous ownership.
"We don't want to put the football club into a position where we find ourselves like a Bury or a Bolton."
You have been at the club for almost four years now, so you understand people's frustration with the time it is taking to get the east stand situation sorted out?
"The truth is, of course I understand, but in the mean time of all this happening, people have to remember we are funding the football club to a decent amount of money every year.
"It is incredibly frustrating for us to be sitting here with people thinking we are not doing anything or we are trying to be clever or whatever, the reality is we are funding the football club.
"And we will continue to do that, so the fact is we want things moved on urgently and we are pushing, prodding and talking to make that happen."
Since the collapse of the 5USport partnership, there has had to be a rethink on investment. Budgets have had to be looked at, and contracts have been cut back in what manager Keith Curle calls 'good housekeeping', but is it still a substantial amount of money that is being invested?
"Absolutely. The accounts are public and people can see the level of investment that has been made in the football club.
"As a club owner you are always looked at as somebody who is trying to make money out of a club, but we are just not in that position.
"The land that we are talking about (behind the east stand), we have already committed that the funds will be used within the club and to take care of it.
"We are trying to get that done, but we do need some urgency on it because we want to make sure we are in the position to move on and get the stand built.
"It is the same for us as it is for the fans, but unfortunately for the fans they have been going through it longer than us.
"We have just been fighting against it, and people are critical of us which we understand, we accept and will take on the chin and deal with, but everything we are doing is trying to ensure we do things professionally.
"I think people will always look at Northampton and say it is a well-run football club, and it is a well-run football club so we can't take any criticism for that.
"We are excited about things because we do think in the next few months we will see some progress, and we are excited about the future, but we need some help along the way from the council.
"And it's not even help, because we think what we are offering benefits the council as well, because of course the council lost out in this process as well.
"So we are comfortable with our discussions with the council officers, and we hope to push those along."
You, David and Mike have made no secret of the fact you are looking for external investment into the club, and also that Northampton Town is up for sale if the right bidder comes along, but do the three of you still see your future at the Cobblers?
"We have always been open and honest about the fact we would invite investment, etc. .
"The reality is, we get expressions of interests or offers on the football club probably on a weekly basis.
"We are very strong on that we would expect to see proof of funds, and we would expect to see experience, and the reason why people want to buy the club and how and why they can take it forward before we have a further conversation.
"There are a lot of people interested, but there are also a lot of people that either don't have the ability, the money or the nerve to do it.
"We have had some expressions of interest and even had offers and we have been very close to agreement on some, but you have to have to the nerve to do it, and some people have just flaked out or haven't put an offer forward when they said they would, etc.
"The important thing is, and we have always said we will ensure when we sell the football club to the next persion it will be to someone we will make sure will be a good custodian of the club.
"We had very good initial success, and since then we may not have had the success on the pitch we would have liked, but I think it's fair to say as owners we have put the investment in to try and get success.
"It hasn't worked out all the time but that is part and parcel of owning a football club.
"We are comfortable in that if somebody else came along and said they could do this, that and the other, and had the money to do it, then we would welcome that conversation, but it can't just be anybody.
"I have always said, football clubs are very easy to run - until you have a football club.
"Everybody talks a fantastic game, but it is never that easy.
"Football clubs are about expectation, and sometimes it is very difficult for those expectations to be matched on and off the pitch."
There have been suggestions that there are a batch of other clubs suffering financial difficulties as well as Bury and Bolton. There have been reports of non payment of wages at Macclesfield, and there have been reports this is just the tip of the iceberg. Do you believe Bury supporters won't be the last to go through the trauma of what has happened to their club?
"I don't know about that. You do obviously hear rumours about other clubs, and clubs not being able to pay wages, but again, that is where I go back to my suggestion that it should be highlighted as soon as you don't pay wages, or even VAT returns, or you don't pay the tax bill.
"There should be certain milestones you have to show the Football League on a regular basis.
"It is easy to blame the fit and proper person's test, but it is very difficult for the EFL to legislate for decisions that are made along the road.
"You can only check so much, but I think if there are more checks along the way it would help to see if the club is performing financially.
"And it's not just about off the pitch, it's about on the pitch as well and Bury is a very good example of this.
"Obviously this is a very sad time for Bury, but you can't forget about the club last year who didn't get promoted because Bury did.
"The financial impact on them, and I think it was Mansfield Town, can't be ignored.
"So there has been a financial impact on another club due to Bury going up, and not paying their players. That is the reality of it.
"Were we operating on a level playing field in league two last season? No, we weren't.
"So there are consequences, and if we could get some rules in place that would allow the Football League to ensure that clubs aren't getting into problems, that would be good.
"In then end, the Football League can only change the rules or implement rules that are in place, the Football League is not there to run our football clubs.
"But I just feel there needs to be a mechanism for them to be able to check and make sure clubs are taking care of their financial requirements, and if they're not give them the chance to change things quicker.
"Player wages are the biggest cost of any football club, and we know that Bury were paying significantly more than they could afford."
A woman was punched in the face by a female attacker before having her handbag snatched in Northamptonshire in a daylight robbery.
An unknown woman approached her from behind while walking in Daventry between 4.45pm and 5pm on Saturday (August 24).
She grabbed the victim around the neck, turned her around and punched her in the face while shouting at her and trying to steal her handbag in the alleyway between Warwick Street and West View.
The suspect then grabbed the purse and ran off, but dropped it when the victim shouted for help and members of the public came to her aid - she ran off towards the town centre.
The attacker is described as white, aged in her 40s, around 5ft 2in, of slight build with mousey grey hair and missing most of her front teeth.
She wore a dark coloured jacket, blue jeans and a dark flat cap and spoke with an accent described as eastern European.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about it should call Northamptonshire Police on 101, regarding incident number 19000450417.
Cobblers boss Keith Curle still has every intention of adding to his squad before next week’s deadline.
The Premier League and Championship window has long since closed but clubs in League One and League Two have until 5pm next Monday (September 2) to register permanent or loan deals.
Curle made on-loan goalkeeper Andrew Fisher his 13th signing of the summer last week but he still has plans to strengthen in one or two areas, although how many players come in may depend on if anyone goes the other way.
Left-back Joe Bunney and forward Billy Waters could follow Junior Morias out of the club having been made available for transfer earlier in the window, although both played the full 90 minutes against Arsenal U21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
Asked if he’s hopeful of bolstering his squad before next Monday’s deadline, Curle said: “Yes we are. We’re always working.
“It doesn’t stop because you never know what’s going to happen – whether somebody’s going to come in for one of our players.
“We’ve got potential targets and we’re talking to a few football clubs to find out the availability of players that we’ve identified that we could bring into the squad.
“It’s like a domino effect and we need to be ready.”
Fisher made his Cobblers debut on Tuesday and Curle was impressed with his new goalkeeper.
“I’m very happy with him,” he added. “He’s come in to add competition and it shows again the recruitment that we’re always looking.
“Sometimes we’re bringing in specifically for competition but we know that, if needed, he can play. He’s comfortable with the ball on the ground, he has good hands and he isn’t fazed.
“He’s come in and integrated within the group very well and that’s always a good sign when a player feels welcomed into the club.”
Staff at the Northampton Hope Centre shop on Abington Street arrived at work yesterday morning (August 28) to find the safety box empty and the charity box stolen.
But along with taking some £600 in cash, the shop has been left to pick up a repair bill worth hundreds of pounds to secure the building following the break-in.
Manager Anna Austin said: "I just don't understand how anyone can rob a charity shop and take money that should be going to the homeless.
"What we've lost is worth so much more to the people we want to help. It might not seem like a lot to a shop but it's a huge amount to people on the streets."
The town centre shop is a branch of the Northampton Hope Centre, in Bailiff Street, which supports rough sleepers and homeless people in the town.
The burglary took place overnight between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, staff have been left to pick up the pieces are urging for anyone who can help the shop replenish its float with donations to step forward.
Anna said: "We're always looking for good quality stock to sell to help raise funds for the homeless in Northampton - now more than ever. In particular, we're in real need of women's clothing to sell.
"And, at a time like this, we'd be very interested to hear from any tradesmen or businesses who can help us secure the shop for the future."
Anyone who knows more about the burglary or may have information can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.
A court date has been set for a Northampton man accused of being on the run for months who was stopped while driving past by police at Silverstone Circuit for the British MotoGP.
David Starmer was caught by number-plate recognition cameras on the A43 southbound approximately a mile from the junction for Silverstone on Saturday (August 24).
The 31-year-old man was due to appear at Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday (August 26) for breaching a court order.
But that has been adjourned to Tuesday next week while he was granted unconditional bail.
A new religious and community centre looks set to be built in Towcester, with planning officers recommending the scheme be approved next week.
Plans for the long-awaited Tove Valley Centre, next to the Shires housing estate near Northampton Road, will be discussed by members of South Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee on Thursday (September 5) at The Forum.
If granted planning permission, the venue will be the home of Tove Valley Baptist Fellowship and will also act as a new facility available for hire by the community. It would be built in two phases, with the first including a 150-room meeting room, three smaller meetings, offices and kitchen and toilet facilities. The second phase would have a 300-seat auditorium and a further meeting room.
The potential building of the site comes seven years after plans for a similar scheme were first approved on the 2.2-acre site, but fell through due to lack of funding. It did, however, establish the planning principle of such a building on the site.
This revised scheme also includes a car park for 44 spaces immediately in front of the building, which will be built on the overgrown land located between The Shires and the long stay council car park on the western side of Northampton Road.
Access has already been created since the approval of the 2012 scheme, and a small play area is proposed to the rear of the building.
Although the community and local organisations appear to support the application, and no objections have been received, some concerns have been raised over the number of parking spaces.
The written representation from Towcester Town Council states: “We support the application, however, we have raised concerns about the level of car parking provision and that this will be insufficient for the proposed usage of the centre.
“However, we would support negotiations between the church and South Northamptonshire Council for longer opening times for the adjacent council car park to be used by visitors to the centre during the evenings.”
The county council’s highways team also states that ‘additional parking’ needs to be demonstrated by the applicants, Baart Harries Newall.
Should the centre be approved by councillors on Thursday, the first phase would be constructed later this year and comprise the main meeting rooms, whilst the second phase will include the auditorium and will be constructed in three to five years time dependent on fundraising.