Page 32 - Phonebox Magazine July 2016

Olney Ward Councillors Corner
Cllr Peter Geary Cllr David Hosking Cllr Keith McLean
MK Futures 2050 Commission
We begin this month’s article with details of a project which is looking at the long term future of Milton Keynes. MK Futures 2050 has been set up by Milton Keynes Council (MKC) to explore the next stage in the development of the whole Borough At a specially convened full Council meeting on Wednesday 20th July the Commission will report its recommendations, with MKC then becoming responsible for the next stage of the process. This is a significant piece of work that will, amongst other things, inform the Plan:MK process which we have covered over recent months. We urge those of you who have responded to the Commission to read the draft report and attend the Council meeting; contributions from members of the public or those representing parishes will be welcomed. We will provide further updates on both MK Futures 2050 and Plan:MK in future articles.
A new Service Director for Public Realm at MKC
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Blackburne-Maze as MKC’s new Director of Public Realm. This directorate is the public facing part of the council for most residents and covers areas such as highways, transport, environment, waste as well as community liaison. Tom will be joining us for a tour of the ward over the coming weeks and we will be showing him many of the challenges in providing council services to rural communities. We have also been in touch with all fifteen parish councils/meetings, which make up the Olney Ward, to compile a list of the most pressing local issues which need resolving. By all means email us at olneyward@milton-keynes.gov.uk if you would like to raise any problems in your own area.
Update on The Bull in Olney
Last month we reported that we had written to Charles Wells Brewery, the owners of The Bull Inn, after concerns had been raised about the appearance of the building following the fire in early May. Along with members of Olney Town Council we met with representatives
Dinglederry finally resurfaced
of Charles Wells last month to discuss their plans to restore and reopen The Bull. This was a positive meeting and following a strong recommendation from Peter Geary, two consultation events will now be held for all local people to attend. These will be on Friday 29th July 3pm – 8.30pm and Saturday 30th July 8.30am – 11am.
We are still awaiting confirmation of a venue for both dates, although these will be publicised at The Bull, on the Town’s Noticeboards, local newsprint and social media. Alternatively, email olneyward@ milton-keynes.gov.uk and we will provide details once we have them.
Resurfacing Programme
We have been pleased to see a number of road improvement projects finished in recent weeks. In Olney, Dinglederry and The Task have finally been resurfaced after pressure by a number of local residents. And in Emberton, the High Street and West Lane have also been completed. Works around North Crawley were started in June but due to the heavy rainfall in the last few weeks these remain to be completed. The Parish Council chairman and your Ward Councillors are pushing for a prompt resolution. We will continue to press for other parts of the rural network to be considered as part of MKC’s programme of improvements.
Santander bikes come to Milton Keynes
Finally, we thought that we would report on a new bike hire scheme which has been brought to Milton Keynes. Santander and nextbike have teamed up as part of the deal which will initially provide 500 bikes at 60 docking stations; the largest scheme in the UK outside of London. Anyone paying a visit to the urban areas of Milton Keynes should take full advantage of the new bikes which are already proving a real hit! Full details on the scheme can be found here: https://santandercyclesmk. co.uk
Monthly surgeries on the first Friday of each month
If you have any issues that you would like to discuss with us in person, then please come along to one of our monthly advice surgeries. These sessions are run in the Olney Centre on the first Friday of each month between 7:30pm and 8:30pm – appointments are not necessary. Alternatively, we can be contacted at other times by ‘phone or email - our details are as follows:
Peter Geary - 01234 714260 - peter.geary@milton-keynes.gov.uk David Hosking - 01234 241010 - david.hosking@milton-keynes.gov.uk Keith McLean - 07983 456081 - keith.mclean@milton-keynes.gov.uk
The Bull Inn, Olney
32 Phonebox Magazine | July 2016