Lib Dems Spending Your Money Badly - Again

Northampton voters to see the light?
One day after Northampton Borough Council suggesting it still needs to make cut backs it is revealed that plans to illuminate Northampton's Market Square at night would cost more than a quarter of a million pounds. Last month, Northampton Borough Council brought in experts to carry out a lighting test to show what an illuminated square would look like (they obviously have no imagination if they need to employ experts). The Lib Dems seem hell bent on ploughing as much money as they can into the market Square.The £250,000 bill, combined with a further £30,000 for 'project design',is in addition to the £1.3 million reorganisation of the market. The council said the hi-tech lights will be cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly than the current floodlights while the council's deputy leader, Councillor Paul Varnsverry (Lib Dem, West Hunsbury) argued the lights would improve the overall feel of the square. He also defended the cost of the project, adding: "It's a huge lighting scheme. It's top lighting technology and it will save us a lot of money because of its low energy consumption." Any of our readers will know that finances are not Cllr Paul Varnsverry's strong topic having been the subject of an IVA. The man who can't look after his own finances spending your money. The plans will be discussed by the council's cabinet on Wednesday.

Government to kick start Corby development
The government has announced £4.8m for a 116-home development on the Kingswood estate in Corby, which is being built by Bela Partnership and Corby Council. It has also announced £1.9m towards the Bovis Home development of 50 homes at Little Stanion Farm on the outskirts of Corby. More than two thirds of the funding is 'expected to be repaid', with less than a fifth consisting of direct grant to support developers and the rest used to fund affordable homes as part of the Kickstart programme. Only developers who have accepted a realistic current market price for their land have been eligible for this investment, said the Department of Communities and Local Government. The simple truth is that development needs to stop and the priority needs to bringing new jobs to the county. We have thousands with no jobs that are willing to work, once unemployment is back to a reasonable level and the demand for new houses is in line with the business projection for new jobs, then is the time to look towards looking to build new houses. A flood of empty houses will just suppress prices, keep wages depressed and Corby will forever the sweat shop of Northamptonshire.

Multiculturalism Pt 1
Two people were held in an inquiry into people-trafficking and the sex trade. Officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) executed warrants at four addresses in Reading, and one in Northampton, on Wednesday afternoon. A 22-year-old woman with dual British and Thai nationality from Reading was arrested in Northampton on suspicion of helping manage brothels and has been released on bail until mid-December. Officials found three women of Lithuanian, Brazilian and Thai nationalities at the addresses.

Multiculturalism Pt 2
Five Wellingborough men and one from Rushden have been jailed for their part in a series of burglaries and thefts across Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The six men were part of a gang of nine sentenced to a total of 35 years behind bars at Luton Crown Court on Wednesday following the conclusion of Operation Pleat, the long running investigation into burglaries, where high value cars were stolen off driveways. John McCulloch, 28, of Regent Street, Bletchley, and Jumroz Khan, 30, of Conduit Road, Bedford were sentenced to six years and three years respectively, after admitting to conspiracy to commit burglaries. Pawel Wodecki, 29, of Hatton Park Road, Wellingborough received six years. The following, admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property out of the UK, were also sentenced: Zbigniew Nowak, 25, of Highfield Road, Wellingborough, received three years six months, Tomasz Nowak, 21, of Highfield Road, Wellingborough, received three years, Ricky England, 21, of Gordon Road, Wellingborough, received two years. Matthew Harrison, 21, of Knox Road, Wellingborough, received two years, David Clatworthy, 23, of High Street Rushden, received 18 months. It follows the sentencing in September of Abdul Hussain, 26, of Pioneer Avenue, Burton Latimer who received an eight-year jail term having been found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglaries and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. After yesterday's sentencing DI Jon Gilbert, who led the investigation said: "This was a difficult and complex investigation into burglaries where high value cars such as BMWs and Mercedes were stolen and believed to be exported for sale in Poland."

DNA figures do not add up
Given yesterdays lesson in mathematics by Northamptonshire Police one has to start looking at figures they are giving out. Last Monday, the Evening Telegraph reported that Northamptonshire police force holds 51,132 DNA profiles on record, while today it says that according to new figures from Parliamentary answers, the national DNA database has had 50,835 profiles added to it to date. One set of figures has to be wrong. The police only remove DNA profiles in extreme circumstances, so for the county database to lose 297 profiles in little over a week cannot be right. Despite my incredulity that this accounted for 7% of the counties population it is apparently the third lowest for any force in the country. There must be a lot of naughty people out there.