MILTON KEYNES PARISH FORUM Thursday 18 December 2014, 7.00-9.30pm Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Milton Keynes

Item Detail Action Attendance Ian Mitchell Broughton & Milton Keynes PC, Phil Ayles Castlethorpe PC, Andre Brady, Ken Baker TC, David Stabler, Janet Maclean PC, Jeannette Green PC, Barry Barrington Loughton PC, Alan Francis PC, Jeremy Rawlings Olney TC, Michael Cato, Nick Vidamour PC, Chrissy Ashby PC, Sandra Kennedy, Geoff Parker PC, Adrian Dnes, Graham Russell TC, Amanda Taylor Walton Community Council, David Hopkins PC, Ernie Thomas West Council, Paul Farrant TC, 1 Apologies & Substitutions Apologies: Reps PC, Alexander Kidd Broughton & Milton Keynes PC, John Keane Castlethorpe PC, Terry Baines Parish Council, David Tomkins PC, Kate Porter Lavendon PC, Peter Ballantyne Loughton PC, Reps PC Substitutes: Leon Gilpin Bradwell PC, Tom Fraser Campbell Park Parish Council, Andrew Humphries Old PC, Hilarie Bowman Central Milton Keynes Town Council, Hilary Saunders Wolverton & Greenleys TC, Kevin Wilson Woughton Community Council 2 Minutes 18 September 2014 2a Following the inclusion of Phil Thomas Bow Brickhill PC, Minutes from 18 September were accepted by the chair Matters Arising (not on the agenda) None 3 Meet Mike Hainge Service Director Public Realm Service Group 3a Mike Hainge Service Director of Public Realm Service Group introduced himself and gave a presentation – see attached. He explained the co- operative Council approach that has been adopted by MKC and explained: • What is meant by Managing the Public Realm • What is meant by a Co-operative Council • The benefits of an excellent Public Realm delivery • The past 50 years and successes of The Plan for Milton Keynes and the 6 goals achieved • The next 50 years and new circumstances • Re-applying the original 6 goals • The Public Realm Strategy • What next; which includes a Draft Public Realm Strategy for consultation in early 2015 3b Questions/Answers Q: Redways have been neglected, how are you going to update them and if you wish Parish Council to help do you visualise the precept going up? A: Redways –Staff are being managed better and new materials are being used, no savings will be made in that area. Improvements will not happen overnight. Milton Keynes Council (MKC) is eligible to bid for a capital injection of from the government. Precept – Increasing the precept is the remit of individual Parish Councils (PC’s) but MKC can help by informing you of prices for any work making it easier for PC’s to set their precept.

Q: When should road closures be finished? A: It is difficult to predict. Can give start/end date but cannot guarantee exactly. MKC needs to update Parishes on a regular basis. The Council website is currently being updated. Q: Council want to look at their resources to run their open spaces. Is there an assurance that MKC will not designate these open spaces for other purposes? A: Currently two pieces of work on allocations for small to medium size sites. To date no sites have been assessed. No decisions will be made without Parish Council involvement; MKC will have an open discussion about these areas. Q: Concerned about green spaces around grid roads, there should be a unified policy which includes land owned by the Parks Trust. Areas should be defined/protected and laid down in strategy. A: The Core Strategy includes a policy to offer protection to open and amenity spaces. None have gone through for assessment to date. Q: A vast majority of the budget is locked in to three main contractors. What we need is better productivity and better costs. A: Many contracts are tied to price indexes i.e. Oil which has resulted in waste contract reducing . Whilst there are risks, we do get benefits as well. Would like to compliment Ringway on the excellent work they completed in Queen Street, Wolverton. Thank you that will be passed on. Q: Strategies and consultation highlighted problems regarding missing signs and street lighting. Am concerned about consultation as do not think MKC has a plan. There is an election in May and PC’s do not need another consultation. A: I am sure there is a programme for consultations but take on board concerns regarding elections. The consultation should be no more than 10 sides of A4 and does not require technical knowledge. Please let us know if you have any ideas on this consultation. Thanks were given to Mike Hainge for his presentation 4 My Milton Keynes 4a Gillian Smith, MK GIS Manager introduced herself and gave a presentation on My MK explaining that: • The site will give comprehensive information which will be useful for Parishes • Raise awareness and is accessible to use • Would welcome feedback from Parish Councils 4b Q: If you press print what do you get? A: The screen you are looking at, with Ordnance Survey copyright included. Q: Is it a new addition? A: No this has been there since the product launch. Q: Are you going to show pending planning applications coming up? A: We can take back that question. This is the first phase of this site which we intend to build on.

Post meeting response – New planning applications are assigned status ‘pending’ until such time as this is determined. The outcome can be refused / permitted / withdrawn. My Milton Keynes allows the display of Outstanding Planning Applications. These can be selected from the available Map Categories. Information can be viewed via My Maps and My Property. In either area further interrogation is possible

via a specific hyperlink. This will launch the user into the Council’s Public Access: Planning & Building Control Applications portal. Q: When you go on to public access re planning applications there is a long page before entering planning number. Can this page be removed? A: We will make a note and take back.

Post meeting response - the Council’s Public Access: Planning &

Building Control Applications portal is managed by the Council’s

Development Management team. This feature request will be shared with the service for further investigation and comment with feedback to the Parishes under separate cover. Q: (1) As you zoom in and out you lose ability to read street name. (2) MKC has changed street naming as same names come up in different areas. A: Will take (1) back. Post meeting response - With regard the mapping background delivered to My Milton Keynes, the level of map detail will vary across the zoom levels available to the user. Street names switch on and off in accordance with the zoom level the user is viewing. This is necessary to avoid the map becoming too cluttered with information and in order to retain the definition of the street names. (2) As far as aware original policy still in place. Will take back. Post meeting response - The Council’s Street Naming and Numbering Policy was adopted in August 2011. It is our assumption that any repetition of street naming may occur across traditional areas of the borough, with High Street being an example of this. Q: Stratus Connect , is this a different front, or a different site? A: Connect has not been updated. It will be shut down in the New Year Post meeting response – to confirm Stratus Connect is no longer a supported site. My Milton Keynes has taken over as the Council’s interactive mapping website and this is the site that should be used for all information purposes. All mapping data published by the Council is now to the My Milton Keynes site. Contact name Sarah Gonsalves – Head of Policy and Performance [email protected] Tel: 01908 253099 Thanks were given to Gillian Smith for her presentation. 5 Draft Budget Proposals 5a Nicole Jones MKC Service Director Finance, HR & Governance and Cllr Robert Middleton Cabinet Member for Resources, Efficiency & Growth introduced themselves and gave a presentation on the Draft Budget Proposals for 2015/16 – see attached, explaining that: • Savings of £22million have been identified for 2015/16 budget • Savings of £70million have been identified up to 2020 • That feedback on the draft budget is welcome 5b Q: How is concession distributed? A: A discussion followed covering the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme subsidy and the impact on different Parish Councils Q: Is the bus subsidy being cut to fund road repairs? A: Increase in Highways is planned long term Discussion are being held with bus companies to discuss where subsidies can be reduced Q: Can you make undertaking that PC’s will not take a hit due to the bucket fund? A: For first two years more was paid than required We believe funding for PC’s is proportional to that of the Council Cannot say a higher proportion will be paid

Q: The tax base is set September/October, what about new houses being

built now

A: An estimate is made from; where development, how many houses being built Q: The Parish Advisory Group asked MKC for support over £156thousand loss to Parishes A: We require feedback from Parishes

6 Updates 6a Street Signs Members were informed that the fourth phase of replacing street signs and name plates commences in the new year Q: Have informed you of highway signs that do not exist what is happening? A: We will investigate Q: Some road signs are dirty what is the progress? A: We will investigate. There are safety restrictions, and the team looking at play areas to do this. Will send information email to Parishes Cllr Legg Q: Some dirty signs are speed limits especially in rural areas Cllr A: This is on my agenda to sort out Legg 7 Announcements • Members were informed that the Parish Advisory Group is in place. A date will be put in the diary for the Constitution • Cllr Liz Gifford has come in to the Cabinet and has taken the portfolio for Community Services. • Cllr Sarah Betteley has taken maternity leave. 8 Date/Venue for Next Meeting Thursday 19 th March 2015 – Council Chamber Thursday 18 th June 2015 – Council Chamber Thursday 17 th September 2015 – Council Chamber Thursday 10 th December 2015 – Council Chamber