No Local GP?

The Focus team at Walnut Tree surgery where expansion is desperately needed

The Focus team at Walnut Tree surgery where expansion is desperately needed

Many people locally can’t register for a GP or NHS Dentist, or have to wait ages for appointments.  The Focus team is calling on NHS England to make more provision available either in Monkston ward, or on the estates immediately next to our homes.

NHS England have now confirmed:

  • Not to expand either MK Village or Walnut Tree surgeries to take new patients
  • to close Broughton Gate surgery and open a new “super-surgery” at Brooklands
  • to send all new patients to that surgery – near Junction 14
  • Walnut Tree surgery to get help to shorten GP waiting times – for those who’ve been able to register there!

We know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of local people, particularly in Monkston, Monkston Park, Kents Hill and Walton Grange, who have not been able to register at either Walnut Tree or MK Village.  This means drastically increased journeys for them, with no direct bus, when they are ill.

If you want to protest about this, and to ask for MK Village and Walnut Tree surgeries to be expanded, and more dentist provision to be made available locally, please:

We have to keep the pressure up on this!  We will be taking your complaints to meetings of the MK Health and Wellbeing Board, so please get lots of signatures!

Election Result 2015

Thank you to all the voters who supported us in the recent MK Council elections.
Sadly, it wasn’t enough and we lost to the Conservatives.  The full result was:

Andrew Buckley (Conservative)  2373
Matt Drewett (Liberal Democrat) 1486
Kathryn Colgrave (Labour)          1326
William Leahy  (Green party)         373
Turnout was 61.89%

Vanessa McPake and Jenni Ferrans continue as councillors and the Focus Team will continue working for you. Thank you again to all who supported us.

Across MK Council, the seats are now as follows:

Party              Seats Now     Change

Labour            23 seats          -2
Conservative  22 seats         +4
Lib Dem          12 seats          0
UKIP                 0 seats         -1
Vacant              0 seats         -1

Rubbish Collections – Ooops!

Rubbish collection dates are a day later than usual this week as the service catches up after the Bank Holiday.

Monkston’s collection will be on Wed 7th  (Note NOT 8th as in Focus – sorry!)

The other estates in Monkston ward will be on Thurs 8th.

Next week they return to the usual days of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Labour’s Savage Budget Cuts

Car drivers, bus users, young, old, those with disabilities
– all will pay the price in Labour’s proposed budget cuts!

What are they proposing?
Parking charges up to £2 an hour. More spaces, but much higher car parking charges.
Some night time and Sunday bus services will disappear. Young people and pensioners face higher bus fares.
Even fewer people eligible for Council housing as they want to change the rules.
MK Citizens Advice Bureau faced with closure. Local charities, like those that help the blind and help the young homeless may vanish for ever.
Children’s Centres, Youth Clubs, Community Centres – all are on Labour’s ‘hit list’.
No more black bin bags, and higher charges for special collections.

And what are they proposing spending money on?
Spending millions on new furniture and new computers for their offices.
More money on senior staff and “away days” for staff.

The Liberal Democrats want to save our crucial services for the disadvantaged and disabled. Keep critical voluntary services that help all. And not hit car drivers or bus users.

Grit Bin Success

Vanessa McPake on the slope at Bartholomew Close, Walton Park

Vanessa McPake on the slope at Bartholomew Close, Walton Park

People walking through Bartholomews Close and on the nearby redway will be safer this winter because the Focus Team have succeeded in getting a grit bin installed there. Vanessa McPake commented “It’s taken two years of arguing to get it – ridiculous on a well-used footpath with a slope which is clearly dangerous when icy.”

Cutting the Cost of Housing

Home buyers in Milton Keynes will pay on average £392 less in Stamp Duty.  The new system – announced in the Coalition Government’s Autumn Statement – is based on a long-standing Liberal Democrat policy and will reduce the cost of moving house, especially for 1st time buyers.

Landscaping Disaster

MK Council has formally admitted that they are months behind with cutting back the bushes and removing weeds and brambles – and that urgent jobs weren’t being prioritised and have waited for months. They are now promising to get the problem under control with a new contract and work on the helpline.  We’ve put in requests for over a dozen urgent jobs that are still waiting!

Your Lib Dem Focus team thanks local residents who are helping do the work which the Council should be doing!
In Beales Lane, Cllr Subhan Shafiq celebrated with the resident who had got the grass cut – but they have not cut the weeds!
And in Pyxe Court, Cllr Jenni Ferrans finds the street sign still invisible behind bushes.

Landscaping-WaltonPark-SS-JF

 

H9 Closure

Roadworks close the H9 till Spring 2015The H9 will be closed near Kingston roundabout until spring 2015 while a new underpass is constructed underneath it. The underpass will serve new housing beyond the roundabout.
The road is still open from the V11 as far as the entrances to the houses in Wavendon Gate, and the businesses in Brinklow.

The roadworks are causing queues on the V11.  Please remember to leave room for people to cross the V11 into and out of estates.  Thank you.

Top Class Apprenticeships in MK

Since 2009 the Lib Dems have been encouraging apprenticeships – first in Milton Keynes, and then after 2010, across the country.  Modern apprenticeships provide flexible training while you earn, giving students between one and seven years of high quality training backed up by practical experience.

Now one of our local companies has contacted us asking for help publicising vacancies in Kingston.  Please contact them if you are interested.

 

Milton Keynes’ top young people needed for unique vacancy

Remit Training is offering two lucky young people in Milton Keynes an amazing opportunity to get into the automotive sector.

Remit is working alongside Sytner Mercedes Benz, based on Grey Friars Court in Kingston, to offer two young people the chance to be Sales Apprentices with the biggest retailer of prestige cars in the UK.

The roles offer the candidates a chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications and be fully-employed from day one, as well as a chance to get valuable work experience.

But this is no ordinary apprenticeship. Sytner is offering the young people who take up the opportunity the chance to earn £12,000 per year with a further earning potential of up to £3,000 bonus paid on achievement of the qualification after two years.

This is one of the highest-paid available apprenticeships in the country, and the high quality training delivered by Remit Training, Sytner, and Mercedes-Benz, will provide any young person with a CV to be proud of.

Steve Barker, Sales and Marketing Director for Remit, said: “An apprenticeship is always a fantastic route into work, not only providing you with employment, but the opportunity to build your skills, knowledge and experience, while achieving nationally recognised qualifications.

“This apprenticeship of course offers even more, with an excellent starting salary rarely seen in apprenticeship circles, and the opportunity to work for a multi-national company, with fantastic opportunities for career progression.”

This is one of the more elite apprenticeships available. Those applying for the Milton Keynes positions must have a valid UK driving licence and grades A-C in GCSE Maths and English and be educated to A Level standard which may include an NVQ, BTEC National or Diploma level qualification.

Steve added: “There will be a lot of young people in Milton Keynes thinking about their future right now, and I would encourage those who might be interested to contact us straight away to find out more.”

Remit works with more than 4,000 apprentices across the country, the majority in the automotive industry. It also works with young people in the IT, hospitality, health and social care, customer service and business administration sectors.

To apply, please contact Remit on 0845 8399 200 or visit the website: http://www.remit.co.uk/vacancies/.