Reform councillor told to learn some respect, Saints snatch it at the death, and the Derby's coming home

Hey Towcester 👋

Seven issues in and spring's finally decided to show up. The sun's out, the Saints are top of the table, and the Greyhound Derby is about to land on our doorstep. Not a bad week to live in NN12.

This one's got a bit of everything — a council conduct story that'll make your jaw drop, a Saints comeback for the ages, and the biggest event Towcester Racecourse has hosted in years. Plus the usual community bits, events, and weather.

Right. Let's crack on.

Peter York, vice chairman of West Northamptonshire Council and a Reform UK councillor, has been found to have "likely breached" the council's code of conduct after making sexist comments at an International Women's Day event in March.

According to reports, York said "some women should have never left the kitchen." A women's group asked the council's monitoring officer to investigate — specifically whether his comments breached the requirement to treat others with respect, and the prohibition on bringing the council into disrepute.

The investigation agreed: York "is likely to have" breached the code. He's been ordered to undertake respect training.

This comes against a backdrop of conduct issues within WNC's Reform grouping. Hackleton & Roade councillor Adam Smith was expelled from the party last year after a string of upheld complaints. West Northamptonshire has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2025 elections. A pattern is forming, and "respect training" feels like a slap on the wrist when a vice chairman says something like that at an International Women's Day event, of all places.

Sources: BBC News | Northampton Chronicle

From 1 August, Towcester will have zero NHS dental provision. Not reduced. Not stretched. Gone. The town's last NHS dentist is leaving, and right now there is nothing lined up to fill the gap. If you've ever tried to get an NHS dental appointment around here, you already know how bad it's been. It's about to get worse — as in, nonexistent.

Sarah Bool has raised the issue directly with the government, and fair play to her — someone needed to put this on the record in Westminster. Towcester's population has ballooned with new housing, and the services that are supposed to come with growth keep not showing up. We've heard the promises about infrastructure keeping pace with development for years now. This is what it looks like when it doesn't.

But raising the issue is step one. What happens next? What are the ICB commissioners actually doing to recruit a replacement provider before August? What's West Northamptonshire Council's position — given they've spent years waving through housing applications on the promise that services would follow? These aren't rhetorical questions. There are families in this town — kids, elderly residents, people who can't just drive to Northampton and pay private — who need answers with dates attached, not warm words about "working to find a solution."

The clock is ticking. Three months. If you think this matters — and if you've got teeth, it does — make some noise. Write to your councillor. Write to the ICB. Don't let this one quietly disappear into a filing cabinet.

Northampton Saints climbed off the canvas at Sandy Park on Saturday and beat Exeter Chiefs 35–28 in a thrilling Gallagher Premiership encounter.

Exeter led 14–0 early. Saints didn't have the lead until the 78th minute — when Fin Smith dotted down to snatch the win at the death. It keeps Saints top of the table with two games to go.

The result avenges March's Premiership Cup semi-final defeat to Exeter, though that's a different competition. Still — a win is a win, and a win like that is the kind that travels back to Towcester with a grin.

Cricket's back at Towcestrians. Saturday 18 April saw the club's Friendly XI take on their own Under 17s in the traditional season opener — and if the scoreboard told a predictable story (216-6 to 85 all out), the mood told a better one. This was about dusting off the whites, remembering which end you bowl from, and getting the whole club together on a spring afternoon.

The Friendly XI batted first and posted a handy total, with Somesh Panaskar the pick of the lot — a fluent 52 off 45 balls before retiring to give others a knock. Matt Woods chipped in with 48, and the experienced heads rotated nicely. Credit to the U17s with the ball, though: Dillon Griffiths picked up a wicket, Joe Musson bagged two, and Alfie Fewtrell bowled a tidy eight-over spell that most senior bowlers would take. These kids weren't overawed.

The chase was always going to be tough, but George Gardner anchored the reply with a composed 24, and Dillon Griffiths showed he's one to watch with a breezy 10. The main talking point? Kallum Pagano absolutely terrorising the U17s — four wickets for just one run off five overs, four of which were maidens. All out for 85, sure, but 85 hard-earned runs with every youngster getting a proper game. That's exactly what a season opener should be.

It's early days, but the signs are good at Towcestrians. Senior players in form, juniors keen and competitive, and — crucially — everyone at the bar afterwards. Roll on the league season. 🏏

Just a reminder that there’s the weekly Watermeadows parkrun — every Saturday, 9am. Free, timed 5k — walk, jog, or sprint. It’s a welcoming environment and a great way to start your weekend — even better if you grab a coffee or treat from a local independent cafe on the way home.

The English Greyhound Derby returns to Towcester Racecourse next week — first round on Thursday 30 April, with the final on Saturday 6 June. The winner takes home £125,000.

This is one of greyhound racing's biggest events and it happens right here. Whether you're a regular at the track or just fancy a night out that's a bit different, Towcester Racecourse on a race night is a proper evening.

Dayspring Church has just ticked past ten years with Trevor and Manuela Thomas at the helm. No fanfare, no rebrand, no "exciting new chapter" press release — just a decade of quietly showing up for the town. That's worth something.

Their line about being "a church in the heart of Towcester with Towcester at heart" is the kind of thing that could sound like a slogan on a leaflet, except they've actually backed it up. Ten years of community work, of doors being open, of being part of the furniture in the best possible sense. You don't have to be a churchgoer to recognise that consistency like that is rare and genuinely valuable.

It got us thinking, though. Towcester has a handful of these quiet institutions — groups, organisations, individuals — who've been doing their thing for years without expecting a round of applause. The ones who just keep turning up. We'd love to hear who yours are. Hit reply and tell us which local outfit deserves a nod for the unglamorous graft of simply still being here.

It's a dog bin. One single dog bin. And honestly? It's one of the most encouraging things we've seen from a parish council in weeks.

Silverstone Parish Council listened to resident complaints about the lack of waste bins along Pightle Path and responded by installing a second one at the junction. No six-month consultation. No working group. Someone flagged it, the council agreed it made sense, and now there's a bin where people needed a bin. That's how local government should work.

If you're sitting on a gripe about your own patch — a broken stile, a missing sign, a pavement that floods every time it drizzles — this is your nudge. Your parish council meets regularly, they have contact details on their website, and most of them genuinely want to hear from you. It won't always be this quick, but you'd be surprised how often "I emailed the clerk" is all it takes.

🍺 St George's Day Beer Festival — Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 April, Towcester Mill Brewery, Chantry Lane. Free entry. The Mill's fourth annual patriotic BeerFest takes over the Turbine Room this weekend with eight English guest ales on the racks — from Oakham's Ernest to a 6% Bark Side from Twisted Tree — plus guest ciders, kegs, and the Mill's own Green Dragon amber ale. Festival bar opens 5pm Thursday, then noon onwards Friday through Sunday.

Street food rotates nightly — The Flavour Trailer on Thursday, Nonna Lucia's on Friday, Moo Hatch on Saturday — and there's live music every evening: Harry Pane (Thursday), Sim (Friday), and the Fusty Ruckers (Saturday). It's free, it's on your doorstep, and it's one of the best weekends on the Mill's calendar. Just turn up.

🐕 English Greyhound Derby — First Round — Thursday 30 April, Towcester Racecourse. Runs through to the final on 6 June. £125,000 prize. A massive event on the doorstep.

🎵 Towcester Midsummer Music Festival — 19–21 June 2026. Live music across the town. Presented by Rotary Club of Towcester, Towcester & District Lions Club, and Towcester Community. More info and tickets.

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 an event coming up? Pub quiz, cake sale, village fête? Drop us a line and we'll include it.

Wednesday's looking decent — sunny spells through the morning, clouding over a bit in the afternoon. Highs of 15°C, dropping to around 2–3°C overnight. Thursday & Friday look even better: wall-to-wall sunshine and 17°C. And warming even more into the weekend — is it time for a BBQ?

Basically: a proper spring week by Towcester standards. Leave the big coat at home, but maybe keep a light layer in the car. We are still in Northamptonshire.

Seven issues in, and this newsletter is still here. Which means either we're doing something right, or you've all forgotten how to unsubscribe.

Honestly though — The Waffle only works if it's useful. If you read the council story above about Peter York and thought "I didn't know that" — good. That's the point. If you saw the Saints comeback and thought "I was there!" — even better. And if the Midsummer Music Festival was news to you, well, now you've got until June to clear out your calendar and prepare for it.

We're a small newsletter for a small town, and that's exactly the point. The big outlets don't cover Towcester unless something goes wrong. We're here every Wednesday whether it does or not.

One ask: if you know someone in NN12 who'd find this useful, forward it on. A neighbour, a parent at the school gates, someone at the rugby club. Word of mouth is how this grows — and the more people reading, the more tips, stories and events we hear about.

Got a tip, event, correction, or just want to tell us you disagree with something? We read everything: [email protected] or the reader form.

Stay toasty. 🧇

— Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12