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16 Phonebox Magazine | March 2025Mercury ReportPublic ParticipationThere is a 15-minute open forum at the start of every meeting of Olney Town Council where members of the public may speak on any matters that concern them. The council is not permitted to respond to questions or discuss the matters raised but may agree to add them to the agenda of a future meeting. There were a number of members of the Big Olney Food Festival (BOFF) committee present at the meeting, but because this was a formal agenda item, later on, they would be invited to participate in the agenda item. Council Standing Orders do not permit the public to speak during the formal part of the meeting unless the mayor agrees to suspend Standing Orders, in which case minuting of the meeting is suspended. There being no members of the public present wishing to speak, the mayor moved on to the agenda.Apologies for absence and declarations of interestDeirdre Bethune had sent apologies. The full council consists of 15 members, although there are currently only 11. With nine present and one apology it appeared that there was one Absent Without Leave. There were no declarations of interest.Approve minutes of previous meetingMayor Debbie Whitworth asked if there were any comments on the draft minutes before moving to ask for a proposer and seconder confirming that they were accurate. Unusually there were no issues raised at this point and Mercury could not help feeling that this would not have been the case had the apparently AOL member been present.Ward Councillor%u2019s reportPeter Geary was present to give this month%u2019s report. Much of what Peter said has already been covered at previous meetings or in the Councillor Corner report of The Phonebox, but there were a few nuggets of new information. The Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) budget is due to be voted through later in the month, and there are a number of items that will aff ect residents of the town, some good and some not so good, he said. Council tax will rise by just under 5%. There is currently a consultation taking place on how residents in sheltered accommodation, such as Clifton Court in Olney, will pay for the continued services of the wardens. It could mean an increase to the residents of %u00a311 or %u00a325 a week. The alternative would appear to be the total removal of wardens, which is obviously a cause of considerable concern to the residents. The tip (recycling centre) at Newport Pagnell will close and be replaced by a new facility at Old Wolverton. Peter said he and fellow ward councillor Keith McLean did not agree with the proposal and, along with a number of other parish councils, have %u2018called it in%u2019 and requested that MKCC reconsider. He said it was particularly frustrating that the carbon footprint impact of the additional car journeys had not been considered, along with the fact that a twohectare site had been included in the design profi le for MK East but not taken up. The ward boundary review consultation will close at the end of February, and Peter said that the proposal is that the current parishes of Moulsoe with Broughton & Milton Keynes will be absorbed into a new ward with the rest of the MK East development, although there is also the possibility that Moulsoe village could remain as part of Olney Ward. Stoke Goldington and Gayhurst would be added to the Olney ward. Dan Rowland asked if there was a date for the closure of the Newport Pagnell tip. Peter said the budget stated that it will close by the end of F/Y 2025/26 but the MKCC Chief Executive had given a commitment that it will not close until the Wolverton facility has opened. It had not even been granted planning permission let alone built, Peter observed, which he thought would take about two years. The budget showed a saving of %u00a34m in the next F/Y resulting from the Newport Pagnell closure so it is a case of wait and see, he thought. Chris Tennant asked if there was likely to be a gap between the old facility closing and the new one opening. Peter replied that he didn%u2019t know, but if there were, Olney residents would need to use the existing facility at New Bradwell. In her other role as ward councillor, Debbie Whitworth reported that Tower Cranes UK, who are operating in breach of planning regulations near Aldi, have ignored notice from MKCC requiring them to vacate the site and remove all crane equipment by the end of last year. Enforcement action is underway, she said, but there is nothing more that can be done at this stage. Weekend car parking in East Street continues to be a problem, and residents have requested %u2018weekend enforcement%u2019, which she thought highly unlikely, although she didn%u2019t explain what that meant. There will be additional patrols on Saturdays and also Sundays when resources allow. The mosaic exhibit board, which was part of the obligations to the building of Aldi, requires the %u2018ticking of a few boxes%u2019 but is progressing, Debbie said.PCSO%u2019s reportThere was no PCSO present but Jane Brushwood read out the submitted report for 07/01/2025 %u2013 30/01/2025 as follows: Assault without Injury x1; Burglary Business x2 (ATM pulled out of the wall, Tools Taken); Criminal Damage x1 (Car window broken); Drug Off ences x1; Robbery x1; Shoplifting x2; Theft x1 (Mobility Scooter); Theft from Motor Vehicle x2; Theft of a Motor Vehicle x2. Other Incidents not crime related in Olney: ASB %u2013 Environment x1 (Youths entering an abandoned property); Suspicious Persons x2, Suspicious Vehicle x1.Expenses and budget reportBoth the expenses and budget reports were agreed without discussion or comment. Once again Mercury couldn%u2019t help wondering if that would have been the case had the apparently AOL member been present.Reports from external meetingsChris Shaw reported that he and Peter Geary had attended a meeting of the Petsoe End Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund in order to look at the governance of the fund, which he said caused %u2018a bit of a reaction%u2019 as the other members were under the impression that OTC did not have a right to representation on the committee. He said that in 2017 MKCC had removed themselves from all involvement with the committee. Many years ago, when the fund was created, OTC councillor and former mayor Mike Hughes had been nominated as the OTC rep. When he retired from the council it had been agreed that he would continue in that role, which he continues to do to this day. At the meeting, Chris said he was increasingly of the opinion that his presence was unwanted %u2018but in a nice way%u2019 as it was all extremely civil. Having spoken to the committee he was of the opinion that governance was good and grants to local groups continued to be made. He felt that there was no need for a current councillor to sit on the committee and Mike should continue to represent the interests of the town.Mary Prosser reported that all was good with the Alms houses, with one new resident and another property due to become available in the near future. The residents and trustees would shortly be getting together for a coff ee morning.Data results of the Speed Indicating Devices (SIDs)Deputy Clerk Rob Mungham presented the results for December and the fi rst week of January. The month%u2019s data from the SIDs made for positive reading, he said. The unit on Aspreys, Hollow Wood end, vehicles travelling north counted over 31,000 vehicle movements, and the average speed was just over 25 mph, with 85% travelling at or less than 29.26 mph. On Aspreys, Foxhill end, travelling south, just under 30,000 vehicle movements were counted, and the average