Page 31 - Phonebox Magazine March 2016

the document without making this change, then draft two with the ‘bubbles’ removed but the associated text continuing to state the names of these towns and villages, then nally draft three with those also removed. It was believed that one Council had already provided its response to the plan based on draft one. Olney and associated Parish Councils are arguing via Solicitors that the process has therefore been tainted, is awed and should be withdrawn. A Solicitor’s letter has been written and, come the Public Examination some time 2016 – 2018, this will be mentioned.
Peter Geary and other Councillors felt that option three, ‘one or more satellite settlements in the rural area’, would be a disaster wherever they were located, as it would separate people from their work and cause more travel, for example in and out of Milton Keynes via the already congested M1 crossings. He also noted that option four, ‘intensi cation and redevelopment of the urban area’, which had seemed attractive, meant building on various parcels of employment land within Milton Keynes, and that alternative land for employment must then be provided elsewhere, for example to the East of the M1.
Councillors are keen to get the Plan:MK information out to the Public, and you’re
much encouraged to read and respond to it. Please surf to this link www.milton-keynes. gov.uk/PlanMK.
Purchase of new mower
Councillors voted unanimously to spend £15,000 to purchase a new Kubota mower. This was interesting mainly because it highlighted a case where the usual recommendation that all purchases must go out to three tenders was, with reason, not followed. In summary, this was because all Kubota agents tend to charge remarkably similar prices, and it’s hard to compare one dealer with another like-for- like when you consider location, standard of service, trust, etc.
Town Meeting
This year’s Town Meeting will be held on 12th May in the Olney Centre. Noting with irony that last year’s meeting was ‘our usual show of dynamic excitement’, Steve Clark asked for ideas to make it more interesting and worthwhile for people to attend. Councillors agreed with this sentiment and, in practice, these meetings tend to attract a tiny attendance unless a particular controversy is in progress at the time. For example, a
few years back, issues surrounding Doff’s Field led to a good attendance. In order to attract more people, Councillors decided to provide drinks, including wine, to advertise the meeting more widely and to look into the possibility of providing some entertainment.
Bits ‘n’ bobs
A permanent CCTV camera has been installed covering the Market Place. The Recreation Ground play area improvements should be well underway or complete by the time this is published. The Council is getting a full condition report for the Youth Centre, as part of the process to decide whether it wishes to apply for the Centre under the Community Asset Transfer scheme. MKC is starting formal action against the owner of Westlands due to their use of the building outside planning consent, and the owner has submitted plans to convert it into ats.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 7th March 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, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.
Free Local Leadership Training
Olney Town Council
Work with local charities and learn about leadership
Acharity-linked leadership programme has been launched in the local area, calling for individuals from all walks of life, who are early- to mid-career managers, to apply. Programme partners include MK Community Foundation,
The Parks Trust and Freeths, and training will involve a minimum of six chosen individuals who live or work within a 50-mile radius of Milton Keynes. Each manager will be given 12 months of free leadership training linked to a local charity, including MK Snap. This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals to not only better their own experience of leadership but to also give back to the community and to help local charities become more sustainable through the use of Sustainable Leadership methodology, in turn building a more cohesive and inclusive community in Milton Keynes.
Olney resident, Freddie Guilmard, is part of the team running the leadership programme and told us a bit about how the charity link will help the local community: “The programme will bring together a small group of leaders from across all sectors to work together to support a number of charitable projects of their choosing to become more sustainable. At the same time, we will run re ective learning sessions that allow them to distil and share the insights they gain from
supporting their chosen projects, contextualise those personal insights against current best practice and leadership theory, and explore how they can apply what they have learned in their own workplaces. Each individual will also volunteer a minimum of one hour per week, using their developed knowledge to bene t local charities.” Find out more information about this free training programme by emailing adrian@ the-redthread.co.uk.
March 2016 | Phonebox Magazine 31