Page 16 - Demo

16 Phonebox Magazine | January 2025Mercury ReportAfter the excitement of last month%u2019s meeting, Mercury was looking forward to a lively evening, but sadly it was not to be, and for the December meeting things were very much business as usual.Public ParticipationOnly one member of the public wished to speak at this month%u2019s meeting. Kevin Viney spoke regarding the still unfi nished Yardley Manor Play Park. Despite promises given to Olney Town Council, the last in writing, that the play park remedial work would be fi nished by the end of November (last month), this sorry saga continues, he said. Following a request by jaded residents for our Member of Parliament to become involved, MKCC (Milton Keynes City Council) have now stated in writing that the developers have not yet transferred the relevant S106 funds, and this is the cause of the holdup. Moreover the MP has suggested that if residents are dissatisfied with this response, they should note that MKCC have invited them to raise a formal complaint with Milton Keynes Council. If they did so, and remained unhappy with their response, they could then raise the matter with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Kevin said this is clearly unsatisfactory and said he would like to request that Olney Town Council intervene directly now to resolve this matter, explaining in the meantime to Yardley Manor residents why their children still can%u2019t use this play area.Apologies for absence and declarations of interestDeirdre Bethune, Dan Rowland and David Tyler had sent apologies. Mary Prosser declared an interest in the agenda item concerning Yardley Manor Play Park.Approve minutes of previous meetingMayor Debbie Whitworth asked if there were any comments on the draft minutes before moving to ask for a proposer and seconder confirming that they were accurate. At the last moment Colin Rodden raised a query. The results from the Speed Indicating Devices (SIDs) had been discussed at the meeting and he believed that there was an action for them to be sent to Thames Valley Police (TVP), whereas the minutes just state %u2018noted%u2019. It would be nice to show that OTC was actually doing something, rather than just having it noted, he thought. Town Clerk Jane Brushwood said that not every action that the offi ce performs gets minuted, and Deputy Clerk Rob Mungham said the SID results get sent to TVP every month anyway, as a matter of course. It would not be a special resolution specifi c to that month he said. The minutes were thus approved without amendment.Ward Councillor%u2019s reportPeter Geary was present to give this month%u2019s report. A week previous MKCC had made the delegated decision (presumably by offi cers rather than council members) to re-procure MKConnect, the on-demand public transport system, albeit with a reduced budget. A rather %u2018unique%u2019 tender process is being used, he said, in that no procurement specifi cation has been issued, and it would be up to each tendering organisation to state how they intend to run the service. The contract will be awarded for an initial period of two years with an option to extend for a further year and the fl exibility to vary the contract if the bus contract changes, which Peter thought likely. Parking charges will increase next year in Central MK, and although MKCC are claiming it is the fi rst increase for ten years, Peter said there was actually an increase last year. The increase is expected to generate an additional %u00a33M in revenue, he said. The MKCC draft budget has been issued and it is even tougher than during the years of austerity, he said, particularly as there is an overspend of %u00a310M in the current F/Y. A number of measures are being proposed, one of which is the closure of the Newport Pagnell Recycling Centre with a new centre somewhere in MK. Anyone with more than one green bin might need to pay %u00a355 per year for the privilege. Charges will rise for most council services, but some are set by statute and cannot rise by more than a set amount. OTC as consultees have the right to respond and ask questions if there is anything they don%u2019t understand, he said. There was much that wasn%u2019t clear to him, he said, particularly one stated saving of %u00a31M with a single sentence of explanation. David Chennells wondered what percentage of the budget could actually be cut, since much of the expenditure appears to relate to statutory services. Peter said even in the case of adult and child social care, which made up the vast majority of the statutory spend there are ways of doing things diff erently. Services such as Landscaping, roads and highways make up about 30-40% of the budget and are nonstatutory, he said.PCSO%u2019s reportThere was no PCSO present but Jane Brushwood read out the submitted report for 07/10/2024 %u2013 29/11/2024 as follows: Arson x1; Assault with Injury x2; Assault without Injury x3; Burglary Business x1 (bike stolen); Burglary Residential x1; Criminal Damage x2; Malicious Communications x1; Nuisance Messages x 2; Public Order x4; Shoplifting x5; Theft from Vehicle x2. Other incidents, not crime-related in Olney: ASB Community x4; Suspicious Person/Vehicle/Other x 8. Incidents in surrounding villages: Counterfeit money being used in pubs, stores and restaurants. Without being specifi c, David Chennells said he believed that the list was incomplete.Expenses and budget reportThe expenses report was agreed without comment. The budget report was about to be similarly agreed upon when Chris Tennant raised what he said was a %u2018Tiny, tiny point%u2019. He noted that the Allotment Rent Income was %u00a33,580 and the budget was %u00a33,580, yet the report showed an excess of %u00a30.13! The Deputy Clerk said this was probably a quirk of the accounting system in not picking up a rounded up or rounded down percentage. Data results of the Speed Indicating Devices (SIDs)Deputy Clerk Rob Mungham reported that that month%u2019s data from the SIDs made for positive reading. The unit on Yardley Road outside Olney Middle School travelling south counted over 21,000 vehicle movements, and the average speed was 16.83 mph, with 85% travelling at or less than 20.6 mph. On Aspreys, Foxhill end travelling south, over 40,000 vehicle movements were counted, and the average speed was 23.43 mph with 85% travelling at or less than 28 mph. On Aspreys, Hollow Wood end travelling north, over 47,000 vehicle movements were counted, and the average speed was 25.79 mph, with 85% travelling at or less than 29.8 mph. Rob said that for the Aspreys units, it was the fi rst time that comparative data was available from a previous set of fi gures, and both sets recorded a reduction in average speed and 85th percentile. Proof, for now, that the SIDs act as a deterrent, he said. The SIDs would be staying in the same location but would shortly be turned around, he said. Jane Brushwood noted that the results are collated at the end of each month, whereas the OTC agenda and supporting documents are sometimes sent to councillors before this, so do not form part of the pack prior to the meeting. It was agreed that in future the results will be discussed a month in arrears so the December data will be presented at the February meeting.Update on Yardley Manor PlayparkDebbie Whitworth said that she and Jane Brushwood had been working behind the scenes in an attempt to get things moving. They had attended a meeting with a representative of the developer consortium (Taylor Wimpey and Vistry, formerly Bovis) and Phil Snell, MKCC Strategic Landscape and Countryside Manager. The developer had given a written assurance that the work would be completed by the end of November, but clearly nothing had happened. Phil Snell has spoken to the MKCC planning obligations