the headquarters of northamptonshire cou nty headquarters of northamptonshire county council in angelat the meeting today there will be no definite decisions but of course cancelled are taking this very seriously and made —— need to make savings. one councillor is fearful for vulnerable children and vulnerable communities. she says, "my worry is that we won‘t perform are safeguarding duty and there will be consequences because of that." it‘s worth pointing out that for children‘s services in northampton, it has a required improvement rating from ofsted. there are concerns if it‘s lights —— if there are cuts it would slide back to inadequate. they are by no means the only authority facing problems at the moment? absolutely not. this meeting at 5:30pm, no definite decision is what we are told, but people will be watching this really closely. members of the media, other politicians, mps. of course, the local people as well. other councils will be looking at this very closely because many of them safe there are financial pressures and they are really struggling. several of them have said

so, could northamptonshire be the ca nary so, could northamptonshire be the canary in the coal mine?got into a deeperfinancial northamptonshire has got into a deeper financial hole, and the reason for this is clearly mismanagement locally and unwillingness on the part of councillors to make the tough decisions to bring the budget into balance within the year. other councils have just about manage that, but it's not to say there aren't others that are near the same situation, they are not there yet, but they are near it. over the next eight months, northamptonshire house to save more than £60 million. £7.5 million a month, 15% of its annual budget. even if these proposals are approved, that will be a big challenge. our correspondentjo black is in northampton. what have people been saying to you about the potential risks here, the risks of some very important services going? well, people are already feeling the effects here in northamptonshire. so, subsidised bus routes have been cut, 21 libraries could close by september. road maintenance is being scaled back. even headquarters i am s

councils facing similar issues or is itjust northamptonshire?r this year suggesting as many as 15 councils could be at risk of having used up all of their reserves by the end of their financial year in three years' time. that is a big indicator of councils in trouble. the bureau for investigative journalism did some research suggesting councils including somerset and norfolk as well as lancashire were at risk of suffering serious financial problems. auditors back injuly said that if somerset didn't take some serious action, they could well find themselves in a similar position to northamptonshire in two or three yea rs' northamptonshire in two or three years' time. thank you. the headlines on bbc news... new research finds two thirds of plastic containers still can't be recycled, as councils call for action. detectives investigating the disappearance of midwife samantha eastwood are carrying out searches in a rural area of stoke—on—trent. concern over northamptonshire county council's financial difficulties has led england's children's commissio

in northamptonshire.ment has faced greater reductions to spending than almost any other part of the public sector, there is an item in the news about how the next spending review might lead to more cuts for local government, so northamptonshire has got into this position, no question, others are moving in the same direction. how many, how many are close to being in the scenario we see facing northamptonshire county council today? the see facing northamptonshire county counciltoday? the national see facing northamptonshire county council today? the national audit 0ffice, an independent body that reports to parliament not government, has reported on the financial resilience of local government and it concludes that perhaps 15 or 20 authorities might be in perhaps 15 or 20 authorities might beina perhaps 15 or 20 authorities might be in a position, moving in this direction. of course they won't all end up in the precise position that northamptonshire is in, but the truth is, you cannot go on cutting local go

so in the short term, what happens now in northamptonshire?at will it mean for people that? well, i spoke with the commissioner, who is the person who is leading the response drafted in by the government there. i spoke with him last week. he was very clear that the council has legal obligations to provide certain services, and it also has legal obligations to balance its books. he's slightly concerning lee wasn't able to give a timescale by when the council's budget is coming on balance, which is a sign ofjust how bad things are there. but i would very much expect lots of services to not be provided any more, and the council is talking about the core offer of services it will provide. so my expectation is that, if you have the most severe social care needs, for instance, it is likely the council will still provide those services. but if you have lesser needs, it is very likely that they will no longer be provided. you will have to pay for them yourself. the future of house of fraser has been thrown into fresh doubt after a chinese investor pul

are there any other councils facing similar issues or is it just northamptonshire?ed that as many as 15 councils could be at risk of having used up all of their reserves by the end of the financial year, in three years' time. that is a big indicator of councils in trouble. the bureau for investigative journalism did some research this year which suggested that councils including somerset and norfolk, as well as lancashire, were at risk of suffering some serious financial problems. and in fact auditors back injuly said that if somerset didn't take some serious action, they could well find themselves in a similar position to northamptonshire in two or three years' time. hundreds of mourners in zimbabwe have gathered to bury one of those killed in the capital harare during protests against the presidential election. president emmerson mnangagwa has called for unity following his victory, and says he will be a leader for all zimbabweans. here, the government says it's deeply concerned by violence following zimba bwe's elections, and has called the response from the secu

that was not the case for northamptonshire.some difficult decisions they —— they need to close some libraries. these are the things no council wants to do. so they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough this decade, lots of other councils have faced up to the really difficult challenging circumstances. the overall funding level of support from the government this decade has been halved, it's been devastating for councils, but they must live within their reduced means. they must balance their books every year, it is their legal obligation to do so. it is their legal obligation to do so. do you think there are other councils that may end up in a similar position, or is northamptonshire a one—off? similar position, or is northamptonshire a one—offlm certainly is not, although there is no other councils, that this will happen to there are others where it might happen. somerset has some worrying signs of a the level... similar thing worrying signs of a

this is a picture from northamptonshire, lovely sunshine if thatis northamptonshire, lovely sunshinen scotland. courtesy of this clutch of other fronts from the atlantic. and as you can see from the isobars, it is breezy, not particularly windy, although the wind will pick up in the west later. through this morning, we hang onto hazy sunshine because there is some cloud around. we could catch an afternoon shower from that cloud in the midlands for example, but for most, it is dry with the rain across northern ireland, western scotland, getting across cumbria, anglesey, the isle of man and just moving across north west wales. temperatures in the north in the high teens, as we move further south, looking at the mid—to—high 20s. through this evening and overnight, the process of those weather fronts crossing the country continues. the rain moving from west to east, the cloud also going along with it with clearer skies across parts of the south east. temperatures tonight mostly in double figures, but in the south, it still feels quite muggy. tomorrow, a fair bit of sunshine. a weak weath

so, could northamptonshire be the canary in the coal mine?has got into a deeper financial hole, and the reason for this is clearly mismanagement locally and unwillingness on the part of councillors to make the tough decisions to bring the budget into balance within the year. other councils have just about managed that, but it's not to say there aren't others that are near the same situation, they are not there yet, but they are near it. over the next eight months, northamptonshire has to save more than £60 million. £7.5 million a month, 15% of its annual budget. even if these proposals are approved, that will be a big challenge. our correspondentjo black is in northampton. just before the meeting gets under way. about 25 minutes the meeting should start, at county hall here in northampton. i can tell you already that people are gathering outside in order to protest against these cuts, about the money that the council are trying to save and the services that might be affected. so there's a small gathering outside county hall and people waving

that is the challenge that is facing councillors here in northamptonshire.and health issues and i have david jones from the health watch bathampton sure, a body that represents sick and vulnerable people. —— northamptonshire. this plan to reduce money, is going to be rubber—stamped today. plan to reduce money, is going to be rubber-stamped today. what is your reaction? my reaction is mixed because the one thing i am pleased about is that they have a duty to protect society's most vulnerable and they have announced they are going to examine contracts and look at where they have made, or where they can make, spending cuts. as a representative of the voluntary sector, i welcome this. we representative of the voluntary sector, iwelcome this. we have representative of the voluntary sector, i welcome this. we have a vibrant and sector, i welcome this. we have a vibra nt and viable sector, i welcome this. we have a vibrant and viable charitable servers out there that is currently delivering these type of contracts andl delivering these type of contracts and i look

are there any other councils facing similar issues, or is itjust northamptonshire?ting as many as 15 councils could be at risk of having used up all of their reserves by the end of the financial year in three years' time. that is a big indicator of councils in trouble. the bureau for investigative journalism did some research suggesting councils including somerset and norfolk as well as lancashire were at risk of suffering serious financial problems. auditors back injuly said that if somerset didn't take some serious action, they could well find themselves in a similar position to northamptonshire in two or three years' time. breaking news concerning a human trafficking investigation under way in kent. following the arrest of nine people yesterday, we've been informed three men have been charged as part of that investigation. 0fficers as part of that investigation. officers from the eastern region special operations unit and border forces officials had intervened a speedboat in kent. following on from that on friday, three men have now been charged in relation to th

not only northamptonshire, not going to be a one-off.ne a huge amount of cuts 5ince government has borne a huge amount of cuts since 2010. they have been basically at the front line of delivering austerity and fiscal consolidation because the nhs is a protected and increasingly other more popular departments like education or defence get rolled into that. the local governments end being decimated. they have notju5t conservative council5 have presented to raise council tax and build up their own resources and some mini5ter5 their own resources and some ministers to stop them from doing that. but st 5y5tem ministers to stop them from doing that. but st system that we do not have a position at the moment. they ought to make hay of this but they are instead lost in their own battle. government is 5urviving despite the fact that it is really pretty bad. zimbabwe in the guardian. a couple of other front pages as well, actually. the army opened fire on protesters is the headline in the guardian and the three dead is the latest death toll we hav

what has gone wrong in northamptonshire?of things, posterity, financial cuts that the council suffered, rise in demand in adult and children's social care. i think there has been some financial mismanagement and also councils have not changed to adapt to the unprecedented financial situation they find themselves in. posterity is something that all councils around the country have got to deal with, why has it affected northamptonshire so badly? to deal with, why has it affected northamptonshire so badly7m to deal with, why has it affected northamptonshire so badly? it is responsible for social care for children and adults and that is where we've had the biggest increase in demand. also some councils have not react did and responded in an agile way to the situation they found themselves in and had not exploited some of the opportunities to work with residents in a different way and perhaps with some commercial opportunities. so in that case we have seen them facing more difficult financial situation is. i've heard it said it i

northamptonshire's problems are being described as unprecedented.in the last six months its cfo has had toissue the last six months its cfo has had to issue two legal notices warning the authority is on the brink of insolvency. it's expected core services for vulnerable children and adults will be reduced to a minimum. the hope centre in northampton supports people struggling with homelessness and poverty. of the 100 plus people who walk through the door each day, most are already feeling the impact of cuts to services. we see people who have got nothing else, and the more services are cut somewhere nothing else, and the more services are cut somewhere else, we pick up the slack. charities like us cannot cope with responsibilities that in the past were the responsibility of social services or other statutory funding. wejust social services or other statutory funding. we just can't social services or other statutory funding. wejust can't mop up all the need and demand. one of those in need is linda, partially blind with mental health issues. she says

two have been imposed in northamptonshire in six months. voted on by the council and accepted. i can tell you that the conservatives, the lib dems voted for that, and labour abstained, but that is just a formality, it is a vote that is happening now on an action plan about how they will save £70 million to get rid of that black hole. that is the vote that most people are interested in in this county. because cuts can already be seen around this county, subsidised bus routes have gone, road maintenance has been clawed back, 21 libraries are under threat of closure. that was due to take place next month. but there is a review on that at the moment. people still fear that they could go. the brand—new headquarters at the council, which opened over a year ago, they have been sold off already, so the council could claw back some money. the vote about how money will be saved is currently taking place. the council have already said it is inevitable that there will be cuts to services, children's services, adult services, and that is causing major c

well, the question faced by councillors here in northamptonshire is how do you save £70 million in thisthe vulnerable people who live here? and that is what councils have been talking about and debating here in northamptonshire today at county hall, the building i'm standing outside at the moment, and as you say, in the last few minutes the action plan they are put in place, which was being voted on, has been voted through in the last few minutes, so more radical cuts coming down the line. and you can already see cuts coming, so bus subsidies have gone, libraries are under threat of closure, a new hq for the council which was opened not so long ago, about a year, has already been sold off, and the council leader told me that it is inevitable that there will be cuts to children's and aduu there will be cuts to children's and adult services, and that is what is mainly causing the concern here in northamptonshire. it was a highly charged meeting at times, let me just tell you some of the comments. one opposition councillor said the plans would endanger the lives of children and vulnerable

northamptonshire is not alone.ulties and warn that reducing services to a minimum could soon become the norm. other tory—run councils like surrey and east sussex have also said they face tough financial decisions. they blamed significant cuts to the grant they get from central government. and you're looking forward to getting back home if possible? the leader of kent county council heads the organisation representing county authorities that provide services like this care centre. there are a number of other local authorities, four or five that i know of, that are teetering very near the cliff edge and, all of us are struggling to balance our budgets next year without making draconian cuts in front line services. the government has promised to reform councilfunding but many authorities say more money is needed now. alison holt, bbc news, northampton. joining me now is tony travers who specialises in local government issues. thank you for being with us. it is a mixed tory situation in northamptonshire. is it enough t

but northamptonshire is not alone in having problems. that reducing services to a minimum could soon become the norm. 0ther tory—run councils, like surrey and east sussex, have also said they face tough financial decisions. they blame significant cuts to the grant they get from central government. you're looking forward to getting home if possible? the leader of kent county council leads the organisation representing county authorities that provide services like this care centre. there are a number of other local authorities, four or five that i know of, that are teetering very near the cliff edge and all of us are struggling to balance our budgets next year, without making draconian cuts in frontline services. now on bbc news, sport today. hello there, i'm tulsen tollett and this is sport today, live from the bbc sport centre. coming up on this programme: gary woodhouse leads the us pga championship, and this man — his compatriot, rickie fowler — by a stroke after the first round. four—time champion novak djokovic is knocked out of the

in two or three yea rs' northamptonshire in two or three years' time.ction, which overturned. a 17—year—old boy was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries. he has since been arrested on suspicion of a number of motoring offences. that is coming in from the met police. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines. new analysis suggests only a third of plastic food containers can be recycled. the rest is sent to landfill. hot air from recycled. the rest is sent to landfill. hot airfrom north recycled. the rest is sent to landfill. hot air from north africa causes a severe heatwave in spain and portugal, temperatures could go above the record high for europe. hundreds of mourners in zimbabwe have gathered to bury one of those killed in the capital harare during protests against the presidential election. president emmerson mnangagwa has called for unity following his victory, and says he will be a leader for all zimbabweans. here, the government says it's deeply concerned by violence following zimba bwe's elections, and has called the response from th

even so, the hole northamptonshire is currently in is said to be particularly deep.the equality and human rights commission has confirmed this evening that it's received a complaint from the campaign against anti—semitism over alleged discrimination and victimisation in the labour party. earlier the party leader, jeremy corbyn, apologised for what he described as 'causing anxiety‘ by appearing at events with people who compared the actions of the israeli government to the nazis. mr corbyn said views were expressed that he did not "accept or condone". our political correspondent vicki young has more. reporter: morning, mr corbyn. for more than two years, jeremy corbyn‘s faced accusations that he's turned a blind eye to anti—semitism in the labour party. good morning, nice to see you... and today those questions are still coming. could you close the window, please? this row is about an event jeremy corbyn hosted in 2010, before he was leader, where speakers including a jewish holocaust survivor compared the actions of the israeli government to the nazis. in a statement

that is the challenge facing councillors in northamptonshire.talking and debating about an action plan about how to save money today at the council. in the last hour, that has been voted through. as you can imagine, that has brought a lot of concern with regard to this because not only are things like bus subsidies being cut, 21 local libraries under threat of closure, the new hq the council was based on, the—year—old, already sold off. those sorts of cuts are already happening, but now people are really worried about children and adult services, what will happen to them now the action plan has been put through? as you we re plan has been put through? as you were pointing out, a highly charged meeting and at times some comments from members of the public, the proposals are shameful and a disgrace, she said. an opposition councillor said, the plans will endanger the lives of children and vulnerable adults. the chief finance officer said the authority cannot continue to spend money it does not have. i have just continue to spend money it does not

northamptonshire is not alone.ial difficulties and warn that reducing services to a minimum could soon become the norm. 0ther tory—run councils like surrey and east sussex have also said they face tough financial decisions. they blame significant cuts to the grant they get from central government. and you're looking forward to getting back home if possible? the leader of kent county council heads the organisation representing county authorities that provide services like this care centre. there are a number of other local authorities, four or five that i know of, that are teetering very near the cliff edge and, all of us are struggling to balance our budgets next year without making draconian cuts in front line services. the government has promised to reform councilfunding but many authorities say more money is needed now. alison holt, bbc news, northampton. our top story this evening: the england cricketer, ben stokes, takes the stand in his trial over a brawl outside a bristol nightclub. and great britain take ye

extremely worried that the financial difficulties that northamptonshire county council are facing willose children. what northamptonshire are saying is that they're going to be offering a core offer of children's services at a statutory minimum. and my concern is that that won't cover children in situations that you or i would think that they desperately need help, living in families where they're neglected, severe mental health of families, domestic violence and the like. the westbound carriageway of the m48 severn bridge has reopened after what was called an "unprecedented" level of staff sickness led to the closure. the highways agency says it opted to close the tollbooths on the bridge to protect the safety of staff and drivers. motorists were being advised to find alternative forms of crossing westbound, while the eastbound carriageway, which is not controlled by toll booths, remained open. a group of 57 female skydivers has set a new world record in ukraine. it's the highest number of people to get into and then change formation three times during a dive, and it all happened in j

but northamptonshire is not alone in having problems.ncial difficulties and warn that reducing services to a minimum could soon become the norm. 0ther tory—run councils like surrey and east sussex have also said they face tough financial decisions. they blame significant cuts to the grant they get from central government. looking forward to getting home if possible? the leader of kent county council and the organisation representing county authorities that provide services like this care centre. there are a number of other local authorities, four or five that i know of, that are teetering very near the cliff edge and all of us are struggling to balance our budgets next year, without making draconian cuts in front line services. the government has promised to reform council funding, but many authorities say more money is needed now. alison holt, bbc news, northampton. appleby an independent report into sexual abuse spanning four decades at two leading private catholic schools, says the attacks on children, were likely to be more widesprea

extremely worried that the financial difficulties that northamptonshire county council are facing willt vulnerable children, which could have catastrophic consequences for those children. what northamptonshire are saying is that they're going to be offering a core offer of children's services and a statutory minimum. and my concern is that that won't cover children in situations which you and i would think that they desperately need help, living in families where they are neglected, severe mental health of families, domestic violence and the like. the headlines on bbc news. detectives searching for the missing midwife samantha eastwood say they have found a body — three people have been arrested. new research suggests only a third of plastic food containers can be be recycled — the rest is sent to landfill. hot air from north africa causes a severe heatwave in spain and portugal, temperatures could push above europe's record high of 48 celsius. sport — and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre. england held their nerve to take the first test against india in a thrilling finale

northamptonshire cou nty box at the saints.problems. bear in mind, it has to save £70 million this financial year. is the county council seems to think it can justify this expenditure? well, they should statement to say that the independent audit report which followed the whistle—blower referral found that the expenditure and financial transactions by nea properties were transparent. the audit report did also say that the spending was in line with what the company was set up to do and was within the powers of its directors. but this report also found that the payments by nea properties were made with minimal government —— governors and documentation. the bbc has contacted the county council is to directors for response also. what was the response? we have not heard from them yet. we started to reach out to them from last thursday. it is possible these two individuals might be on holiday. but so individuals might be on holiday. but so far, we have not heard back from these two councillors. so very much a work in progress. we wil

northamptonshire county council in march this year.y forward. but there is a warning from the eight councils who have written this report are saying that while restructuring local government and the county will help make things work better and will save some money, it won't be enough. and if they don't get more government funding, they will simply inherit existing financial instability at the county council and we could see the county council and we could see the problems we have seen over the last six months carrying on even into these new authorities. last six months carrying on even into these new authoritiesm last six months carrying on even into these new authorities. if that dramatic reorganisation takes place, what guarantee is there that the services that those respective authorities are currently running will continue to be run while all that goes on? that is the big question and the big concern from these councils. they look at northamptonshire, which just a couple of weeks ago said it needed to save £70 million out of a £400

extremely worried that the financial difficulties that northamptonshire county council are facing wills for those children. what northamptonshire are saying is that they're going to be offering a core offer of children's services and a statutory minimum. and my concern is that that won't cover children in situations which you and i would think that they desperately need help, living in families where they are neglected, severe mental health of families, domestic violence and the like. a police car overturned in central london while officers were chasing a moped believed to have been involved in a "series of offences". officers followed the moped rider and pillion passenger for about half a mile from hyde park corner at a.30am. the moped then crashed with a second police car travelling in the opposite direction, which overturned. a 17—year—old boy was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries. he has since been arrested on suspicion of a number of motoring offences, the met police said. an nhs heart surgery unit says it's taking swift action — after a leaked report concluded that clai

northamptonshire county council is tonight holding crisis talks amid concerns that it will no longer be able to pay for services for vulnerable children and adults. it must save up to £70 million. the former leader of the english defence league, tommy robinson, has been freed on bail after winning an appeal against a finding of contempt of court. the far—right activist received a 13—month jail term in may after he filmed outside leeds crown court during a trial. campaigners against anti—semitism have accused jeremy corbyn of failing to apologise properly — after it emerged he'd shared a platform with speakers who compared israel to the nazis. the labour leader said he didn't agree with the views and that he was sorry for the anxiety and concern he'd caused. bbc analysis of government figures shows the number of grammar school pupils in england has grown by 11,000 since 2010. the data suggests the equivalent of 2a new selective schools will have been created by 2021. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news... we'll

since last friday when she finished her night shift at stoke university hospital concern over northamptonshirel difficulties has to ask for reassurances that services for young people will be protected. on heathland as temperatures well in to the mid forties — emergency services in portugal are fighting a massive wild fire on heathland as temperatures well in to the mid forties — continue to make life difficult in large parts of the country and neigbouring spain. the record—breaking hydroplane bluebird is being relaunched this weekend. it's carrying out a series of runs in the water on the isle of bute. it's more than 50 years since it crashed, killing its pilot donald campbell. now an update on all the tech news — it's time for click. this week — do computers dream of electric puppies? can data prevent crop devastation? and will lara ever live down these shoes? planet earth is changing. daily. we humans are affecting its surface, its climate, its inhabitants. watching from ground level makes it difficult to make sense of it all, but these days we do have the data and we can crunch the numbers

northamptonshire county council last week warned, for the second year in a row, that it was at risk oftonight, councillors will decide what the authority needs to do to avoid going bust. on the table, proposals to reduce services to a bare minimum of 33 core areas, which it is obliged to deliver in line with statutory duties. the council says: over the next eight months, the council has to save more than £60 million. 15% of its annual budget. evenif million. 15% of its annual budget. even if these proposals were approved, that will be a big challenge. tom barton, bbc news. ajudge in the united states has blocked the online publication of designs for 3d printed plastic guns. eight states took legal action against the trump administration after it ruled the blueprints could be made available for download. it follows concerns the plans would be used to make an untraceable weapon which could evade metal detectors. the texas based company behind the project said no one had used the idea to commit any crime. a plane has crashed on takeoff during a heavy hailstorm in northern mexico, injuring

northamptonshire county council vows to protect vulnerable people as it prepares to hold emergency talks freed on bail after challenging his conviction for contempt of court — a fresh hearing will be held as soon as possible. jeremy corbyn apologises for any anxiety and concern caused after he hosted an event in 2010 at which a holocaust survivor compared israel's government to nazism. here is the business news. more ppi pain for lloyds after the bank announces it's putting aside another £a60 million to cover costs mis—selling claims. it comes as half year profits jumped by 23% to £3.1 billion. french drugmaker sanofi says its stockpiled its drugs in preparation of a no—deal brexit between the uk and the eu. reports say the pharma giant is also considering cutting jobs from its current 1,600 strong workforce in the uk. e.0n energy announces its cutting 500 jobs across its uk 0perations. the energy firm currently employs 9,a00 in the country and blamed the competitve industry for the job lossses. e.0n says the cuts are part of its £100 million savings drive. tech giant apple has smashed w

extremely worrying that the financial difficulties that northamptonshire has will mean they are not goingch could have catastrophic consequences for those children, what they're saying is they're going to offer a core offer, of children's services and a stash to minimum, but my concern is that will not cover children in situations that you are i will think they desperately need help, living in families where they are neglected, severe mental help families, domestic violence and the like. a police car overturned in entral london while officers were chasing a moped believed to have been involved in a "series of offences". 0fficers followed the moped rider and pillion passengerfor about half a mile from hyde park corner at 4:30am the moped then crashed with a second police car travelling in the opposite direction, which overturned. a 17—year—old boy was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries. he has since been arrested on suspicion of a number of motoring offences, the met police said. the headlines on bbc news... detectives searching for the missing midwife samantha eastwood say they h

may 2015, and the b—17 bomber performs a fly—past in northamptonshire.hich was set up to promote the county as a business destination. the company also paid £2700 for a heritage dinner and £80,000 was spent at northampton saints, including £20,000 for a hospitality box. 0pposition councillors say at a time when the council knew it was facing severe financial problems, these costs are shocking. i think like most councillors, i thought that anything in the service of the company was going back to the council. i did not really believe it or think that there was money being held back and being spent on all sorts of weird and wonderful projects. but there we are, that is what has happened. and evidence about this spending was also seen by the government inspector, who wrote this year's damning report about the county council. we noted that there had been an extrernal audit which was critical of nea properties, and that before that report was finalised, the council had closed any nea properties down, so there was no action to take. but the external auditory re

they will not be much rural transport left by now in northamptonshire.eing the risk of a service failure or the service not being up to a required standard, even though such a required standard isn't precisely laid out in law. you can understand why people are protesting, and i should clarify that 1988 was the last time this has been done before these two notices this year. do you think that more county councils could be faced with problems like this? we are talking about county councils, not city councils. we are, and it is interesting that county councils are in a more parlous, more difficult financial position, it would appear, then city councils. and the reason for that is in part that in counties, particularly where you have counties and districts, so two tier system, the county often doesn't have as deep level of reserves , doesn't have as deep level of reserves, of money in the bank, as some of the city councils, who have a wider range of services. so the national audit office looked at the broaderfinancial national audit office looked at the broa

northamptonshire county council has approved massive cuts to jobs and services in a bid to combat a 70am back with the business news this hour. uk rental prices could rise as much as 15% over the next five years. that's the warning from the royal institution of chartered surveyors who say the lack of new rental properties could drive up prices. sterling has recovered very slightly against the dollar after big falls over the past 2a hours. the falls happened after the markets showed concern that a no deal on brexit will be reached with the european union. yesterday it dipped below 1.29 against the dollar for the first time in almost a year. the united states says it will impose fresh sanctions on russia after determining it used nerve agent against a former russian double agent living in the uk. britain have welcomed the move, which will see new financial sanctions take effect on or around 22nd august. the news sent the russian rouble to its lowest level since november 2016. and new york has become the first major us city to approve a cap on the number of cars available through ride hai

northamptonshire county councillors will be asked to approve drastic cuts to jobs and services, whenr this morning. they're considering a plan to combat a £70 million budget shortfall. the council has already said it's likely to have to reduce services for vulnerable adults and children to a legal minimum, sparking a warning from the children's commissioner for england that it could have "catastrophic consequences". argentina's senate has rejected a bill which would have legalised abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. after a marathon debate, 38 senators voted against it and 31 in favour. its defeat means lawmakers must wait until next year to resubmit legislation. currently abortion is allowed in argentina only in cases of rape, or if the mother's health is in danger. another strong tremor has hit the indonesian island of lombok as the number of people killed by sunday's earthquake is still climbing and unclear. the 5.9 magnitude quake brought down buildings as rescue workers continue to dig through rubble to get aid to survivors. the official number of dead stands at 131 — b

the leaders of northamptonshire cou nty the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insistedhosepipe ban. recent rainfall has helped replenish the water supplies. it had you to begin on the 5th of august. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 10.30. lots of you getting in touch about the use of smartphones and whether we are on them too much when we should be paying attention to our children. grandma in bristol has said, this weekend my granddaughter playing with her dad who has her weekends. although they were having fun, at1.i heard hersay, get off your phone. he did and it shows a year olds are aware. margot says, i am glad about this topic of mums checking their phones. i was in my doctor‘s waiting room and with three lovely children was paying so much attention to have phone and she ignored them all the time. they seemed resigned to it. it‘s so precious time when children are young. is that you? it is probably all of us to some extent at some time. do get in touch with us throughout the morning — use the hashtag victoria live. if you re emailing and are happy

and the top story in the uk: northamptonshire county council, which must save £70 million by march, hasn emergency meeting to discuss big cuts to public services. its leader says it's still committed to protecting vulnerable people. now on bbc news live to singapore for asia business report. you are the us considers higher tariffs on chinese goods. the federal reserve ‘s keeps interest rates unchanged, but not all central banks are following their leader. —— lead. hello and welcome to asia business report. our top story this morning: the trump administration confirms it is now considering more than doubling the tariffs it plans to impose on $200 billion worth of chinese imports. beijing officials say they will retaliate if the united states takes further trade measures against them. both sides have already imposed tariffs on $34 billion worth of goods and our business reporter explains why the white house wants to take it a step further. we have been talking to senior administration officials and they have essentially confirmed what us media have found a day ago, citing unnamed sources

northamptonshire is the first to admit financial disaster, and it is estimated that one in ten larger the bank, saved for a rainy day. they are having to use it, and you can only use it once. next stop on our somerset road trip, a pool which is used every month by over 2000 residents, though it is shutting in two weeks‘ time. residents, though it is shutting in two weeks' time. well, in 2011 i was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in my spine and pelvis, and my quality of life was quite minimal. i couldn‘t walk far, i couldn‘t do much. since i started coming here, to years ago, and joined in the aqua fit classes, it has just joined in the aqua fit classes, it hasjust made such joined in the aqua fit classes, it has just made such a difference. joined in the aqua fit classes, it hasjust made such a differencelj walked hasjust made such a difference.” walked here every day, and then i go to make swimming, and if this pool closes i won't be able to get here, because my mum doesn't drive. they are calling an emergency meeting tonight to mobilise the town. we would give our time, free

regiment and the northamptonshire regiment were all later merged into this battalion.ing them, outside the cathedral, a unique french regiment. the 132nd battalion, which translates as the dog loving battalion and it is made up dog loving battalion and it is made up of round 600 men and 600 dog, 24 of whom are here today. this battalion has taken on the tradition of regiments that served in world wari, of regiments that served in world war i, dogs were used as attack dog, and used to transport messages, between the trench, the music you are hearing as well, this afternoon, is from the central band of the raf who are playing a leading role in events. who are playing a leading role in eve nts. da n who are playing a leading role in events. dan snow is with me. dan, the battle of amiens was very cleverly executed not only because of the surprise element but the new tactics that were involved. yes, we have been coming to these for years and today we have, we are still a talking about an event in which tens of thousands were killed and wounded but it is one with a slightly

tonight, northamptonshire county council has been holding crisis talks.meeting has had to take place for counsel to set its priorities because as you say, it says it needs to save up to £70 million by march after government reports that there have been years of mismanagement by senior counsellors and officers. with me is the conservative leader of this authority. these cuts, they must have a huge impact on residents here. first of all, it is massive. we have to be clear that if we cannot take all that out this year, it is going to have to roll over to next year perhaps. what i can guarantee is we are very much focused on doing our best in terms of getting in terms of getting to grips with finances in northampton county council. we have a new chief executive in post. we have commissioners here we are working very closely with. we are developing mature relationships with our partners who have been criticised in the past. it is a massive amount, but we are trying to work really hard to deliver some of those savings on the half of the residents of northampton

bases in yorkshire cambridge lincolnshire and northamptonshire to facilitate drone strikes on khan's country according to amnesty international the usa says german strikes are vital tool in its fight against the taliban and al qaeda in the pakistan tribal areas for joining us gonna stand it considers them a reliable and precise method. for targeting and killing insurgents. when an. actor he. has a good amnesty has long been asking for a public inquiry into british involvement in the u.s.a.'s drone assassination program in pakistan and it's something a prime minister imran khan would look set to show interest in killing people by these drones basically sitting on a screen and eliminating people. dehumanizing them treating them. as if you know from some other planet not giving them a basic right of proving their innocence i mean it violates all norms of justice imran khan has even threatened to shoot down the drones of data nations and while the u.k. aided drone assassinations to raise amaze former leader david cameron blamed pakistan we want to see a strong and stable and a democratic

concern over northamptonshire county council's financial difficulties has led england's child ren‘s commissionerr reassurances that services for young people will be protected. emergency services in portugal are fighting a massive wild fire on heathland as temperatures well in to the mid—40s continue to make life difficult in large parts of the country and neighbouring spain. just a reminder of the breaking news that a body has been found in the search for the missing midwife. that is all we have at the moment. the search was taking place in stoke—on—trent. now on bbc news, it's time for dateline london. hello and welcome to dateline london, the programme in which some of the uk's leading columnists debate with foreign correspondents, who file their stories under the dateline "london". this week. zimbabwe holds its first post—mugabe election, but does the smile of the crocodile suggest itjust can't shake off the legacy of "uncle bob"? donald trump demands the special investigation into claims of russian meddling should stop. is he rattled orjust reckless? and theresa may is wined and dined by pr

bases in yorkshire cambridge linkage and northamptonshire to facilitate drone strikes on khan's country according to amnesty international the usa says german strikes are vital tool in its fight against the taliban and al qaeda in the pakistan tribal areas portraying of canister. it considers them a reliable and precise method for targeting and killing insurgents. by the. character he. played on the. amnesty has long been asking for a public inquiry into british involvement in the u.s.a.'s drone assassination program in pakistan and it's something a prime minister imran khan would look set to show interest in killing people by these drones basically sitting on a screen and eliminating people. dehumanizing them treating them. as if you know from some other planet not giving them a basic right of proving their innocence i mean it violates all norms of justice imran khan has even threatened to shoot down the drones of nato nations and while the u.k. aided drone assassinations to raise amaze former leader david cameron blamed pakistan we want to see a strong and stable and a democratic paki

bases in yorkshire cambridge lincolnshire and northamptonshire to facilitate drone strikes on khan's country according to amnesty international the usa says german strikes are vital tool in its fight against the taliban and al qaeda in the pakistan tribal areas for joining us gonna stand it considers them a reliable and precise method. for targeting and killing insurgent. people character he. played. amnesty has long been asking for a public inquiry into british involvement in the u.s.a.'s drone assassination program in pakistan and it's something a prime minister imran khan would look set to show interest in killing people by these drones basically sitting on a screen and eliminating people. dehumanizing them treating them. as if you know from some other planet not giving them a basic right of proving their innocence i mean it violates all norms of justice imran khan has even threatened to shoot down the drones of danger nations and while the u.k. aided drone assassinations to raise a maze former leader david cameron blamed pakistan we want to see a strong and stable and a democrati

concern over northamptonshire county council's financial difficulties has led england's children's commissionergal could see record temperatures this weekend, as the heatwave continues across parts of the continent. here in cordoba at midnight last night