Tributes have been paid to a member of Daventry Cycling Club who has died of his injuries in hospital following a road accident.

Mike Bloom, 74, was riding his bike along the A361 at the Aston-Le-Walls crossroads on June 30 when he was seriously injured in a collision with a mixer lorry.

He was taken by air ambulance to University Hospital Coventry. This week Northamptonshire Police confirmed that Mr Bloom had died on Monday night.

Mike Walsh, of Daventry Cycling Club, said: “Mike died doing what he loved best, cycling.

“He was a well-known figure in local cycling circles and lived for cycling, having owned a bike shop in Crawley before moving to the Daventry area in 2002.

“He was best known for supporting his wife Marina, a national record holder in long-distance time trials.

“At 74, if not organising and running local time trials, he would still be competing in them and was always there to give help and advice to new members.

“He covered many miles devising new time trial courses and was an approved course measurer.

“Mike will be a sad loss to both Rugby Racing Cycling Club, where he had been a member for many years, and Daventry Cycling Club, which he joined this year.

“Our sympathies go out to Marina and Mike’s family.”

Witnesses to the accident or anybody with information are asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

“Giving Britain a pay-rise” was how Chancellor George Osborne described yesterday’s budget, but Northampton’s Labour group fear more benefits cuts will leave the poorer worse off.

The first fully Conservative budget for 19 years yesterday promised to introduce a new compulsory “living wage” for all workers aged over 25, starting at £7.20 an hour from April 2016 and set to reach £9 by 2020.

The personal allowance, at which people start paying tax, is also set to rise to £11,000 next year.

But the budget saw further chunks ripped out of the Welfare system.

The Tories will restrict tax credits and Universal Credit to two children, affecting those born after April 2017 and the income threshold for tax credits is to be reduced from £6,420 to £3,850. Households will also see total benefits capped at £20,000 a year.

Northampton Labour group’s shadow cabinet member for finance, Councillor Elizabeth Gowen (Lab Eastfield), believes the budget will harm the poorest people in the town.

She said: “I fear for the future of those people in Northampton who are really struggling to find work and those in low paid jobs.

“People will be harmed by a variety of measures in this budget. In particular, I believe, the freezing of working age benefits for four years, tax credits and Universal Credit being restricted to the first two children, 18 to 21 year olds not being automatically entitled to claim housing benefit and this new benefit cap of £20, 0000 will hurt our poorer residents.”

“The Labour Group is firmly opposed to these measures.”

Councillor Gowen also said the new living wage of £9 per hour by 2020 will “not be as helpful to Northampton people as George Osborne claims” as she says many are losing out through big reductions in tax credits.

Many Chronicle & Echo readers share the same view.

Bianca Todd, said: “The £7.20 an hour next April rising to £9 an hour in 2020 is hardly a living wage, it is an attempt at a survival wage, however let us be real - no one can survive on that as the cost of living goes up.

“I am a local employer and I think it is a disgrace that the government thinks so little of the working class that keep the country alive and kicking that they have not demanded a real living wage.”

Maria How added: “What worries me is if the employer has to put up their employees’ wage and can’t afford to do so or do not want to, that means they will have to let their employees go, which means the government will have to pay out more Jobseekers’ Allowance.”

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) believes the raising of the minimum wage to £7.20 will result in a loss of 60,000 jobs across the country.

But many from Northampton have welcomed some of the headline measures announced by the Chancellor.

Chief executive of the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce Paul Griffiths, said the budget “has achieved a healthy balance of politics and economics which seeks to build on the UK’s recovery.”

But he added that the chamber’s endorsement of the budget came with a note of caution.

“Whilst there was a lot to cheer for the businesses throughout the area in this summer’s budget, there is a note of cautious optimism for businesses as they will want to see greater detail on how the Chancellor’s objectives of; a better road network; improved skills for the nation’s workforce; and more local decision making will be achieved.

“Businesses will have also noted that the Chancellor is gradually pushing the burden of supporting the low paid on to them from the state as Mr Osborne continues to address the UK’s budget deficit.

A review of polling stations is set to be conducted in Northampton two years after a report found too many had to cross busy roads and climb steep hills to vote.

In 2012 the council cut the number of places to vote in the town from 125 to 96 prior to the county council elections.

But a year after that the Electoral Commission found some poling stations, such as those in St Davids, Sunnyside and Talavera were either too difficult to access or were having to deal with vast numbers of voters.

The government body issued the council a legal notice to carry out a “complete review” of its polling stations by January 2015.

But when it did review them in 2014, the council made no changes.

But that lack of changes saw the council subject to complaints from the town’s Labour group and 30 members of the public, who sent letters to the Electoral Commission.

This week following pressure from the Commision, the council has agreed to re-assess the situation.

A report to the General Purposes committee this week read: “Whilst this was not a direction, the returning officer has undertaken to the Commission to carry out a complete new review after consulting the leader of the council and the leader of the opposition.”

At the last election, in St Davids Ward there was only one polling station catering for over 3,100 electors.

In Sunnyside ward electors in one polling district had to cross the busy Boughton Green Road.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Northampton North, Sally Keeble argued the lack of appropriate polling stations would put people off voting.

But the news of an impending full review has been welcomed by the borough council Labour group.

Leader Councillor Danielle Stone (Lab, Castle) said: “I really welcome this review of polling stations as it’s something I have been calling for some time.

“Previously the borough council reduced the number of polling stations, by approximately 30, as a cost cutting exercise and this now urgently needs to be reviewed. We want polling stations that are close to every voter and most importantly are accessible for the disabled.”

The review is expected to be completed in time for the police and crime commissioner elections next year.

A former bar staff member at a Northamptonshire hotel has denied stealing more than £100,000 from his employer during a three-and-a-half year period.

Piotr Szitler, aged 37, of Wheat Close, Daventry, appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and converting criminal property.

It is alleged that Szitler stole £102,467 from Fawsley Hall, where he worked as bar staff member from January 2011 to September 2014.

The court heard that the money was allegedly transferred to a personal bank account in his and his wife’s name.

Aleksandra Szitler also appeared in court alongside her husband and pleaded not guilty to converting criminal property.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction in the case. A preliminary hearing will be held at Northampton Crown Court on July 24.

Delegates heard how universities are increasingly playing an active role in the future of their host towns at an international conference held by the University of Northampton last week.

The Urban University conference took place at the Guildhall in Northampton earlier this month and was organised by the Collaborative Centre for the Built Environment (CCBE) at the University of Northampton as part of the University Town Northampton Project (UTN. Speakers from the UK and European universities presented examples of universities opening up their doors to local communities and actively engaging in civic life.

In European cities and UK towns, universities are helping to regenerate and revitalise town centres by imaginative campus design, open access to campus buildings, and by forging links to local economic, cultural and social life. Examples presented by Wendy Cukier from Ryerson University in Canada, Henk Bouwman from Urban Impuls in the Netherlands and Emma Read Källblad from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden provided fascinating insights into the different ways Higher Educational institutions make a difference in their locations.

Architects for the University of Northampton’s new town centre campus explained how their design aims to integrate the University with the town. There will be public access to University facilities such as the library and sports buildings, a through bus route, and public rights of way along the riverside and through the site linking the town centre with Delapre Abbey.

Professor John Goddard, from the University of Newcastle, talked about universities as ‘anchor institutions’ in towns and cities, while Professor Robin Hambleton from the University of West of England said that universities could be game changers in place making in an increasingly globalised world.

The education role of universities as a pathway for local people to move into Higher Education was emphasised by Christina Devecchi of the Education School at the University of Northampton. Several speakers emphasised how much the student experience was related to their experience of the town and that a positive sense of the town is vital to attracting new students.

Campus design also has implications for nature conservation. Professor Jeff Ollerton from the University of Northampton stressed that the new campus on the riverside must protect biodiversity and natural habitats.

Sabine Coady Schaebitz, director of the CCBE, said: “The Urban University is a goal of many universities in the new era of higher education and town development. With our partners in the county council and the borough council, we are aiming for the highest quality of campus design and new thinking in university and town collaboration.”

Users of Northampton’s very own bike hire scheme – Cycle CoNNect – have collectively pedalled a total of 29,561 miles since the initiative began one year ago, more than a complete circumnavigation of the globe.

In that time, Cycle CoNNect, which celebrates its first birthday on Wednesday July 15, has seen 6,200 rentals from the 1,369 people who have signed up to the initiative.

And last month, June 2015, saw the record number of rentals so far – 875 – with 142 more people subscribing during that month.

Councillor Michael Clarke, county council cabinet member for highways, transport and environment, said: “I’m delighted that Cycle CoNNect is proving so popular and the number of hires is increasing as we reach its first birthday.

“I think it has been a success for a number of reasons including the increasing popularity of cycling as an activity to keep fit and healthy and beat traffic congestion.

“Of course, the beauty of this scheme is that you can benefit from all the advantages of cycling without actually having to own a bike.

“I’m confident that as Northampton continues to regenerate and grow that Cycle CoNNect will also continue to develop.”

Set up by Northamptonshire County Council and highways service provider KierWSP in partnership with Northampton Borough Council, Brackmills Estate and the University of Northampton, the £150k initiative provides 50 bikes for public hire inside the borough.

Initially starting with six hire-hubs, the number of docking stations has now increased to 10 with the latest being unveiled in Kingsthorpe in March this year.

The next phase of the initiative will be to increase the number of hubs on the network and secure sponsorship so that the scheme can moves towards being self-funded.

For more details about the scheme please go to www.cycleconnect.co.uk.

Significant increases in demand for its truck and trailer rental, contract hire and vehicle maintenance services have driven Ryder to relocate its Northampton operation to new larger premises in the Swan Valley area.

“Ryder is one of the UK’s leading providers of commercial vehicle rental solutions and we’ve been in Northampton for more than ten years,” said Bruce Howard, Ryder’s operations director. “The increased volume of enquires we’ve received across the East Midlands for our rental trucks and trailers in recent months has meant that, in addition to moving to a superb new location with improved facilities for our customers and expanded workshop capacity, the new depot will be receiving many of the brand new trucks and trailers that Ryder currently has on order.

“Our latest vehicle order includes more than 300 Euro 6 tractors units and a large number of purpose-built refrigerated trailers which should prove to be the ideal combination for the many food distribution companies located in the East Midlands area,” he added.

“This is an exciting time for the company and it reinforces our long term commitment to Northampton and the East Midlands. Commercial vehicle rental, whether short term, long term or fixed term contract hire is now proving to be the method of choice for an increasing number of businesses both large and small. The option to outsource the supply of commercial vehicles allows businesses to remove fixed assets from the balance sheet enabling them to refocus their financial and time resources on what they do best, running their business.”

Two people including a 16-year-old boy have died in a road accident in Corby.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash in Weldon Road, Corby, early this morning (Friday, July 10).

At about 2.20am a Vauxhall Corsa, for reasons yet unknown, hit a road sign.

The accident happened between the Bangrave Road roundabout and Geddington Road roundabout.

The two occupants of the car, a 21-year–old man and a 16-year-old boy, died at the scene.

Officers are appealing for witnesses and ,in particular, are urging the occupants of a small silver car which is believed to have stopped at scene shortly after the accident, to contact them.

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the Northamptonshire Police Drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

Weldon Road was closed for several hours while emergency services dealt with the collision and re-opened shortly after 11am.

Cynthia Spencer Hospice has been celebrating 10 years since the opening of its new building.

A party was held earlier this month where those who were involved in raising funds to construct the building as well as staff and volunteers met together to celebrate the hospice and the work that it does.

John Helm, fundraising manager at the Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity, said: “We are still enormously thankful to those who worked extremely hard 10 years ago fundraising to raise money needed to construct and open the new Cynthia Spencer Hospice building.

“The generosity of the people of Northamptonshire made our new building possible and their continued generosity has helped us thrive. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and celebrate the achievements of the hospice over the last decade”

Richard Glasspool, service manager for specialist palliative care for Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, added: “The new building has given us a wonderful platform to develop our services over the last 10 years and help us to care for even more patients in Northamptonshire at the end of their life. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the hospice charity over the next 10 years and beyond.”

The first building for Cynthia Spencer Hospice was opened in 1976 as an inpatient facility of 25 beds. At the time Cynthia Spencer Hospice was one of the first modern hospices in the country. A day unit was added in 1985 however by the late 1990s it soon became clear that the facilities at the Hospice fell well below those needed to provide a modern and acceptable standard of care. The sale of part of the land on which the hospice stood combined with a £1.5 million fundraising campaign saw the construction of the hospice as we know it today.

For more information on Cynthia Spencer Hospice, or to make a donation, visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk.

A collision between a lorry and a car on the M1 through Northamptonshire is causing tailbacks on the motorway.

The crash, one-mile north of the Watford Gap services at 11.30am, involved a juggernaut and a Ford Mondeo and has resulted in two lanes of the southbound carriageway being closed while the vehicles are recovered.

A police spokesperson said the collision left the Ford Mondeo facing the “wrong way” in the hard shoulder, along a stretch of roadworks.

An ambulance crew is at the scene but it is understood the woman driving the Mondeo has not suffered serious injuries.

Lengthy tailbacks are building north of the incident and drivers are being advised to take alternate routes where possible.

Officers investigating an alleged altercation between two men near a Corby school have asked any witnesses to come forward.

The incident happened in Bennett Road, near to Oakley Vale Primary School, on Wednesday, July 8, sometime between 8.30am and 8.45am.

One of the men involved was white and the other was Asian.

Both men were in their mid 40s and the Asian man was about 5ft 10 in with a heavy build.

Witnesses, or anyone who knows anything about this incident, can call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Northampton South MP David Mackintosh has called for government action on diabetes research funding.

Mr Mackintosh attended a tour of a diabetes research lab at King’s College London, arranged by Diabetes UK, where he saw ground-breaking research into treatments to help prevent and improve the management of the condition, which are being funded by the charity and include research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes.

A spokesman for the charity said there were currently 3.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK and five million people are projected to have the condition by 2025.

“Diabetes can have a huge impact on people’s lives and can lead to serious complications such as blindness, amputation and stroke and early death, which are not only personally devastating but are also extremely costly to the health service,” he said.

“Diabetes costs the NHS £10 billion annually, which amounts to 10 percent of the entire NHS budget.

“Despite the increasing numbers of people living with diabetes and the huge burden it places on the NHS, for every £1 the NHS spends managing diabetes, the UK invests just over half a penny on diabetes research, which is less investment than what many other major health conditions receive,” he added.

During the visit, Mr Mackintosh pledged to become a champion for diabetes research funding both locally and in Parliament. He called for more support from the Government to ensure world class diabetes research can be carried out in institutions across the UK.

He said: “I was delighted to visit the diabetes research lab at King’s College London. The research that Diabetes UK is funding there will help us better understand the condition, bring about life-changing breakthroughs in treatment and prevention, and in doing so will transform millions of lives and save the NHS money.

“The potential of diabetes research is huge but the area trails behind other major health conditions in terms of investment. This is why I’m asking the Government to look at this so that the lifesaving research being carried at King’s College London is replicated in institutions across the country.”

Dr Alasdair Rankin, Diabetes UK Director of Research, said: “We are pleased to have David Mackintosh’s support on what is a very important issue. The world class research that we are funding at King’s College London, as well other institutions throughout the UK, has the potential to make a huge difference to lives of everyone affected by diabetes.

“The impact of the condition on people’s lives and on the NHS is colossal, but this is not reflected by the amount of funding diabetes research receives. This is why we want to see more support from the Government to encourage diabetes research investment so that we are fully meeting the huge challenges that diabetes presents.

“Diabetes is an extremely important health issue that is affecting more and more people so it is essential that we are funding research that can lead to improvements in treatment and prevention, and ultimately bring us closer to a cure.”

The 15-year-old girl from Northamptonshire who went missing with her baby daughter has been found safe and well.

After three days of appeals for her to get in touch, Katie Kelly and her daughter, Kiah-Mae, have been found.

In a statement released earlier on Friday night, a police spokesman said: “We are pleased to report that missing teenager, 15-year-old Katie Kelly and her baby daughter, Kiah-Mae, have both been found safe and well.

“DCI Elliot Foskett, who led the search for Katie and her baby, thanks the public for the overwhelming response in helping find them.”

Katie Kelly, 15, ad been last seen in the Standens Barn area of Northampton on Tuesday and police revealed yesterday that her 18-year-old boyfriend, Karl Boyle - who is the father of the baby girl - had also not been seen for days.

Northamptonshire Police says it is becoming “increasingly concerned” about the young mother and daughter as Miss Kelly left her home in Long Buckby without money or supplies for her 12-week-old daughter.

During a press conference this afternoon DCI Foskett read out a statement from Miss Kelly’s foster mother.

It read: “Please just let somebody know that you and Kiah-Mae are safe and well.

“We are really missing both of you and so are all of your family and just want you back safe and well.

“Please just let somebody know you are safe and okay.”

DCI Foskett said Northamptonshire Police had carried out “extensive searches” over the past 24 hours in collaboration with a number of forces across the country.

The force had also put credit on the teenager’s mobile phone to help her make contact.

Two people including a 16-year-old boy have died after a crash on a Northamptonshire road in the early hours of this morning

At about 2.20am a Vauxhall Corsa, for reasons yet unknown, hit a road sign after it left Weldon Road, Corby.

The accident happened between the Bangrave Road roundabout and Geddington Road roundabout.

The two occupants of the car, a 21-year–old man and a 16-year-old boy, died at the scene.

Officers are appealing for witnesses and, in particular, are urging the occupants of a small silver car which is believed to have stopped at scene shortly after the accident, to contact them.

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the Northamptonshire Police Drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

Weldon Road was closed for several hours while emergency services dealt with the collision and re-opened shortly after 11am.

A 19-year-old man who admitted engaging in sexual activity with a young girl has been sentenced to two years and eight months in a young offenders’ institution.

Samual Walker, of Towcester, was aged 18 years old when he committed the offence.

Northampton Crown Court heard that Walker was arrested and answered ‘no comment’.

Walker later pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child and possessing indecent images of a child.

Jonathan Dee, prosecuting, said the girl had suffered nightmares about Walker.

Matthew Kirk, defending, said Walker had been diagnosed as mildly autistic and was a “socially naive” person.

Judge Michael Fowler sentenced walker to two years and eight months in a young offenders’ institution for the charge of engaging in sexual activity with a child. He also gave a six-month custodial sentence for possessing the indecent images to be served concurrently.

Walker is likely to serve half his sentence before being released on licence. He will have to sign the sex offender’s register for at least 10 years.

A son who falsely claimed more than £8,000 after he continued to claim his father’s army pension two years after he had died carried out a “despicable offence’ a judge said.

Patrick Treacy, aged 65, of Drayton walk, St Davids, Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to carrying out a fraud between 2010 and 2012.

The court heard that Treacy’s father, who served in the military, died in February 2009.

James McLernon, prosecuting, said when Treacy’s father died his army pension was being paid into his sister’s account.

In November 2009 it was discovered the pension was still being paid into the account and Treacy then wrote a letter to the army pensions office informing them of a new bank account he would like the money to be paid into.

Mr McLernon said: “The letter gave the impression that his father was still alive and gave the details of his own bank account for the money to be paid into.”

The money was then paid into Treacy’s bank account for two years, benefiting him to a total of £8,128.

The National Fraud Initiative uncovered Treacy’s crime in 2014 and he was arrested after declining an opportunity to attend an interview with investigators.

Judge Michael Fowler said Treacy had “taken advantage of his father’s military service” and described the crime as a “despicable offence”.

Treacy was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years. He must also complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

A 23-year-old Northampton man has pleaded guilty to the sexual grooming of a girl under the age of 16.

Jack Davies, of Fullingdale Road, Headlands, Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court after he was charged with grooming the girl and attempting to meet her with the intention of engaging in sexual activity.

The case was adjourned for four weeks to allow for a probation report to be carried out. Davies will be sentenced in August

Genereous shoppers have boosted a food bank’s stocks by donating tins, bottles and packets of food.

Tesco in Mereway organised a neighbourhood food collection to help local people in need.

It is the sixth time Tesco has held a neighbourhood food collection. The scheme started in 2012 and the retailer now runs two collections a year. This collection ran from Monday, June 29, to Sunday, July 5.

Shoppers at the store, and people who work there, donated 308 trays of food.

Customer experience manager at the store, Emma Brandon, said: “We would like to thank all of our generous customers for their support, it really has been fantastic.

“Also a big thanks to all the volunteers that helped collect and sort the donations.

“We are always looking for ways to support our local community and these donations will help a lot of local people.”

The deputy mayor of Northampton, Cllr Christopher Malpas, visited the store on Saturday to show his support and spent time talking to the volunteers about the collection.

Tesco runs the collection in conjunction with two charities, FareShare and The Trussell Trust, who distribute the food to those who need it locally. Tesco also tops up customers’ donations by 30 per cent to help the charities feed more people in need.

Aliens are trying to infiltrate Northampton through a series of “portals” at well-known landmarks - that is if you are playing an increasingly popular mobile phone game sweeping the town.

Unbeknownst to all but a dedicated few, a virtual territory war is being fought in Northampton every day between humans an “exotic matter” from another planet in the form of the game Ingress.

It may not be a household name like Candy Crush, but the Android and iPhone app now boasts 10 million downloads worldwide and around 200 players here in Northampton.

The ‘augmented reality’ game sees players try and gain control of alien “portals” at places of cultural significance, in a sort of futuristic version of the boardgame Risk.

Only Ingress, which uses a smartphone’s GPS tracking and camera, requires gamers to physically walk (or run) to the points of interest around the town such as the Roadmender, Northampton Crown Court and several churches including the Hold Church of the Sepulchre in Sheep Street.

“I would say I’m fairly addicted to it,” said keen player Sean Anderson, of Headlands, “I tried playing Candy Crush for a while, but that sort of thing just gets so repetitive.

“Ingress can offer such variety and literally take you to new places.”

The premise of the game, according to developers Niantic, centres around a mystery alien energy, which is infiltrating the world through various portals.

A player can chose to join one of two factions: the ‘Enlightened’ which seeks to “embrace the power this energy may bestow upon us,” or the “Resistance,” which, quite simply, intends to stop it.

Players have to find the portals in their locality (using a GPS map) and take control of them, or ‘hack’ them, using a range of gizmos in their virtual arsenal.

But while its roots are firmly grounded in science fiction, father of three Mr Anderson, 42, and a computer programmer by trade, says the game is attracting a wide range of players who view it as more of a way of life.

“A lot of people assume this is really geeky,” he said, “But it’s not all IT guys, some of the people I have met playing this are chefs, plumbers and housewives.

“You do get a few strange looks playing it, but then you see people walk around with their phones out all the time. As long as you keep your headphones in it’s okay.”

At the time of publication, Northampton was predominantly controlled by the Enlightened, (nicknamed the “Frogs” among the gaming community) though the control of territory changes regularly, sometimes overnight.

For many though, the game is simply a chance to learn more about your hometown, get fit and meet new people.

One blog poster singing Ingress’s praises claimed to have lost 10 stone in weight as a result of playing.

Mr Anderson, said: “One place I saw early on in playing the game was on Cliftonville Road, not far from the hospital, there is this metal statue of people climbing up the wall.

“Now I’ve lived in Northampton for the best part of 30 years and I had never seen that before.”

And the game landscape is changing all the time too.

While Ingress started life with a number of set portal locations, its active community have added many more, providing of course they are easily accessible on foot and not in a dangerous location.

The app is free to download from the Android Play store and iTunes.

A major union says Northamptonshire County Council’s plans to outsource services and reduce the core workforce to 150 could be the beginning of the end for public service as we know it.

In December the authority announced the ‘council plan’ to carve £148 million out of its budget in the next five years.

The move will see the authority outsourcing the majority of its services to four independently operated “community interest companies” free to compete with others for council services.

But, as the county council prepares the next step of setting up its first “wellbeing” organisation next week, workers’ union Unison has expressed anxiety about the plan.

Regional organiser Tonia Williams said its main concern was what would happen to the current council staff if the new mutual organisations had to compete for tenders with other companies.

She said: “The way this is being presented to staff is that everything is going to be okay, you will all have jobs in the new community interest companies.

“But what they are not really being honest about is that they can set these companies up, but further down the line the contracts for Northamptonshire’s council functions could go out to the open market.

“There is no real job security in it.”

And Ms Williams added that Unison has “real concerns” other councils may follow Northamptonshire’s lead

She said: “If the council goes ahead with this plan all that will happen is that other councils will test this model as well.

“There’s not going to be a public service as we know it with 95 per cent of staff hived off to another organisation.”

Unison is urging concerned staff to fill out a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/NCC2015 to let the union know if they have any fears over their job security.

Northamptonshire County council currently has around 4,000 staff, but the moves to outsource its work to community interest companies will leave it with a core workforce of 150.

The creation of the new “wellbeing” organisation is set to take another step forward at the county council’s cabinet meeting next week, July 14.

The new enterprise will bring together “services that enable people to feel healthier and better about themselves.”

This, the authority says, could include smoking cessation clinics, help with weight management, debt advice and befriending services.

The cabinet report proposes a launch date of December 1 this year, which follows on from “extensive public and partner engagement including an online survey, breakfast briefing meeting and roadshows around the county to gather people’s feedback.”

An outline business case is due to be considered by cabinet in September 2015, with the full business case being presented to cabinet in November 2015.

In response to Unison’s fears about the move, a Northamptonshire County Council spokesperson, said: “With less public money and demand for services in increasing, innovative ways of providing services are needed if they are to continue being made available.

“As the CIC would have autonomy from the county council it would be free to take on other contracts in other areas, bring efficiencies and potentially expand.

“A similar model has already proved successful with LGSS, which merged back-office functions at Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire county councils and has since taken on contracts elsewhere.