Mayor Steve Clark opened the meeting by wishing all present a happy New Year and welcomed the new Town Clerk, Liam Costello. As reported last month, Liam has seven years' Council experience, previously holding the post of Clerk to Marlborough Town Council.

Gerald Wilson
The first person to speak was Gerald Wilson of C.T. Wilson and sons who spoke about the issue of parking in the High Street. This was discussed at last month's meeting with comments being made about the fact that the parking spaces are not marked out, leading to some vehicles parking so as to not make the best use of the spaces available. Gerald said that during the winter months it is necessary to park his coal truck outside of his shop sideways on, due to the length of the vehicle. Although this occupies more than one space it does create a layby of sorts, he said, enabling customers who wish to load coal and other heavy purchases into their cars to pull in. In the past there had been discussions about 'A' boards and displays of goods outside of some shops, he said. Whilst agreeing with Milton Keynes Council's (MKC) ban on 'A' boards, he felt Lhat his display added to the aesthetics of the High Street and it was necessary to display goods to show that the shop was open. He reminded the council that 30 years ago, via the Chamber of Trade, he had obtained an agreement with Bucks County Council, forerunner of MKC, to have a display and as far as he was concerned that arrangement still stood.

Roger Mann
Second to speak was Roger Mann, who also wished to express his opinion about High Street parking and in particular the suggestion made at last month's meeting to realign and mark the spaces so that vehicles would have to reverse in to them and then drive out forwards. He reminded the council that last lime markings had been discussed they had decided that it would not be appropriate in the conservation area. The current alignment enabled drivers to spot a space and indicate, albeit belatedly, and pull in lorwards. If the parked cars were 'slewed' the other way it would not be possible to see a space until the driver was level with, or even past, the space. This would lead to drivers looking out of their passenger windows or rear view mirror, rather than the road ahead, he felt. Assuming the following vehicle had left space for the driver to reverse they would then need to complete the manoeuvre quickly so as not to hold up the traffic. A lot of drivers have considerable trouble with reversing and not particularly the elderly, he said. The danger was that the alignment of the traffic on the opposite side of the road would now present a better view of spaces, so drivers would probably pull across and park front-ways in to a space. When they subsequently backed out they would either have to reverse across both lanes ol traffic or find themselves lacing oncoming traffic. In conclusion he said that anything that improves the parking or traffic situation in the town is to be encouraged, but this would do neither, possibly making the latter worse. Gerald Wilson observed cryptically that his truck was probably the only vehicle parked legally in the High Street, anyway, as he left the meeting!

Tony Evans reported on plans by the Baptist and Parish Churches to hold a combined event on the Recreation Ground to celebrate the opening of the Olympic Games on the evening of Friday July 27th. It would be a celebratory, family friendly, community event by the people of Olney for the people of Olney that reflects the aims of the Olympic Village in terms of its sporting and cultural agenda running from 4:30pm to 11 :30 pm. The council agreed to support the event so long as the sports clubs are in agreement but if significant financial support is required then an approach would need to be made to the council in the proper manner. Finance was a recurring theme during this month's meeting.

For a number of years the surgery employed an ex-District Nurse funded by Milton Keynes PCT. Last year the PCT withdrew the funding and it looked as though this valuable service would be lost. At the request of Cobbs Garden Patient Participation Group the Olney Town Council (OTC) had agreed to fund the post for a year at a cost of £13,500. Steve Clark noted with some concern that a journalist from BBC Three Counties Radio had recently visited the surgery and interviewed one of the partners who had given the impression that OTC had declined to renew the funding, due to budget constraints. Steve said that no such decision had been made and ii the journalist concerned had bothered to contact the council or visit the offices whilst he/she had been in town then they could have clarified the situation. Mike Hughes suggested that the partner had probably assumed that funding would not be renewed since the original decision had just been to fund it for a year with no obligation to fund on an on-going basis.

Traditional Markets Ltd has applied to hold a continental market In Olney on Sunday 18th March. Debbie Brock recalled that there had been a few complaints from the public about lack of pricing signage on some of the stalls when a similar event was held last year. Mike Hughes said that some of the businesses around the market had complained that they had lost most of their trade that day to the market. The general feeling was that the council would support the event but the ofler of £250 from Traditional Markets was insufficient and
£450 should be charged. This was agreed by a majority. After the vote Tony Evans said that he assumed the ban on the selling of hot food would apply, as it did for the Sunday and Thursday markets. Debbie Brock said she thought ii was reasonable to relax this rule for a one-off event but Tony said this would send out the wrong message to the existing market traders and the ban should apply to all such events on the Market Place. Andrew Dooley asked if Tony thought it should also apply to the Big Olney Food Festival (BOFF) in that easel He proposed that the council agreed to the sale of hot food and the vote was carried by a majority.

Jeremy Rawlings explained the changes that would be necessary for councillors to meet their obligations to promote and maintain high standards of conduct. The key tasks that OTC has to achieve before 31 st March are:

• Adopt or amend a Code of Conduct
• Adopt or amend a Register of Interests for publication
• Set rules (standing orders) for disclosure of interests

• Manage standards and ethical governance as part of the wider corporate governance of the Council

MKC have an existing code which meets these requirements and considers that parish councils will have met their obligations ii they adopt MKC's Code, Register and Rules. Jeremy said that the new rules were considerably more stringent than those currently in place and it would be a criminal offence not to declare an interest in matters coming before the council. A number of councillors round the table will be obliged to be much more open in the information they provide regarding properties and land that they own etc, he said.

Paul Watson
The first person to speak was Paul Watson, a former Mayor of Olney. Paul had read in last month's Mercury that the Council had Increased its precept, the part of your Council Tax which goes to Olney Town Council (OTC), by 10%. He'd been astonished by this, given that he believed the Council's reserves to be very healthy. During the six years ended 31st March 2009, he stated that Income and expenditure had been under strict financial control, resulting in increases in the cash and bank reserves every year from £195,000 on 31st March 2003 to £386,000 on 31st March 2009, not including the money provided by Milton Keynes Council (MKC) for planning gain and land purchase.
He stated that this financial discipline appeared to have been abandoned and, in each of the years ended 31st March 2010 and 31st March 2011, cash and bank balances had fallen, by in total almost £80,000. Whilst current numbers were only available to the end of December 2011, an extrapolation of those figures to a 12 month period to 31 March 2012 suggested that the same downward spiral was continuing: Even with the 10% Increase in the precept, the Council was staring at an overspend or more than £65,000. Further, he noted that, if the Council had approved the Market Place Toilet renovations, which seemed to be so strongly supported by the Chair of Finance, that would have required a further £38,500, based on OTC's estimates.
Paul felt this was in stark contrast to OTC's staff having been on a pay freeze for three years, bar one Government allowance of £250 paid some time ago. He s1ated that OTC's current spending level was profligate, and that it wasn't too late to reduce spending by instructing the Chair of Finance to rescind the budget approved last month, eliminate the precept increase and prepare a budget which balanced income with expenditure.

Members of the Public speaking in this slot are allowed a maximum of three minutes and, in this meeting, the limit was enforced vigorously by Steve Clark. So, Paul didn't get to finish his contribution.
Later In the meeting, Mike Hughes spoke to express his concern about this, and register his disgust at how harshly Steve had called time on the former Councillor's contribution. He felt It was a disgrace. Steve noted his comment.
For information, the minutes of December's Finance Committee meeting show that, of the eight people on the committee, two were absent and, at the vote to set the level of the precept, three voted in favour, one against and two abstained. This proposal was then brought to full Council and finalised.

Carole Russell
The second person to speak was Carole Russell, asking the Council to continue part• funding a Specialist Nurse for the Elderly at Cobbs Garden Surgery. The Friends of the Surgery had been campaigning to raise funds but, while they'd raised nearly £2,000, this was nowhere near enough to fund the post. Carole felt that the nurse was a lifeline for the elderly in the area and that, particularly with Olney having a higher than average proportion of elderly people, it would be a travesty if the post could no longer be funded. She concluded by saying that the Friends would not give up raising funds in future and that she was sorry to have to tall back on the Council.

Terry How
The third speaker was Terry How, expressing his concerns about the disposal of the land to the rear of 57 - 59 Moores Hill, a topic also covered later in this meeting. Terry felt that c􀁴rtain individuals had pocketed vast sums of money over the sale or the land. He stated that there'd been no representation from Olney's Ward Councillors, who seemed to know what was going to happen in advance of It happening. He was sure that the disposal of the land could have been handled better - it seemed to him to be a case of collusion al MKC, with Olney's Ward Councillors having something to do with ii. He slated that the situation stunk and asked that, If some individuals have made £200,000 to £300,000, how much would go back to Olney residents? He felt that the correct procedures had not been followed by MKC, who are under investigation by the Ombudsman about the issue. Terry fell strongly that a similar situation should not be allowed to happen again, and that OTC had a duty to make sure it didn't. For information, Olney's Ward Councillors are Debbie Brock, absent from this meeting, and Peter Geary, present and seated in the public viewing area.

Pinder's Circus is due to visit Olney, with the likely time and place being 7th - 9th May on The Pyghtle. The Council will inform local residents.

Following on from Carole Russell's contribution, this agenda item was for the Council lo decide whether or not to accept a Grant Application for £11,550 which, added to the money raised by the Friends, would fund the Nurse post for another year. Tony Evans and Mike Hughes thought the post was important, were in favour of funding it but nervous that the commitment was open ended. Deidre Bethune S1ated that the Council had budgeted for the funding. Colin Rodden felt that there were certain things that the Council needed to do, but that it mustn't duplicate things that should be done by the Health Authority.
The Grant Application went to the vote, with all voting in favour bar one abstention - the Council will fund the position tor another year.

First, some background on this long running issue. Over the years, a number of Planning Applications to build houses on the land to the rear of 57 - 59 Moores Hill have been made and rejected. Now, an Application has been accepted by MKC and, contingent on that acceptance, a developer has purchased two thirds of the garden of one of the Council houses in Moores Hill from MKC, which has also granted an easement for access to the site via a thin strip or its land off Dinglederry. In addition, the developer has purchased part of the garden of a nearby privately owned Moores Hill property, a key area which Joins the access strip with the Council house garden area. The purchase of the two areas of garden, the granting of easement for access and of Planning Permission all come together to create an area of land on which houses may be built.
There were questions as to whether MKC has handled this process correctly, so a complaint was raised In order to discover what happened. MKC complaint investigations can pass through a number of stages - surf to http://bil.ly/z98jJZ for further information. The main findings of Stage two or the investigation were:

• There was no evidence of MKC consulting with OTC or OTC's Ward Councillors about the land disposal;
• The land was not advertised for sale in an appropriate publication. This was because MKC's Valuer felt that sale to this developer was the only viable option for achieving a development rate for the land, since this developer had already secured the key area of private garden. The Valuer should have set out the justifications for not advertising the land in writing, but appeared not to have done so.
• MKC used independent expertise to value the land at a development rate, and secured a price higher than this valuation.
• Summary: "In my opinion, the Council ... disposed or the land in accordance with relevant law and largely in compliance with Council Policy, There were some procedural issues which appear to have been missed but in reality these issues are unlikely to have resulted in any different outcome in the disposal."

Presumably, the investigation had been escalated further, as the Council had received the following letter from MKC: "The outcome of the stage three investigation Into the Council's processes surrounding the disposal of the above property interests concluded that Property Services had not properly administered the processes ln regard to consultation with Town and Parish Councils and their respective Ward Members. Although this maladministration occurred during the time of my predecessor (2010) I should like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to each of you. The protocols put in place ensure that evidence or timely consultation is included as part of the sign-off procedures, such that there Is now no scope for error or omission in the future.

Jeremy Rawlings spoke first, having followed the land disposal issue from the start. He felt that Terry How was right - the support given to affected residents had been abysmal. He summarised the letter as saying that, yes, MKC had made a mistake, but that they weren't planning lo do anything much about it. He felt that OTC must make sure the issue gets raised to a higher level. Jeremy stated that the way the land disposal had been handled was wrong, but didn't know how to proceed further. He concluded by saying that the sale of the land was alter an MKC Planning Meeting in which most of the comments were against It yet, when it came to the vote, most Councillors abstained.

Mike Hughes asked Steve Clark, as Mayor, for his views and perhaps an undertaking to investigate possible ways to proceed. Steve agreed with Jeremy but, again, lei! it unclear what the Council could do. Tony Evans stated that OTC needed legal advice, MKC having operated Improperly and against its own protocol by not advertising the land sale. He also noted rumours that the land had since been sold on by the original purchasers lor a massive profit. He explained that OTC had said the situation was wrong from the start, that It should seek legal advice and, perhaps, that it should sue MKC.

Colin Rodden, a lone voice, questioned the validity of one public body suing another in these money-saving times. He also lelt that Olney had to be allowed to grow - houses had to be built somewhere.

Jeremy Rawlings stated that, while one Olney Ward Councillor is related to one of those who'd purchased the land from MKC, there was emphatically no suggestion that either Ward Councillor had done anything wrong.

Investigations after the meeting confirmed that the residents have raised the complaint to the Ombudsman and discovered that, while the Council was unable to raise it in this way, it's investigating other options, including whether it could support the residents' complaint.
Mercury thanks Jeremy Rawlings and other Councillors who've provided background for this section and helped ensure its accuracy.

Jeremy Rawlings gave a brief introduction, saying that the Youth Centre was applying for a grant or £1,250, the salary of a professionally qualified Youth Worker for two sessions per month, for the year starting April 2012. The Council funded the post last year and the sessions have proved very popular with around 50-60 children attending.
Mike Hughes asked if the Youth Centre had tried to obtain funding elsewhere. Jeremy said that ii hadn't, noting that MKC doesn't fund these sessions tor Under 13s. Mike suggested that perhaps the session entry fee should be increased from 60p to £1.60 per person, thus covering the cost. Tony Evans felt that the Grant Application was very good value for money and that, with some people spending time criticising young people In the area, the Youth Club was doing something positive to help. Deidre Bethune concurred, saying that OTC needed to fund the sessions. A vote was taken and passed with all in favour bar two abstentions - the Council will pay the grant.

MKC is running meetings to explain the process of Community Asset Transfer, in which it plans to transfer some of the assets it owns lo more local ownership. Peter Geary spoke briefly from the public gallery to clarify the purpose of these meetings. As Alan Richardson noted and Peter Geary confirmed, the Olney Centre is not one of these assets - it's not MKC's to transfer.
Some funds arising from the Petsoe End Wind Farm development are becoming available. with £7,000 assigned to the Olney Parish. This money must be allocated towards schemes "for the promotion, installation and education of renewable energy or energy saving measures" in the Parish. OTC will send a representative to the next meeting of the Community Development Liaison Committee, set up to administer these funds.

The Council had received a letter from a local business asking that the Market Place Car Park time limit be increased from three to five hours. The Council refused this request for reasons including three hours being long enough, there being longer stay spaces in the town and the cost of changing the signage.
In the Cattle Market Car Park, a single parking bay is reserved for turning. However, Mike Hughes noted that it's often heavily encroached on by the vehicle in the next space, thus leaving insufficient angle for vehicles to turn. This results in cars having to back out of the Car Park onto the main road - hardly ideal. MKC has suggested increasing the reserved area to two bays, thus allowing cars to turn more easily. The Council ag.reed with this suggestion.

As reported in earlier Mercury articles, the local Churches are organising an event on 27th July to coincide with the Olympics· Opening Ceremony. Tony Evans noted that this was progressing and that, once the finances had been estimated properly, the organisers must be encouraged to put a proper proposal to OTC. He felt ii would be a fantastic event, if it could be made to work.


Next Meeting 5th March

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 5th March in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.

In the past OTC has always rejected requests from market traders to sell hot food on the Sunday and Thursday markets, not only because they didn't want to see things like burgers and hot dogs on sale but also in order to protect the interests of the businesses around the Market Place. Following a recent market where one of the traders had apparently ignored this rule, there had been some feedback at the Recreations and Services Committee meeting about how popular the product on sale had been because it was something different that was not regularly available In the area. Tony Evans reported that the Recreations and Services Committee was now recommending that this rule should be rescinded, subject to certain conditions. Deidre Bethune questioned the actual proposal from the R&S meeting, saying that she thought the recommendation from that meeting was to ·consider· rather than to
'allow'. (For information, the minutes of that meeting show that no vote was actually taken). Tony said that any trader wishing to sell hot food would have to apply in advance and comply with strict conditions. Mike Hughes was in favour of the proposal and said if anyone flouted the new conditions they would be ordered to leave immediately. A vote was taken and passed by a majority with two members voting against.
As an aside, Town Clerk Liam Costello suggested that sub-committees should be more autonomous and not be obliged to take every decision to the full council in order to get it approved. Mercury understands that this is common practice with many other local councils, such as Newport Pagnell, and would certainly overcome the frustration expressed by councillors in the past that, having fully discussed and agreed a course of action at a sub-committee, it is then discussed again at length by the full council.

The council has been sent a copy of the document Draft Wind Turbines Supplementary Planning Document and Emerging Policy: Wind Turbines Planning Applications for comment, and also a request from the Chair of Castlethorpe Parish Council, Philip Ayles, to support the policy. Philip's letter noted that the existing policy is over 10 years old and was written when turbines were half the height they are today, which is typically 125m (the height of the local turbines at Petsoe End). In fact 200m turbines exist and plans for the first 1000m turbines were recently announced. Much of the policy is around the minimum separation distance between wind farms and housing. The policy is available at www.millon-keynes.gov.uk/wind-turbines and the public are invited to comment, although the consultation period officially ends on 28th March 2012. Unfortunately these documents were sent out in early February and were on the OTC agenda in March but this report will not appear until the end of that month.

MKC has written to the council asking for comments on the Transport Strategy Review. The policy is available at
www.millon-keynes.gov.uk/transport/ and the public are Invited to comment, although the consultation period is even lighter, officially ending on 23rd March 2012.

This fund is granted by MKC to local councils to enable them to apply for funding of up to 50¾ for improvements or facilities which they wish to provide in their local area, and applications are now being invited. Tony Evans noted that the path into the cemetery needed upgrading, while Deidre Bethune suggested improvements to the roadway to the allotments. Mike Hughes suggested the current hedge laying work that is taking place on Crouch's Field (previously known as 'The New Field'). John Boardman noted that some items of play equipment had been removed from the recreation ground for safety reasons, although Steve Clark said that a similar scheme, the Play Area Improvement Scheme existing specifically for such reasons and MKC was also inviting applications for funding under that scheme. It was agreed to get quotes for the suggestions which will presumably be discussed at a future meeting.

This has traditionally taken place in April so that in an election year, such as this, the outgoing council are able to present the annual accounts prior to the start of the new council year, although Uam Costello said that this is not actually a formal requirement. The election for the new council will take place on 3rd May so it was decided to hold the Town Meeting on 26th April. Liam questioned whether the closeness of the two events might impinge on the members ability to 'go knocking on doors' but the opinion of some councillors was that if the electorate could actually be bothered to turn up at the meeting then it would save them the trouble! Mercury is usually almost as lonely at the Town Meeting as he is at the monthly OTC meetings, so ii you want the chance to meet your councillors before the election and question them on anything you like, please come along.

Tony Evans reported that Crouch's Field is looking good and the council workers have done an excellent Job, particularly with the fencing, The hedge laying is coming along well, also. He invited any councillors (and presumably the public as well) to go along and have a look.
Steve Clark reported on the recent meeting of the Emberton Park Liaison Group. There is concern about car movements in the park and the 10 mph speed limit is not well observed. A one way system is being considered, with two way traffic being permitted up to the cafe, he said. The downside of this would mean that access to the Sailing Club would result in a large circuit of the park, though. Consideration is also being given to extending the season for the static caravans, he said.
Rosemary Osbourne reported that MKC had now approved the work required to resolve the Issue of the path which runs between the bottom of Wagstaff Way and the play park that is liable to flooding. Work would commence in May and is due to be completed by August.
Mike Hughes reported 1hat a recent survey conducted by the Neighbourhood Action Group showed that the main issues concerning the residen1s of Olney were:

1. Traffic congestion
2. Parking
3. Dog fouling

all of which came as a surprise to precisely no one, suspected Mercury.


Next Meeting - Monday 2nd April

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 2nd April in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, ii they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides Is appropriate. The Town Meeting will take place on Thursday 26th April and members of the public are invited to attend and question the council on any matters concerning them. Remember. it's your opportunity to make your voice heard and it's no use complaining that you don't know any of the people behind the names on your ballot paper or you don't agree with what your hard earned money is being spent on ii you don't attend.

This was the first meeting of this year's Council, so ii started with various elections. Steve Clark was re-elected as Mayor with Jeremy Rawlings continuing as his deputy, both posts being uncontested. The committee Chairs stayed as last year although Deidre Bethune, absent this evening, had noted that, If anyone else wished to lake over as Finance Committee Chair, she'd be more than happy for them to do so. The Committee will elect its own Chair at its first meeting.

The storage units on the Recreation Ground are rented to The Olney Group (TOG), Olney Rugby Club and Olney Colts Football Club. The licences are due for renewal and, following advice from a Solicitor, they've been tightened up somewhat and, to reduce administration, now have a five year upper limit on their duration.

As you may have noticed, the High Sheriff's horse ride will be starting one day after the BOFF. As such, the CoT and the Museum plan to coordinate and, after a brief discussion involving Councillors and, with Standing Orders temporarily suspended to allow it, Samantha and Paul, it seemed like this would work out well. The CoT offered either to have the BOFF Marquees taken down on the Saturday night, leaving the Square free for the ne-xt day, or to leave them up for the Sunday, allowing the Museum to use them with, if desired, some food stalts. This item concluded with the CoT being given permission to use the Market Square for 48 hours from midday Friday 14th September.

As reported before, the lower footpath in the Chantry Rise play area is liable to flooding. To alleviate this problem, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) has proposed building a boardwalk over much of this path, similar to those in Emberton Par1<. Councillors liked this and, after a short discussion, it was approved. Debbie Brock concluded by thanking the Neighbourhood Action Group for its help pushing this through.

The Friends of Olney Middle School have asked the Council for permission to use the East Street Car Park to host a Car Boot Sale in the summer to raise funds for the School. Tony Evans started by noting that, while he didn't want to be a killjoy, the Council had always refused requests to use this Car Park for non-parking purposes. Steve Clark asked where people attending the Sale would park. Other possible nearby venues included the area between East Street and the nearby goalposts on the Recreation Ground - that which may in any case soon become a Car Park. After further discussion, a consensus was reached. The Council agreed in principle to support the event, and to hold discussions with the School about precisely where to hold it.

Introduced by Alan Richardson, this item was to request a budget increase for Dickens of a Christmas (DoC). In essence, Alan wanted to increase the entertainments budget from
£3,000 to £4,000 in order to provide more to see along the High Street - the aim being for the event lo be continuous between the Amaya restaurant and the Market Square. Councillors voted to accept this request - this was a major event which deserved the backing.
Peter Geary, while in favour of the increase, noted that it must be round without increasing the overall budget for the current financial year, currently projected to overspend by
£65,000. In other words, other things would have to be trimmed to compensate. Liam Costello noted that recent budgets had underspent compared with initial projections. Peter replied that the budget should be redrafted in order to make It realistic.

Alan Richardson noted that the Olney Centre sound system, around 20 years old, had failed and, with that affecting bookings, the amplifier had been replaced by local company Impact.
The Council had budgeted £2,250 this year towards the ongoing replacement of the lamppost-mounted Christmas light curtains with more efficient LED versions. Councillors approved this expenditure and, with some local shops offering to make contributions to the local community, will see if that could make it possible to replace them more quickly.
The Jubilee Beacon lighting is being organised by a group of Councillors and one of the TOG members. It will be Iii at 10.1 Spm on 4th June. For more information on the Beacons Which will be lit around the UK, surf to http://bit.ly/Kg6YVX.

Following on from Terry Howe's question at the Town Meeting, Ron Bull asked Liam Costello for the latest information on the Moores Hill development issues. Much as before, Liam replied that the Council was still waiting on MKC for an update and that, while publications had been made aware of the issues, he couldn't force them to publish them.

Tony Evans noted that the last lime MKC had cut the grass around Olney was 6th April, with the next cut being due for 18th May, six weeks later. He felt this was totally unacceptable. He concluded by comparing the schedule with those of previous years: Last year there were eight cuts, one every four weeks, while In the year before there were 13.


Next Meeting - Monday 11th June

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 11th June in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.

Tony Evans and Ben Brock were not present, having sent their apologies.
Tony had sent a letter explaining that, following recent rainfall, the pitch between the Football Club and East Street was too soft for heavy vehicles and, thus, unsuitable for the fair due lo arrive on Monday 18th June. So, regrettably, his letter recommended that the Council cancel the fair In order to avoid the risk of serious damage lo the ground. Councillors agreed.
Debbie Brock noted that the April grass cutting date given In last month's meeting, and
reported by Mercury, was incorrect. e correct dale ls in fact 16th - 17th Apnl, ,:ti ten days later than given, meaning that the lime between cuts was shorter than claimed.
Councillors briefly discussed then agreed Barry's request for Silver End road closures over the summer.

This item was to discuss correspondence from MKC regarding the easement to the land to the rear of Moores Hill from Dinglederry and, having earlier declared personal and prejudicial interests, Debbie Brock and Peter Geary left the meeting.
Jeremy Rawlings started the discussion, feeling that the decision, at Peter Geary's request, to split the single agenda item covering the development Into two parts was not ideal because the parts were not separable. He noted that John Bint, the Ward Councillor who'd represented residents' views at the Development Control meeting, had done a good job. After further discussion In which every Councillor who contributed appeared unhappy with the whole issue, bar Steve Clark who took more of a chairman's role, Councillors decided to note their displeasure and to make furtherrepresentations If and when a Planning.
Application for the land is received.

Having earlier declared only a personal interest in this item, which was to discuss the Ombudsman's Reports, Debbie and Peter retumed to the meeting.
As background, there were two Reports. The first responded to a nearby resident's complaint that MKC had failed to properly process a transaction involving the sale of Council owned land and that, as a result, he missed out on the opportunity to bid for the land. The second responded to another nearby resident's complaint that in addition to a similar MKC failing, MKC was at fault for the grant of an easement over the access to that land. He'd also claimed that a survey of Great Crested NeW1s should have been arranged and that incorrect information about Tree Preservation Orders had been presented to the Development Control Committee.
The Ombudsman's decision on the first Report was that there was no requirement !or MKC to advertise the land for sale but that rt should have consulted with Olney Town Council alternative (OTC) uses and for its the Ward Councillors about alternative uses for the land, a failing which MKC had acknowledge,cL The Ombudsman felt that the complainant had not suffered significant injustice because, even if his views on alternative uses for the land had been heard, the price obtained by the Council for the land reflected its development value and took into account the easement and, thus, would have exceeded and provided better value than any otter made by the complainant. The decision concluded with the Ombudsman saying that he needn't be further involved with the complaint.
The decision on the second Report was broadly similar, though also noting that MKC had behaved correctly regarding the ecological points. This decision concluded with the Ombudsman discontinuing his office's involvement in the complaint.
Back to the meeting, Jeremy Rawlings felt that, once again, the Reports had indicated errors in MKC's handling of the land sale but that the Ombudsman had ignored them. Peter Geary felt differently and, starting with "I wasn't going to say anything but...", gave his views. He felt that OTC had received a one sided recollection of what had taken place. The facts were that the Ombudsman had
identified some failings, for which MKC hadapologised, but concluded that these _failings
had not changed the overall outcome. Pet r felt there'd been one main failing - that 􀂡neither OTC nor them as Ward Councillors had been notified - but that much debate had taken place in OTC and in the town. However, the Obmudsman's Reports were from an independent, unbiased body with no axe to grind. He concluded by noting a concern that, with OTC having taken legal advice in this case due lo requests from concerned residents, a precedent could have been set for how it handles similar requests in future.
Andrew Dooley pointed out that this planning issue was different from others, as neither Ward Councillor had been allowed to represent the town. People thought they'd been abandoned by OTC and it could not change their views. Peter replied that he'd spent many hours on the phone to Nick Shipton, who'd spoken as a member of the public in April's OTC meeting, but that when it became clear they could no longer take part in the issue, he and Debbie had backed out. Going further, Peter slated that people had not been abandoned: This was a myth and not part of the complaints. In fact, someone had taken on representing residents' views a few days later. He noted that one complainant was an aggrieved developer who'd also wanted to bid for the land.
Debbie gave some background, some of which was in answering a post-meeting question from Mercury. She explained that Peter had been due lo speak In a Planning Meeting as a member of the public against the Planning Application. He'd declared a prejudicial interest and so was allowed to do this but would have had to leave before the debate had taken place. However, a day or two before the meeting, MKC received accusations about Debbie's conduct along with a strong view that neither she or Peter should have anything to do with the Application. As a result, they backed away from it apart from, when asked, helping lo arrange an alternative Ward Councillor to represent residents' views. She said that they'd never abandon people in the town, "we just wouldn't", and that the whole episode had been regrettable. She fell that OTC had been manipulated to an extent: One of its members, not present at this mooting, should not have been part of some conversations in this Chamber - not good news.

Jeremy Rawlings concluded the discussion, saying that MKC had made an arbitrary decision not to advertise the land on the open market due to it not being possible to use standalone. He felt this had been glossed over.

As regular readers will know, Councillors are obliged to declare ii they have an interest in any items being discussed. Peter Geary explained that not doing so will shortly become a criminal offence. This meant that Councillors must understand what constituted personal and prejudicial interests or else, in theory at least, they could end up appearing before a Court.

Differences in the rate of population expansion across M1lton Keynes Borough mean that some Ward Councillors now represent many more people than others and, thus, MKC ls performing a Ward boundary review. First of all the Electoral Commission is asklng how m􀃘ny Councillors should sit on MKC. Once it knows this, the ratio of Ward Councillors lo people is known and the resulting Ward boundary positions will then be decided.
This raises the possibility of Olney, plus some surrounding villages, being split into two Wards and, thus, each Olney Town Councillor being elected to represent one or the other. Historically, OTC has not believed this to be a good situation, and discussion tonight confirmed this view. As a result, OTC's opinion was that the number of MKC Councillors should be increased to around 67 - 70, thus keeping the ratio of Ward Councillors to people about the same and, it hoped, avoiding Olney being split into two Wards.
Mercury thanks Debbie Brock and Peter Geary for providing background on this issue.

OTC noted in this year's Town Meeting that it's looking to provide additional parking near the sports fields by changing some of the grass area between the westernmost Recreation Ground goalposts and East Street for use as a car park. Details of this proposal have been on display at Olney Town Council but, in summary, a reconfiguration of the existing nearby car park would provide an additional 25 spaces while the additional area would provide a further 36. The MKC Community Parking Fund may help fund this work.
liam Costello Introduced the Item noting that there'd been some opposition from local residents and suggesting that, since both parts of the scheme were feasible, OTC could apply for funding for the two, then make firm decisions later on which, if any, to implement. Noting that, in spite of the Council having sent consultation letters to nearby residents, some had first heard of the proposals from the Phone Box, Debbie felt that they were very much hypothetical - they may never happen. She also stated that the devices added to the existing East Street car park to reduce antisocial behaviour mustn't be removed by any changes. Councillors decided to submit formal applications to the Community Parking Fund, listing the reconfiguration of the existing car park as the priority.

Olney Football Club has informed the Council of plans to erect a perimeter fence around its main pitch on the Recreation Ground. Paul Tough, Chair of the Club, was present and, at various points, standing orders were lilted so he could answer questions.
Summarising, Paul explained that the fencing would be low, likely green in colour, and was required to meet new Football Association rules and thus allow the Club to continue to operate. It was not the intention to stop the public, or indeed the fair, from using the area. As such, the plans included two areas where the fencing would slide back to allow access, and that these would be closed just between Friday and Saturday evenings. An additional benefit would be the reduction of dog fouling on match days. Finally, given the earlier discussion on parking, he noted that, if the area between the westernmost goal and East Street did become a car park, it could be possible to have a temporary high net behind the goal, to be erected only on match days, thus avoiding a permanent, and likely less pleasing, high fence there.

Councillors voted in favour of the plans, with six voting for, two against and three abstalning.

liam said that the Jubilee Beacon lighting had been very successful, and thanked The Olney Group (TOG) and Neill Elliot for helping organise it. He also reported that a new head groundsman has started at the Council. Finally, all Ann Hopkins Smith Alms Houses are currently lull but the waiting list is empty, so any elderly Lady with strong Olney connections can apply for an Almshouse by writing to Tony Evans at Olney Park Farm, Yardley Road, Olney, Bucks.


Next Meeting - Monday 2nd July

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 2nd July in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.

Although Olney is a town it is eligible for entry to this competition and this year won the Michaelis Cup for small towns. The competition awards are for Best Kept towns/villages, not beautiful villages, and care, cleanliness, maintenance and community effort were what the judges were looking for when they visited in June. There will be a brief presentation ceremony at the Olney Centre on 8th September. Mercury noted, somewhat ironically, that Savills Is one of the sponsors of the competillonl

For information, this building has been empty since the Derby House Saddlery vacated the premises a year ago. It is a building of significant local importance and history, having been the site ol J.W. and E. Sowman which was established as an ironmongers in 1888 and went on to become a large emporium, finally being sold to Burgess' In 1962. Burgess' left the town in 1984. Real Estate Advisors Savllls have lodged two planning applications with respect to the premises. The first is to convert the upper floor into four two bedroom residential apartments. The second is for a change of use from a shop (use Class A 1) to a cafe
(mixed A1/A3) for occvpation by a branch of Calle Nero. In the Planning Statement Savills referred back to similar change of use applications which had been granted in Olney over the last 12 years. They also listed a number of natJonal appeal decisions which had established the justification for change to mixed A 1 /A3, which some councillors found somewhat intimidating. MKC ward councillor Peter Geary reminded the members that objections could only be made on planning grounds rather than the impact it would have on local businesses. However, the council might decide that there are already enough similar businesses nearby and any more would change the character of the town, in which case an objection might be justified. Multi-national companies like Savills and Caffe Nero have huge financial resources to appeal against any rejections he said, pointing out Tesco had successfully taken over two shops in the town. Mayor Steve Clark felt that Caffe Nero could not be regarded as a quality outlet and would not increase footfall in the town. He said it was regrettable that Derby House had closed the branch, since he knew of customers who travelled over 100 miles to shop there. Jeremy Rawlings thought it most unlikely that anyone would travel 100 mile to visit Caffe Nero, although he pointed out that if the application was rejected the building could be empty for many years. Peter Geary suggested that the council should support the application for the flats since it would reduce the size of the shop and make it more marketable. He also reminded councillors that if Gaffe Nero were so minded they could buy up one of the existing coffee shops in the town and would not need to apply for a change of use. Colin Rodden was concerned that the plans did not allow for sufficient car parking for the cafe and flats. Debbie Brock said that it was important that the Integrity of the front and rear of the building Is maintained so the proposed UPVC windows were not appropriate. Alan Richardson noted that the plans Included retlling of the entrance but pointed out the existing tiling is of historical importance.

Mercury is grateful to MKC ward councillor Peter Geary for providing the background to this issue. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has undertaken discussions with MKC and consulted publicly on council size and has decided that the number of councillor should be increased to 57, from the current 51. Each councillor will cover 3,300 residents as opposed to 3,000 at present. What now has to be decided is the way the wards in Milton Keynes are constructed. The starting point is 19 wards, each represented by three councillors. In most of urban MK this is fine but in the rural areas this leaves very large geographical areas with many individual communities requiring individual attention from their councillors in attending parish council meetings etc. For example a merged Sherington and Olney ward would comprise around 18 parishes. With this in mind the two councillors. The boundary commission says that if a parish is split then it must be warded. Two years ago OTC campaigned against proposals by MKC to impose warding but these proposals mean that parish would be warded by stealth. Both the Sherington Ward and the Olney Ward currently have the correct representation for the new ratio of 3,300 electors per councillor so little change would be necessary and maintaining the status quo may well mean that better representation could be given to the areas. If, however, the areas are to be merged it would be better to have one three-councillor ward as opposed to single councillor wards which would see Olney Town Council warded. Peter said that in his opinion the two-councillor ward has worked successfully for many years, with the two councillors dividing up responsibility between them. Jeremy Rawlings questioned if this would work across the political spectrum, but Debbie Brock said that she and Steve Clark had managed ok. Steve Clark said that Olney Councillors have always expressed a desire to represent all of the people of the town.

The Town Council have received notification from the Housing Revenue Account Strategic Landlord Asset Management Group within MKC that the ground floor flat forming part of the property is to be removed from their housing stock and disposed of. It appears that when the previous occupant left it was no longer fit for habitation and has been empty for the last two years. MKC cannot justify the 'extensive financial investment to bring it up to a suitable standard for future beneficial occupation·. Peter Geary explained that the property has many issues and would cost an enormous amount to repair so the money would be better spent on building another, more easily maintainable property somewhere in Milton Keynes. One of the by• products of the disposal might be a partial solution to the parking problems in Oakdown Crescent since the property has a large front garden, some of which could be retained and used for parking. This would need consultation with the residents, he said.

A kebab van has applied to MKC for permission to operate from the old cattle market car park, owned by MKC. The councillors agreed not to support the application on the grounds of there being another establishment nearby catering for the need. Steve Clark said the applicant seemed to be under the impression that MKC had already granted permission and suggested that OTC apply to take over ownership of the car park as a Community Asset Transfer so that they could fully control it.

Steve Clark reported that he had attended the Olney 2012 event to mark the start or the London Olympics and it had been a great success.

Rosemary Osbourne reported that the boardwalk over the flood plane in Wagstaff Way should have started but had been delayed by the bad weather! It was now expected to be completed by 20th August.


Next Meeting - Monday 3rd September

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd September in the Council Chamber In the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate. Official minutes of all meetings and much more information can be accessed via OTC's revamped website at
www.olneytowncouncil.gov.uk

Following on from a topic aired in last month's Public Participation, the Recreations and Services Committee has recommended that a two-seat bench be placed on the pavement outside the United Reform Church, mainly for the benefit ol the elderly. Councillors discussed this, and decided by a majority that the bench would be installed on a trial basis, with reviews after six and 12 months, to which Its two main opponents - the United Reform Church and the Carlton House Club - would be invited to contribute their views.

As reported before, OTC has applied for funding to improve the East Street car park. The applications for both phases of this 50% match funding - £32,500 and £25,000 - have been successful.
There was some discussion over whether the dimensions of the proposed additional parking area were adequate, and a small group of Councillors look an action to confirm this. OTC will arrange and advertise a public meeting, likely in October, to explain the proposals.

Back In 2004, OTC submitted an application to MKC to add a lootpath around the Northern and Eastern edges of Doff's Field, plus one from around the centre of its Northern edge running ,diagonally to Its South Eastern corner. Much later, OTC advised MKC that it wished to remove the diagonal path from the application.
The whole matter seems to have progressed slowly, with OTC having just rnceived an email indicating that MKC would shortly be considering the application, and asking OTC to confirm whether it did Indeed wish to remove the diagonal path. After a brief discussion, Councillors agreed that this path should be removed, leaving just that round the two edges.

As discussed in June's meeting, funds arising from the Petsoe End Wind Farm would soon become available. Olney now has £7,000 which will be used to install low energy lighting in the Olney Centre and the Market Place toilets.
Tony Evans reported that, having had to postpone their residents' Jubilee Lunch in June, the Ann Hopkins Smith trustees held the lunch late in August and it was a great success.
Jeremy Rawlings reported that the new Youth Leader is Terry Isles, filling the post vacated by Darren Smith.
Ron Bull raised the issue that parking in Spring Lane was sometimes preventing buses from travelling along it as, in one section, pari

Next Meeting - Monday 1st October

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 1st October in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.

Tony Evans reported that, as a result of the recent Public Meeting, the Recreations and Services Committee was recommending to full Council that the planned alterations to the existing East Street Car Park should go ahead. Although the total was not yet costed, 50% of it would be paid for by Milton Keynes Council (MKC).
However, Tony explained that the Public Meeting found the additional car park area at the top of the Nursery Field adjacent to East Street to be much more controversial, with around half the those attending being in favour and half against. In any case, it would likely need planning permission, so the Committee recommended that Olney Town Council (OTC) seek pre-planning advice from MKC, at a cost of around £200.
Councillors all voted in favour the alterations to the existing East Street Car Park bar one against - Ron Bull, who noted that the resulting number of spaces, while greater than that currently marked, was less than that currently achieved in practice. Councillors also voted in favour of seeking pre-planning advice about the additional parking area.

Tony Evans introduced this topic, saying that the Recreations and Services Committee would consult with the allotment holders, as was said in its last meeting. There followed a somewhat arcane discussion on how this information had been passed to the allotment holders. The main point is that they will be consulted.

OTC had received a quote for £2,300 to hedge the boundary between the Allotments Field and the newly purchased Crouch's Field. Tony Evans noted that the right time of year to do the job would be between now and the end of February.

As reported in an earlier Mercury, back in January 2004 OTC submitted an application to MKC to add a footpath around the Northern and Eastern edges of Doff's Field, plus one from around the centre of its Northern edge running diagonally to its South Eastern corner. Later, OTC advised MKC that it wished to remove the diagonal path from the application.
Continuing apace, it has now been resolved that there is no evidence that the diagonal path across Doff's Field should become a public right of way. The decision on the status of the path around the Northern and Eastern edges of Doffs Field and continuing South along the riverbank to the bridge to Clifton Reynes has been deferred until January 2013, to allow any further evidence to be collected.

Steve Clark explained that MKC owns the Olney Youth Centre building, and provides a yearly grant towards its running costs. Councillors discussed whether OTC should express an interest in obtaining the building and, it was assumed, the land behind it under the Community Asset Transfer scheme. Peter Geary stated that this could move quite quickly, perhaps being concluded in around six months. A small group of Councillors will be set up to progress this issue.

Debbie Brock introduced this item. She'd corresponded with a local resident about traffic issues in the West Street area and noted that, if the Council was minded, it could redirect MKC officers to consider the traffic issues there. At the same time, she acknowledged that it was far from being the only awkward traffic area in the town. This started a wide ranging discussion and, summarising, there were two outcomes. First, the Council would re-assess the Yardley road junction plans, due from MKC shortly. Second, it would consider producing a Neighbourhood Plan, as this would give local people more say over the town's development.

The extremely poor condition of Berrells Court, off East Street, is causing concern. Councillors passed around pictures of the road and it was clear that things were far from satisfactory, with huge areas of standing water covering much of the surface.
Dedire Bethune felt passionately that it was dangerous and a "disgusting tip". She felt the situation had to be sorted out, in spite of difficulties about who owned the land. Other Councillors backed up Deidre in her view. She noted that uncertainty over who owned the land was a problem, and that there was some dependency on a Planning Permission granted nine months ago, and which remained valid for another two years and three months.
Peter Geary noted that a condition of this Permission was that the road surface should be brought up to standard, with tarmac and drainage, before construction could start. Liam Costello believed that this condition was effectively stopping the development -presumably due to the expense of improving the road. John Boardman concluded the discussion by suggesting that OTC initiate a meeting of all the interested parties. Councillors agreed with this.

Liam Costello
Liam Costello reported that work on the toilets was progressing well, and that delivery of the stainless steel furniture was awaited. Tony said it appeared that the hot and cold water sink for the Market traders had been removed from the store room and, as the specification didn't say it should be removed, it needed to be returned.

Steve Clark had been invited to Traka, www.traka.com, a local business, in celebration of it being awarded its third Queen's Award for Enterprise. He'd most enjoyed the day, feeling the tour was "stunning". As background, he explained that the company had been founded in 1995 with four people, and had now grown to around 100.

Next Meeting - Monday 3rd December

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd December In the Council Chamber In the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.

Although this did not appear to be a formal agenda item this month, it was discussed at last monthʼs meeting so the discussion continued under Matters Arising. Deidre Bethune said the situation was a ʻcrying shameʼ and she fully supported Carol Barrettʼs efforts. John Sharp said that the Land Registry show that Berrells Court has not been adopted as part of the public highway. He had spoken to a number of property owners, some of whom had indicated a willingness to pay for the repairs but, equally, there were those who would not. No formal estimate appears to exist to indicate how much the remedial work would cost but MKC Ward Councillor Peter Geary said that in his opinion one should be obtained in order to ʻmop upʼ any unclaimed grants from MKC. If a simple covering of tarmac was laid it would probably need doing again in two to three years, he said, and thought the best option would be to lay proper drainage and seek adoption by MKC. Deidre Bethune pointed out that the required standards for adoption are very high but agreed that it should be the preferred option. Carol Barrett spoke again, saying that adoption and repair would mainly benefit the developer who would be building and then selling the proposed new property and she, personally, would be happy for remedial work short of adoption.

Following the recent inspection and report by MKC about the issue, Tony Evans said it was news to him that there is NOT a problem! He thought that getting the MKC enforcement officers involved would identify persistent offenders, with possible prosecutions. Jeremy Rawlings wondered that if the ʻprofessionalsʼ said there was no problem and Peter Gage was of the same opinion then perhaps it was not an issue. Deidre Bethune disagreed, saying that even if responsible dog owners picked up their dogsʼ mess it often got ʻsmeared aroundʼ leaving some behind. Jeremy wondered if dog faeces is actually more dangerous than that of the wild animals that would naturally use the field. Mayor Steve Clark said that the problem is Toxocara Canis and Toxocara Cati that is present in dog and cat faeces, respectively. John Sharp suggested that the solution might be to ban dogs altogether from marked out pitches and fines could be imposed for offenders. Peter Geary observed that the enforcement officers cannot be there all of the time and it was no surprise that owners cleared up while they were there observing. He suggested that there could be three distinct areas:

• Dogs not allowed
• Where dogs are allowed on a lead
• Where dogs are allowed to run free

Peter Gage interjected, saying that a DCO was not appropriate, considering that most pitches were only used for two to three hours a week during three or four months of the year. Tony Evans pointed out that the recreation ground is used for other events, such as the highly successful Olympic Opening celebration, when two to three thousand people had sat down on the grass. He described dog fouling as an ʻevil thingʼ. Peter Geary said there would be no point in imposing a DCO if it was not enforced. Deidre Bethune said that unless something is illegal the police would not be interested in enforcing it and Jeremy Rawlings was of the opinion that dog fouling is not actually illegal unless it is on the public highway. John Sharp suggested using the Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) but Peter Geary said that would only be possible if Thames Valley Police agree and the Chief Constableʼs view would no doubt be that PCSOs should concentrate on crime prevention. He recommended that the council press ahead with seeking a DCO otherwise the issue would continue to go ʻround and roundʼ with no resolution. Steve Clark closed the subject by saying that Rob Ward from MKC Environmental Services would be invited to the next meeting of the Recs and Services Committee.

This issue is frequently discussed at meetings of OTC. The council have always resisted the idea of formally marked out parking spaces because it would reduce the theoretical number of spaces that are available due to ʻimaginativeʼ parking. However, this relies on the first cars that park each day doing so in a manner that allows two rows down the middle. If this does not happen then the number of spaces is considerably reduced for the rest of that day. John Sharp said that the council had previously suggested the marking of a single white line down the centre of the car park to show where cars should park nose to tail. Ron Bull suggested that this should be done on a temporary basis to see if it is adhered to. It was agreed that a small group of councillors will investigate this option.

As reported previously, the council have agreed to overturn the ban on hot takeaway food being sold at the market and as a result have had a request from a start-up Olney company wishing to sell Paella. Tony Evans suggested that before giving them the go-ahead on a permanent basis they should be invited to have a ʻguest spotʼ so that they can be audited to ensure that they use locally sourced ingredients, where possible. Mercury understands that they use poultry from a local farm, so presumably this wonʼt be an issue.

A letter had been received from the organisers of this event on Friday June 7th 2013, requesting reserved parking spaces for about 45 cars. Councillors agreed that the obvious place for this would be the Market Place but recognised that closing the Market Place for any length of time could impact trade. The upside could be that it might attract visitors and the exhibitors would possibly eat in the town. John Boardman said that it would only attract visitors if the event was sufficiently well advertised and hoped that the organisers would do so. It was suggested that the market would be closed until 3.00pm and Deidre Bethune would consult the Chamber of Trade.

A letter had been received from Olney Town Colts informing the council that this popular event would be taking place on Saturday June 29th 2013. This was noted and agreed, but also pointed out that this should have come in as a request because it is held on OTC land. Tony Evans said that he really did not like the title of the event as it sends out completely the wrong message.

Steve Clark reported that the refurbished toilets on the Market Place were now open, but did not say if he had performed an official opening ceremony.
Andrew Dooley has resigned from the council due to work commitments, so a vacancy now exists. The period during which residents can demand a by-election was due to expire at midnight on the day of the meeting so it is assumed that the vacancy will be filled by co-option. Any resident wishing to stand should get in touch with the Town Clerk at the Olney Centre.
Rosemary Osbourne asked when the issue of extending the yellow lines at the entrance to Chantry Rise would be resolved and Peter Geary said that the process of consultation is on-going, but he had received a letter asking that the existing lines are NOT extended.
John Sharp noted that the overhanging hedges by Emberton Park had still not been cut back by MKC and Peter Geary replied that it was on the list of work to be done but the recent bad weather had caused a back-log.

Next Meeting - Monday 7th January

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 7th January in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.