Page 32 - Phonebox Magazine April 2016

Olney Councillors Corner
Elections in May
Elections are just around the corner with Election Day on 5th of May. At the elections this year the Olney ward will all have two ballot papers, some parishes will have three. The elections will see ballots for the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Milton Keynes Council and in some areas parish councils as well, if they are contested. With the little known law of purdah in place at the time of publication, this article is written by Peter Geary and David Hosking as Keith Mclean is seeking re-election.
Burglaries in Olney
You may have heard about the recent rise in burglaries in Olney in recent weeks. This started with a report in the national press that the MK46 postcode was the 20th most likely to be burgled in the country. This article was not derived from police statistics and was regarded as very unreliable by many. Shortly afterwards however, there was a spate of burglaries in Olney. The rst was a series of break-ins of homes which the police linked, investigated and eventually arrested a man from Northampton; he was charged and was remanded in custody. There were then a number of non-dwelling burglaries including the Olney Centre and the Carlton House Club. More recently other homes have been targeted. Statistically speaking Olney, and the rural areas,
are still safe places to live, being well below the average for crimes and burglaries in Milton Keynes. The Borough of Milton Keynes has seen a decline in all crime and burglaries in recent years and is below the national average. That said, we should not take this for granted and we still need to ensure that properties are locked and secured as well as applying other crime prevention measures. We work closely with the local police and Community Safety Team, the latter being a statutory function of Milton Keynes Council. To try to help people secure their properties better we will be organising a day with Thames Valley Police when they will be in the Olney Centre to give advice to householders and businesses on how to make their properties more secure and deter crime. In the meantime if you see something suspicious then please report it to the police on their non-emergency number 101, especially if you see suspicious looking vehicles or people. If you can make a note of registration numbers or if you have any photos or CCTV that can help please let the police know. If you see a crime in progress, please call 999 immediately.
Minerals Local Plan
The nal round of consultation on the Minerals Local Plan was completed in March following a statutory 6 weeks’ consultation. As part of the process we organised a number of public meetings in Lathbury, 32 Phonebox Magazine | April 2016
Cllr Peter Geary
Cllr David Hosking
Weston Underwood and Lavendon (pictured). The comments and representations made by everyone will now be sent off to the Planning Inspector. These will be looked at before a public inquiry that is due to held sometime later this year. When this concludes, the Planning Inspector will make a recommendation as to whether the plan is sound or not; he might also make recommendations as to what needs to be changed to make a sound plan. Milton Keynes Council will then adopt the plan.
Plan:MK Consultation
The Plan:MK consultation is due to end at 5pm on the 6th of April. If you have not already responded to the consultation, we would urge you to do so with your views. Some of the options are radical and will affect the rural areas. Please submit your comments, whatever they may be, to Milton Keynes Council before the closing date. You can nd more details online at http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/planning- and-building/planning-policy/plan-mk or visit Olney library where the key documents are available
Flooding in March
9th March was a very wet day across many parts of the country. The Olney ward was no different with a number of streams and drains overwhelmed with the water. There were a number of road closures caused from ooding, which caused disruption to residents. While these are dif cult to predict and react to, some closures were not well signed and we have asked that a review of emergency planning procedures is undertaken following this severe weather.
Ravenstone had at least one property ooded and there were a number of properties in Lavendon that came perilously close to ooding again, following the events of 2012. Lavendon has a ood prevention scheme that is still being designed, which was supposed to be completed in May 2016. Unfortunately, only the culvert work and the work at the back of Olney Road have been completed. The project now seems to have slipped and this is now not likely to be completed until 2017. As ward councillors, along with the Parish Council, we feel this is completely unacceptable. We have asked for an urgent meeting with the of cers concerned to understand why the project has fallen so badly behind and why people were not kept informed. We will report any conclusions when we have them. Given the experience in Ravenstone we, with the Parish Council, will be asking Milton Keynes Council for a ood prevention scheme to be urgently developed for Ravenstone.
Monthly surgeries on the rst Friday of each month
If you have any issues that you would like to discuss with us in person, then please come along to one of our monthly surgeries. These are run in the Olney Centre on the rst Friday of each month between 7:30pm and 8:30pm – appointments are not necessary. Alternatively, we can be contacted at other times by ‘phone or email - our details are as follows:
Peter Geary - 01234 714260 - peter.geary@milton-keynes.gov.uk David Hosking - 01234 241010 - david.hosking@milton-keynes.gov.uk