Alex Winter
BBC Radio Northampton sport

Northamptonshire opener Ben Duckett has been included in the England Lions squad to tour Sri Lanka A next February and March, but only for the one-day games and not the four-day matches.

Image source, AP

Duckett was dropped from the England Test side in India after a string of failures with the bat.

Ex-England Geoffery Boycott said of the 22-year-old: "Ben Duckett isn't good enough when it turns, he's a one-day cricketer."

BBC Weather

We'll see a mostly dry and cloudy afternoon, with some hill fog. Further patchy rain will arrive from the south later, with a high of 11C (52F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

BBC Sport

Dylan Hartley will find out tomorrow if he will be available to captain England in the Six Nations next year, after he was sent off for the third time in his career.

The 30-year-old was dismissed six minutes after coming on as Northampton lost to Leinster on Friday.

Hartley will appear at an independent hearing to discover the length of the ban to be imposed.

Image source, Getty Images

England's Six Nations opener is against France on 4 February.

Hartley was dismissed for a swinging arm on Sean O'Brien in the 58th minute of the Champions Cup tie at Franklin's Gardens.

Iain Carter
BBC gold correspondent

The Solheim Cup captain Annika Sorenstam says Charley Hull "has a big game and it was just a matter of time before she was going to break through".

Hull had a thrilling victory at the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship last month, when she won by two shots after finishing 19 under par.

Sorenstam said: "Sometimes a player of that calibre might just need one for the gates to open."

Image source, Getty Images

But it is clear that Sorenstam does not believe Hull, ranked 16 in the world, is the finished article. "She hits the ball very well and has a good short game, but she's still very young and it is just a case of maturing.

"She has her plan about how to go about things and she doesn't seem to be much of an analyser; she's happy-go-lucky. When you are that age there are a lot of interests, friends and so forth, and I think you get a little more focused with age.

"I think she could be even a top 10 player in the world because of her skill. Refine a few things here and there and she is set up for success."

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent

Europe's greatest female golfer, Annika Sorenstam, says Charley Hull's first LPGA victory can act as a springboard for the young English player's career.

But Sorenstam told BBC Sport there remains room for maturity in Hull's game to fully harness her huge potential.  

Image source, Getty Images

Sorenstam is looking forward to captaining Europe for the first time when the continent seeks to wrestle back the Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, Iowa, next August.

And there is every chance that Hull, the 20-year-old from Burton Latimer, will be a member of that European side. She would be playing, remarkably, in her third Solheim Cup.

It was as a vice-captain in Denver three years ago that Sorenstam first encountered the then 17-year-old and she was instantly impressed by Hull's unassuming and natural character.

"I was charmed by her," Sorenstam said. "She was just this innocent young lady with a lot of potential."

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Funding for Britain's "Third World" social care system should be prioritised over the foreign aid budget, a former minister has said.

Tory peer Ros Altmann's call was echoed by two Conservative MPs, including Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough, who urged a rethink on the commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid while the elderly at home are in need.

Mr Bone told the Daily Mail, external: "It would seem very sensible to me to use some of the overseas aid money to look after needy people in this country."

Yesterday it was reported that ministers in England were discussing allowing councils to make further increases in council tax to pay for social care, while Northamptonshire County Council announced, external it was planning to increase council tax by 3.95% for this reason.

Julian Sturdy
BBC Look East

Labour supporters held a protest last night outside the Guildhall at Northampton Borough Council's full council meeting.

They carried banners calling for former leader David Mackintosh to resign as an MP over his part in approving the £10m loan to Northampton Town that was never paid back.

Image source, Northampton Labour

Labour says it's the start of an ongoing campaign.

Last Friday the Northampton South Conservative Association backed the MP after a meeting between Mr Mackintosh and the local party, which had previously criticised him for causing "reputational damage".

Mr Mackintosh denies any wrongdoing over the loan.

Tom Percival
BBC Radio Northampton

The domestic violence prevention course we have been hearing about this morning is run by The Change Project, external. 

It is already working in other parts of the east of England and will launch in Northamptonshire in early 2017.

Image source, PA

Last year 26,000 people in the county were victims of domestic abuse, according to estimates for the National Crime Survey.

And more than 6,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to Northamptonshire Police.

BBC Look East

A man who completed a domestic violence prevention course after punching his partner so hard she had to have plastic surgery said he will never forgive himself.

He said the course he took "changed me immensely".

He added: "One of the hardest questions I was ever asked was 'how does your partner feel about you?' I had nightmares that night, I cried, it made me realise what I had done. I'm a big guy and I intimidated her."

The news comes in the wake of a national study, published last week by domestic abuse charity Women's Aid, which said that between 2009 and 2015, 936 women were killed by men.

BBC Look East

A man who referred himself to a domestic violence prevention programme has challenged others to be "totally honest" and make a change.

Speaking of the moment he punched his partner so hard she needed plastic surgery, he said: "At the time I thought I was right in what I was doing... it was when I was arrested that I felt absolutely devastated about what I had done.

Image source, Thinkstock

"It dawned on me what I had done. I was shown pictures by the police. I hurt her and this was someone I loved, someone I really cared about and I'd caused this pain to her."

Figures from Respect showed 668 men self-referred to such programmes last year. In the east of England, it included 24 referrals in Essex and 11 in Hertfordshire.

A number of our police forces are launching campaigns leading up to Christmas. In this region it's estimated 142,000 and 81,000 men were victims of domestic abuse in the last year.

BBC Look East

"Prison, without a shadow of a doubt. Prison and rightfully so."

The words of one man speculating where he would have been if he hadn't referred himself for treatment after punching his partner so hard she needed plastic surgery.

Image source, PA

Domestic abuse charities in the east of England have told us that working closely with perpetrators is key to breaking the cycle of violence. They say a growing number of men are approaching them for help.  

Figures from men's charity Respect shows 668 men nationally accepted referrals to such programmes last year.

Kate Kinsella
BBC Look East weather

We're in for a cloudy day with outbreaks of rain, which will be heavy at times.

It'll become dry later and mild, with temperatures reaching 12C (53F).

Here's my full regional forecast:

You can find more details on BBC Weather.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Good morning.

Our live updates for Northamptonshire have resumed and we'll bring you all the news, weather, sport, and travel you need until 18:00.

Today we'll bring you more on social care in the county and put a spotlight on domestic violence.

Plus, tonight there is Northampton Town's rearranged FA Cup second round tie against Stourbridge. We'll bring you the latest on that too.

Image source, Getty Images

Live updates for Northamptonshire have now finished

Any breaking news will appear on this page overnight.

Tomorrow we'll be back looking at adult social care in the county and building up to Northampton Town's FA Cup second round tie against Stourbridge.

Last time out the game was called off because of a frozen pitch - hopefully tomorrow the game will go ahead.

We'll see you tomorrow from 08:00.

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

It'll be a misty, murky night with further outbreaks of light rain and drizzle that will eventually clear to the North Sea. 

It’ll then be largely dry with some clear intervals, and lows of 5C (41F).

Tomorrow will see a dry start for many, although cloud will thicken as another band of rain moves in from the west.

Highs of 12C (54F).

Get the full forecast where you live, from BBC Weather.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

The Labour group leader on the county council, John McGhee, said the proposal for a unitary authority put forward today by the ruling Conservatives is nothing new.

Earlier the council released its draft budget showing a need to save £65m.

Mr McGee believes district and borough councils see this plan as a "smokescreen" as a way for the county council to cover its own shortfall.

He does agree that all eight councils should "work together" to reduce duplication, but going unitary is "several steps too" far.

Mr McGhee also thinks the proposed county council budget released today will lead to services being cut and the proposed council tax rise of 3.95% will hit the "working poor".

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Meanwhile, Mercedes have decided not to take action against Lewis Hamilton after he ignored team orders in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton was driving slowly to try to bring other F1 drivers into the battle between himself and team-mate Nico Rosberg, who won the title by finishing in second place.

The team asked him to speed up, telling him he was putting the win at risk.

Image source, Getty Images

"In the heat of the moment, sometimes when you make decisions, you get them wrong," team boss Toto Wolff said.

"How the race panned out, we should have communicated differently and in hindsight let them race in the way they deemed to be appropriate."

Wolff's remarks, in an interview with Sky Sports, draws a line under the controversy.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas is Brackley-based Mercedes' first choice to replace Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate, BBC Sport has learned.

But Williams have rejected an initial offer to release Finn Bottas from his 2017 contract.

Image source, Getty Images

In a separate development, Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe is close to finalising a deal to join Williams.

Lowe is set to be replaced at the world champions by former Ferrari technical director James Allison.

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Northamptonshire Police says traditionally in the three months running up to Christmas there's an increase in shoplifting, but Insp Julie Mead told us last December it saw a decrease because it "took steps to prevent it, including being more visible".

This year in Corby shops will be able to share images of prolific shoplifters and also report thefts direct to the police, using details in the database to quickly identify offenders.

Ms Mead said some of those who shoplift are drug addicts who take things like food or personal items like razor blades because they are easier to sell on.

Last year in the town 23% of shoplifting was food, while 9% was personal items.

She added that police have a "responsibility to get addicts the help they need".

Staff shortages at a privately-run youth jail are undermining its stability, an Ofsted report has said. , external

The findings follow an inspection at the Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre near Rugby. 

Image source, Google Earth

MTCnovo took over management of Rainsbrook from G4S in May and inspectors criticised "poor and problematic" arrangements when the management transferred.

 "Of greatest significance, the inherited staffing arrangements led to too few staff transferring to the new provider in order to ensure continuity of care for the young people within the centre," the report said.