Rail users in Northampton have long believed they have been treated like poor cousins when it comes to services.
Who can forget the seemingly endless programme of engineering works a few years back or complaints that early morning commuter services were always chock-a-block standing room only?
Now London Midland - the main operator out of Northampton - is predicting cancelled services for several weeks because it has a shortage of qualified drivers. It’s surprising there is a shortage of people coming through considering they are paid a healthy £42k a year.
It’s also another slightly leftfield personnel problem not unlike the one it faced when guards refused to work on Sundays last year. London Midland will not be winning many friends for this. That said, its own communications throughout this latest crisis have been excellent. It’s only a shame the rail firm’s PR skills are not matched by its ones in recruitment.
We strongly welcome the announcement by St Andrew’s Healthcare that it plans to open a new hospital in 2014 with the creation of 200 jobs.
It is a beacon of excellence when it comes to mental healthcare and the transformation of the Cliftonville school site is long overdue.
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