Page 26 - Phonebox Magazine July 2006

Mercury Report (continued)
Olney Town Council Meeting of Monday 5th June 2006
had a claim to the money, noting that Steve Clark had declared an interest in the topic yet was now standing up for his views in a very strong way. Steve Clark reiterated that the decision would be taken by a MKC Cabinet member.
Paul Watson stated that he’d refer the matter to Peter Joel at MKC, so he could inform what MKC felt to be the appropriate educational institutions about their chance to bid for this planning gain money.
Publicity
Paul Watson said that he was very conscious of the fact that most of those who’d elected the Council didn’t know who any of the Councillors were and felt the Council had a duty to inform them. Over the coming months, profiles of each Councillor will appear in the Phonebox.
Section 136
Due to the way in which Section 136 (S136) was withdrawn, the Section 136 Withdrawal Action Group (SWAG) some time ago raised an objection to Milton Keynes Council’s accounts for the year ended 31st March 2005. The Audit Commission has now
written to OTC, which is acting on SWAG’s behalf, stating the facts of the matter as it sees it and asking the Council to confirm that they’re correct. The key reasons for the objection, along with brief notes on each, are below:
1. No financial information was available to parties to S136 about the financial impact on individual Parishes and tax payers when consulting about ending the S136 agreement. MKC believes indications were given that rural Parishes would be disadvantaged if S136 was withdrawn. OTC doesn’t agree.
2. MKC’s Cabinet did not have details of the differential financial impact when making its decision to withdraw S136 in October 2003. A report to MKC Cabinet in October 2003 stated: “The council tax payer’s bill should remain the same as it would have done if the change had not taken place...” MKC contends that this meant that the overall effect to tax payers across its area would be unchanged, whereas OTC contends that there would be no change to individuals’ tax bills. The position of the apostrophe
in the above quote is important here, as is the use of the singular elsewhere in the sentence.
3. MKC did not give sufficient notice to other parties about the ending of the agreement. The S136 agreement requires 12 months’ consultation before a change of service. But, from the Audit Commission’s discussions with MKC officers, it seems that no notice of the withdrawal of S136 was given – the Cabinet decision was presumed(?) to be sufficient. Default is likely to have occurred when MKC did not supply provisional estimated costs to individual Parish Councils of the S136 arrangements for the forthcoming financial year.
Thank you to Paul Watson for background information on this complex topic.
Antiques Fair
Bay Antiques has written to the Council to ask if a monthly antiques fair can be held in the Market Square. After some discussion, a Councillor will meet with Bay Antiques to discuss it. d
Astonlee Open Day
Revised Date
Saturday 19th August 2–4pm
Clients old and new are invited to come and see around our new facilities. We have a very nice and spacious reception area. And you will be able to see areas which aren’t normally available to the public.
The office in the tower provides a panoramic view of the town with views right across Milton Keynes, so you might want to bring your cameras with you. There will be demonstrations and people to show you around.
Please let us know by contacting our reception team if you would like to come so that we can cater for the numbers. You can also find out more and see what special attractions there are for the day.
‘A good man cares for his animals.’ Proverbs 12;10. GNB.
Quality care for your pet
in our purpose built surgery & animal hospital
Fully comprehensive services incorporating high standards in technology and care (Ask for our Charter of Service)
Special offer for senior pets this month
a Fully equipped operating theatres
a Ambulance service
a Separate heated wards for cats and dogs
a Complementary medicine, including acupuncture a Cardiology, accidents and orthopaedics
a Specialised diets
a In-house lab a X-ray
a Ultrasound
a Vaccinations a Microchipping a Neutering
a Dental work Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks
Tel: 01908 611637(24 hours service on premises) www.astonlee.co.uk
FREE HEALTH CHECK (for your senior pets over 8 years) PLEASE MENTION PHONEBOX MAGAZINE
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd July in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre.
Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting.
Astonlee Veterinary Surgery
Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks Tel: 01908 611637 www.astonlee.co.uk
Phonebox Magazine 27