Wilful Damage to Rushden Hall - Councillor Gives Warning
WILFUL damage to Rushden Hall was mentioned by Coun. E. Sugars at Rushden Council's meeting on Wednesday when, as chairman of the Parks Committee, he issued a warning. Two girls, he said, had been seen to break glass in the windows. Although on this occasion the committee had left it with the police to interview the girls and their parents, they wished it to be known that they took, a very serious view of the matter and would deal more sternly with any future offenders.

At considerable expense to the ratepayers, the Council was trying to improve the amenities of the town, and he thought that in many cases much might be done by parents to check wilful damage by children.

County Rate Will Go Up 6d. to 13s. 4d. — Cuts essential – but will not injure services
Alderman Ewart Marlow announced what he described as “a small increase of 6d.” in the County rate for the next year, bringing it to 13s. 4d., at yesterday’s Budget meeting of Northamptonshire County Council.

Mentioning that the County Council proposes to spend a grand total of £3,871,700 – an increase of more than £300,000 – he argued that such cuts as have had to be made were essential. Although they might hurt, they would not injure the various services.

Ald. Marlow said the net call by committees totalled £1,564,200, of which the ratepayers had to find £759,300 (the rest coming from the Exchequer).

A penny rate now produces £5,195 – an increase of £183.

Preliminary estimates by committees had been reduced by £130,000 to conform with the national need for economy.

Windfall
Referring to an unexpected and substantial “windfall” of nearly £200,000 increase in the Exchequer equalisation grant, which made all the difference to this year’s rate, Ald. Marlow warned councillors they might receive less next year.

He specified large increases in amounts to be spent during the coming year on education (£34,300, making a total call on local ratepayers for education of £525,800), libraries (for which the call has increased by £4,330 in two years), health (up by £15,000, mostly for water and sewerage schemes), and police (up by £19,400).

Hint to J.Ps.
He stated that it costs £8 a week to send a child to an approved school or a remand home, approved schools actually costing the county £9,650 a year.

Mr. H. J. Potter resisted any suggestion that Kettering Divisional Education Executive should be abolished to save money, and urged that local authorities should be delegated powers regarding town and country planning.

Ald. A. Joyce hoped all committees would economise throughout the year, not leave it to the eleventh hour.

Canon Francis Smith announced that the Ministry was not prepared to agree to the Education Committee’s suggested postponement until September, 1953, of the opening of Loddington Hall as a residential special school for educationally sub-normal children.

Roads
Ald. A. Allebone announced that the Ministry grant for classified roads would be £214,000 instead of the anticipated £181,000. To get the full grant they would spend more on classified roads and £13,000 less on unclassified roads, leaving the net call on the rates unchanged.

“We have no money for improvements,” he said, “so it is no use rural areas putting forward schemes. Trunk roads grants have been reduced by £49,537 also, so there will be no major improvements.”

Day Nurseries
Mr. H. R. Patenall, announcing the Health Committee’s decision to close day nurseries at Kettering, Corby and Rushden, said cost per child was 35s. a week, and parents had been asked hitherto to pay only 15s. a week.

Only 33 replies were received to 115 letters to parents asking if they would be prepared to pay the full cost, and it was clear that they would not.

Meat decontrol
After the decontrol of meat the Bedford Road abattoir, used since the war as a central slaughterhouse for the district, is to be administered by the C.W.S. There had been no response to an offer to slaughter animals for private traders.

Electrical installations in the council's temporary bungalows are to be inspected every 14 months in future because they have been the cause of fires. The cost will be about ten shillings per house.

The surveyor, Mr. A. Millar, was instructed to proceed with demolishing the garage building adjoining 93 Portland Road, in compliance with an order made by Wellingborough Magistrates on February 5.

Rushden Urban Council has decided that in cases where approval is given for the erection of garages or the provision of hard-standings at council houses, tenants should have all incidental works completed to the surveyor's satisfaction by an approved contractor, or place an order, accompanied by a deposit, of the estimated cost of the work.

The sale of 155 square yards of land forming part of the site of Thrift Cottages to Wright and Young Ltd., has been approved by Rushden Urban Council.

The Finance and General Purposes Committee of Rushden Urban Council recommended no action by the council in connection with local factory accommodation which is shortly to be offered for sale by auction.

It was decided to issue further advertisements for an engineering assistant with architectural experience at a grade APT II or APT III salary