Olney Council report for February 2011
A quite depleted Meeting
There were absences aplenty and one new arrival in this month’s sitting of Olney Town Council. The Mayor was away and the Deputy Mayor was unavailable following a busy Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Town Clerk Jane Brushwood asked the gathering – which was quite depleted – if anyone would be happy to chair the meeting in Mayor Ben Brown’s absence. Deirdre Bethune stepped forward, a former mayor and therefore well qualified for the task. She took the chair at the head of the table and started by congratulating the Jubilee Committee for a job well done.
Public Participation
There is always a 15 minute Open Forum at the start of any OTC meeting: were there any members of the public wishing to speak, asked Deirdre. A deathly silence signified that there were not.
Apologies for absence
Moving on to business then, Deirdre asked if there were any apologies for absence. The half empty table in the Olney Centre told its own story: there were quite a few. The Clerk read through the list – Trevor Aldred, the aforementioned Ben Brown and Debbie Whitworth, Leanne Ward, Phil Geach and Debbie Hall were all absent. Mercury noted that Peter Geary wasn’t there either – he had presumably not sent his apologies.
There were no declarations of interest from the table and Deirdre reminded everyone present that if they suddenly remembered they have an interest to make it known immediately.
Item number 3 on the agenda was to approve the minutes of the OTC meeting of 9th May and the extraordinary meeting of 27th April. Ian Stokes had a query about a schedule of payments on the East Street building (the former football club) being approved from the May meeting. It says there’s a fixed fee on utilities, he pointed out, but that can’t be the case because it’s not a set amount, it had to be the actual bill that had been paid. That was noted by the Clerk.
Colin Rodden brought up the statement read out by resident Kevin Viney at the May OTC meeting about the Veterans Lunch and the flags reported in Phonebox Magazine and the expenditure that had been paid out for those. But he shouldn’t have known what that expenditure was, queried Deirdre. No, said Jane Varley, fanning the flames of intrigue… someone’s been talking. The Clerk intervened and said that the minutes are only a summary of what was said and so they should move on. They did, and therefore the minutes for both meetings were approved.
Co-option of one additional Councillor
It was time to consider a new member for the council, to fill the seat vacated by the departed David Pibworth who resigned earlier this year. There were four applicants, reported the Chair: Frederick Parkinson, Mary Prosser, David Tyler and Zoe Westbourne. A tick box form was sent around the table from which Mary Prosser (pictured) was announced by the Clerk as ‘the winner’. She took her place at the table and immediately sat next to Jane Brushwood who offered to share her papers. Welcome to the team, said Deirdre. Mrs Prosser beamed delightedly.
On with business, the next item on the agenda was to review and approve the OTC Risk Management Register. Has anybody got any comments on it, asked the Chair. I have, said Colin Rodden. In fact, I’ve got quite a few so maybe I should send them to you. They were mainly comments and suggestions, he said. As it’s a work in progress document you can add to it as you go, said Jane Brushwood, adding: Are they additions? Yes a little bit, Colin replied, they are about accidents – if we have an accident book – and near-misses as well which you don’t mention in there. Near misses? asked an incredulous Naomi Brock. But isn’t that why we have a risk document in the first place? It’s all part of the reporting procedure said the Clerk and she was happy to accept Colin’s notes to add to it.
Reports from Councillors who represent the council at external meetings was the next topic up for discussion. Has anyone been to anything other than the Jubilee meetings which are external anyway. It would just be the PLUG (Park Liaison Users Group) meeting, said Jane Brushwood.
On receiving an expenditure report Deirdre said she should declare an interest because she had received some money. But that was only refunding, interjected the Clerk. I know it’s only refunding but I just think it should be declared in case anyone saw my name and thought ‘what’s that about?’. It was only a refund – it wasn’t for your benefit, the Clerk reinforced. Ian Stokes asked if they could see the expenditure figures listed cumulatively against budget. Can we see how each sub-heading is working against the budget?, he asked. I will find a way to do that, said the Clerk.
The next item was concerning a review of the Council’s expenditure under a particular part (section 137) of the Local Government Act. It’s asking why we have reported as ‘nil’ expenditure under that section, explained the Clerk. It’s because we have to put it in there, you can’t put it anywhere else. That was the explanation I was given, she said, and it was an explanation that was accepted by all around the table.
The Council then considered a £100 grant or donation to FOLIO (Friends of the Library in Olney) to help them provide Zoolab, an organisation that allows children to see and handle furry animals for £229. Is it a one-off visit, asked Naomi. Well, it’s an annual paid-for event, the Clerk cleared up. Has anyone got any objections, she asked. There were none.
The Amazing Olney Heritage Trail was also discussed. Tom Jones, from the Olney Archaeological Society, had been in touch with Jane Varley about putting up new heritage trail signs around the town. We can’t say yes to putting up signs on pavements, for example, because they don’t belong to us, said the Clerk. We can only approve on places that belong to us. I have a problem with it, said Deirdre because we haven’t been told how many there are going to be or anything. I don’t want to be negative about the Heritage Trail but I would like to have some more information about how many signs are being planned.
Colin Rodden said he thought it was only around five additional signs. It’s a tremendous thing, he added, and said that the organiser was only looking for the Council to show that they are positive about the idea so that he can then apply for funding. Jane Varley said she thought one is being planned for the Market Place bus stop and one at The Knoll landmark. But I don’t know where the rest of them are going, she added. Chris Tennant said he would be happy to support the idea, adding that the more we can say to help educate visitors to the town the better. It’s a good thing in principle, so let’s get some more detail he added. Naomi suggested they ask Tom to present to them at the next OTC meeting and check if there is any current signage that is out of date. So Chris summed it all up by proposing that the Council support the endeavour subject to the applicant coming to the OTC and giving a five minute update. If he’s unable to get into us he could send details, suggested Deirdre, otherwise could be stuck waiting for another month. It was all agreed.
The next consideration was for the funding of an e-bike for Olney’s PCSO. The Clerk told the committee that the PCSO’s sergeant had rung her to say she was concerned about the idea, adding that there was more to this than just buying an electric cycle. There was the matter of looking after it, housing it safely, health and safety, training, insurance and other items that had not been budgeted for and were beyond this group.
Why are we providing this to the police, questionned Jane Varley. To give it to the PCSO so that he can get quickly from one area of the town to another if he had to, said the Clerk. Naomi said he’s not just our PCSO though, he’s not here 100% of the time. In fact, she added after a moment’s thought, he’s not even here 50% of the time.
Ian Stokes asked how much this bike would cost. The taxpayers already pay for the police service, he added. He had further questions: Is it solely for use in Olney? I’ve never seen the PCSO on a pedal bike, let alone an e-bike – don’t we already pay for police vehicles? Is there really a benefit to the town?
Colin said he loved the idea of having a bike over a car. Ian said it was worth looking at if it was a real benefit to the town and proposed they come back with more details. He added, tongue in cheek, that they could put the officer on a normal bike for six months and if he looked after it they might consider an electric one.
That got a chuckle from the room, but Deirdre trumped him with the pun of the evening: Shall we just park it then? She meant the idea, not the bike. She went on to propose that the Council does not fund this e-bike and wait until they receive more information and a request from the police service rather than the PCSO himself before they reconsider it. That was agreed.
Olney Bypass
Deirdre said that MK Council has been asked about an Olney bypass and councillor Keith MacLean has gone to the planning policy manager at MK and asked about whether or not we are likely to get one. She said they don’t really need to comment at the moment but just be aware that this is happening. Chris Tennant said that the matter was sitting in the policy framework to which Deirdre said it’s been sitting there for 17 years. Colin Rodden asked if OTC needed to ask the town and its people whether they wanted a bypass and take that to MK. If there is a big surge of support, he said, they could go back to MK Council but at the moment we don’t know if Olneyites want a bypass or not, he added.
Chris Tennant said the emissions data was falling so the argument for having a bypass also fell away. Is the counter-argument, such as is childhood asthma getting worse, enough to get a new bypass? We must continue to propose that safeguarded routes (within the Neighbourhood Plan) are
kept just that: safeguarded. He said this was a regional issue. To get to Milton Keynes from Wellingborough or Kettering for example you have to go through Olney. If lorry drivers want to get from Corby to the M1 that’s the way the satnav will take them. The MK East construction will go on for the next 20 years, he added with a hint of doom. And all the suppliers for that project are going to come through Olney. Is that the lever we can use to get the bypass, he asked.
Deirdre asked if there was anything else they can do at the moment. We have been positive said Chris, we have safeguarded the route. We need to discuss Weston Underwood too, said Colin, and Emberton. Ian Stokes asked if this matter already sits in ODG (Olney
Development Group) to which Chris replied yes. Ian said that Chris’s points about the MK East construction is hard hitting stuff and a game changer.
We have made active representations to make sure the bypass stays in the transport plan, said Chris. Deirdre suggested they go back to Milton Keynes Council with their thoughts and Chris said that he would do that as chair of ODG.
Finally to the update on the council’s Annual Return. This needs to go to the Finance Committee said Jane Brushwood after which we will have a short extraordinary Full Council meeting. I need to go through it with the Mayor (who is also on the Finance Committee) and before it is sent to external auditors, and this needs to be done before 1st July.
Whirly Pit roundabout
The long standing issue of the Whirly Pit roundabout was brought up again. The Clerk said that Debbie Whitworth had been ‘harassing’ ward councillors about the roundabout. Deirdre said there are pictures of how the roundabout might look and it’s all a question of whichever is this year’s safety fashion because there was a time when the council made sure things grew up on roundabouts so that drivers would have to be more careful when looking. Now they are taking vegetation away, she said, and then probably in three years’ time they will want to put it all back again. It’s about removing all the high level vegetation, she said, adding that she didn’t think OTC were even meant to comment on it at this stage. Well I think we need to comment to MK Council, said Naomi. I thought the discussion was about the danger coming down Drift Way but it seems to be about that coming from the other side of the road. Chris Tennant said this had a wider implication of taking a strimmer or chainsaw to the middle of every roundabout which he was happy to support if it improved visibility. However it doesn’t help with the safe crossing, which is still an issue, he added. And vehicles still approach that roundabout at speed, it’s still quite a way to cross that road and we should be doing a bit more lobbying to get a pedestrian crossing installed at that location.
Colin Rodden said it was worth looking at more ideas, citing the roundabout in Milton Keynes near the main Tesco superstore where fences had been put up so that motorists physically had to slow down to look properly as they arrive. They need to look at speed indicator devices, while variable speed limits, 50 to 40 to 30, should be looked at for when you come into the town. People still think Drift Way is 40 limit, they think Aspreys is a 40 he said. We should get MK Highways with Thames Valley
Police together for a meeting to talk about a speed initiative.
Naomi added that the council should go back to MK and tell them this roadway now does need to be completely reconsidered because it is exceptionally dangerous. There is no way to get across the junction from Osier Way. It probably needs to be a traffic lighted junction she added, saying let’s go back with all our arguments.
Chris added that a four way traffic lighted junction would be expensive, but eminently safer. Deirdre wondered if they could ask for a smaller roundabout and Ian asked what were their chances of getting the junction changed. Slim to none at this moment in time, said the Clerk. Ian said we must keep plugging away for safer crossing and junctions, there are children crossing, families crossing – you can’t get across that road safely, he lamented. And if you have dogs with you it’s even worse. Colin agreed saying that we need to address not just this roundabout but the whole of Olney. Jane Brushwood asked for Councillors comments to be sent to her urgently.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Monday 4th July at 7pm in the Olney Centre. If you would like to contribute to the Public Participation section at the start of the meeting contact the Town Clerk: townclerk@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk.