Community Governance Review Working Group Wednesday 20 July
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Democratic Services COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW WORKING GROUP WEDNESDAY 20 JULY 2011 6.00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBER, CIVIC OFFICES CENTRAL MILTON KEYNES http://cmis.milton-keynes.gov.uk/CmisWebPublic Councillors Burke, Dransfield, P Geary, Gerrella, Long, Marland and Zealley If you have any enquires about this agenda please contact Caroline Godfrey, Democratic Services, Tel: (01908) 252230 or E-mail: caroline.godfrey@milton- keynes.gov.uk Milton Keynes Council Chief Executives Directorate , Civic Offices 1 Saxon Gate East Milton Keynes MK9 3EJ Tel: Milton Keynes (01908) 691691 Fax: (01908) 252456 Hays DX 31406 Milton Keynes 1 WORKING GROUP TERMS OF REFERENCE To monitor the conduct of the Review. To receive reports and offer guidance to officers and parishes in relation to the Review. To report back to the Council in due course on the outcomes of the Review. N:\Community Governance Review 2011\Working Group\AGENDA 20 July 2011.doc 1 AGENDA 1. Election of Chair To elect the Chair of the Working Group for the Council year 2011/12 2. Apologies 3. Receive Representations from Interested Parties 4. Consideration of the Responses to the Consultation Campbell Park parished area (Annex A) Woughton parished area (Annex B) 5. Consideration of the Responses to the 5 Area Surveys (Annex C) 6. Options for Public Consultation (Annex D) 7. Calendar for the remainder of the Review The Working Group should note the following timetable: July 2011 Working Group agrees Proposals for Consultation August 2011 Consultation commences on Working Group proposals September 2011 Consultation ends October 2011 Working Group meets to consider the responses to the Consultation and finalise its recommendations to Council 8 November 2011 Council considers recommendations of Working Group January 2012 Local Government Boundary Commission for England commences electoral review for Milton Keynes Council N:\Community Governance Review 2011\Working Group\AGENDA 20 July 2011.doc 2 Annex A COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW CONSULTATION 3 FEBRUARY – 31 MAY 2011 RESPONSES RECEIVED IN RESPECT OF CAMPBELL PARK PARISHED AREA Submissions Received From: Page A. Campbell Park Parish Council (27/5/11) 1 Campbell Park Grid Square to CMK Town Council Bi. CMK Town Council (31/5/11) 9 Bii. A resident (5/5/11) 9 Biii. Eaton Mews (17/5/11) 9 Biv. Councillor John Bint (22/5/11) 9 Bv. A resident (24/5/11) 10 Bvi. A resident (27/5/11) 10 Bvii. A former CMK resident (31/5/11) 10 Bviii. A resident (315/31) 11 Bix. A resident (31/5/11) 11 Bx. 49 Individual letters from residents of Campbell Park 11 Willen Grid Square Bxi. Gt Linford Parish Council 12 A. Campbell Park Parish Council’s Response – 27 May 2011 Campbell Park Parish Council formally resolved that there should be no change to the boundary of Campbell Park Parish as a consequence of the 2011 Community Governance Review which would result in the loss of existing areas of the Parish. The resolution reinforces the stance of the Parish Council as conveyed to members of the Community Governance Review Working Group at the public meeting held in Campbell Park on March 29th 2011. When resolving that the Parish boundary should remain unchanged as a result of the 2011 Community Governance Review, the Parish considered the following factor as identified by Milton Keynes Council:- • Whether existing arrangements are reflective of the interests and identities of the community in that area and are effective and convenient to local community governance Additionally the Parish consider the following factors crucial in the determination of the Community Governance Report:- • the ability of a Parish Council to provide local services within its area. • the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion • a strong, inclusive community • the belief that residents are at the heart of a Parish, and are more important than grand design statements, master plans or convenient boundaries on a map. N:\Community Governance Review 2011\Working Group\AGENDA 20 July 2011.doc 3 Case for the retention of the existing boundary/areas Having taken the above factors into consideration, Campbell Park Parish Council’s case for retaining the existing Parish boundary in its present form, specifically the retention of Campbell Park and Willen grid squares, is as follows:- Campbell Park – A premature decision Campbell Park is a relatively new estate, where only a small percentage (approximately four hundred housing units) of the planned residential development has been built in the last ten years. Currently there is no residential construction work in progress within Campbell Park. Given this fact, and that approximately two and a half thousand housing units are eventually planned for the estate, it is reasonable to expect that the development programme in Campbell Park will not be completed until some point in the next ten to twenty years. The housing units that have been built in Campbell Park are located on the western edge of the estate, adjacent to Central Milton Keynes, and for this reason it is understandable that a few of the current residents have an affinity with the Central Milton Keynes area. Housing development within Campbell Park will eventually extend to as far as the Grand Union Canal on the eastern edge of the estate. This will mean that some Campbell Park residents will live up to a kilometre away from Central Milton Keynes. With the development of local facilities within Campbell Park and the fact that some residents are living up to a kilometre away from Central Milton Keynes, it is reasonable to expect that not all residents will share the affinity that current residents have with Central Milton Keynes and that they will develop their own sense of identity, with a greater interest in issues to the east of Campbell Park and beyond. At some point in the future, when the development of Campbell Park is complete and the whole community is established, it could then be the correct time to ask questions on the relevance of the Parish boundary. At the moment however, it is simply not the right time. Too few people would be influencing a debate that deserves a considered view from all of those who would eventually be affected. Willen – strong support for Campbell Park Parish Willen is clearly a different proposition - an estate established for a generation, with a clear sense of identity and good community networks. At the heart of Willen are the Primary School, local centre and surgery, all of which form a focal point for the local population. Twice in recent years the residents of Willen have been asked how they feel about continuing to be part of Campbell Park Parish, and on each occasion there has been a strong vote of support for the work of the Parish and for Willen to remain as part of our area – Please find resident responses in Appendix 1. Any change to the boundary of Campbell Park Parish that resulted in Willen becoming part of another Parish, would leave a great many residents unhappy that their views had been disregarded and would not be representative of what the population wants. N:\Community Governance Review 2011\Working Group\AGENDA 20 July 2011.doc 4 Public Meetings – Public Participation Milton Keynes Council staged two public meetings in March and April, which were attended by Members of the Milton Keynes Council Working Group. Despite the Parish widely promoting the events in Willen and writing to each household in Campbell Park to inform them of the events, the meetings were poorly attended by the public, with those that did attend being affiliated in one way or another to either Campbell Park Parish Council or Central Milton Keynes Town Council. This non-attendance by the public illustrates that there is not a groundswell of support for radical change in either Campbell Park or Willen. Any change to the boundary, particularly in Campbell Park, would be a knee jerk response to the ‘mobilised minority’ and not representative of the general consensus. The lack of popular support from members of the public to change the boundary of Campbell Park Parish is an indication that the public interest would not be served by any such changes; with some residents now suggesting that the continuation of the Community Governance Review would be a drain on the resources of an administration with other far more pressing issues. A commitment to all areas of the Parish As well as its previously stated commitment to Campbell Park and Willen, the Parish Council is also committed to the non-residential parts of its area. The Parish Council views Newlands and Willen Lake as valuable community assets, and not just inconveniences that need to be annexed to one residential estate or another in order to maintain the uniformity of the Parish map. Campbell Park – at the heart of the Parish Any changes to the Parish that included the loss of Campbell Park would inevitably lead to the Parish having to change its name at some point. It would be inconceivable for the Parish to retain its identity in the name of an estate that had become part of another Parish. As well as the obvious financial cost of any name change, the greater cost would be the loss of identity for those remaining residents who have grown to value Campbell Park Parish Council over the last twenty plus years, with many potentially feeling disenfranchised from the Parish at a stroke. This damage would take years to repair. Campbell Park Parish Council – Equipped to serve the public CPPC is in a strong position to serve its residents both now and in the future, equipped to make a real difference to the quality of life of all residents.