What a Mess!

Cllrs Jenni Ferrans and Subhan Shafiq on the redway from Monkston to Kingston

Cllrs Jenni Ferrans and Subhan Shafiq on the redway from Monkston to Kingston

That was the verdict of the Lib Dem Focus team when they walked up the main redway from Lindisfarne Drive, Monkston to Kingston.
They have been continuously reporting this litter and it is just not picked up by MK Council often enough.

Many local residents have been complaining about the mess. The Council appears to empty the nearby bin but just does not collect the litter that is all over the redway.

“We need spots like this cleared more often”, said Cllr Jenni Ferrans.  Once a month is nowhere near enough.

THANK YOU!

All-ElectionSuccess

Thank you for your support in the elections.

We won the election in Monkston Ward, with Jenni, Vanessa and Subhan all elected as Councillors for Monkston ward:

Jenni Ferrans       1128
Vanessa McPake    1085
Subhan Shafiq    981

Many thanks to all the people who have helped deliver “Lib Dem Service” in Monkston ward this year.

And THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us to continue!

 

Where are our Pink Sacks?

The Focus Team with some well-used pink sacks!

The Focus Team with some well-used pink sacks!

Residents have been left angry, without pink sacks, after the Tory Cabinet left the system in chaos over the last few weeks.

First – the Council ran out of pink sacks just before the really busy DIY and clear-out weekend over Easter!

Second, the Tories directed outlets to “hide” pink sacks behind the counter making residents who want extra sacks queue up to get a roll!

Third, Cllr Jenni Ferrans discovered that libraries had decided it was taking too much staff time, and refused to stock the pink sacks!  Parish Councils experience far more demand as a result, and they too stopped stocking them.  Many areas of MK were left with no supplier at all!

Following pressure from Cllrs Jenni Ferrans and Chris Williams, some libraries were directed to start stocking them again, so that there are now outlets in all areas.

Cllr Subhan Shafiq exclaimed “When the Lib Dems ran the Council we introduced the pink sacks.Now this Tory budget cut is putting recycling rates at risk, costing money in staff time and risking fines! This is madness!”

Cllr Vanessa McPake, Lib Dem spokesperson on the Environment committee is now asking the new Labour Cabinet to return to free unhindered access to pink sacks. She said ” One of our important polices to achieve high recycling rates was to make FREE pink sacks readily available so that there was no barrier to recycling.   The Government is now bringing in a higher target for recycling to ensure we meet international commitments.  It’s essential that residents can get pink sacks easily to achieve that!”

Next year’s pink sacks are due to arrive in August or early September.

Verdict: Failed!

Jenni and Subhan find the dangerous steps at Kents Hill Park.

Jenni and Subhan find the dangerous steps at Kents Hill Park.

Jenni Ferrans, Subhan Shafiq and Vanessa McPake undertook a major walk around the park in Kents Hill, near Sweetlands Corner.

And what did they discover? Broken steps, litter under bushes and broken blue fencing round the pond which Vanessa is getting fixed.

“Why don’t the Tory-run MK Council do their job and get things fixed?”, asked Cllr Shafiq.

 

Litter Problems – and Success!

Jenni Ferrans has got this rubbish cleared from Kilwinning Drive roundabout in Monkston.

Jenni Ferrans has got this rubbish cleared from Kilwinning Drive roundabout in Monkston.

Question: What happens when you get bushes cut back?
Answer: You expose the litter!

That is what Jenni Ferrans found when the brambles were cut back on the Kilwinning roundabout, Monkston. She has got the litter removed and has asked for the bushes to be replanted.

Vanessa McPake at the bin near the brook.

Vanessa McPake at the bin near the brook.

 

The MK Council litter bin by Caldecotte Brook grill, Walnut Tree, has been causing problems for months with litter overflowing and ending up in the Brook or all over Parks Trust land.

After a lot of lobbying, Vanessa McPake has at last got MK Council to check it 3 times a week and empty it when needed.
“This should save us a lot of problems and ensure our area is clear of litter” said Vanessa.

Clearing our Paths

Jenni and Vanessa check the extent of bushes overgrown blocking paths.

Jenni and Vanessa check the extent of bushes overgrown blocking paths.

Jenni is leaning hard on the developer of the vacant plot near Perivale to clear the footpath in Queensbury Lane, Monkston Park so that residents can get through to school and to shop.  The path over to Oakgrove has already been cleared on the Monkston Park side after residents asked her for help.

Vanessa has asked for this bush to be pruned on Monkston Park and Subhan the one on Monkston as they block the pavement.

 

You’ve Done It! Fibre is Coming!

Cllrs Jenni Ferrans and Subhan Shafiq - walton Grange will now get fibre this summer.

Cllrs Jenni Ferrans and Subhan Shafiq – Walton Grange will now get fibre this summer.

Months of arguing by the Lib Dem Focus team and lots of lobbying from residents in Walton Grange has finally paid off.
Walton Grange will get fibre broadband this summer!

BT announced this week that they will upgrade cabinet 88, which serves the whole of Walton Grange, to fibre optic cables this summer in phase 1 of the BDUK project. With the very short distances across the estate, most households will be able to get almost the full 70mbps speed at their homes if they pay for the high speed contract. (Walton Grange at present is limited to about 0.25 mbps!)

Lower speed fibre contracts from BT that will give reliable broadband at around 30mbps currently start at £10 per month once you’ve got a landline. Other providers may start offering fibre contracts a few months later. Contracts for Fibre to the Premises should also be available after that – currently giving 140 mpbs.

Cllr Jenni Ferrans said “This is great news for the estate – an end to the misery of super-slow connections that cut out every 5 minutes! And it will be available for EVERYONE – flats – houses – original residents – new arrivals – everyone who wants fast
broadband, not just those who moved into houses early.”

Thanks for helping get the message across to BT. They were really aware of the message they were getting from residents!

Jenni said; “Now we need to work on other ‘not spots’ locally. Please see our guide to what’s proposed and contact us if you need fibre broadband and won’t get it under the current plans”.