BBC Local Live: Northamptonshire

Summary

Updates on Friday, 17 February 2017
Council staff are told to work in libraries as new HQ is not ready
Dementia support groups to close
Northampton Museum prepares to close for expansion
Ellie Robinson to collect MBE at Buckingham Palace

Live Reporting

Stuart Bailey

Welcome back to live updates from Northamptonshirepublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2017
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Good morning and welcome back to live updates of news, weather, travel and sport for Northamptonshire.
We'll be with you until 18:00 and the full weather forecast will be with you shortly.
We'll also bring you what we know about the murder investigation launched by police after a teenager died in Northampton last night plus we'll have the latest from the Gold Street area of the town after a small underground explosion caused disruption yesterday.
Northampton Town 2-1 Swindon Townpublished at 22:39 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Northampton Town make it three home wins on the spin as they beat struggling Swindon Town.
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County ins & outs 2017published at 18:02 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
With the 2017 county season here, keep up to date with the latest signings, departures and rumours ahead of next season.
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Our live coverage throughout Tuesdaypublished at 17:59 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
That's it for our live updates for today. We'll be back at 08:00 tomorrow.
Scroll down through today's feed for anything you may have missed, including...
- An explosion on Gold Street in Northampton, which injured one person
- More on Northamptonshire County Concil's budget meeting, which was moved behind closed doors after disruption
Have a great evening.
Overnight weather: Transition to a milder regime well under waypublished at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather
A fine end to the day, but turning cloudy during the evening and overnight, with some light and patchy rain possible.
Turning misty during the night and staying frost free.
Lows of 5C (41F).
Wednesday will start rather cloudy and misty, but it should stay mostly dry with some brighter spells.
Outbreaks of rain reaching us by end of the day and there could be a clap of thunder.
Top temperature: 12C (54F).
Get the full forecast where you live from BBC Weather.
Duchess of Cambridge's RAF Wittering visitpublished at 17:48 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
We've been covering the visit of the Duchess of Cambridge to RAF Wittering all day...
In her role as royal patron and Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets, the duchess represents 42,000 air cadets aged 12-19, and 15,000 adult volunteers at more than 1,200 units across the UK and abroad.
Image source, Paperpix.uk
Image source, Paperpix.uk
Image source, Paperpix.uk
The RAF Air Cadets comprises the Air Training Corps (ATC) and the Combined Cadet Force (RAF).
Image source, Paperpix.uk
Image source, Paperpix.uk
Image source, Paperpix.uk
"It has been an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge to RAF Wittering to see some of the facilities we offer to cadets to help inspire the next generation," said station commander Group Captain Richard Pratley.
Town centre incident 'was not gas explosion'published at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live
The earlier underground explosion, just outside the entrance to Gold Street Mews on Gold Street in Northampton, was not caused by gas, say the fire service.
Image source, Mirela Pandele
Speaking to BBC Northampton, Kev Hardwick, from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the explosion was caused by a fire underground.
"The cause of the explosion was due to an electrical fire under a manhole cover," he said.
"The explosion was a build-up of heat and fire. There was no gas involved.
"One casualty has been taken to hospital."
Gold Street remains closed.
Boy's cerebral palsy poem 'inspirational'published at 16:46 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
A 16-year-old boy with cerebral palsy said he was "blown away" by the reaction to a poem about the condition.
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Edinburgh pleased with 'receptiveness' of playerspublished at 16:42 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
New Northampton Town boss Justin Edinburgh says he's been "pleased" with the reaction of his players since his arrival four weeks ago.
The Cobblers take on Swindon at Sixfields tonight in League One.
Image source, Getty Images
It comes off the back of home wins against Coventry and Chesterfield, which followed five consecutive home defeats.
Edinburgh said: "The players have pleased me in terms of how receptive they’ve been of what I’ve asked them to do and I’ve seen improvements on the pitch.
"Credit to the players they’ve been excellent since I’ve arrived."
Tonight’s game will come too soon for defender Gabby Zakuani and forward Alex Revell who are recovering from injuries, but they are likely to be in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Southend.
There’s no news yet on loanee Luke Williams – he picked up an injury during the defeat to Walsall. He’s had an injection in his knee and will train with Scunthorpe for a few days.
Suspected gas explosion in town centrepublished at 16:33 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
One person has been injured in a suspected gas explosion in Northampton town centre.
Read More
Video: Suspected gas 'explosion' burnpublished at 16:32 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Footage from Northampton town centre shows the gas leak burning through the pavement on Gold Street.
Film of the flames was shot by Mirela Pandele.
Media caption,
Suspected gas explosion in Northampton town centre
Budget meeting moved to private roompublished at 16:17 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Sam Read
BBC Radio Northampton politics reporter
After more disruption, the Northamptonshire County Council budget meeting has been moved to a private room.
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Duchess joins cadets in team-building exercisepublished at 15:32 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
During her visit to RAF Wittering, external the Duchess of Cambridge joined air cadets in a team-building exercise.
Image source, PA
The Duchess visited the RAF station in her role as royal patron and Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets.
She met with cadets from the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Wing Air Training Corps, who are taking part in a half-term skills development camp.
Image source, Reuters
The week acts as an initial camp experience for cadets who are in their first six months of membership.
County Hall budget meeting restartspublished at 14:45 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Northamptonshire County Council's cabinet meeting on the budget restarts after being stopping due to disruption:
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Demonstration against Northamptonshire County Council cutspublished at 14:38 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Nic Rigby
BBC News
Before the protest inside the council meeting, about 70 people staged a demonstration outside the offices of Northamptonshire County Council to oppose budget cuts.
Protesters are particularly concerned that proposals to make savings of £58m will see services to children and adults reduced and more than 100 job cuts.
They are also concerned about plans to stop sending dementia patients for day care at the Drayton Centre in St David's.
The council's cabinet meeting is expected to resume presently.
'Stay inside or leave the street'published at 14:35 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Ben Gibson, a journalism student at the University of Northampton, was in the area at the time, but said he did not hear any explosion.
He said: "We were going up St Peter's Way and saw the smoke and when we were in Wilko's we were told by police to either stay inside or leave the street.
"There was a lot of activity."
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County meeting stopped after protest in roompublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
County council meeting stops after protests, says BBC Radio Northampton's political reporter Sam Read, who is at the meeting:
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County budget meeting packedpublished at 14:33 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
County Council crowded for meeting on budget plans to cut £58m, reports BBC Northamptonshire's political reporter Sam Read:
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Suspected gas explosion close to butcher'spublished at 14:20 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Tom Percival
BBC Radio Northampton
It's understood the suspected gas explosion happened close to the butcher's shop on the corner of St Peter's Way.
Access to the shopping arcade has been closed.
Engineers from Western Power Distribution have isolated the power in the area and customers are being advised to expect disruption.
New county job losses 'speculation', says councilpublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 14 February 2017
Northamptonshire County Council has questioned suggestions from the union Unison that hundreds more jobs could be lost if the council's budget, with £58m of cuts, is backed at today's Cabinet meeting.
A council spokesman said in a statement: "The vast majority, if not all, of the job losses associated with this budget have already been consulted on and there will be nothing new coming through the system on top of what has already been announced.
"The 'hundreds of more jobs' therefore is something we would refute as it is not based on any proposal within the budget and appears to be speculation - and speculation which in itself is likely to be deeply unsettling for staff."