Page 14 - Phonebox Magazine June 2024

Newport Pagnell Mayor’s Update
Newport Pagnell Carnival on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th July 2024. Find out more at newportpagnellcarnival.com.
Historic celebration
The Newport Pagnell Historical Society was founded in 1984 with the aim of making people more aware and appreciative of the important old town and the surrounding area. I’m now the society’s Honorary President and we’re delighted to be celebrating our 40th anniversary.
Over the years the society has grown from a small group of members to a thriving organisation with its own museum – Chandos Hall on Silver Street. The society also provides regular talks and walks. Find out more: www. mkheritage.org.uk/nphs.
Old Police Station
The planning appeal for the former Newport Pagnell Police Station was won by Churchill Retirement Living, who will be replacing the long-term vacant police houses and their grounds with much-needed new retirement apartments. As part of the development
Local democracy
Following the Town Council annual meeting,
Sarah and I are honoured to continue to In Newport Pagnell to elect.
serve our town as Mayor and Mayoress. CSopnegeradtuilnatgions to Councillor Sue Garner who hTahserbeeeins elpercotebdabDlyepuntoywMhaeyroer. Ains aNMewayporratl tPeagmnewlle’ltlhbaet adt oasesmannoyt choemamr utnhiety ceaversntsanads wmeotcoarnbibk.eu,ka. nd any formal invitations should be sent via the town council office. A huge tHhanpkpyoyu5to0Cthouncillor Binta Bah-Pokawa who sDeidrvKeedyansesD. eputy Mayor of Newport Pagnell from 2021-24.
Carnival
Newport Pagnell Carnival is the largest, longest running, self-funded carnival in the region. Run by a team of dedicated volunteers, the aim is to provide an event to remember for all of the community whilst also supporting many local charities and good causes.
So, if you like at least one of the following: road runners, parades, classic car rallies, food & drink, live music, car boot sales, stalls, fairground rides, entertainment, duck races, supporting charities, dog shows, crocodiles dressed in a Hawaiian shirt or if you just want to have a great weekend then come to the
Churchill will be gifting the old police station, cell block and former magistrate court to Newport Pagnell Town Council and, in due course, this will become a vastly better town council office than our current High Street location. Greater accessibility for the public is just one of the many benefits we hope to realise.
As always, Phonebox readers with any comments about Newport Pagnell can contact me at pauldayMK@outlook.com
Newport Pagnell Councillor Corner
Newport Pagnell South FOCUS Team, Cllrs, Jane & Andy Carr, Tony Oyakhire
Election 2024
We hear people say voting is a privilege, and whilst we might agree in principle, the ability to have fair and open elections is a basic right, one we often fail to appreciate. So we must thank everyone who came out to vote; it is appreciated. We also wish to congratulate all those who took part and those who were successful.
Flooding and Water Quality
More and more residents are raising concerns about the risk of flooding and water quality in our rivers. In a study for Friends of the Earth by Manchester University in 2022 it reported that 9% of the population is at risk of flooding. It feels the 9% live in and around Newport Pagnell! We are certainly seeing more rain, 14 Phonebox Magazine | June 2024
adding to the risk of overflowing drains from lack of capacity underground. Excess water from surface drains is diverted into our rivers; when the river is at full capacity the drains back up, causing water to enter our sewage system and up into our streets. The problem is cyclical. We need more capacity to store water to prevent
back up. Hence, we are campaigning for a further balancing lake.
Managing the rivers and waterways is complicated. The Environment Agency (Government Office) manages the rivers, Anglian Water (private company) the fresh water and our sewage, with the City Council managing surface water. The City Council also co-ordinates between the various bodies, linking with other teams such as the Internal Drainage Board, which helps manage water across regions.
Looking at the condition of the rivers and how best to manage the flow of water is not as simple as clearing or dredging riverways. This often removes the natural habitat needed to maintain the environment. However, keeping
our riverbanks in good order would help. Riparian Rights and Responsibilities are for those who own land on either side of a river. These responsibilities include not polluting nor interfering with the watercourse and keeping the banks free from obstructions. For example, a fallen tree must be removed by the landowner from where it came, but it can take some time to find who is responsible. Another example would be discharging sewage into our rivers.
In 2023 on eight separate occasions over 74.5 hours, the water overflow near Sherrington discharged into the river system; at Willen Road Newport Pagnell the overflow, on just one occasion, released for just over 4 hours. However, volunteers are monitoring water quality at various points along the Great Ouse, with high levels of untreated sewage being identified. This is being reported back to various bodies to trigger water companies to be held to account. Please check out the Rivers Trust website for more information if you want to help. theriverstrust.org/sewage-map
Dates for your diary
Councillor Surgery – our next surgeries will be 29th June and 27th July, both at 10-11.30am, at the Swan Revived Hotel, Newport Pagnell.