PARISHES FORUM Thursday 18 September 2014, 06.45-9.40pm Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Milton Keynes

Item Detail Actions Attendance Phil Thomas PC, Leon Gilpin Bradwell PC, Terry Baines PC, Phil Ayles PC, David Stabler; Janet Maclean PC, Jeannette Green; Dorothy Courtman PC, Jack Moseley PC, Peter Ballantyne; Barry Barrington Loughton PC, Nicola Crush PC, Phil Winsor TC, Peter McDonald Old PC, Jeremy Rawlings Olney TC, Michael Cato & Tattenhoe PC, Sandra Kennedy Geoff Parker PC, Graham Russell PC, Amanda Taylor Walton PC, Jacky Jeffreys TC, Hilary Saunders; Jess Holroyd & Greenleys TC There was a meet and greet session prior to the meeting in the Members Lounge with the new MK CEO Carole Mills and Cllr Mick Legg. Once the meeting began Cllr Mick Legg introduced himself as Cabinet Member for Public Realm and told the forum that he would be chairing these meeting in the future 1 Apologies & Substitutions Apologies - Alex Kidd; Ian Mitchell Broughton & Milton Keynes PC, Ken Baker Town Council, David Tomkins: Kate Porter PC, Nick Vidamour Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe PC, Adrian Dnes Stony Stratford PC, Veronica Belcher West Council, Cllr Nigel Long Cabinet Member Health Wellbeing & Community Services. Mike Hainge (MKC Service Director Public Realm Service Group) 2 Minutes 13 th March 2014 2a Minutes from 13th March 2014 were accepted by the Chair Matters Arising (not on the agenda) 2b None 3 Highways - Ringway 3a John Upcott Divisional Director of Ringway introduced himself and gave an overview of the Ringway Contract since mobilisation in January. • There is a passionate Highway Team – working together in collaboration • Ringway transferred 37 MKC employees and also recruited staff from the local area. • The depot has been upgraded • A weighbridge is being installed at Bleak Hall which is important for the winter gritting • There is now joint branding • Service was delivered from day 1 building schemes and routine maintenance • Comprehensive induction for all staff – including health & safety • Training is key – fully trained for any eventually on high speed roads • Minimum 5 core skills delivered before going live • 90,000sq metres of road surfacing has been done • Roundabout schemes and surface dressings • Velocity patching – very quickly fills holes ½ sq. meters in 1minute 50 seconds. This reduces what goes to landfill and reduced vehicle movements • Bridge schemes – 2 underway

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• 364 lighting columns erected • Sign replacement programme underway • Road marking programme • Maintenance – before and after photos taken, use of electronic equipment. 2000 tickets completed, 3000 street light programme and patching works • Safety inspections are on track • 47,000 gullies of which 18,000 have been done, look at every gully this year and hitting hot spots • There is a local young apprenticeship scheme • There is to be a winter maintenance open day – details will be communicated • School competition to name a gritter • Staff complete 2 voluntary days per year in the community Cllr Legg reported that there have been reporting challenges and MKC are looking at various software which are more user friendly 3b. Questions • There seemed to be a lack of information and problems with diversion routes and bus companies not told when the roundabouts were being done is this Ringway or MKC? • Could more co-ordination be taken into account as you could only get into Woburn Sands by going south and back again as other routes had work being done on them? • No advance warning signs telling us which roundabouts were closed • The new tarmac on some roundabout is very smooth and slippery when wet for motorcyclists • Who is responsible for street lighting scouting? • Road marking that have been reported has not been done i.e. by junction 14 M • Who is responsible for redway signage? • Layout of Kingston road works is very complicated. • Signs for roadwork’s are not being removed once work is completed making it difficult for the grass cutters • With the backlog of potholes the rural areas seem to be trailing behind. How long from reporting will it be to completion? • Reported street lighting out 5 weeks ago and still nothing done • Missing street signs in had list for 5 years 3c Answers • MKC notified bus companies and there were notices in bus shelters. Lessons were learnt and we are always looking for continuous improvement this has been taken on board. • Noted • More work was done not just the road i.e. street lights, curbing etc. anything that needed to be looked at in one go rather than keep closing the road. • Streetlight scouting is under review • Road marking – go through helpline, this is in the contract • Kingston road works is a private contactor • Removal of signs – this will be taken back

• Time from reporting to completion depends on whether the defect is

above the intervention level.

• Missing street signs pass list to RW 4 Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire Healthcare Review Wayne Rabin introduced himself as Head of Communication. See presentation attached • A lot of variation around Milton Keynes

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• CCG strategy is care closer to home • Working with neighbouring councils – especially Northamptonshire • No decisions have been made and will not be made until there has been thorough public consultations • Report published next week and does not recommend down grading Questions • A&E Bedford and Milton Keynes – are there plans to upgrade Milton Keynes • Parish Councils could help with the right tools and information • Problems with phone and book – not available for Northants • Closure of doctors practice at Willen Answers • Upgrading Milton Keynes A&E is not part of the healthcare review but it is bourne in mind. A&E was awarded £2.9 million to expand. • Parish Councils are on the list to engage; the importance of Parish Councils is understood. • “Phone and book” is not in Wayne Rabin’s remit but if details are given to him he will make sure that it is passed on • Willen Practice was a sole GP practice and responsibility of NHS which is different from CCG. Pressures on surgeries are part of the review, looking at greater capacity. Access to GP not down to numbers / time but taken up with activities that practice nurses could do i.e. blood tests. This is included in the review. 5. Health Cllr Nigel Long sent his apologies; this will be included at a later stage. 6 Council Tax Reduction Scheme Kay Petit introduced herself and gave presentation see attached followed by • Consultation from 24 th July for 3 months • Government abolished Council Tax benefits and Local Authorities took over. • MKC had very tough choices • Lessons have been learnt over the last 2 years and some changes are being made to the scheme • Has to be determined by 31 st January 2015 and would be grateful for parishes input. KP is happy to go out to parishes. • Approved by Cabinet 2013 • Majority of programme for the next 5 years is funded. • Aim to make it an annual process Questions • Discretionary Housing Payment – considered underspent – how is this being funded Answers • These will continue – increase from Central Government. Consistently working to promote the scheme. MKC is working with 4 parish councils in more deprived areas. These schemes are available and are happy for parish input, we are doing what we can to spend on the people who need it 7 MK Local Investment Plan Refresh Paul Van Geete gave a presentation on MK Local Investment Plan Refresh – see attached • Newport Pagnell made submission for more playing field which pot would this come from • Developments to demolish and replace would spending come from this – compulsory purchase Answers

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• Newport Pagnell playing field to come from EPCS • We have development partner. Proceed on 2 tracks and revisit decision. 8 Plan MK / Site Allocations

Michael Moore gave a presentation – see attached. He explained that there is a new development plan for Milton Keynes • Encourage parishes to comment on the plans, posters are available to put up • MKC is asking a series of questions and would like suggestions and recommended reading the way forward first which gives a summary. Parishes can then drill down into individual documents • Parishes are encouraged to use the consultation portal on MKC web site • Consultation to run simultaneously • There will be a Parish Council Drop-In session on Plan:MK only on the 12th November from 6 to 8pm in Room 2 at the Civic Offices. Questions • Could parishes have 2 hard copies for each Parish Council • What comments are required for site allocations where certain settlements have been identified and might like to put forward alternatives • Local plan – external constraints on number of houses, is this still in place or are we now free to choose. Can we change • There is a large railway site in Wolverton the plan is showing hundreds of houses. This needs a master plan that needs to be included • Existing site proposition if someone puts in planning permission would they get it • Site access in Newport Pagnell would be quite problematic could this be taken out • There is a small parcel of land in MK Development Partnership which is mostly employment land bought from HCA • Do neighbourhood Plans take precedence • Can any priority be put on site allocations, what force can you put on developers to develop brown field sites within an area before green sites • Green Field sites - what happens to parishes without neighbourhood plans. • What is happening on code of sustainability An swers • Noted • We need to up supply in rural areas. • 17,050 per year. There is no SE plan Plan MK goes up to 2031. There is scope for housing on top of 20,000 already in the Plan. There are no factors that need to be considered for future so long as they comply with national planning and other government policy • There are fantastic opportunities and helps the plan and gives confidence where development takes place. • Arguably they would be premature • This is a call for sites – the first stage and consultation process • Employment land study is being done to see if it is fit for purpose and meets modern day demand. Some sights may not be fit for purpose and may to housing. We need employment land for the future and more flexibility. • Neighbourhood Plans once made is part of the development plan.

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The new local plan have to conform to National Policy Plan – this is a continuous process • We need information for a considered view i.e. gas electric water etc. where development is taking place how this is going to take place – having to develop specialised water egresses. Fundamental part of job for infrastructure if water could be provided there could not be a development. Trying to look at needs for the future and include in the process. • Hopefully not going onto farm land 9 Updates • Street signs replacement programme – phase 2 & 3 nearing completion now working on phase 4 of the programme that is planned to be delivered this financial year. • Commitment made to clean signs and should be starting soon • It was noted that some street signs are obscured by overhanging vegetation belonging to the Park Trust what is the process for dealing with this? • Missing signs – part of direction sign and are in the programme but not Street Name Plates • Progress on grid road signs on roundabouts – programme not finished these will be like for like. • Is there KPI’s for cleaning signs? There are no KPI’s and no budget for cleaning signs 10 Announcements • Cllr Mick Legg has set up a Parishes Advisory Group. There have been strained issues with parish / town councils and the council in the past this group has been set up on an ad hoc basis. Kevin Wilson Veronica Belcher & Phil Ayles to come on the board plus MKALC and 2 others. • Milton Keynes has come 2 nd in Britain in Bloom – this is dependent on the category • There is to be a MKC Planning Training day on 30 th October at Oldbrook. 11 Date & Venue for Next Meeting Thursday 18 December 2014 – Council Chamber

The meeting closed at 21.40 hours.

THE NOTES OF THIS MEETING WERE TAKEN BY MKC.

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