Elections in Monkston ward

We have three sets of voting going on soon locally.

On May 5th we have the election for councillors on Milton Keynes Council.  You can see the Lib Dem Manifesto for Milton Keynes here.

V McP cropOur local candidate is Cllr Vanessa McPake, who has served this area as a councillor or campaigner for ten years, and is standing for re-election as a councillor.  She is now campaigning to:

  • Get more houses built that our children can afford
  • Clean up the litter grot spots with more flexible litter picking
  • Increase our evening and weekend buses
  • Safeguard and maintain our lovely landscape
  • Work with parish councils to keep our play areas.

Also on May 5th we have the election for a Police Commissioner.  This is the elected person who oversees the Police in the whole of Thames Valley.  Lib Dems believe that one person cannot possibly represent the interests of such a wide area, but that is the system we have, so we have to work with it at present.

Our candidate is John Howson, who is campaigning to cut crime, not constables!  He points out that if we can use modern methods to increase detection rates, and use the best methods of dealing with each category of offender to reduce reoffending, then we will reduce crime without needing to spend more!  Win-Win!

You can see more about his campaign on the Thames Valley Police website at https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/area/thames-valley

Finally, on June 23rd we have the big one – the referendum on whether to Remain In the EC or to Leave the EC.  You can see the Lib Dem party comment on this here.  After the Council elections, we’ll put more on this website about the issues for Milton Keynes.

Development Consultation on Kents Hill Park

The Council’s consultation on the planning brief for the developments on Kents Hill Park including both the housing and the schools will close this Sunday, Sept 13th, so please get your comments in to them!  The development proposal comprises:

  • a secondary school to serve the MK south-central area
  • a primary school to serve the new housing plus an extra junior class in each year to take the existing overflow from the area
  • 286-303 homes or small commercial or mixed use units

 

For more information on why it’s happening, and the process being followed, see our Development Special published early this year.

For more information on the proposals and the school proposals, see our KentsHillSpecial2.
Update: Heronsgate have agreed to take the 2016 intake to the junior school, and those children will then stay at Heronsgate until they move up to secondary school.  It’s intended that the new school will open on the new site on Kents Hill in September 2017.

To see the questions residents asked at the meetings the Parish Council convened, and the answers, see our Kents Hill Questions and Answers.

To see the planning brief that the Council is consulting on, see MK Council’s website at
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/consultations/Consultation/1361

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

Success! Kents Hill Footpath Backed by MK Council

At a recent meeting of the Development Control Committee, MK Council agreed to apply formally for the footpath across the playing fields at Kents Hill to be made into a public right of way.

The process now is that:

  • the council draws up the proposed “Order” changing the official right of way map

    Kents Hill Footpath

    Matt with a family using the footpath

  • they publish it and there is a 6-week period to allow for any final objections
  • If no objections are received, the change will then become law.
  • If objections are received, then they send the proposed Order and the objections to an Inspector who decides whether to grant the right of way or not.

Since the Council own the land, and MK Wanderers who lease the playing fields have no objection, it’s very unlikely that there will be any objections.

Development at Kents Hill West

The sites under discussion at Kents Hill

The sites at Kents Hill

Development of some sort will come to the west of Kents Hill near the V10 over the next few years.  Our special Focus edition explains why, what is being considered, and how you can input to the decision.

We’re fighting to ensure that, whatever comes, adequate infrastructure comes with it, so that existing residents don’t suffer as a result of the new development.

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.

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.