BREAKING NEWS: funding for Daventry Canal Arm backed at full council meeting

Following the Strategy Group's recommendation on July 6, the proposal had to be approved by the full council on July 27 in order for the project to move forward.

Demonstrators had gathered outside the civic buildings before the start of the meeting just as they had done at the Strategy Group meeting earlier in the month, and the council chamber was full with residents.

While addressing the general public's submitted questions at the start of the meeting, council leader Chris Millar stressed that following the council's vote on the motion no more than £300,000 could be spent before a business plan is drawn up.

Some council members did assert that they would vote down the Canal Arm project should a business plan show it would not be benefit to the town and its residents.

For the moment though they were happy for the project to move forward as it forms part of the long-term vision set out by the council years ago.

The three Labour councillors voted against the recommendation and were particularly upset at chairman David James for not allowing them to respond to Cllr Poole's summary of the recommendation ahead of the vote.