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16 Phonebox Magazine | February 2025Mercury ReportA new year beckoned with the gathering of the fi rst Olney Town Council meeting of 2025. But that was about all that was %u2018new%u2019. As councillors settled down around the table, it became abundantly clear that there were still plenty of old problems, old issues and old squabbles to overcome.Public ParticipationThere were no members of the public wishing to speak at the open forum section. In that case, said Mayor Debbie Whitworth, I will use some of the time to read this letter. She held aloft a missive that had been given to her by angry residents from Yardley Manor, the new estate in the north of Olney.The locals were revolting. Feeling fed up and let down they had gathered together in a posse, hoping to bring a bit of weight to their call for action over their grievances. Referring directly to Phonebox Magazine%u2019s January edition, the letter was about their %u2018utter disappointment and concerns%u2019 about the delays to the infrastructure and community amenities that had been promised when they moved in. These included %u2013 and still include %u2013 a community centre, a playground, landscaping, roads and pathways around the whole of the estate, flood defences, an art project and a bus stop. It was clearly a case of %u2018bad Manors%u2019.The lack of completion of any of these features is, said the letter, %u2018aff ecting the quality of the lives of all of those who have decided to come to your town%u2019. %u2018Your town%u2019? The words had a %u2018them and us%u2019 feel to them. They hung in the air like the fog down at Goosey Bridge. A veiled threat which sat uncomfortably in the council chambers.The Mayor continued with trepidation. The committee fear the development will never be completed %u2018as promised in the sales pitches%u2019, read Debbie. The letter reminded the council that the 200 or so houses on the estate contribute to more than %u00a3250,000 towards local services. We spend money in local shops and restaurants and are contributing to the vibrancy and growth of your local economy, it boomed. The writers demanded that the council adds its weight to their cause: namely making sure there are no more delays by Vistry Group %u2013 the housebuilder formerly known as Bovis Homes %u2013 to the various residential features that have been promised. The community centre was particularly singled out by the unhappy correspondence, as a litany of problems was slowly unfolded before the council. No work has started on the community centre, the letter reported, and the whole area set aside for it is %u2018fl ooded and underwater%u2019. Our houses are being fl ooded, it continued, and %u2018we are still awaiting fl ood defences%u2019. The estate%u2019s residents have now set up a steering committee of more than 200 people and have asked for Olney Town Council to support them as they demonstrate that delays will not be tolerated (%u2018not on my Manor%u2019). The Mayor said that the details of the letter couldn%u2019t be discussed at that time but wanted the contents to be noted by councillors. Apologies for absence and declarations of interestThere were no apologies for absence as a full council was sitting. %u2018Full%u2019 is a loose term at present though, because, with 11 members, they are still several short of the desired 15. Town Clerk Jane Brushwood was welcomed back by the Mayor following a recent accident which had left her injured. Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.Ward Councillor%u2019s ReportCold-ridden Keith McLean readied himself to deliver his monthly report, but before he could even take a snuffling breath the Mayor said she had a %u2018mini update%u2019 to impart concerning the so-called One Stop crossing along the High Street. She and Keith had met with Milton Keynes Council%u2019s highways people late last year to discuss the data they had about the crossing and its camera which had been running for three months. At that meeting it was reported that there were only %u2018a couple%u2019 of near-misses on the site.One was a cyclist who had not dismounted from his bike, and there was a runner crossing the road, which was also recorded. Following that meeting, offi cers agreed to the following steps: a street lighting team will conduct a full lighting assessment of the crossing; they agreed also to an improved flashing %u2018Belisha%u2019 beacon with greater visibility; they were going to investigate road markings on the approach to the crossing; and the camera which monitors the site will remain until the end of January. Debbie asked residents to contact her or Councillor McLean if there were any other incidents of note.Deirdre Bethune said that the iron posts near the crossing were %u2018one of the worst things%u2019 about the facility as they obscure the view from drivers. It hides pedestrians, she added. David Tyler agreed, he said he had a stigmatism which can give a %u2018starry effect%u2019 when he drives past the posts. And David Chennells nodded wholeheartedly at Deirdre%u2019s comment: three people have told him that the crossing is the %u2018most dangerous one they have ever come across%u2019, he said, because the posts obscure visibility and with LED lights shining on them, you can see nothing. They are actually inhibiting good vision there, he added, particularly with cars parked on either side.Colin Rodden said that the concern he had was that OTC has asked for a push-button traffic system there like the two that Olney has a either end of the town, but that highways experts say it%u2019s not appropriate at the One Stop site because of a bend in the road. Well, it%u2019s all leading to that fi nal outcome, said the Mayor. No, that was all done before, said Colin, so we%u2019re going round in circles here. My understanding was that when they put this one in, they did a risk assessment and decided a push button was not appropriate for the road. It was a cost issue, said the Clerk. Oh, so it was all about cost, said Colin. Not about safety then, just about cost. He wanted further assessments to fi nd out %u2018where we are with this%u2019. That%u2019s what they are doing, countered the Clerk, somewhat wearily. The cost for this is phenomenal, confi rmed the Mayor. We are nearer to resolving this than we were 12 months ago, she said, but we are having to go through the motions and relay back to (MK) Council. But in three months of camera monitoring, said the Mayor, there have only been those two near-misses.At last it was Keith McLean%u2019s turn. Ironically, the start of his ward message to council was concerning the One Stop crossing. He said he had seen the footage taken from the crossing too. He described the technology as %u2018Artifi cial Intelligence%u2019 and said there were still %u2018lots of things to learn there%u2019. He said the road was a main trunk route, so needed Department of Transport permission to do anything like putting down road markings. He said work to open up the crossing to make it more visible could mean removing some of the car parking spaces which in itself could %u2018cause problems%u2019. He said the majority of cars passing over the crossing are not speeding, adding that he had looked at the footage of the runner %u2018near-miss%u2019 which was mentioned earlier. He comes from the east side, said Keith, runs up and doesn%u2019t even break stride, he goes straight across. And the cyclist coming from the Sandwich Land side of the road, added Keith, %u2018again does not even slow down%u2019. It was a bit like%u2026 There was a pause. What was that game we used to play? asked Keith thoughtfully. Chicken, said Deirdre at once, suggesting that it might have been a pastime she had once enjoyed. Yes that%u2019s it, said Keith. Luckily they didn%u2019t get hit, but the evidence is there that there is no speeding, and the cases the cameras picked up were down to pedestrian and cyclist behaviour, not the drivers. So he didn%u2019t think there was much of a case at present for a signalcontrolled crossing there. A consultation on the proposed changes to the ward boundaries is open until mid-February, Keith continued. The proposals are that Olney Ward would %u2018get back%u2019 Stoke Goldington and Gayhurst but likely lose Moulsoe, which is growing fast as the massive %u2018MK East%u2019 site is developed.The budget for 2025/26 for MK City Council is still open for comment until the end of January, said the councillor. So if you want to make any comments please do so. There is a tender out for a new demand-responsive transport link, which was known as MK Connect. More meetings are due, said Keith, and he hoped to be able to fi nd out more about current plans.Each ward councillor has %u00a31,000 to give every year to support local projects. Keith said that if anyone around the table or any resident had an idea of where the money (%u2018not a lot%u2019) could be spent, to let the ward councillors know.He ended his slot with two proposals, one of which was the closure of Newport Pagnell tip to move to a larger facility in Milton Keynes%u2019s Old Wolverton or Tattenhoe. It%u2019s part of a broader scheme to close three local tips: NP, New Bradwell and Bleak Hall. It could mean a longer journey time for people wishing to dispose of rubbish from Olney, he said. The other proposal is to charge %u00a355 to have an extra %u2018green%u2019 bin. It wouldn%u2019t aff ect everyone but he suspected there were more homes %u2018this side of the M1 with more than one green bin than