Northamptonshire residents invited to meet council's commissioners

Residents have the chance to tell the commissioners their views on council services.

Northamptonshire residents will have the chance later this month to ask questions of the two government commissioners overseeing the county council.

Lead commissioner Tony McArdle and finance commissioner Brian Roberts will be travelling to towns across the county so that local taxpayers can ask them about the current state of play at the authority.

Both men have been working at the authority since May 2018, after Government parachuted them in in the wake of a damning government report which proposed the closure of the authority due to years of mismanagement.

They have been overseeing the work of chief executive Theresa Grant – with the council balancing its books this financial year and almost on track to do the same again this year.

The financial stability has come at the cost of a number of cuts to public services, with reductions proposed for winter gritting services and a cut to library funding, with Higham Ferrers library shutting for good at the end of December.

A news release about the commissioners sessions said: “The commissioners have said they felt it important people had a chance to come and speak with them directly about the council.”

The dates and times for each session are:

January 15: 7pm to 9pm, Northamptonshire County Council, One Angel Square, Angel Street, Northampton

January 28: 2pm to 5pm, East Northamptonshire Council, Cedar Drive, Thrapston

February 4: 2pm to 4pm, Daventry District Council, Lodge Road, Daventry

February 11: 10am to 12.30pm, Northampton Borough Council, Guildhall, Northampton

February 26: 7pm to 9pm, Borough Council of Wellingborough, Swanspool House, Wellingborough

March 3: 7pm to 9pm, Kettering Borough Council, Bowling Green Rd, Kettering

March 12: 2pm to 5pm, South Northamptonshire District Council, Moat Lane, Towcester

March 17: 1pm to 3.30pm, Corby Borough Council, The Corby Cube, George Street, Corby