Traffic Relief, Rugby Drama, and Council Spending Under the Spotlight

The new relief road connecting the A5 to the A43 is scheduled to open in the week commencing 4 May 2026.

This has been a long time coming. The route's designed to take through-traffic off the town centre road network — which anyone who's sat in Watling Street traffic knows is badly needed.

The project's been delivered by Persimmon Homes as part of wider infrastructure work in the area, with National Highways, West Northamptonshire Council, and contractor Jacksons Civil Engineering Group Ltd all involved. It's been delayed multiple times, and construction caused plenty of disruption, but it's finally happening.

First week of May. Mark it down.

Northampton Saints' Champions Cup campaign ended in a 43-41 defeat at Bath on Friday night — one of those games where the scoreline doesn't tell half the story.

Saints led 35-26 at half-time after tries from Pollock, Dingwall, Lockett, Kemeny, and Sleightholme. Bath fought back in the second half, with Ted Hill's late try sealing the win for the hosts. Fin Smith kicked five conversions and two penalties for Saints, but it wasn't enough.

Three consecutive years reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals is still a marker of quality. This one stings, but the Premiership's still live — and there's plenty of rugby left to play this season.

Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort has partnered with Classic British Hotels, a move the Northampton Chronicle says "strengthens the county's profile as a leading UK staycation and business travel hub."

Whittlebury's just down the road from Towcester — it's NN12. When a local venue gets national-level recognition, that's good for the area. More visitors, more local jobs, more reason for people to take Northamptonshire seriously as a destination.

West Northamptonshire Council refused planning permission for a large lorry park near Daventry after nearly 70 residents objected.

Not Towcester-specific, but it's a reminder that councils do listen when residents show up. If something's being planned locally that you care about, the planning portal's open, and objections count.

West Northamptonshire Council has spent over £1m fighting legal cases against parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities over the last four years — despite losing the majority of tribunals.

A Freedom of Information request found that 626 SEND tribunals were lodged against the council between April 2023 and the end of January 2026. The council lost or partially lost most of them.

That's a lot of public money spent arguing cases they didn't win. Particularly worth noting when the council's currently running two SEND Strategy surveys asking families what they need — which close on 8 May.

If you're a parent or carer of a child with SEND in Towcester, those surveys are still open. Maybe this time the council will actually listen before it gets to a tribunal.

Saints lost 43-41 to Bath in Friday's Champions Cup quarter-final (covered above in This Week in Towcester).

Coming up:

Ollie Sleightholme brought up his 100th Saints appearance in Friday's Champions Cup quarter-final. 100 games for your club is no small thing — especially in a competition as brutal as the Champions Cup.

Towcestrians hosted Long Buckby on Saturday (11 April, 3pm) in Counties 1 Midlands East (South). Result wasn't available at time of writing — check the club's site for the latest.

Coming up:

Academy U18 Colts played a tour match against Salou on Friday (11 April, 2:15pm).

Northampton Saints and Travis Perkins have launched a competition offering grassroots rugby clubs the chance to win £5,000 worth of building materials to upgrade their facilities.

If Towcestrians RFC — or any other local rugby club — fancies a clubhouse revamp, this is worth a look. Deadline and entry details on the Saints website.

Inspire, a new alcohol and drug support service, has launched across West Northamptonshire, with satellite clinics running in Towcester, Daventry, Brackley, and Brixworth.

The service is designed to be more accessible to people in rural communities. If you or someone you know needs support, Inspire's now operating locally.

The West Northamptonshire Sustainable Food Network has launched the first West Northants Food Plan, focusing on healthy eating and sustainability across the area.

It's county-wide, but Towcester's included. If you're involved in community food projects, local growers, or just interested in how the area approaches food policy, the full plan's worth a read.

West Northamptonshire Council has launched the Crisis and Resilience Fund, running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. It replaces the Household Support Fund and is designed to provide fast crisis support and help with stable housing.

If you or someone you know is struggling, this is a resource worth knowing about.

Northamptonshire Carers is looking for volunteers to befriend unpaid carers across the county. If you've got time and want to make a genuine difference to someone's week, this is a good way to do it.

West Northamptonshire Council has confirmed the candidates for a by-election in the Hackleton and Roade ward, taking place on Thursday, 7 May.

Not directly Towcester, but it's NN12-adjacent and worth knowing if you're in the area.

West Northamptonshire Council has launched two surveys to help shape the area's next Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy. The surveys run from 7 April to 8 May 2026.

If you're a parent, carer, or work with young people with SEND, this is your chance to feed into the policy that affects your family or community.

Towcester Studio Band — Spring Concert

Local music at St Lawrence — worth supporting.

Monday, 4 May 2026 — Two brilliant local events happening in Weston:

The Great Weston 5 Run

Lois Weedon & Weston May Day Country Fair

Weston's just down the road from Towcester — proper local May Day weekend sorted.

Got something happening locally? Send it in via the Tally form before Monday afternoon and we'll feature it next week.

The week ahead looks mild — highs around 15°C on Wednesday, lows around 8°C overnight. Expect some light rain Monday afternoon (about 3mm), then generally dry through the rest of the week.

Not bad for mid-April. Might even get away with leaving the umbrella at home most days.

Saints' Champions Cup run ended at Bath on Friday in a 43-41 thriller. They led 35-26 at half-time and looked like they had it — then Bath came back. That's sport.

But three consecutive years reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals is still a proper achievement. Plenty of clubs with bigger budgets haven't managed that. The Premiership's still live, and there's rugby left to play this season.

For a town like Towcester, having a top-tier rugby club 20 minutes up the road matters more than people realise. Match days bring visitors. Sponsors bring investment. Success — even when it doesn't end in silverware — keeps Northamptonshire relevant.

Saints will be back. They always are.

If this issue gave you one useful thing, send it to one friend in NN12. That's still the best way to grow this.

Have a waffle-derful week! 🧇 (OK, that one didn’t work…)

— Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12