OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS

The official source of Town Council news and information to residents of Olney ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We do hope you have been able to keep well.

If you should need advice on the latest Covid guidance all our staff are Covid Champions.

It was disappointing not to be able to have all the usual remembrance commemoration in the Market Place. But with Remembrance Day the help of The Olney Group Tec Team and Marcus Jordan Estate agents working with the Royal British Legion and OTC Town Meeting a dignified commemoration of the fallen was live streamed for On page 7 we have an advert for the Town/Parish Meeting. This all those who could not attend. The bugler was amazing if you is an annual event where you the parishioners have a voice. didn’t get to hear his rendition you can catch up on Face book. We were unable to hold the meeting last year and this year we cannot have the meeting as we would wish with wine and The Council cheese after the event. We are having an online meeting the Those of you listening to our meetings online will have heard link to the meeting will be on our web page in good time for that the Council have voted to publish documents relating to you all to join in. the activities of the Council. In the past the previous group of Councillors did not want these published. Elections As I write we do not know when the next Council elections will The Town Clerk published a statement on line after the meeting take place. When they do, I do not intend to stand. I am proud in answer to your questions. This has been copied on page 7 of to be leaving the Council in a much better state than I found this Newsletter. it. It has been a privilege to be a Councillor and Mayor and I would recommend standing to anyone who wishes to support Some of the documents make uncomfortable reading. A and shape their community. totally new HR Committee was established in September 2019, they and their newly elected Chair have since worked hard to There is a great deal to learn and establish good practice and process. The Chair of Finance has rewards in seeing a job well done. also written a piece for this Newsletter which clearly explains the financial strides the council has made in the last 2 years. Financial documents will be uploaded that show previous financial mismanagement. JEREMY RAWLINGS Mayor of Olney REPORT There were no documents to be found either online or as paper documents relating to the year 2018 HR meetings other than agenda in the office. Some Councillors kept the copies issued Don’t forget to visit our website: by the office at the time so we collected them together for The website link is publication online as they should have been after each meeting https://www.olneytowncouncil.gov.uk in 2018. You can also find us on Facebook at: Thank you https://www.facebook.com/OlneyTownCouncil/ As Mayor I should like to thank the current serving councillors in If you have any concerns, or suggestions please contact the Town supporting me and the staff in this difficult time of change. The Council Office on 01234 954554 or you can email me directly at Council is now in a place where it is working correctly within the [email protected] legislation and directions set out for small Councils.

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS 01 MEETING DATES

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL Meetings of the full Town Council and its committees are held each month on Mondays at 7pm or 7:30pm at The Olney Centre in the Council Chamber, (currently remotely via Microsoft Teams).See MEETINGS for the virtual meeting link, agendas, and minutes.

Monday 8th February Recs & Services Monday 26th April Planning Monday 22nd February Planning Monday 26th April Development Monday 1st March Full Council Monday 10th May Full Council Monday 8th March HR Monday 17th May Recs & Services Monday 29th March Planning Monday 24th May Planning Monday 12th April Full Council Monday 7th June Full Council Friday 16th April Annual Town Meeting Monday 14th June HR Monday 19th April Finance Monday 21st June Planning

Members of the public are welcome to observe (remotely) any of these meetings. If you wish to do so go to our website agenda and meetings where you will find the link.

Should you wish to make an enquiry or comment please email to the Clerk at [email protected] by 5pm the Friday before the meeting. Please note public comments must be no longer than 3 minutes and in total the time taken for the comments to read cannot be more that 15 minutes. Should there be more than one public comment they will be taken in order of receipt by the office and should the time run out for them to be read they will be forwarded to the next meeting.

OLNEY TOWN COUNCILLORS

Cllr Joanne Eley Cllr Colin Rodden Cllr Jeremy Rawlings [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Cllr Chris Tennant Cllr Malcolm Messenger Cllr Desmond Eley [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Cllr Stephen Clark Cllr Peter Geary Cllr Paul Collins [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Cllr Graham Harrison [email protected]

TOWN COUNCIL OFFICERS LANDSCAPE OFFICERS

Town Clerk Deputy Town Clerk Head Groundsman Groundsman Andrea Vincent Sarah Kennedy Bob Marshall Jonathan Burbridge

WARD COUNCILLORS FOR OLNEY ON MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT COUNCIL Ben Everitt Peter Geary [email protected] Suite 102 , Milton Keynes Business Centre Foxhunter Drive , Linford Wood MK14 6GD Keith McLean [email protected] Phone: 01908 686830 David Hosking Email: [email protected] [email protected]

02 OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS Olney Town Council SERVICES

THE TOWN COUNCIL CONTINUES TO OFFER ALL ITS SERVICES DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES. FOR EXAMPLE:

ALLOTMENTS OLNEY CEMETERY Demand for allotments has been high, many residents Throughout the grounds staff have tended the have been keen to grow their own, or just have a place cemetery with great care, whilst facilitating with outside to spend time. respect and understanding internments. If you need to arrange a funeral, enhance an existing family grave or The ridings on the allotments have long been of purchase a grave for yourself or another please contact concern to allotment holders because of ruts and the office on 01235 711679. potholes. The council was able to find a contractor who made a fantastic job of levelling off the ridings. LANDSCAPING The main route is now safe for all vehicles be they a Olney Town Council landscape team are working small car, bicycle or a wheelbarrow. hard to keep the town beautiful and have had the delightful job of ordering the summer bedding, most Unfortunately, on smaller routes off of the main route cheering in these dark and wet days. Please help by the consistent heavy rainfall has damaged the surface taking litter home if you can and using the dog bins repair. The council will be looking at this again to find and bags provided for dog mess. If there is a problem a more durable fix. in your locality, you can contact our landscaping team by email to [email protected] or The very experienced staff team at Olney Town [email protected] Council are being supported by expert contractors who are repairing the walls of the graveyard. Olney Town Council is project managing this work on behalf of Milton Keynes Council who have the ultimate responsibility for the grave yard. If you would like or need more information please email to [email protected] or deputy@ olneytowncouncil.gov.uk or telephone on 01234 954554

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS 03 A Rubbish Quiz Test your knowledge in our interesting quiz about waste and recycling in history

Questions

1. When were the first recorded dustmen in history? 2. How did Ancient Egyptians recycle old papyrus scrolls and manuscripts? 3. What did the Ancient Chinese Han Dynasty recycle animal waste, straw, plant ash into? 4. What did the Victorians introduce in 1842 that revolutionised how rubbish was collected? 5. In World War 2 families were encouraged to save their meat bones. What were they recycled into? 6. What year did Milton Keynes launch kerbside collections of recycling? 7. Where was the first purpose-built recycling factory in the UK? 8. What happens to the black bin bag rubbish in Milton Keynes today?

Answers 1. 200 AD The first dustmen in history are found in Romans times. Teams of two men walked along the streets picking up rubbish and throwing it in a wagon. There is also evidence that early Romans recycled broken pottery into flooring and melted down bronze coins into statues that could be sold at a higher monetary value than the original coins. 2. There is evidence in Ancient Egypt that letters and legal documents were repurposed as mummy wrappings. 3. In China early records from the Han Dynasty suggest that composting was a part of life early as 2000 BC, recording ‘fertilizer recipes’ listing human & animal waste, straw, plant ash. 4. Victorians brought in regular refuse collections in 1842. Council standard galvanised dust bins and weekly collections were introduced to much public objection. It was found people put bins out on the wrong day and misused the bins. In Victorian times lots of people moved from the countryside to the towns and cities to find jobs. This created a lot of rubbish in the streets, which polluted the water and made people ill. 5. Old meat bones were boiled up to be turned into glue for aircraft, glycerine for explosives and Fertilizer. Recycling became very important during the Second World War because of attacks on cargo ships. Adults and children had to be careful not to waste anything. In 1939 the National Salvage Campaign was launched to teach people to recycle ‘useless’ objects and turn them into ‘useful’ weapons to help the war effort. 6. In June 1990, the TV celebrity Bill Oddie helped MK Council launch its recycling pilot scheme in Great Linford area covering 5,600 homes. There were red and blue recycling boxes for alternate weekly collections. Recycling was collected by MCS lorries and taken to industrial units in Kiln Farm to be hand-sorted. 7. The first purpose-built recycling factory began operations on 15 November 1993 in Old , Milton Keynes. The MK Recycling Factory continues to process the recycling from clear sacks and blue boxes to this day. 8. Milton Keynes residents black bin bag rubbish is taken to the Waste Recovery Park in Old Wolverton. Here recyclable items which have been placed in the black bin bag in error are retrieved. Then food and garden waste are collected to be composted into a low-grade soil. The remaining non-recyclable items then go to the advanced thermal treatment which turns them into a fuel suitable to generate steam. This then drives a turbine which creates electricity that is fed into the National Grid.

wwwiltonkeynesgoukrecycling

04 OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS Lid on or lid off? And other recycling conundrums We all try to do our bit to get recycling right, but some items can be a bit problematic. Check out the list below to find the answers.

• Animal waste, including cat litter, dog poo, hamster/gerbil bedding, etc. black bin bag or home compost. Do not put in the garden waste bin as unsuitable for our composting processing

• Biscuit wrappers /crisp packets / sweet wrappers black bin bag or see *Terracycle info below

• Black plastic clear recycling sack. Here in MK we accept black plastic in the clear recycling sack

• Broken wine glass black bin bag, wrapped for safety. This type of glass cannot be recycled

• Kitchen towel back bin bag (see Tissues for explanation)

• Nappies used or unused, disposable nappies always go in the black bin

• Old clothes take to local charity shop, do not place in clear sack

• Pet food pouches black bin bag or see *Terracycle info below

• Pill packets take to your local pharmacy

• Plastic bottles with triggers or pumps clear recycling sack. They are shredded when recycled so the different plastic types and metals can be separated

• Plastic bottle lids Wash, squash and lid back on. This way they take up less space in your clear sack. It is helpful to re attach the lid, but not essential and are also accepted loose

• Plastic carrier bags, bread bags at the supermarket, not in clear sack

• Shredded paper clear recycling sack. Only shred the security part of the letter, as the fibres are cut reducing the number of times paper can be recycled

• Tissues black bin bag. Paper can be recycled up to 5 or 6 times. Its last life is as tissue

• Window envelopes clear recycling sack. Over the last few years envelope manufacturers have changed to cellulose windows which are recyclable * Terracycle is a business that accepts unusual items for recycling that councils are unable to process. They work with charities, community groups and schools who fundraise by being drop off points. See www.terracycle.co.uk for a list of items and local drop off points.

www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/recycling

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS 05 From the Chairman of FINANCE

This has been a difficult financial year for the Council in view of the national situation. Added to the difficulties in coping with the pandemic was the catastrophic failure of the Olney centre’s heating system which has necessitated major expenditure which will only be partially offset by insurance receipts. PAUL COLLINS

Despite this, with the exception of room hire at the Olney operational depletion of the general reserve amounted Centre we have managed to keep all of our services going. to £72K, a very significant sum. This situation could not be allowed to continue. This has only been made possible as a result of actions taken over the last two years to put the Council’s finances on a I have worked collaboratively with the other new Chairmen of sounder footing. budget holding committees and we collectively set to work to rescue the situation by tightening control over procurement, I became Chairman of the Finance Committee in July 2018 increasing staff efficiency, and recommending a realistic having been elected onto the Council in November 2017. level of precept. The result of these timely actions resulted I have played a key role in budget setting from the 19/20 in a surplus for the 19/20 financial year of £39K. Despite the financial year onwards. challenges of the pandemic, we again anticipate a surplus in the 20/21 financial year. During the four years to 31st March 2019, the council consistently made losses which resulted in a reduction of We have pulled out of a financial nosedive and are on the £119K in its general (contingency) reserve down to the point road to a recovery in the Council’s financial health, but the where it stood at just over £1K as at 31st March 2019. road ahead remains a bumpy one. However, £47K of this reduction in reserves consisted of an Cllr Paul Collins investment in a property bond made in 2016 so that the actual Olney Markets Our amazing markets keep providing you all with quality essentials.

The Thursday general market sadly cannot at present have the clothing or other non-essential stalls.

In the Community News we will try to show case the traders - this issue is Amazing Grains.

Amazing-Grains is a small artisan bakery business, owned and operated by Gareth Roberts. The business started in a tiny kitchen within a small cottage in , around 2011, before establishing a small bakery at 17 East St, behind the chemist, and just a few hundred yards from Olney’s Market Place. Amazing-Grains has attended Olney Farmer’s stall invariably features traditional and sourdough white and Market since November 2014 without interruption. Gareth brown breads. Some with added fruit, vegetables, spice or is passionate about producing quality bread, with a flavour herbs, sourced from the local area wherever possible. Almost second to none, but without any additives or processing all of the flour used is an organic blend of UK and European aids. One popular speciality is sourdough, using just Flour, cereals, supplied by Shipton Mill in Gloucestershire. Water, Salt and 48hrs to make, which makes it much easier to digest, when compared to fast industrially made bread. Other More information about our products and opening hours for traditional products are either fermented overnight or contain retail sales can be found at http://www.amazing-grains. a significant percentage of long fermented dough. Our market com

06 OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS The Clerk’s STATEMENT

There have been discussions in the press and social media regarding changes in staff and councillors at Olney Town Council.

Please note the statement below: PARISH OF OLNEY

Notice is hereby given that the The Council is a collective decision-making organisation which means all councillors must be consulted on decisions. Legally ANNUAL TOWN MEETING no single councillor can tell staff what to do or manage their work. will be held on FRIDAY 16th APRIL 2021 A formal grievance was made by staff as a group against their at 7.00pm employer, Olney Town Council in January 2019. ONLINE This was reported on the letters page in the PhoneBox in their September 2019 edition bringing this private matter into the Check the website for the link public domain. Hear what the Town Council has been doing

over the last year. A formal grievance against your employer is a very serious action to take, which unavoidably leaves some bad feelings. What do you have concerns about?

As the grievance was against the full council it would not be right for the council to investigate itself. will be giving an update on their work in Olney and plans to manage An independent investigation by experts was commissioned visitors in the summer. and they issued a report dated March 2019. This meeting is open to all residents of the The conclusion of the report criticised some councillors and town. staff compliance with legislation, protocols, policies and the Code of Conduct particularly in the 20 months prior to Please log on and join in, December 2018, but no evidence was found to support the staff we very much welcome your views grievance.

All staff and councillors have had the chance to read the full report. The full report is confidential to the staff and councillors.

Since the report: - Olney is most fortunate in having a very proactive police

presence in the town. Some councillors and staff have considered their positions and have resigned or found opportunities elsewhere. Please keep your valuables safe particularly car keys if your car opens and starts without a key. Chairmen of Committee’s have changed, and good practice re-established by the Mayor and current councillors. Our local PCSO has provided the link below which is updated every three months giving acruate crime A new HR Committee was formed, and a Chair of HR statistics. The police do not give out the crime statistics elected in September 2019 tasked with introducing personally as that has previously led to confusion good staff management, following proper HR processes https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/ (regular meetings, maintaining personnel files, appraisals, thames-valley-police/rural-milton-keynes/ recruitment etc.) and introducing and maintaining ?tab=CrimeMap confidentiality.

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS 07 SERVICES

OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL SERVICES THE OLNEY CENTRE

The Olney Centre room rental We are again in lock down so there are no activities Landscape Maintenance currently in the centre other than the Click and Collect General Thursday Market library services and the preschool. Monthly Sunday Farmers Market Provision of Dog waste bins and bags You may have noticed a great deal of activity in the centre Allotments in the past few weeks. A number of plumbers are working Cemetery valiantly to replace all the Victorian heating pipes following Public Toilets a dramatic leak just before Christmas. You may also notice some dry stonework specialists restoring the crumbling outer wall over the next few weeks. MILTON KEYNES COUNCIL SERVICES Hopefully these works will be complete when we can again MKC cover many of the statutory services, from Social invite activity groups into the centre. Care, Blue badges and Housing benefits to Planning, Housing, Highway Maintenance i.e. Potholes and Please check with the organisers about events as Pavements, Waste Disposal and Street Cleansing i.e. the lock down is eased. weeding a full list is available at the link below

https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk to report concerns about Milton Keynes Council responsibilities please use the link https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/pay-report- apply/report-it

Or phone 01908 691691 Any concern reported is logged and you will receive a number beginning with FS. Keep a record of this and if your matter is not suitably resolved you can contact a ward Councillor who with the number will pursue the problem for you. Wedding Bookings GRANTS at the Olney Centre are open.

Available from the Town Council. Any group, society, You are welcome to view our facilities and playgroup or charitable organisation. the pretty garden for photographs. Please go to the link on our website for further details at www.olneytowncouncil.gov.uk Please contact [email protected] OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL The Olney Centre, High Street, For contributions to the COMMUNITY NEWS contact Olney, . [email protected] or deputy@ MK46 4EF olneytowncouncil.gov.uk or telephone on 01234 954554 TEL (01234) 954 554 FINAL COPY DATE: 31st May - anything received after EMAIL [email protected] this date may not be accepted. Please note the Town Council does not subscribe to Office Hours: The Olney Centre is closed until further notice as part of the UK efforts to tackle the COVID19 outbreak. We can be contacted via or endorse any political party. telephone and email.

Olney Town Council News is designed and printed by bespokemedia Hayley on 01234 720105

08 OLNEY TOWN COUNCIL COMMUNITY NEWS