Olney Town Council Meeting August 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting of Monday 1st August 2011
Public participation
No members of the public present (Mercury plus one!) wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Co-option of members
A vacancy had arisen following the recent resignation of Nigel Birrell and there being no request for an election from the requisite number of the electorate, it fell to the council members present to fill the vacancy by co-option. The two candidates were invited to give a short address to the council to summarise their CVs.
First to speak was David Rumens, who was standing again following his failure to be co-opted to fill one of two vacancies at last month’s meeting. David was first elected to OTC in 2008 and served for two years before having to resign due to ill health. Now that his health issues had been resolved David said he would welcome the opportunity of serving the town again as a member of the council. His experience in local government dates back to 1979 when he was elected to South Beds District Council and he has held many positions since. During his last stint on OTC he represented the council at many meetings with Milton Keynes Council (MKC) as he has a keen interest in resolving the enduring problem of high traffic volumes through Olney. He was also instrumental in the battle to keep Olney as a single ward, against the wishes of MKC who wanted to split it into three. He is currently a member of the Neighbourhood Action Group and is proud of his reputation as a ‘campaigning councillor’, he said.
The second candidate to speak was Tony Summerscales, a civil engineer in the water industry. Although he admitted he had no experience in local government he said that he had a young son and wanted him to grow up in a safe community and he was putting himself forward so that he could get involved in maintaining the town and its community for the enjoyment of the next generation.
A secret ballot then took place with Tony Summerscales receiving the most votes and he was duly elected. Steve Clark thanked David Rumens for his interest. David left the meeting at this point.
Flood Risk Management
Bruce Stewart, Senior Planning Officer – Strategic Flood Risk Management for Milton Keynes Council was present to explain his role, which he has been in since March 2011, and the implications of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which is gradually being implemented nationally. The current framework was largely established in the 1930s and 40s, he said and, although some updating had taken place, it did not comply with EU legislation and guidance. The new act meant that MKC as the Local Authority were obliged to take over certain flood responsibilities from the Environment Agency (EA) and Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). MKC has set up a parent Cabinet-led management group and three officer lead working subgroups comprising Strategic Flood Planning, Flood Prevention and Flooding Emergency Response. The principle shortcomings identified thus far are a lack of in-house water, drainage and flood expertise and a shortage of available funding to address problems in those areas. It is MKC’s intention to form closer relationships with Parish and Town Councils who may be able to assist in providing information on local water and flood risk management issues, said Bruce. Mayor Steve Clark said that councils were frustrated that developers were allowed to put in planning applications for floodplains and Bruce replied that any applications with flood implications would now be submitted to him.
Localism Bill
The Localism was introduced to Parliament in December 2010 and seeks to shift much of the decision making of central government to local authorities. Part of the bill deals with the right of communities to submit an ‘expression of interest’ to the local authority to provide or assist in providing a relevant service on behalf of that authority and that could lead to a transfer of assets from the authority. Steve Clark said that OTC already manages many of its own assets but the bill would widen the scope when it became law. MKC might come under pressure to dispose of some of its local assets such as car parks, the Olney Centre and Emberton Park, he said. In the event of the latter it was unlikely that Emberton Parish Council would be able to afford to manage the park but OTC could consider a joint venture, he suggested. MKC will be running a series of workshops during August and OTC will send representatives with a view to forming a sub-committee. This will doubtless be the subject of discussion at future meeting since in Steve’s view it is a massive subject at which OTC should “nibble gently”.
Recreation ground sewage pipe (continued)
As reported last month the sewage pipe connecting the four sports club houses to the main in East Street has collapsed, which is why there is regularly an overflow when functions take place at the clubs, necessitating rodding by the council staff. Alan Richardson said that since the last council meeting he had had two meetings with Anglian Water and they had confirmed that from October 1st 2011 the section of pipe which had collapsed would become the responsibility of Anglian Water under the new proposal to adopt private sewers and lateral drains. Although any work that Anglian Water deemed necessary would be done free of charge the replacement would not happen immediately, he said. The first time a blockage was reported Anglian Water would attend and rod the drain to unblock it. If it then became a regular occurrence then the gang would report it with a recommendation to consider replacement work. Eventually it would get replaced, he said. Deidre Bethune asked if the council would now reconsider the refurbishment of the Market Place toilets now that this particular problem would be resolved at nil cost to the council.
Big Olney Food Festival (BOFF)
Deidre Bethune reported that this hugely popular event would take place for the third year running on Saturday September 12th. Last year’s event had made a slight loss, she said, and since then the membership of the Chamber of Trade had reduced. In view of these facts she asked if the council would consider underwriting the event in case of financial loss, as they do for the Firework Night run by TOG (The Olney Group). A figure of £1200 was suggested. Ron Bull said that the Fireworks organisers had only found it necessary to call on the underwriting once in the 20 year history and he was concerned that BOFF might regularly make a loss. Deidre said that BOFF does not have the funds to absorb the loss themselves. Tony Evans said that he had been a member of the BOFF organising committee for its first two years but felt that there was a big difference between BOFF and the Firework Night, which was organised for the Town. BOFF is a commercial event and stall holders make a profit. Although he agreed that it is a fantastic event he said he felt uncomfortable with the request for underwriting. Should the organisers not be looking to the stallholders themselves to make up any loss, he wondered. Mike Hughes said he felt OTC’s role should be to encourage trade and visitors to the town and BOFF should be encouraged so he would not want to be part of any refusal. Eventually the requested for underwriting was agreed by a majority vote.
Stoke Goldington wind turbines application
As reported last month, an application has been received to build 15 wind turbines at Stoke Lodge Farm, Stoke Goldington. Deidre Bethune said in her opinion MKC was in no position to consider this application at present because it does not have a current or adequate policy. Last month Jeremy Rawlings reported that the existing policy had not been updated for some time and MKC had been asked to update it to bring in line with national guidelines. In particular, there was no reference to consideration being given to the proximity of existing installations. There then followed a general discussion about the merits of wind power, in general. Colin Rodden said that he believed sustainable energy is required but wondered if data was available to support it. Deidre said the operating companies refused to publish data about the output of such installations, claiming that it was ‘commercially sensitive’, so it was impossible to know if they were efficient or not. Jeremy Rawlings said that when there is too much power in the grid it is easier to switch off wind turbines than coal fired power stations so the operators are paid to keep them stationary. Tony Evans said that the incentives to farmers to allow wind farms to be sited on their land were enormous so OTC needed to act quickly if they wanted to stop every farmer around having them. Alan Richardson said that if past experience was anything to go by, once an application was submitted there was nothing that OTC or anyone else could do to stop it. Steve Clark disagreed, saying that the Wind Farm at Petsoe End had been the first application submitted to MKC and that had only been passed by a narrow margin, so it was not a foregone conclusion. Although no formal vote was taken, an informal vote showed that the members were overwhelmingly against the proposal. Full details of the planning application, ref 11/01193/FULEIS can be found at http://publicaccess.milton-keynes.gov.uk/
Odds and sods
The newly acquired field next to the Charity Field has been sprayed and ploughed and needs to be seeded as soon as possible after the end of August. A number of quotes for seeding have been received and the council agreed to a local quote of £1800. At the moment it is just known as ‘the new field’, so if anyone has a suggestion for a better name please contact the Town Clerk, or send your suggestion to The Phonebox.
Mike Hughes said that a resident had reported human excrement at the top of the children’s slide on Johnson’s Field the previous Friday. He had personally attended with cleaning equipment and removed it, but the incident had been repeated the next day.
Rosemary Osbourne asked Debbie Brock what was happening about the provision of double yellow lines at the entrance to Chantry Rise, as turning right on to Weston Road was extremely dangerous. Debbie replied that the consultation had recently taken place as part of the process, which was ongoing.
Jeremy Rawlings reported that after 24 years of loyal service Cheryl Wilson’s position at the Youth Club had been ‘outsourced’ by MKC. The promised administrator was yet to appear though.
Steve Clark reported that as of that day Ousedale School had become an academy. Mercury assumes that The Phonebox’s invitation to the celebrations got lost in the post.
Tony Evan said that the grass banks on Driftway were a mess and asked that they be strimmed. In fact, all local landscaped areas that are the responsibility of MKC are in a similar state, he said.
Steve Clark said that the inaugural concert by the Olney Community Choir at the Parish Church had been incredibly well attended. Also, the inaugural concert of Olney Brass at the Carlton House Club had been a great success, with a specially commissioned piece of music ‘The One and Olney’ being played for the first time. In recognition of their support OTC had been presented with a framed copy of the music, which would be hung in the Olney Centre.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 5th September 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting of Monday 1st August 2011
Public participation
No members of the public present (Mercury plus one!) wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Co-option of members
A vacancy had arisen following the recent resignation of Nigel Birrell and there being no request for an election from the requisite number of the electorate, it fell to the council members present to fill the vacancy by co-option. The two candidates were invited to give a short address to the council to summarise their CVs.
First to speak was David Rumens, who was standing again following his failure to be co-opted to fill one of two vacancies at last month’s meeting. David was first elected to OTC in 2008 and served for two years before having to resign due to ill health. Now that his health issues had been resolved David said he would welcome the opportunity of serving the town again as a member of the council. His experience in local government dates back to 1979 when he was elected to South Beds District Council and he has held many positions since. During his last stint on OTC he represented the council at many meetings with Milton Keynes Council (MKC) as he has a keen interest in resolving the enduring problem of high traffic volumes through Olney. He was also instrumental in the battle to keep Olney as a single ward, against the wishes of MKC who wanted to split it into three. He is currently a member of the Neighbourhood Action Group and is proud of his reputation as a ‘campaigning councillor’, he said.
The second candidate to speak was Tony Summerscales, a civil engineer in the water industry. Although he admitted he had no experience in local government he said that he had a young son and wanted him to grow up in a safe community and he was putting himself forward so that he could get involved in maintaining the town and its community for the enjoyment of the next generation.
A secret ballot then took place with Tony Summerscales receiving the most votes and he was duly elected. Steve Clark thanked David Rumens for his interest. David left the meeting at this point.
Flood Risk Management
Bruce Stewart, Senior Planning Officer – Strategic Flood Risk Management for Milton Keynes Council was present to explain his role, which he has been in since March 2011, and the implications of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which is gradually being implemented nationally. The current framework was largely established in the 1930s and 40s, he said and, although some updating had taken place, it did not comply with EU legislation and guidance. The new act meant that MKC as the Local Authority were obliged to take over certain flood responsibilities from the Environment Agency (EA) and Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). MKC has set up a parent Cabinet-led management group and three officer lead working subgroups comprising Strategic Flood Planning, Flood Prevention and Flooding Emergency Response. The principle shortcomings identified thus far are a lack of in-house water, drainage and flood expertise and a shortage of available funding to address problems in those areas. It is MKC’s intention to form closer relationships with Parish and Town Councils who may be able to assist in providing information on local water and flood risk management issues, said Bruce. Mayor Steve Clark said that councils were frustrated that developers were allowed to put in planning applications for floodplains and Bruce replied that any applications with flood implications would now be submitted to him.
Localism Bill
The Localism was introduced to Parliament in December 2010 and seeks to shift much of the decision making of central government to local authorities. Part of the bill deals with the right of communities to submit an ‘expression of interest’ to the local authority to provide or assist in providing a relevant service on behalf of that authority and that could lead to a transfer of assets from the authority. Steve Clark said that OTC already manages many of its own assets but the bill would widen the scope when it became law. MKC might come under pressure to dispose of some of its local assets such as car parks, the Olney Centre and Emberton Park, he said. In the event of the latter it was unlikely that Emberton Parish Council would be able to afford to manage the park but OTC could consider a joint venture, he suggested. MKC will be running a series of workshops during August and OTC will send representatives with a view to forming a sub-committee. This will doubtless be the subject of discussion at future meeting since in Steve’s view it is a massive subject at which OTC should “nibble gently”.
Recreation ground sewage pipe (continued)
As reported last month the sewage pipe connecting the four sports club houses to the main in East Street has collapsed, which is why there is regularly an overflow when functions take place at the clubs, necessitating rodding by the council staff. Alan Richardson said that since the last council meeting he had had two meetings with Anglian Water and they had confirmed that from October 1st 2011 the section of pipe which had collapsed would become the responsibility of Anglian Water under the new proposal to adopt private sewers and lateral drains. Although any work that Anglian Water deemed necessary would be done free of charge the replacement would not happen immediately, he said. The first time a blockage was reported Anglian Water would attend and rod the drain to unblock it. If it then became a regular occurrence then the gang would report it with a recommendation to consider replacement work. Eventually it would get replaced, he said. Deidre Bethune asked if the council would now reconsider the refurbishment of the Market Place toilets now that this particular problem would be resolved at nil cost to the council.
Big Olney Food Festival (BOFF)
Deidre Bethune reported that this hugely popular event would take place for the third year running on Saturday September 12th. Last year’s event had made a slight loss, she said, and since then the membership of the Chamber of Trade had reduced. In view of these facts she asked if the council would consider underwriting the event in case of financial loss, as they do for the Firework Night run by TOG (The Olney Group). A figure of £1200 was suggested. Ron Bull said that the Fireworks organisers had only found it necessary to call on the underwriting once in the 20 year history and he was concerned that BOFF might regularly make a loss. Deidre said that BOFF does not have the funds to absorb the loss themselves. Tony Evans said that he had been a member of the BOFF organising committee for its first two years but felt that there was a big difference between BOFF and the Firework Night, which was organised for the Town. BOFF is a commercial event and stall holders make a profit. Although he agreed that it is a fantastic event he said he felt uncomfortable with the request for underwriting. Should the organisers not be looking to the stallholders themselves to make up any loss, he wondered. Mike Hughes said he felt OTC’s role should be to encourage trade and visitors to the town and BOFF should be encouraged so he would not want to be part of any refusal. Eventually the requested for underwriting was agreed by a majority vote.
Stoke Goldington wind turbines application
As reported last month, an application has been received to build 15 wind turbines at Stoke Lodge Farm, Stoke Goldington. Deidre Bethune said in her opinion MKC was in no position to consider this application at present because it does not have a current or adequate policy. Last month Jeremy Rawlings reported that the existing policy had not been updated for some time and MKC had been asked to update it to bring in line with national guidelines. In particular, there was no reference to consideration being given to the proximity of existing installations. There then followed a general discussion about the merits of wind power, in general. Colin Rodden said that he believed sustainable energy is required but wondered if data was available to support it. Deidre said the operating companies refused to publish data about the output of such installations, claiming that it was ‘commercially sensitive’, so it was impossible to know if they were efficient or not. Jeremy Rawlings said that when there is too much power in the grid it is easier to switch off wind turbines than coal fired power stations so the operators are paid to keep them stationary. Tony Evans said that the incentives to farmers to allow wind farms to be sited on their land were enormous so OTC needed to act quickly if they wanted to stop every farmer around having them. Alan Richardson said that if past experience was anything to go by, once an application was submitted there was nothing that OTC or anyone else could do to stop it. Steve Clark disagreed, saying that the Wind Farm at Petsoe End had been the first application submitted to MKC and that had only been passed by a narrow margin, so it was not a foregone conclusion. Although no formal vote was taken, an informal vote showed that the members were overwhelmingly against the proposal. Full details of the planning application, ref 11/01193/FULEIS can be found at http://publicaccess.milton-keynes.gov.uk/
Odds and sods
The newly acquired field next to the Charity Field has been sprayed and ploughed and needs to be seeded as soon as possible after the end of August. A number of quotes for seeding have been received and the council agreed to a local quote of £1800. At the moment it is just known as ‘the new field’, so if anyone has a suggestion for a better name please contact the Town Clerk, or send your suggestion to The Phonebox.
Mike Hughes said that a resident had reported human excrement at the top of the children’s slide on Johnson’s Field the previous Friday. He had personally attended with cleaning equipment and removed it, but the incident had been repeated the next day.
Rosemary Osbourne asked Debbie Brock what was happening about the provision of double yellow lines at the entrance to Chantry Rise, as turning right on to Weston Road was extremely dangerous. Debbie replied that the consultation had recently taken place as part of the process, which was ongoing.
Jeremy Rawlings reported that after 24 years of loyal service Cheryl Wilson’s position at the Youth Club had been ‘outsourced’ by MKC. The promised administrator was yet to appear though.
Steve Clark reported that as of that day Ousedale School had become an academy. Mercury assumes that The Phonebox’s invitation to the celebrations got lost in the post.
Tony Evan said that the grass banks on Driftway were a mess and asked that they be strimmed. In fact, all local landscaped areas that are the responsibility of MKC are in a similar state, he said.
Steve Clark said that the inaugural concert by the Olney Community Choir at the Parish Church had been incredibly well attended. Also, the inaugural concert of Olney Brass at the Carlton House Club had been a great success, with a specially commissioned piece of music ‘The One and Olney’ being played for the first time. In recognition of their support OTC had been presented with a framed copy of the music, which would be hung in the Olney Centre.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 5th September 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.
Olney Town Council Meeting July 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting of Monday 3rd July 2011
Public participation
Two members of the public wished to speak at this months’ meeting. The first was Ben Clark on behalf of the Allotment Society. Ben spoke about the damage caused to the allotments on the night of 16th/17th June, when 30 allotments and sheds had been vandalised. This was a perennial problem, he said, and noted that it was the third incident of this kind since he had been an allotment holder. He invited the council to join with him in condemning the attacks and to work with the police to identify the individuals concerned and look at options to prevent a repetition. Although policy dictates that this does not become a Q&A session, Mayor Steve Clark said that he could speak for all councillors in condemning the incident and it had been discussed at the last meeting of the Recreation and Services Committee, which Tony Evans would be reporting on later in the meeting.
The next person to speak was Elisa Shipton speaking on behalf of the residents of Dinglederry and Moores Hill who would be affected by the planning application to build three large detached houses in the rear gardens of 57 and 59 Moores Hill. She noted that Dinglederry residents had been notified by Milton Keynes Council (MKC) of the application but so far they had failed to advise residents of Moores Hill. Elisa expressed her concern that the applicant had persuaded MKC to sell part of the garden at number 57 which is still a council property and persuaded the owners of 59 to sell if planning permission is granted. Access to the houses would be via a narrow lane between the houses in Dinglederry which MKC owns the ransom strip to. In essence, she said, MKC will profit from the sale of the land to the developer if the developer gets planning permission from... MKC! Similar applications had been refused twice in the past and now there was additional reasons for refusal in that preservation orders now existed on the trees in Moores Hill and the Government has now classified rear gardens as greenbelt land as opposed to brownfield sites, in attempt to stop such ‘garden grabbing’. She invited Olney Town Council (OTC) to work on the residents’ behalf to ensure that the application is refused.
Co-option of members
Recent resignations from the council meant that there were now two vacancies and, there being no request from the electorate for an election, it fell to the council to fill the posts by co-option. Three applications had been received and each was invited to give a short presentation. The first to speak was Andrew Dooley, a company director and resident for 12 years. Andrew explained that his background is in managing complex international projects and is currently Supply Chain Director of a large agri-food business, as well as having responsibility for Risk, Sustainability and Procurement. He said that as his three year old son grows up he is
eager to do what he can to support Olney and maintain its unique feel, offering a safe and secure environment for all, young or old, in increasingly demanding times.
Next up was Rosemary Osbourne who has lived in the town for five years but explained that she had been a regular visitor since the 1970s. Rosemary currently runs her own Foodservice Consultancy company, having been a consultant since 1992 providing management advice to several sectors of the industry. Since moving to Olney Rosemary has become an active member of the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) and taken part in many Environmental Visual Audits. She said she felt that she is an approachable person who likes to listen and help, where possible, and wishes to keep Olney beautiful.
Last to speak was David Rumens, who was elected to OTC in 2008 and served for two years before having to resign due to ill health. Now that his health issues had been resolved David said he would welcome the opportunity of serving the town again as a member of the council. His experience in local government dates back to 1979 when he was elected to South Beds District Council and he has held many positions since. During his last stint on OTC he represented the council on a number of traffic management committees as he has a keen interest in resolving the enduring problem of high traffic volumes through Olney. He was also instrumental in the battle to keep Olney as a single ward, against the wishes of MKC who wanted to split it into three. He is currently a member of the NAG and when he picks up an issue he runs with it until it is sorted, he said.
A secret ballot then took place with Andrew Dooley and Rosemary Osbourne receiving the most votes and they were duly elected. Steve Clark thanked David Rumens for his interest and said that there would be another opportunity for him to return to the council, since Councillor Nigel Birrell had recently resigned.
Allotment damage
Tony Evans reported on the recent meeting of the Recs and Services committee to which the police had been invited to discuss the antisocial behaviour at the allotments He confirmed that 30 sheds had been broken into, but only nine incidents had been reported to the police. Various suggestions had been put forward, including covert surveillance (i.e. officers hiding in sheds to spot any trouble) and the use of infrared CCTV cameras. Mike Hughes once again emphasised the need for the public to report ALL incidents on the 0845 number. As far as the police were concerned, if it was not reported it didn’t happen, he said. Since the night in question there had been one further incident of damage, Tony said, although there was no suggestion that the individual involved was connected with the original attack. A week later the lock and chain on the allotment gate
had been broken and a car had been driven past the allotments onto the sports field, where the driver had proceeded to perform ‘doughnuts’ on the pitches. It was only due to the dry weather that the ground was firm and considerable damage was not caused to the surface, he said. The individual responsible had since been identified and the council is in the process of obtaining a Reparation Order against him. [For information: Wikipedia describes doughnutting as “a manoeuvre performed while driving a vehicle which entails rotating the rear or front of the vehicle around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion, creating (ideally) a circular skid-mark pattern of rubber on a roadway and possibly even cause the tyres to emit smoke from friction”].
Farmers Market advertising
Tony reported that James Evans had attended the Recs and Services meeting to request funding to advertise the Sunday Farmers’ market. The advertising would be in the form of:
a. Signs to be erected in surrounding villages, for which formal planning permission would be necessary
b. Regular adverts in The Phonebox to promote the Market
c. A full size banner for stall holders to erect on the day
d. Leaflets to be distributed on the day giving future dates and trader details.
Debbie Brock said she thought it would be a good idea to talk to the councils of those surrounding villages out of courtesy, and there would be costs involved in applying for planning permission. Deidre Bethune said that any advertising should refer to the Thursday Market and not just the Farmers’ Market. Tony agreed and proposed that council authorised the purchase of the banner, but Debbie Brock called a halt to the proceedings saying that Tony had an undeclared family interest and was leading the discussion. The Clerk had left the meeting at this stage to obtain some advertising costs and Mike Hughes said he was not comfortable progressing with the meeting until she returned and recommenced minuting proceedings. Tony replied that he was only relaying the discussion that took place at the Recs and Services meeting and had no financial interest in the Farmers’ market, apart from the fact that he had helped to set it up. In his ‘maiden speech’ Andrew Dooley said that the summer months are not good for retail, in general, and suggested that the council should decide on an overall budget now and follow up with research so that they could decide how to spend the budget at the September meeting. This met with general agreement so Mike Hughes proposed that a budget of £2000 be agreed to advertise the Thursday and Sunday Markets and resume the discussion next month, which was agreed by a majority.
Recreation ground sewage pipe
Alan Richardson reported that a camera inspection had revealed that the sewage pipe connecting the four sports club houses to the main in East Street had collapsed, which is why there is regularly an overflow when functions take place at the clubs, necessitating rodding by the council staff. The current pipe is four inches in diameter and runs roughly halfway up the side of the football pitch before connecting to a junction to run underneath adjacent gardens and buildings. Alan said he had met with contractors to discuss the options and they were:
1. Continue to rod as an when a blockage occurs
2. Install a new six inch pipe from the existing junction away from the properties to join the main sewer on East Street
3. Approach residents with adjacent property to discuss option to lay new pipe across their land to meet existing main junction
No estimates have yet been obtained, but Alan’s professional opinion was any replacement costs would be high. Deidre Bethune asked about the changes to legislation to make water companies responsible for more of the network. Alan agreed that there were changes ‘in the pipeline’ but said they would not be relevant in this case. Tony Evans thought it was a health issue which the council could so be called to task for.
Rugby Club Freehold
At the March meeting Chris Talbot, Treasurer of Olney Rugby Club had addressed the council and explained that the Club’s Management Committee has decided to proceed down a limited liability company route, splitting the Club into two parts: one to hold the assets and the other to run the activities and provide the facilities while maintaining the status required for gift aid. He asked if OTC would let the Club acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands in exchange for a suitable sum, thus giving it the freehold of both the clubhouse and the adjacent field. Tony Evans asked if there had been any progress on this matter. Jeremy Rawlings pointed out that only the Bowls Club, alone, currently owned its freehold and that particular piece of land had never been in OTC ownership. It was of no consequence for limited company status whether the land was freehold or leasehold, he said. Mike Hughes pointed out that there are 80
years left on the current lease and there would be little benefit to OTC in selling the land. Andrew Dooley observed that if it was agreed then the council would have to consider similar requests from the other sports clubs. Jeremy Rawlings proposed that the council maintain the status quo and retain ownership of the land, which caused a number of members to feel that they should declare an interest for personal or family reasons. In the end the vote went heavily in favour of Jeremy’s proposal, with one against and many abstentions.
Toilet Refurbishment
As reported at previous meetings, the council had decided to investigate the cost of refurbishing the public toilets on the Market Place and had set a working party to decide on a proposed layout and then Bill Bethune would prepare drawings and specifications to enable the work to go out to tender. Tony Evans reported that Nigel Birrell had put a lot of work into pulling the project together but due to an increase in costs and some required electrical work that had not been allocated in the original plan the total now exceeded the budget of £35K +10% contingency. As a result the Recs and Services Committee were recommending that the refurbishment did not go ahead at the present time, but the plans be kept for consideration in the future. Deidre Bethune disagreed and said that she thought the toilets were in a disgusting state , despairing of ever getting the matter resolved and as a member of the Chamber of Trade felt that they were presenting a bad image of Olney. There is a limited window in which the refurbishment can go ahead, she said, with such events as the Big Olney Food Festival, Dickens of a Christmas and Pancake Race through out the year. Debbie Brock suggested that perhaps there should be a public consultation and Mike Hughes wondered if the overwhelming opinion might be that the money could be better spent elsewhere. Deidre proposed that the council do not accept the recommendation of the Recs and Services Committee to put the scheme on hold and to press ahead with getting detailed costs and discuss again next month. Tony Evans and Alan Richardson expressed their deep dissatisfaction that the subcommittee had been created to investigate but their recommendation was now being rejected and the matter was being discussed in its entirety by the full council.
Mercury noted from the minutes of the Recs and Services meeting that only 6 out of a possible 12 councillors were actually present at the meeting where the vote had been taken.
Planning application
An application has been received for the building of a two storey, three bedroom house at the rear of 32 West Street in the grounds of Orchard House. Deidre Bethune was concerned that the building would be higher than the existing Coach House and felt that OTC should be against further piecemeal development in the grounds of Orchard House, which is Grade II* listed. Jeremy Rawlings noted that the properties either side of Orchard House had been subject to infill in their gardens but agreed that the importance of Orchard House together with recent government policy against such infill meant that OTC should not be in favour of the scheme. Steve Clark said he detected a general feeling of discomfort with the application in terms of size and access and asked if OTC should write to the MKC planning authority objecting. Mike Hughes said he was not comfortable with this, since OTC seemed to have had a negative attitude to any development on the site, referring to their objection to the conversion of Orchard House to a Bijou Hotel a few years ago. He would prefer OTC to say that it had no comment. Eventually a decision was made to write to MKC, not objecting but expressing concern about the infill, that the plans were not in context with the surrounding buildings and that due consideration be given to safe access. Full details of the application, ref 11/01238, can be found at http://publicaccess.milton-keynes.gov.uk/
MKC wind turbine policy
Jeremy Rawlings reported that the existing policy had not been updated for some time and MKC had been asked to update it to bring in line with national guidelines. In particular, there was no reference to consideration being given to the proximity of existing installations and bearing in mind that on that very day an application had been received for 18 turbines at Stoke Goldington it was a potentially serious omission.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 1st August 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting of Monday 3rd July 2011
Public participation
Two members of the public wished to speak at this months’ meeting. The first was Ben Clark on behalf of the Allotment Society. Ben spoke about the damage caused to the allotments on the night of 16th/17th June, when 30 allotments and sheds had been vandalised. This was a perennial problem, he said, and noted that it was the third incident of this kind since he had been an allotment holder. He invited the council to join with him in condemning the attacks and to work with the police to identify the individuals concerned and look at options to prevent a repetition. Although policy dictates that this does not become a Q&A session, Mayor Steve Clark said that he could speak for all councillors in condemning the incident and it had been discussed at the last meeting of the Recreation and Services Committee, which Tony Evans would be reporting on later in the meeting.
The next person to speak was Elisa Shipton speaking on behalf of the residents of Dinglederry and Moores Hill who would be affected by the planning application to build three large detached houses in the rear gardens of 57 and 59 Moores Hill. She noted that Dinglederry residents had been notified by Milton Keynes Council (MKC) of the application but so far they had failed to advise residents of Moores Hill. Elisa expressed her concern that the applicant had persuaded MKC to sell part of the garden at number 57 which is still a council property and persuaded the owners of 59 to sell if planning permission is granted. Access to the houses would be via a narrow lane between the houses in Dinglederry which MKC owns the ransom strip to. In essence, she said, MKC will profit from the sale of the land to the developer if the developer gets planning permission from... MKC! Similar applications had been refused twice in the past and now there was additional reasons for refusal in that preservation orders now existed on the trees in Moores Hill and the Government has now classified rear gardens as greenbelt land as opposed to brownfield sites, in attempt to stop such ‘garden grabbing’. She invited Olney Town Council (OTC) to work on the residents’ behalf to ensure that the application is refused.
Co-option of members
Recent resignations from the council meant that there were now two vacancies and, there being no request from the electorate for an election, it fell to the council to fill the posts by co-option. Three applications had been received and each was invited to give a short presentation. The first to speak was Andrew Dooley, a company director and resident for 12 years. Andrew explained that his background is in managing complex international projects and is currently Supply Chain Director of a large agri-food business, as well as having responsibility for Risk, Sustainability and Procurement. He said that as his three year old son grows up he is
eager to do what he can to support Olney and maintain its unique feel, offering a safe and secure environment for all, young or old, in increasingly demanding times.
Next up was Rosemary Osbourne who has lived in the town for five years but explained that she had been a regular visitor since the 1970s. Rosemary currently runs her own Foodservice Consultancy company, having been a consultant since 1992 providing management advice to several sectors of the industry. Since moving to Olney Rosemary has become an active member of the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) and taken part in many Environmental Visual Audits. She said she felt that she is an approachable person who likes to listen and help, where possible, and wishes to keep Olney beautiful.
Last to speak was David Rumens, who was elected to OTC in 2008 and served for two years before having to resign due to ill health. Now that his health issues had been resolved David said he would welcome the opportunity of serving the town again as a member of the council. His experience in local government dates back to 1979 when he was elected to South Beds District Council and he has held many positions since. During his last stint on OTC he represented the council on a number of traffic management committees as he has a keen interest in resolving the enduring problem of high traffic volumes through Olney. He was also instrumental in the battle to keep Olney as a single ward, against the wishes of MKC who wanted to split it into three. He is currently a member of the NAG and when he picks up an issue he runs with it until it is sorted, he said.
A secret ballot then took place with Andrew Dooley and Rosemary Osbourne receiving the most votes and they were duly elected. Steve Clark thanked David Rumens for his interest and said that there would be another opportunity for him to return to the council, since Councillor Nigel Birrell had recently resigned.
Allotment damage
Tony Evans reported on the recent meeting of the Recs and Services committee to which the police had been invited to discuss the antisocial behaviour at the allotments He confirmed that 30 sheds had been broken into, but only nine incidents had been reported to the police. Various suggestions had been put forward, including covert surveillance (i.e. officers hiding in sheds to spot any trouble) and the use of infrared CCTV cameras. Mike Hughes once again emphasised the need for the public to report ALL incidents on the 0845 number. As far as the police were concerned, if it was not reported it didn’t happen, he said. Since the night in question there had been one further incident of damage, Tony said, although there was no suggestion that the individual involved was connected with the original attack. A week later the lock and chain on the allotment gate
had been broken and a car had been driven past the allotments onto the sports field, where the driver had proceeded to perform ‘doughnuts’ on the pitches. It was only due to the dry weather that the ground was firm and considerable damage was not caused to the surface, he said. The individual responsible had since been identified and the council is in the process of obtaining a Reparation Order against him. [For information: Wikipedia describes doughnutting as “a manoeuvre performed while driving a vehicle which entails rotating the rear or front of the vehicle around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion, creating (ideally) a circular skid-mark pattern of rubber on a roadway and possibly even cause the tyres to emit smoke from friction”].
Farmers Market advertising
Tony reported that James Evans had attended the Recs and Services meeting to request funding to advertise the Sunday Farmers’ market. The advertising would be in the form of:
a. Signs to be erected in surrounding villages, for which formal planning permission would be necessary
b. Regular adverts in The Phonebox to promote the Market
c. A full size banner for stall holders to erect on the day
d. Leaflets to be distributed on the day giving future dates and trader details.
Debbie Brock said she thought it would be a good idea to talk to the councils of those surrounding villages out of courtesy, and there would be costs involved in applying for planning permission. Deidre Bethune said that any advertising should refer to the Thursday Market and not just the Farmers’ Market. Tony agreed and proposed that council authorised the purchase of the banner, but Debbie Brock called a halt to the proceedings saying that Tony had an undeclared family interest and was leading the discussion. The Clerk had left the meeting at this stage to obtain some advertising costs and Mike Hughes said he was not comfortable progressing with the meeting until she returned and recommenced minuting proceedings. Tony replied that he was only relaying the discussion that took place at the Recs and Services meeting and had no financial interest in the Farmers’ market, apart from the fact that he had helped to set it up. In his ‘maiden speech’ Andrew Dooley said that the summer months are not good for retail, in general, and suggested that the council should decide on an overall budget now and follow up with research so that they could decide how to spend the budget at the September meeting. This met with general agreement so Mike Hughes proposed that a budget of £2000 be agreed to advertise the Thursday and Sunday Markets and resume the discussion next month, which was agreed by a majority.
Recreation ground sewage pipe
Alan Richardson reported that a camera inspection had revealed that the sewage pipe connecting the four sports club houses to the main in East Street had collapsed, which is why there is regularly an overflow when functions take place at the clubs, necessitating rodding by the council staff. The current pipe is four inches in diameter and runs roughly halfway up the side of the football pitch before connecting to a junction to run underneath adjacent gardens and buildings. Alan said he had met with contractors to discuss the options and they were:
1. Continue to rod as an when a blockage occurs
2. Install a new six inch pipe from the existing junction away from the properties to join the main sewer on East Street
3. Approach residents with adjacent property to discuss option to lay new pipe across their land to meet existing main junction
No estimates have yet been obtained, but Alan’s professional opinion was any replacement costs would be high. Deidre Bethune asked about the changes to legislation to make water companies responsible for more of the network. Alan agreed that there were changes ‘in the pipeline’ but said they would not be relevant in this case. Tony Evans thought it was a health issue which the council could so be called to task for.
Rugby Club Freehold
At the March meeting Chris Talbot, Treasurer of Olney Rugby Club had addressed the council and explained that the Club’s Management Committee has decided to proceed down a limited liability company route, splitting the Club into two parts: one to hold the assets and the other to run the activities and provide the facilities while maintaining the status required for gift aid. He asked if OTC would let the Club acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands in exchange for a suitable sum, thus giving it the freehold of both the clubhouse and the adjacent field. Tony Evans asked if there had been any progress on this matter. Jeremy Rawlings pointed out that only the Bowls Club, alone, currently owned its freehold and that particular piece of land had never been in OTC ownership. It was of no consequence for limited company status whether the land was freehold or leasehold, he said. Mike Hughes pointed out that there are 80
years left on the current lease and there would be little benefit to OTC in selling the land. Andrew Dooley observed that if it was agreed then the council would have to consider similar requests from the other sports clubs. Jeremy Rawlings proposed that the council maintain the status quo and retain ownership of the land, which caused a number of members to feel that they should declare an interest for personal or family reasons. In the end the vote went heavily in favour of Jeremy’s proposal, with one against and many abstentions.
Toilet Refurbishment
As reported at previous meetings, the council had decided to investigate the cost of refurbishing the public toilets on the Market Place and had set a working party to decide on a proposed layout and then Bill Bethune would prepare drawings and specifications to enable the work to go out to tender. Tony Evans reported that Nigel Birrell had put a lot of work into pulling the project together but due to an increase in costs and some required electrical work that had not been allocated in the original plan the total now exceeded the budget of £35K +10% contingency. As a result the Recs and Services Committee were recommending that the refurbishment did not go ahead at the present time, but the plans be kept for consideration in the future. Deidre Bethune disagreed and said that she thought the toilets were in a disgusting state , despairing of ever getting the matter resolved and as a member of the Chamber of Trade felt that they were presenting a bad image of Olney. There is a limited window in which the refurbishment can go ahead, she said, with such events as the Big Olney Food Festival, Dickens of a Christmas and Pancake Race through out the year. Debbie Brock suggested that perhaps there should be a public consultation and Mike Hughes wondered if the overwhelming opinion might be that the money could be better spent elsewhere. Deidre proposed that the council do not accept the recommendation of the Recs and Services Committee to put the scheme on hold and to press ahead with getting detailed costs and discuss again next month. Tony Evans and Alan Richardson expressed their deep dissatisfaction that the subcommittee had been created to investigate but their recommendation was now being rejected and the matter was being discussed in its entirety by the full council.
Mercury noted from the minutes of the Recs and Services meeting that only 6 out of a possible 12 councillors were actually present at the meeting where the vote had been taken.
Planning application
An application has been received for the building of a two storey, three bedroom house at the rear of 32 West Street in the grounds of Orchard House. Deidre Bethune was concerned that the building would be higher than the existing Coach House and felt that OTC should be against further piecemeal development in the grounds of Orchard House, which is Grade II* listed. Jeremy Rawlings noted that the properties either side of Orchard House had been subject to infill in their gardens but agreed that the importance of Orchard House together with recent government policy against such infill meant that OTC should not be in favour of the scheme. Steve Clark said he detected a general feeling of discomfort with the application in terms of size and access and asked if OTC should write to the MKC planning authority objecting. Mike Hughes said he was not comfortable with this, since OTC seemed to have had a negative attitude to any development on the site, referring to their objection to the conversion of Orchard House to a Bijou Hotel a few years ago. He would prefer OTC to say that it had no comment. Eventually a decision was made to write to MKC, not objecting but expressing concern about the infill, that the plans were not in context with the surrounding buildings and that due consideration be given to safe access. Full details of the application, ref 11/01238, can be found at http://publicaccess.milton-keynes.gov.uk/
MKC wind turbine policy
Jeremy Rawlings reported that the existing policy had not been updated for some time and MKC had been asked to update it to bring in line with national guidelines. In particular, there was no reference to consideration being given to the proximity of existing installations and bearing in mind that on that very day an application had been received for 18 turbines at Stoke Goldington it was a potentially serious omission.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 1st August 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.
Olney Town Council Meeting June 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Ex-tree
As noted in previous Mercury reports, a tree close to 6 Conygere has been threatening to undermine the house’s foundations. The tree, adjacent to a footpath in the Cemetery, was removed on Friday 3rd June.
Community First Responders
Christopher Nicholls, representing the South Central Ambulance Trust, had applied to Olney Town Council (OTC) for approximately £3,000 funding to keep the medical equipment required for the Community First Responder (CFR) role in Olney and to help fund training for him and any new Responders.
Steve Clark explained that the Finance Committee had been minded to accept the application, but thought it best that more information be presented to full Council before the decision was made. Christopher works as a CFR in Olney and gave a presentation on this voluntary role and what it entails. When someone suffers from a heart attack, if a series of events called the ‘Chain of Survival’ takes place, the victim has a measurably greater chance of surviving.
The Chain includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, both of which the CFR is trained and equipped to deal with. When a 999 call is received and an ambulance is dispatched, a CFR is also called to attend if available. Given that the Responder is likely to be geographically closer to the patient, he may well get there first.
The Chain of Survival relies on early medical attention – hence the proven benefit of the CFRs. Christopher has attended around 250 calls since becoming a CFR in Olney. Responders drive their own vehicles, which must be insured for business use, and must drive in accordance with the Highway Code. The equipment used for the role includes an oxygen cylinder and an Automated External Defibrillator.
He’s currently the only CFR in Olney and is keen for others to volunteer for the role. If you’d like more information or to volunteer as a local CFR, contact Chris by phone on 01234 714275 or 07970 92348.
Councillors admired Christopher’s commitment and approved the application for funding.
End of year accounts
The figures presented at the Town Meeting for the end of year accounts have now been audited. The Council approved them, though Tony Evans suggested that, having effectively lost £45,000 this year and £22,000 last, Councillors work out how to cut spending. Note that, although different from the figures reported from the Town Meeting, the two sets do in fact agree quite well.
At the Town Meeting, the loss was reported as £169,000 this year and £22,000 last, but this year’s figure was worsened by the atypical £125,000 expenditure on land capital during the period. Planning The Bull Inn had submitted a planning application for internal alterations to provide five letting bedrooms which, if approved, would result in it once again offering hotel facilities.
Councillors were very much in favour of this application and gave it their strong support.
Bits ‘n’ bobs
The Council is currently two members down and, with two expressions of interest so far, plans to co-opt the new members in its 4th July meeting.
Olney Brass is holding a concert on Friday 15th July at the Carlton House Club. Surf to www.olneybrass.co.uk for details.
Youth Centre
In something of a mixed bag, Jeremy Rawlings reported that, due to cutbacks, there was some uncertainty concerning how the Youth Centre building will be managed from the end of July.
On a more positive note, Steve Clark reported that the OTC funded Junior Club on the first and third Monday nights in each month had been phenomenally successful, regularly attracting 50 children. The Youth Centre thanked OTC very much for its support.
Hanging baskets
Ron Bull who, as well as being a Councillor, also organises the sponsored hanging baskets around the town, reported that they were looking good and thanked the various people who helped put them up at the end of May.
Driftway
Tony Evans had been down on his hands and knees investigating the ground on the Driftway verges. He reported that Milton Keynes Council (MKC) had done a good job with the topsoil and grass seeding and that, even with the driest Spring in 100 years, there was actually some grass growing.
The weather had been wetter recently and he hoped that, if we continued to get a bit of rain, the grass would keep growing. However, he felt that OTC should arrange a meeting with Rob Ward from MKC to make a contingency plan in case it doesn’t grow.
He also noted that it’d be worth MKC tidying up some of the taller weed growth with a strimmer. The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 4th 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, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Olney Council Meeting of Monday 6th June 2011
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Ex-tree
As noted in previous Mercury reports, a tree close to 6 Conygere has been threatening to undermine the house’s foundations. The tree, adjacent to a footpath in the Cemetery, was removed on Friday 3rd June.
Community First Responders
Christopher Nicholls, representing the South Central Ambulance Trust, had applied to Olney Town Council (OTC) for approximately £3,000 funding to keep the medical equipment required for the Community First Responder (CFR) role in Olney and to help fund training for him and any new Responders.
Steve Clark explained that the Finance Committee had been minded to accept the application, but thought it best that more information be presented to full Council before the decision was made. Christopher works as a CFR in Olney and gave a presentation on this voluntary role and what it entails. When someone suffers from a heart attack, if a series of events called the ‘Chain of Survival’ takes place, the victim has a measurably greater chance of surviving.
The Chain includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, both of which the CFR is trained and equipped to deal with. When a 999 call is received and an ambulance is dispatched, a CFR is also called to attend if available. Given that the Responder is likely to be geographically closer to the patient, he may well get there first.
The Chain of Survival relies on early medical attention – hence the proven benefit of the CFRs. Christopher has attended around 250 calls since becoming a CFR in Olney. Responders drive their own vehicles, which must be insured for business use, and must drive in accordance with the Highway Code. The equipment used for the role includes an oxygen cylinder and an Automated External Defibrillator.
He’s currently the only CFR in Olney and is keen for others to volunteer for the role. If you’d like more information or to volunteer as a local CFR, contact Chris by phone on 01234 714275 or 07970 92348.
Councillors admired Christopher’s commitment and approved the application for funding.
End of year accounts
The figures presented at the Town Meeting for the end of year accounts have now been audited. The Council approved them, though Tony Evans suggested that, having effectively lost £45,000 this year and £22,000 last, Councillors work out how to cut spending. Note that, although different from the figures reported from the Town Meeting, the two sets do in fact agree quite well.
At the Town Meeting, the loss was reported as £169,000 this year and £22,000 last, but this year’s figure was worsened by the atypical £125,000 expenditure on land capital during the period. Planning The Bull Inn had submitted a planning application for internal alterations to provide five letting bedrooms which, if approved, would result in it once again offering hotel facilities.
Councillors were very much in favour of this application and gave it their strong support.
Bits ‘n’ bobs
The Council is currently two members down and, with two expressions of interest so far, plans to co-opt the new members in its 4th July meeting.
Olney Brass is holding a concert on Friday 15th July at the Carlton House Club. Surf to www.olneybrass.co.uk for details.
Youth Centre
In something of a mixed bag, Jeremy Rawlings reported that, due to cutbacks, there was some uncertainty concerning how the Youth Centre building will be managed from the end of July.
On a more positive note, Steve Clark reported that the OTC funded Junior Club on the first and third Monday nights in each month had been phenomenally successful, regularly attracting 50 children. The Youth Centre thanked OTC very much for its support.
Hanging baskets
Ron Bull who, as well as being a Councillor, also organises the sponsored hanging baskets around the town, reported that they were looking good and thanked the various people who helped put them up at the end of May.
Driftway
Tony Evans had been down on his hands and knees investigating the ground on the Driftway verges. He reported that Milton Keynes Council (MKC) had done a good job with the topsoil and grass seeding and that, even with the driest Spring in 100 years, there was actually some grass growing.
The weather had been wetter recently and he hoped that, if we continued to get a bit of rain, the grass would keep growing. However, he felt that OTC should arrange a meeting with Rob Ward from MKC to make a contingency plan in case it doesn’t grow.
He also noted that it’d be worth MKC tidying up some of the taller weed growth with a strimmer. The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 4th 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, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.
Olney Town Council Meeting May 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting on Monday May 2011
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Election of Mayor & Deputy
The May meeting of Olney Town Council (OTC) is where traditionally the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chairs of sub- committees are elected. Mike Hughes announced that, having served two years as Mayor, he would not be seeking another term which meant an election would be necessary. Deidre Bethune nominated existing Deputy Mayor Steve Clark and, there being no other nominations, Steve was elected unopposed on a show of hands. Mike thanked the council for allowing him the privilege of being Mayor and said his term had been “an absolute joy”. Steve then took the chain of office and chaired the remainder of the meeting. He thanked Mike for his work as Mayor and said he would be a hard act to follow, having carried out the role with dignity. Business then moved on to the election of a Deputy Mayor and Steve Clark nominated Jeremy Rawlings. There being no other nominees, Jeremy was also elected unopposed on a show of hands.
Sub-committees
The members of the sub-committees were elected en bloc. The chairs were then elected as follows:
G Recreation and Services
Management of open spaces, Cemetery, Allotments, Recreation Ground, Market Place and Flower Beds
Chair – Tony Evans (for the 26th consecutive year!)
G Planning Liaison
To discuss planning applications and comment to Milton Keynes Council as appropriate
Chair – Steve Clark G Olney Centre Management
Maintenance and management of The Olney Centre
Chair – Alan Richardson G Finance
Financial issues and budgetary planning
Chair – Deidre Bethune G Dickens of a Christmas
Organisation of the annual event
Chair – Jeremy Rawlings.
Tony Evans was elected ‘stand-in’ chair of the Personnel committee, pending a proposed amendment to the Standing Orders.
Adoption/amendment of Standing Orders
The Council's Standing Orders are a key component of how the Council conducts its business and regulate how business is carried out at committee meetings. Any changes to Standing Orders for the coming year are usually made at the May meeting. A proposed mid-term change to the order which governs the make up of the Personnel Committee has been the subject of some controversy, recently. In February, Della Cheal stepped down from being Chair of the Personnel Committee. Colin Rodden had been selected for the post and then immediately deselected on a point of order. The issue was that he wasn’t a Committee Chair, Standing Order 16 stating that the ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees but to include one female Councillor if possible’. At the March meeting the council proposed amending this rule but John Sharp had objected and publicly resigned in protest. At this month’s meeting Ron Bull suggested that perhaps the wording should be amended to say ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from at least one member of each sub-committee, but not necessarily the Chairman, and to include one female Councillor if possible.’ This prompted considerable discussion, with John Boardman agreeing that it should not be necessary for the Personnel Committee to comprise Chairs, or even members, of other committees. It was up to the council to choose whoever was best qualified to do the job, he said. Jeremy Rawlings thought that it was time to step back and decide what the purpose of the committee was. In his view it was the management of hiring, firing, grievance and discipline. Did they have to hold regular meetings, he asked? If there were no current issues then why have a committee, since the council did not do a great deal of hiring or firing. Nigel Birrell suggested a floating committee made up of members nominated by the Mayor. Ron Bull said he was happy with the various suggestions but pointed out that matters were right back where they started since Colin Rodden, an HR Consultant by profession and the council’s preferred choice for Chair, was not actually on any other committees. Colin was hurriedly elected to the Finance Committee and the agenda item closed, there being no other changes to the Standing Orders.
Finance
The council voted unanimously to give a grant to Olney Brass (previously
Stantonbury Brass) of £9000 for the purchase of instruments and uniforms. This will be allocated from the ‘Olney Town Council Community Fund’, previously known as the ‘Sidney Dix Fund’. Deidre Bethune explained that the original fund had been set up with a bequest from the late Sidney Dix to be used for recreational purposes. Over the years the town’s sports clubs had been given money to assist with capital projects, but the original fund had exhausted so the council had created the ‘New Sidney Dix Fund’, which was now being renamed.
Planning Applications
Olney Town Council is not a planning authority but is consulted about any applications in the parish by Milton Keynes Council (MKC). There have been two applications received which are within the conservation area and will be discussed by the Planning Liaison committee. There has also been an application to demolish the building previously occupied by Hewden Hire on Yardley Road and replace it with six smaller industrial units. Councillors noted that included in the plans was a proposal to move the entrance to the site closer to the remnants of the railway bridge, which forms a narrow bend. Tony Evans said the council should oppose anything that makes the already dangerous road any worse. The Clerk will write expressing the council’s concern that it would create safety issues as there would be limited visibility for drivers exiting the site and seeking assurance from MKC Highways Officers that satisfactory access will be provided. For information, full details of this and all other planning applications can be found at http://publicaccess.milton- keynes.gov.uk/default.aspx A letter had been received from MKC regarding the disposal of some surplus land it owns off Lavendon Road, Olney. Steve Clark explained that it is outside of the development envelope so there is no immediate danger of a major supermarket chain buying it as land bank, for example. Jeremy Rawlings thought that OTC should at least express an interest in case they considered buying it themselves. Tony Evans expressed concern that the authority selling the land was also the one that could grant planning permission, therefore increasing its value substantially. Steve Clark recognised his concern noting that if the land suddenly got planning permission it could be worth perhaps 100 times more, but said that during his time as an MKC councillor serving on the Planning Committee he had never witnessed such a conflict of interest. He suggested that OTC note their interest and state that they would not expect to see the land sold to a developer.
Whirly Pit
As reported at an earlier meeting, fishy goings on at the Whirly Pit at the north end of the town are causing something of a ‘stink’. Many of the fish have died and been left floating on the surface where they decompose resulting in the aforementioned bad odours, exacerbated by the recent spell of hot weather. Investigations into the cause have not yielded any results and MKC, as the owners, have neglected to remove the dead fish. Della Cheal reported that children of Olney Middle School were concerned about the state of the wildlife in general in and around the pond and had asked her why ‘the council’ were not sorting it out. Mike Hughes reminded members that OTC had approached MKC about cleaning out the pond when the fish first started to die and had also made enquiries about buying it and taking ownership for a nominal sum. These enquiries were continuing, he said, but there were Health and Safety issues around ongoing maintenance by OTC’s own staff. In the meantime the children should be told that their councillors are doing all they can to resolve the issue, he said.
Council Vacancies
With the recent resignations of Dave Price and John Sharp, two vacancies exist on the council. Any resident interested in serving as a member of Olney Town Council should contact the Town Clerk at the Olney Centre on 01234 711679.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 6th June 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Council Meeting on Monday May 2011
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Election of Mayor & Deputy
The May meeting of Olney Town Council (OTC) is where traditionally the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chairs of sub- committees are elected. Mike Hughes announced that, having served two years as Mayor, he would not be seeking another term which meant an election would be necessary. Deidre Bethune nominated existing Deputy Mayor Steve Clark and, there being no other nominations, Steve was elected unopposed on a show of hands. Mike thanked the council for allowing him the privilege of being Mayor and said his term had been “an absolute joy”. Steve then took the chain of office and chaired the remainder of the meeting. He thanked Mike for his work as Mayor and said he would be a hard act to follow, having carried out the role with dignity. Business then moved on to the election of a Deputy Mayor and Steve Clark nominated Jeremy Rawlings. There being no other nominees, Jeremy was also elected unopposed on a show of hands.
Sub-committees
The members of the sub-committees were elected en bloc. The chairs were then elected as follows:
G Recreation and Services
Management of open spaces, Cemetery, Allotments, Recreation Ground, Market Place and Flower Beds
Chair – Tony Evans (for the 26th consecutive year!)
G Planning Liaison
To discuss planning applications and comment to Milton Keynes Council as appropriate
Chair – Steve Clark G Olney Centre Management
Maintenance and management of The Olney Centre
Chair – Alan Richardson G Finance
Financial issues and budgetary planning
Chair – Deidre Bethune G Dickens of a Christmas
Organisation of the annual event
Chair – Jeremy Rawlings.
Tony Evans was elected ‘stand-in’ chair of the Personnel committee, pending a proposed amendment to the Standing Orders.
Adoption/amendment of Standing Orders
The Council's Standing Orders are a key component of how the Council conducts its business and regulate how business is carried out at committee meetings. Any changes to Standing Orders for the coming year are usually made at the May meeting. A proposed mid-term change to the order which governs the make up of the Personnel Committee has been the subject of some controversy, recently. In February, Della Cheal stepped down from being Chair of the Personnel Committee. Colin Rodden had been selected for the post and then immediately deselected on a point of order. The issue was that he wasn’t a Committee Chair, Standing Order 16 stating that the ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees but to include one female Councillor if possible’. At the March meeting the council proposed amending this rule but John Sharp had objected and publicly resigned in protest. At this month’s meeting Ron Bull suggested that perhaps the wording should be amended to say ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from at least one member of each sub-committee, but not necessarily the Chairman, and to include one female Councillor if possible.’ This prompted considerable discussion, with John Boardman agreeing that it should not be necessary for the Personnel Committee to comprise Chairs, or even members, of other committees. It was up to the council to choose whoever was best qualified to do the job, he said. Jeremy Rawlings thought that it was time to step back and decide what the purpose of the committee was. In his view it was the management of hiring, firing, grievance and discipline. Did they have to hold regular meetings, he asked? If there were no current issues then why have a committee, since the council did not do a great deal of hiring or firing. Nigel Birrell suggested a floating committee made up of members nominated by the Mayor. Ron Bull said he was happy with the various suggestions but pointed out that matters were right back where they started since Colin Rodden, an HR Consultant by profession and the council’s preferred choice for Chair, was not actually on any other committees. Colin was hurriedly elected to the Finance Committee and the agenda item closed, there being no other changes to the Standing Orders.
Finance
The council voted unanimously to give a grant to Olney Brass (previously
Stantonbury Brass) of £9000 for the purchase of instruments and uniforms. This will be allocated from the ‘Olney Town Council Community Fund’, previously known as the ‘Sidney Dix Fund’. Deidre Bethune explained that the original fund had been set up with a bequest from the late Sidney Dix to be used for recreational purposes. Over the years the town’s sports clubs had been given money to assist with capital projects, but the original fund had exhausted so the council had created the ‘New Sidney Dix Fund’, which was now being renamed.
Planning Applications
Olney Town Council is not a planning authority but is consulted about any applications in the parish by Milton Keynes Council (MKC). There have been two applications received which are within the conservation area and will be discussed by the Planning Liaison committee. There has also been an application to demolish the building previously occupied by Hewden Hire on Yardley Road and replace it with six smaller industrial units. Councillors noted that included in the plans was a proposal to move the entrance to the site closer to the remnants of the railway bridge, which forms a narrow bend. Tony Evans said the council should oppose anything that makes the already dangerous road any worse. The Clerk will write expressing the council’s concern that it would create safety issues as there would be limited visibility for drivers exiting the site and seeking assurance from MKC Highways Officers that satisfactory access will be provided. For information, full details of this and all other planning applications can be found at http://publicaccess.milton- keynes.gov.uk/default.aspx A letter had been received from MKC regarding the disposal of some surplus land it owns off Lavendon Road, Olney. Steve Clark explained that it is outside of the development envelope so there is no immediate danger of a major supermarket chain buying it as land bank, for example. Jeremy Rawlings thought that OTC should at least express an interest in case they considered buying it themselves. Tony Evans expressed concern that the authority selling the land was also the one that could grant planning permission, therefore increasing its value substantially. Steve Clark recognised his concern noting that if the land suddenly got planning permission it could be worth perhaps 100 times more, but said that during his time as an MKC councillor serving on the Planning Committee he had never witnessed such a conflict of interest. He suggested that OTC note their interest and state that they would not expect to see the land sold to a developer.
Whirly Pit
As reported at an earlier meeting, fishy goings on at the Whirly Pit at the north end of the town are causing something of a ‘stink’. Many of the fish have died and been left floating on the surface where they decompose resulting in the aforementioned bad odours, exacerbated by the recent spell of hot weather. Investigations into the cause have not yielded any results and MKC, as the owners, have neglected to remove the dead fish. Della Cheal reported that children of Olney Middle School were concerned about the state of the wildlife in general in and around the pond and had asked her why ‘the council’ were not sorting it out. Mike Hughes reminded members that OTC had approached MKC about cleaning out the pond when the fish first started to die and had also made enquiries about buying it and taking ownership for a nominal sum. These enquiries were continuing, he said, but there were Health and Safety issues around ongoing maintenance by OTC’s own staff. In the meantime the children should be told that their councillors are doing all they can to resolve the issue, he said.
Council Vacancies
With the recent resignations of Dave Price and John Sharp, two vacancies exist on the council. Any resident interested in serving as a member of Olney Town Council should contact the Town Clerk at the Olney Centre on 01234 711679.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 6th June 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.
Olney Town Council Meeting April 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 4th April 2011
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Land Purchase
Mayor Mike Hughes announced that the council had completed the purchase of a piece of land although no details of the land or the purchase price were provided. Subsequent enquiries by Mercury revealed that it comprises seven acres of land to the south of the Charity Field used by the Football and Rugby Clubs and the aim is to use this for casual recreational use with no formal pitch markings. It is not known when it will be available for public use or what preparation needs to be done, apart from providing an entrance via the Charity Field.
Conygere tree
Mike Hughes reported that following the solicitor’s letter received on the subject of the tree adjacent to 6 Conygere, the council’s solicitor has responding pointing out “the error of their ways”. No response had been received as of yet, he said.
Fly the flag
The existing flagpole on the front of the Olney Centre is no longer serviceable and needs to be repaired or replaced. One of the options being considered is to replace it with a new lightweight freestanding pole concreted into the centre of the garden circular planting area, at a cost of approximately £600. Jeremy Rawlings asked why it was necessary to have a flagpole at the Olney Centre when there are already two on the Market Place, but Tony Evans pointed out that they are managed by the British Legion. Tony said that in his opinion if the centre was to have a flagpole then it was important for the council to ‘fly the flag’. Mike Hughes said he would like to see the flag flown on special occasions, such as Veteran’s Day and the forthcoming royal wedding. One member suggested that perhaps it should be flown when the Clerk, Gill Edmondson was ‘in residence’!
Planning Applications
Olney Town Council is not a planning authority but is consulted about any applications in the parish by Milton Keynes Council. An application has been made for the erection of two 2 bedroom premises at 8 Berrells Court. Steve Clark said that he saw no reason to object to the plans but that there were already issues with the access to Berrells Court from East Street and the council should ask for that to be taken into consideration when MKC consider the application. Deidre Bethune thought it sad that in his pre-application advice the MKC planning officer had found it necessary to comment on the standard of the existing
buildings, since the planning authority had passed the plans for their erection in the first place. For information, the officer’s actual comment was: “Given a situation where so much has already been given away to developers there is now little left that would amount to a sound basis for discouraging the proposals in this location on conservation grounds. One might argue that the general design of the proposed pair of houses has no discernible regard for context other than aping the general appearance of the existing poorly scaled and detailed terraced dwellings and hence further exacerbating the disintegration of local character, I suppose. As for context, the wider burgage plot form is still respected and some cluttering remnants of ramshackle sheds / garages that are of no discernible interest would be lost.” For information, full details of this and all other planning applications can be found at http://publicaccess.milton- keynes.gov.uk/default.aspx
Driftway
Last month Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, attended the council meeting to give an update on the landscaping plans for the banks of Driftway. This ended with Rob saying that the work was to be done ‘in weeks’ and certainly before the end of April. Tony Evans said he was pleased to report that within days of that meeting the bank surfaces had been scraped and topsoil and seed applied. Tony suggested that the council write to Rob and thank him for his prompt action. However, pressure would need to be maintained to ensure the success of the scheme he said.
Market costs (continued)
As reported last month, the council hires a skip and cleaning service to complete tidying up after the Thursday Market stallholders have left. This costs £322 per week which represents 44% of each stall’s weekly rent. As the skip doesn’t get particularly full, the Council discussed whether it and the cleaning service provided were worth continuing with. The discussion resumed this month with Tony Evans explaining that the skip would never be filled to more than half capacity, since it was delivered containing the sweeping machine which drove out at the end of the day to clear up the rubbish. As a result, the Market Place was always left clean and tidy and without this service the obligation would then rest with the stallholders to sweep up. Jeremy Rawlings asked if the stallholders had been asked if they would prefer to keep the skip and cleaner or have a rent reduction, although many felt that they
would always opt for a rent reduction regardless of the consequences. Della Cheal asked if the rate charged by the skip supplier was competitive and Mike Hughes said he believed that it was. Tony Evans said he would like representative of the stallholders to attend a meeting with the council, since the council were currently getting very little direct feedback and the proposed stallholders committee had yet to materialise, he said. Eventually it was decided to keep the existing arrangement but review in the event of a price increase by the skip supplier.
Market Place parking
Napier Parking, the company that manages the parking restrictions on the Market Place, had informed the council that changes in legislation meant that the wording of the signage would need to be amended and quoted £1300 for the new signs. Tony Evans said that such legislative changes do not occur overnight and Napier should have known about them when they provided the original signs. He did not see why OTC should have to pay for Napier’s mistake. Dave Price said he found it offensive that the new wording specifically stated that the parking restriction also applied to disabled drivers, although others though that it was necessary to provide clarification. There was concern from some members that the council are not getting value for money from Napier and Mike Hughes wondered if they should investigate other contractors, but pointed out rather tongue in cheek that he was not connected with any such companies (presumably in response to a recent letter in The Phonebox!)
Dave Price
Dave Price announced that he was standing down and handed his formal letter of resignation to the Clerk. For information, Dave has served on the council for the last 15 years, including four years as Mayor from 1998 to 2002. Mike Hughes thanked Dave for his service to the council and noted that he would be sorely missed, prompting a round of applause from the rest of the members. Dave then donned a leather flying helmet and goggles (he really did! – Mercury) and walked out quietly into the night to begin a new life as an ordinary citizen of Olney, or possibly a poet......
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 9th May 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. Olney Town Council Annual Town Meeting will take place on Thursday 28th April 2011 at 7.30pm in the Olney Centre.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 4th April 2011
Public participation
No member of the public present wished to speak at this month’s meeting.
Land Purchase
Mayor Mike Hughes announced that the council had completed the purchase of a piece of land although no details of the land or the purchase price were provided. Subsequent enquiries by Mercury revealed that it comprises seven acres of land to the south of the Charity Field used by the Football and Rugby Clubs and the aim is to use this for casual recreational use with no formal pitch markings. It is not known when it will be available for public use or what preparation needs to be done, apart from providing an entrance via the Charity Field.
Conygere tree
Mike Hughes reported that following the solicitor’s letter received on the subject of the tree adjacent to 6 Conygere, the council’s solicitor has responding pointing out “the error of their ways”. No response had been received as of yet, he said.
Fly the flag
The existing flagpole on the front of the Olney Centre is no longer serviceable and needs to be repaired or replaced. One of the options being considered is to replace it with a new lightweight freestanding pole concreted into the centre of the garden circular planting area, at a cost of approximately £600. Jeremy Rawlings asked why it was necessary to have a flagpole at the Olney Centre when there are already two on the Market Place, but Tony Evans pointed out that they are managed by the British Legion. Tony said that in his opinion if the centre was to have a flagpole then it was important for the council to ‘fly the flag’. Mike Hughes said he would like to see the flag flown on special occasions, such as Veteran’s Day and the forthcoming royal wedding. One member suggested that perhaps it should be flown when the Clerk, Gill Edmondson was ‘in residence’!
Planning Applications
Olney Town Council is not a planning authority but is consulted about any applications in the parish by Milton Keynes Council. An application has been made for the erection of two 2 bedroom premises at 8 Berrells Court. Steve Clark said that he saw no reason to object to the plans but that there were already issues with the access to Berrells Court from East Street and the council should ask for that to be taken into consideration when MKC consider the application. Deidre Bethune thought it sad that in his pre-application advice the MKC planning officer had found it necessary to comment on the standard of the existing
buildings, since the planning authority had passed the plans for their erection in the first place. For information, the officer’s actual comment was: “Given a situation where so much has already been given away to developers there is now little left that would amount to a sound basis for discouraging the proposals in this location on conservation grounds. One might argue that the general design of the proposed pair of houses has no discernible regard for context other than aping the general appearance of the existing poorly scaled and detailed terraced dwellings and hence further exacerbating the disintegration of local character, I suppose. As for context, the wider burgage plot form is still respected and some cluttering remnants of ramshackle sheds / garages that are of no discernible interest would be lost.” For information, full details of this and all other planning applications can be found at http://publicaccess.milton- keynes.gov.uk/default.aspx
Driftway
Last month Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, attended the council meeting to give an update on the landscaping plans for the banks of Driftway. This ended with Rob saying that the work was to be done ‘in weeks’ and certainly before the end of April. Tony Evans said he was pleased to report that within days of that meeting the bank surfaces had been scraped and topsoil and seed applied. Tony suggested that the council write to Rob and thank him for his prompt action. However, pressure would need to be maintained to ensure the success of the scheme he said.
Market costs (continued)
As reported last month, the council hires a skip and cleaning service to complete tidying up after the Thursday Market stallholders have left. This costs £322 per week which represents 44% of each stall’s weekly rent. As the skip doesn’t get particularly full, the Council discussed whether it and the cleaning service provided were worth continuing with. The discussion resumed this month with Tony Evans explaining that the skip would never be filled to more than half capacity, since it was delivered containing the sweeping machine which drove out at the end of the day to clear up the rubbish. As a result, the Market Place was always left clean and tidy and without this service the obligation would then rest with the stallholders to sweep up. Jeremy Rawlings asked if the stallholders had been asked if they would prefer to keep the skip and cleaner or have a rent reduction, although many felt that they
would always opt for a rent reduction regardless of the consequences. Della Cheal asked if the rate charged by the skip supplier was competitive and Mike Hughes said he believed that it was. Tony Evans said he would like representative of the stallholders to attend a meeting with the council, since the council were currently getting very little direct feedback and the proposed stallholders committee had yet to materialise, he said. Eventually it was decided to keep the existing arrangement but review in the event of a price increase by the skip supplier.
Market Place parking
Napier Parking, the company that manages the parking restrictions on the Market Place, had informed the council that changes in legislation meant that the wording of the signage would need to be amended and quoted £1300 for the new signs. Tony Evans said that such legislative changes do not occur overnight and Napier should have known about them when they provided the original signs. He did not see why OTC should have to pay for Napier’s mistake. Dave Price said he found it offensive that the new wording specifically stated that the parking restriction also applied to disabled drivers, although others though that it was necessary to provide clarification. There was concern from some members that the council are not getting value for money from Napier and Mike Hughes wondered if they should investigate other contractors, but pointed out rather tongue in cheek that he was not connected with any such companies (presumably in response to a recent letter in The Phonebox!)
Dave Price
Dave Price announced that he was standing down and handed his formal letter of resignation to the Clerk. For information, Dave has served on the council for the last 15 years, including four years as Mayor from 1998 to 2002. Mike Hughes thanked Dave for his service to the council and noted that he would be sorely missed, prompting a round of applause from the rest of the members. Dave then donned a leather flying helmet and goggles (he really did! – Mercury) and walked out quietly into the night to begin a new life as an ordinary citizen of Olney, or possibly a poet......
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 9th May 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. Olney Town Council Annual Town Meeting will take place on Thursday 28th April 2011 at 7.30pm in the Olney Centre.
Olney Town Meeting April 2011
Once a year Olney Town Council have a Town Meeting
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting in case you missed it.
Mercury Report - Town Meeting
Town Meeting of Thursday 28th April 2011
The Town Meeting is held yearly and is a chance for the public to learn what the local Police, Olney Town Council and local groups and charities have been doing. Members of the public are welcome to attend and free to ask questions.
Chairman’s report
Mike Hughes started the meeting with his report. He praised the various events and organisations in the Town mentioning, amongst many, the Cherry Fair, Raft Race, Motorama, the Scouts and the Sports Clubs. He felt that the organisations and the volunteers behind them added greatly to Olney’s sense of community.
Noting that Olney had won the Best Kept Town award, he thanked both the ground staff and those tending their private gardens. He also explained that Olney Town Council (OTC) had purchased seven acres of land, adjacent to the current sports fields and the allotments, with the aim of using it for recreational and sports use. This would take a few years to achieve due to the surface preparation required. In future years, he said, it also raises the possible return of the Fireworks Night bonfire.
Environmental Services
Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, gave a brief summary of the Rural Neighbourhood Management team’s work. It covers the entire rural area of Milton Keynes Borough, two thirds of its geographical area but with a minority of its population. It’s the first point of contact for issues such as potholes, bins not being emptied and landscaping issues. When reporting a problem, ring the Environmental Services Helpline on 01908 252570 or surf to www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/street-care
Police report
Chris Ward gave the Police report. He explained that antisocial behaviour in Olney had declined generally, there’d been increasing numbers attending the Youth Centre and Officers had given talks both there and at local Schools.
The ‘highlights’ of the crime figures for Olney between April last year and February this year were: 38 violent offences, 2 sexual offences, 8 burglaries, 11 crimes related to vehicles, 5 thefts of pedal cycles, 22 shoplifting offences, 59 theft offences, 57 incidents of criminal damage and 6 drug offences. Overall there were 203 offences, a 28.5% reduction over the same period the year before.
Recreations and Services Committee
Committee Chair Tony Evans gave this report. He started by noting that, although
the changes made each year by OTC may seem small, the difference made over the approximately 25 years he’s been Chair of this committee had been astonishing. This year, changes had included the new play equipment on the Recreation Ground and the new Tennis Court.
Dog fouling continues to be a major issue, and Tony stressed the need to persuade dog owners to pick up their mess. He also gave a little more detail on the planned use of the newly purchased land adjacent to the current sports fields and the allotments. Over the next two to three years, it would be prepared as an area suitable for recreation – not necessarily a formal pitch area. He felt it might be used by Junior sides at the weekends and for kick-abouts, but hoped not to see permanent posts erected there. Take-up of the allotments continues to be very high and, due to vandalism, new gates and fences have been erected near their entrance.
Tony thanked Rob Ward for picking up the issue of the Driftway verges and sorting it out. Six inches of topsoil have since been laid and seeded with grass although, unluckily, there’d been hardly any rain since. The Market Place had seen the addition of two new noticeboards and four new bins, and Tony felt the parking scheme there continued to work very well.
He concluded by thanking the groundsmen Ian and Richard, Reg Webster for his work on the Cemetery grounds, and Gill and Sandra, the Town and Deputy Town Clerks, for their hard work over the year.
Planning Liaison Committee
Steve Clark started by explaining that Olney Town Council can only advise on planning applications, this advice being passed to Milton Keynes Council which then makes the decisions. It had been a quiet year due to current economic conditions and the remaining parcels of land suitable for development running out.
He noted that the landlocked area between the end of Moores Hill and Dinglederry had attracted various planning applications over the years. OTC had consistently opposed them, but it now seemed likely that MKC may leave the way open for development by selling off some land and releasing a restrictive covenant. The details are beyond the scope of this report but are well worth a read so, for a comprehensive description, surf to stephenclark.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/01/ 13/moores-hill-development. Either way, Steve concluded by saying that, until a new planning application had been
received, there was nothing concrete for OTC to discuss.
Finance Committee
Deidre Bethune presented a very brief report noting that, again, there’d been no precept raise this year and that the ‘Sydney Dix’ fund would shortly be renamed the ‘Olney Town Council Community Fund’. Its purpose, described by the new name, remains unchanged.
From the handout, the following figures are for the year ended 31st March 2011, with the bracketed figures being for the year before. Total income was £272,000 (£277,000) and total expenditure £442,000 (£300,000), resulting in an excess of expenditure over income of £169,000 (£23,000). Cash reserves are £363,000 (£526,000). The main difference between this year and last is the expenditure on land capital of £125,000 (£0), this presumably being related to the purchase of land adjacent to the sports fields.
Olney Centre Management Committee
Alan Richardson gave this report, saying that the Centre was vibrant and well used. He explained wryly that, in line with the latest safety regulations, door furniture such as handles and crash bars had been replaced, finally making the doors safe after 137 years of continuous use! New presentation boards, projection screens and a flagpole had been purchased. He concluded by thanking Peter the caretaker, Rob the early morning cleaner and Gill and Sandra.
Local Groups
The Cowper and Museum report was very brief, noting that attendance had been higher than last year and thanking OTC for its support. From the handout, admission income was up 2.7% on last year and a surplus of income over expenditure of £800 was made, compared with a deficit of £3200 last year.
The Ann Hopkins Smith Almshouse Charity had seen two properties become vacant, both now taken by new residents. All houses are occupied but a waiting list is maintained. Any elderly Lady with strong Olney connections can apply for an Almshouse by writing to Tony Evans at Olney Park Farm, Yardley Road, Olney.
The British School Charity awards grants to people in Olney aged under 25 engaging in further education beyond A Level or in occupational training. The ongoing very low interest rates mean that, while it used to rely on an annual income in excess of £3,000, current income is less than £400. This makes the Charity effectively dormant.
30 Phonebox MagazineJohn Ferris gave a report on the Newport Pagnell and Olney Lions Club. The Club has around 16 members and has raised just over £14,000 and donated £10,000 during the year, the remaining £4,000 being in reserves. All money donated goes to good causes, administration costs being borne instead by club members. Just over half the donations were local, and included ones to the Brooklands Centre in Newport Pagnell and Willen Hospice.
Neill Elliot reported on The Olney Group (TOG). It had been a successful year, with the Duck and Raft Races being well attended (bar the World Cup) and Fireworks Night going exceptionally well. Mainly as a result of the latter, the total income was £9,000 and there was an surplus of income over expenditure of £2,400. TOG also donated £500 to OTC in part recompense for the loss incurred three years ago when Fireworks Night was hit by exceptionally wet weather. This year’s Raft Race will include entertainment from Olney’s Got Balls and the MK Friends of the Caribbean.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting in case you missed it.
Mercury Report - Town Meeting
Town Meeting of Thursday 28th April 2011
The Town Meeting is held yearly and is a chance for the public to learn what the local Police, Olney Town Council and local groups and charities have been doing. Members of the public are welcome to attend and free to ask questions.
Chairman’s report
Mike Hughes started the meeting with his report. He praised the various events and organisations in the Town mentioning, amongst many, the Cherry Fair, Raft Race, Motorama, the Scouts and the Sports Clubs. He felt that the organisations and the volunteers behind them added greatly to Olney’s sense of community.
Noting that Olney had won the Best Kept Town award, he thanked both the ground staff and those tending their private gardens. He also explained that Olney Town Council (OTC) had purchased seven acres of land, adjacent to the current sports fields and the allotments, with the aim of using it for recreational and sports use. This would take a few years to achieve due to the surface preparation required. In future years, he said, it also raises the possible return of the Fireworks Night bonfire.
Environmental Services
Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, gave a brief summary of the Rural Neighbourhood Management team’s work. It covers the entire rural area of Milton Keynes Borough, two thirds of its geographical area but with a minority of its population. It’s the first point of contact for issues such as potholes, bins not being emptied and landscaping issues. When reporting a problem, ring the Environmental Services Helpline on 01908 252570 or surf to www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/street-care
Police report
Chris Ward gave the Police report. He explained that antisocial behaviour in Olney had declined generally, there’d been increasing numbers attending the Youth Centre and Officers had given talks both there and at local Schools.
The ‘highlights’ of the crime figures for Olney between April last year and February this year were: 38 violent offences, 2 sexual offences, 8 burglaries, 11 crimes related to vehicles, 5 thefts of pedal cycles, 22 shoplifting offences, 59 theft offences, 57 incidents of criminal damage and 6 drug offences. Overall there were 203 offences, a 28.5% reduction over the same period the year before.
Recreations and Services Committee
Committee Chair Tony Evans gave this report. He started by noting that, although
the changes made each year by OTC may seem small, the difference made over the approximately 25 years he’s been Chair of this committee had been astonishing. This year, changes had included the new play equipment on the Recreation Ground and the new Tennis Court.
Dog fouling continues to be a major issue, and Tony stressed the need to persuade dog owners to pick up their mess. He also gave a little more detail on the planned use of the newly purchased land adjacent to the current sports fields and the allotments. Over the next two to three years, it would be prepared as an area suitable for recreation – not necessarily a formal pitch area. He felt it might be used by Junior sides at the weekends and for kick-abouts, but hoped not to see permanent posts erected there. Take-up of the allotments continues to be very high and, due to vandalism, new gates and fences have been erected near their entrance.
Tony thanked Rob Ward for picking up the issue of the Driftway verges and sorting it out. Six inches of topsoil have since been laid and seeded with grass although, unluckily, there’d been hardly any rain since. The Market Place had seen the addition of two new noticeboards and four new bins, and Tony felt the parking scheme there continued to work very well.
He concluded by thanking the groundsmen Ian and Richard, Reg Webster for his work on the Cemetery grounds, and Gill and Sandra, the Town and Deputy Town Clerks, for their hard work over the year.
Planning Liaison Committee
Steve Clark started by explaining that Olney Town Council can only advise on planning applications, this advice being passed to Milton Keynes Council which then makes the decisions. It had been a quiet year due to current economic conditions and the remaining parcels of land suitable for development running out.
He noted that the landlocked area between the end of Moores Hill and Dinglederry had attracted various planning applications over the years. OTC had consistently opposed them, but it now seemed likely that MKC may leave the way open for development by selling off some land and releasing a restrictive covenant. The details are beyond the scope of this report but are well worth a read so, for a comprehensive description, surf to stephenclark.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/01/ 13/moores-hill-development. Either way, Steve concluded by saying that, until a new planning application had been
received, there was nothing concrete for OTC to discuss.
Finance Committee
Deidre Bethune presented a very brief report noting that, again, there’d been no precept raise this year and that the ‘Sydney Dix’ fund would shortly be renamed the ‘Olney Town Council Community Fund’. Its purpose, described by the new name, remains unchanged.
From the handout, the following figures are for the year ended 31st March 2011, with the bracketed figures being for the year before. Total income was £272,000 (£277,000) and total expenditure £442,000 (£300,000), resulting in an excess of expenditure over income of £169,000 (£23,000). Cash reserves are £363,000 (£526,000). The main difference between this year and last is the expenditure on land capital of £125,000 (£0), this presumably being related to the purchase of land adjacent to the sports fields.
Olney Centre Management Committee
Alan Richardson gave this report, saying that the Centre was vibrant and well used. He explained wryly that, in line with the latest safety regulations, door furniture such as handles and crash bars had been replaced, finally making the doors safe after 137 years of continuous use! New presentation boards, projection screens and a flagpole had been purchased. He concluded by thanking Peter the caretaker, Rob the early morning cleaner and Gill and Sandra.
Local Groups
The Cowper and Museum report was very brief, noting that attendance had been higher than last year and thanking OTC for its support. From the handout, admission income was up 2.7% on last year and a surplus of income over expenditure of £800 was made, compared with a deficit of £3200 last year.
The Ann Hopkins Smith Almshouse Charity had seen two properties become vacant, both now taken by new residents. All houses are occupied but a waiting list is maintained. Any elderly Lady with strong Olney connections can apply for an Almshouse by writing to Tony Evans at Olney Park Farm, Yardley Road, Olney.
The British School Charity awards grants to people in Olney aged under 25 engaging in further education beyond A Level or in occupational training. The ongoing very low interest rates mean that, while it used to rely on an annual income in excess of £3,000, current income is less than £400. This makes the Charity effectively dormant.
30 Phonebox MagazineJohn Ferris gave a report on the Newport Pagnell and Olney Lions Club. The Club has around 16 members and has raised just over £14,000 and donated £10,000 during the year, the remaining £4,000 being in reserves. All money donated goes to good causes, administration costs being borne instead by club members. Just over half the donations were local, and included ones to the Brooklands Centre in Newport Pagnell and Willen Hospice.
Neill Elliot reported on The Olney Group (TOG). It had been a successful year, with the Duck and Raft Races being well attended (bar the World Cup) and Fireworks Night going exceptionally well. Mainly as a result of the latter, the total income was £9,000 and there was an surplus of income over expenditure of £2,400. TOG also donated £500 to OTC in part recompense for the loss incurred three years ago when Fireworks Night was hit by exceptionally wet weather. This year’s Raft Race will include entertainment from Olney’s Got Balls and the MK Friends of the Caribbean.
Olney Town Council Meeting March 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 7th March 2011
Public participation
Chris Talbot, Treasurer of Olney Rugby Club, opened this month’s meeting. He explained that Olney has enjoyed splendid sports facilities due to Olney Town Council (OTC) and the Sports Clubs. Olney Rugby Club now owns ten acres of land freehold and the Club’s Management Committee has decided to proceed down a limited liability company route, splitting the Club into two parts: one to hold the assets and the other to run the activities and provide the facilities while maintaining the status required for gift aid, etc.
He asked if OTC would let the Club acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands in exchange for a suitable sum, thus giving it the freehold of both the clubhouse and the adjacent field. If this was approved, he noted that the Club would be happy for there to be a covenant restricting the land’s use to being for a clubhouse.
Census for England and Wales
Richard Izzard, responsible for coordinating the Census for Olney, Newport Pagnell, Astwood and Stoke Goldington, gave a detailed talk about it. The main point is that,
if you’ve not submitted yours by the time you read this – get a move on!
Olney Rugby Club
The first item to be considered in the meeting proper was Chris Talbot’s request for the Club to acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands. Two Councillors, Tony Evans and John Smail, had declared a personal interest in this item, meaning they could discuss but not vote on it.
Mike Hughes introduced the topic, explaining that the Bowls Club owns its own clubhouse while the Tennis, Cricket, Rugby and Football Clubs do not. He invited Councillors’ views. Tony spoke in favour of granting the request, seeing nothing wrong with it. John Sharp spoke against it, feeling that the Council should try to benefit the whole town and not just the Rugby Club. Dave Price spoke in favour, noting that the Club does benefit the whole town – through sport and other community activities such as quiz and charity nights. Finally, Ron Bull asked how the Council would come to a decision as to what the freehold was worth, Gill Edmonson noting that, as achieving best value is a Council requirement, this would indeed have to be done properly. Ron believed it would
have a high value, while Mike Hughes disagreed, due to the covenant which would be associated with the land.
Councillors voted by majority of seven to one, with two absentions, in favour of obtaining legal advice and furthering the discussion with the Rugby Club.
Environmental Services
Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, gave a presentation. Note that Rob’s title is as stated here and not, as stated previously, the assistant to that post.
In the first part of his presentation, Rob explained that he manages the delivery of Environmental Services in the rural parts of Milton Keynes
(MK) Borough, covering waste collection, landscape, highway maintenance, play area maintenance and neighbourhood enforcement. Savings of around 30% would have to be made in the next four years, which would require choices of what could and could not be achieved, alongside ensuring the best use of resources. Readers who wish to report a problem with any of the services Rob manages should call 01908 252570.
Driftway
The second part of Rob’s presentation concerned the Driftway banks. As background, note that in the previous meeting, John Price and Rob Ward had presented three options to resolve the problem...
1. Do nothing and continue with efforts to establish wild flowers on the existing banks. Cost to be met by the developer.
2. Keep the existing profile, remove the wild flowers, and establish topsoil and amenity grass. Cost approx £10,000 to be met by MKC.
3. Reshape the mound and establish amenity grass. Full cost in region of £120,000 to be met by MKC.
... and the Council had voted unanimously in favour of option 2. At the time, the Driftway banks were believed not to have been adopted by MKC.
Since then, Rob had discovered that MKC’s Highways department had in fact adopted the Driftway banks, although the Section 106 element relating to completion of the landscaping had not been signed off. The results of this were that MKC may not have as much negotiating power with the developer, Taylor Wimpey, as previously thought. However, independent of that, Rob stressed that MKC remained committed to completing the works on Driftway.
Rob proposed two new options:
A. Plant grass and shrubs in six inches of topsoil then cut approximately six times per year. Costs: £8,500 to implement, £900 per year to cut. Summary: high potential for success, attractive, higher ongoing cost.
B. Plant further mixed species and wild flowers in a thin layer of topsoil, providing new growth and encouraging what’s there to develop, then cut twice a year. Costs: £3,200 to implement, £300 per year to cut. Summary: Higher biodiversity, fairly attractive, lower maintenance cost.
Mike Hughes stated that option A was basically that agreed by OTC in its previous meeting, that this was what should be done that suggesting a cheaper alternative was merely MKC trying to ease its way into doing less and less work.
This was debated at length and the following is a just brief summary. Tony Evans felt that only option A was likely to be successful. Deidre Bethune suggested a compromise, planting mixed species and wild flowers in six inches of topsoil. Both Tony Evans and Mike Hughes wanted MKC to stick to the original agreement, option A, and commit to an early planting date in order to increase the chance of a successful outcome.
Rob Ward agreed to follow option A, with the work to be done ‘in weeks’ and certainly before the end of April.
Market costs
For each Thursday Market, the Council hires a skip and cleaning service to complete tidying up after the stallholders have left. This costs £322 per week which, put another way, represents 44% of each stall’s weekly rent. As the skip doesn’t get particularly full, the Council discussed whether it and the cleaning service provided were worth continuing with. No decision was made, though the issue will be explored further.
More doggy do
There’d been an incident during a Rugby match on Doff’s Field where a player had fallen into some dog poo, which caused his eye to swell up. This raised the issue of dog fouling in general, which continues to be a
problem on the Sports Fields. Although no decision was made, it’s likely that around ten additional signs will be placed around the Fields to ensure there’s no doubt that the practice is illegal.
Personnel Committee Chair
In February, Della Cheal stepped down from being Chair of the Personnel Committee. She was generally acknowledged to have been very good at this role, and Councillors were keen to fill the vacant position. As reported in last month’s Mercury, Colin Rodden had been selected for the post and then immediately deselected on a point of order. The issue was that he wasn’t a Committee Chair, Standing Order 16 stating that the ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees but to include one female Councillor if possible’.
Councillors now considered whether the wording should be changed to ‘Personnel Committee to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees or suitably qualified Personnel Officer and to include one female Councillor if possible’. John Sharp did not like this at all, standing up and stating that, if this happened, “I’ll resign as of now. You are altering things to suit the Council. It’s corrupt.” Mike Hughes explained that the issue was being brought before Council for a decision, as per usual procedure. Deidre Bethune and Gill Edmonson also attempted to pour oil on troubled waters. However, all
this seemed to make little difference and John left the Council Chamber.
Ron Bull felt some sympathy with John, believing that Councillors setting the rules for the year then changing them arbitrarily part way through it was starting down a slippery slope. Mike Hughes declared himself “staggered” by John’s reaction. After further discussion, the Standing Order was not changed, the issue instead being deferred to the next annual meeting.
Blooming competitions
Councillors decided to enter Olney for the Tindal Cup, the only category in the Best Kept Village competition it can enter this time round, having won the Best Kept Town award last year. Then they decided, as last year, not to enter Olney for Britain in Bloom.
Conygere tree
As reported in last month’s Mercury, 6 Conygere was built close to a large tree which is now threatening to undermine the building’s foundations. The tree is on OTC’s land and, as the Council has now received a solicitor’s letter on the subject, it passed the issue to its own solicitors.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 4th April 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 7th March 2011
Public participation
Chris Talbot, Treasurer of Olney Rugby Club, opened this month’s meeting. He explained that Olney has enjoyed splendid sports facilities due to Olney Town Council (OTC) and the Sports Clubs. Olney Rugby Club now owns ten acres of land freehold and the Club’s Management Committee has decided to proceed down a limited liability company route, splitting the Club into two parts: one to hold the assets and the other to run the activities and provide the facilities while maintaining the status required for gift aid, etc.
He asked if OTC would let the Club acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands in exchange for a suitable sum, thus giving it the freehold of both the clubhouse and the adjacent field. If this was approved, he noted that the Club would be happy for there to be a covenant restricting the land’s use to being for a clubhouse.
Census for England and Wales
Richard Izzard, responsible for coordinating the Census for Olney, Newport Pagnell, Astwood and Stoke Goldington, gave a detailed talk about it. The main point is that,
if you’ve not submitted yours by the time you read this – get a move on!
Olney Rugby Club
The first item to be considered in the meeting proper was Chris Talbot’s request for the Club to acquire the freehold of the land on which the clubhouse stands. Two Councillors, Tony Evans and John Smail, had declared a personal interest in this item, meaning they could discuss but not vote on it.
Mike Hughes introduced the topic, explaining that the Bowls Club owns its own clubhouse while the Tennis, Cricket, Rugby and Football Clubs do not. He invited Councillors’ views. Tony spoke in favour of granting the request, seeing nothing wrong with it. John Sharp spoke against it, feeling that the Council should try to benefit the whole town and not just the Rugby Club. Dave Price spoke in favour, noting that the Club does benefit the whole town – through sport and other community activities such as quiz and charity nights. Finally, Ron Bull asked how the Council would come to a decision as to what the freehold was worth, Gill Edmonson noting that, as achieving best value is a Council requirement, this would indeed have to be done properly. Ron believed it would
have a high value, while Mike Hughes disagreed, due to the covenant which would be associated with the land.
Councillors voted by majority of seven to one, with two absentions, in favour of obtaining legal advice and furthering the discussion with the Rugby Club.
Environmental Services
Rob Ward, Milton Keynes Council Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services, gave a presentation. Note that Rob’s title is as stated here and not, as stated previously, the assistant to that post.
In the first part of his presentation, Rob explained that he manages the delivery of Environmental Services in the rural parts of Milton Keynes
(MK) Borough, covering waste collection, landscape, highway maintenance, play area maintenance and neighbourhood enforcement. Savings of around 30% would have to be made in the next four years, which would require choices of what could and could not be achieved, alongside ensuring the best use of resources. Readers who wish to report a problem with any of the services Rob manages should call 01908 252570.
Driftway
The second part of Rob’s presentation concerned the Driftway banks. As background, note that in the previous meeting, John Price and Rob Ward had presented three options to resolve the problem...
1. Do nothing and continue with efforts to establish wild flowers on the existing banks. Cost to be met by the developer.
2. Keep the existing profile, remove the wild flowers, and establish topsoil and amenity grass. Cost approx £10,000 to be met by MKC.
3. Reshape the mound and establish amenity grass. Full cost in region of £120,000 to be met by MKC.
... and the Council had voted unanimously in favour of option 2. At the time, the Driftway banks were believed not to have been adopted by MKC.
Since then, Rob had discovered that MKC’s Highways department had in fact adopted the Driftway banks, although the Section 106 element relating to completion of the landscaping had not been signed off. The results of this were that MKC may not have as much negotiating power with the developer, Taylor Wimpey, as previously thought. However, independent of that, Rob stressed that MKC remained committed to completing the works on Driftway.
Rob proposed two new options:
A. Plant grass and shrubs in six inches of topsoil then cut approximately six times per year. Costs: £8,500 to implement, £900 per year to cut. Summary: high potential for success, attractive, higher ongoing cost.
B. Plant further mixed species and wild flowers in a thin layer of topsoil, providing new growth and encouraging what’s there to develop, then cut twice a year. Costs: £3,200 to implement, £300 per year to cut. Summary: Higher biodiversity, fairly attractive, lower maintenance cost.
Mike Hughes stated that option A was basically that agreed by OTC in its previous meeting, that this was what should be done that suggesting a cheaper alternative was merely MKC trying to ease its way into doing less and less work.
This was debated at length and the following is a just brief summary. Tony Evans felt that only option A was likely to be successful. Deidre Bethune suggested a compromise, planting mixed species and wild flowers in six inches of topsoil. Both Tony Evans and Mike Hughes wanted MKC to stick to the original agreement, option A, and commit to an early planting date in order to increase the chance of a successful outcome.
Rob Ward agreed to follow option A, with the work to be done ‘in weeks’ and certainly before the end of April.
Market costs
For each Thursday Market, the Council hires a skip and cleaning service to complete tidying up after the stallholders have left. This costs £322 per week which, put another way, represents 44% of each stall’s weekly rent. As the skip doesn’t get particularly full, the Council discussed whether it and the cleaning service provided were worth continuing with. No decision was made, though the issue will be explored further.
More doggy do
There’d been an incident during a Rugby match on Doff’s Field where a player had fallen into some dog poo, which caused his eye to swell up. This raised the issue of dog fouling in general, which continues to be a
problem on the Sports Fields. Although no decision was made, it’s likely that around ten additional signs will be placed around the Fields to ensure there’s no doubt that the practice is illegal.
Personnel Committee Chair
In February, Della Cheal stepped down from being Chair of the Personnel Committee. She was generally acknowledged to have been very good at this role, and Councillors were keen to fill the vacant position. As reported in last month’s Mercury, Colin Rodden had been selected for the post and then immediately deselected on a point of order. The issue was that he wasn’t a Committee Chair, Standing Order 16 stating that the ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees but to include one female Councillor if possible’.
Councillors now considered whether the wording should be changed to ‘Personnel Committee to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees or suitably qualified Personnel Officer and to include one female Councillor if possible’. John Sharp did not like this at all, standing up and stating that, if this happened, “I’ll resign as of now. You are altering things to suit the Council. It’s corrupt.” Mike Hughes explained that the issue was being brought before Council for a decision, as per usual procedure. Deidre Bethune and Gill Edmonson also attempted to pour oil on troubled waters. However, all
this seemed to make little difference and John left the Council Chamber.
Ron Bull felt some sympathy with John, believing that Councillors setting the rules for the year then changing them arbitrarily part way through it was starting down a slippery slope. Mike Hughes declared himself “staggered” by John’s reaction. After further discussion, the Standing Order was not changed, the issue instead being deferred to the next annual meeting.
Blooming competitions
Councillors decided to enter Olney for the Tindal Cup, the only category in the Best Kept Village competition it can enter this time round, having won the Best Kept Town award last year. Then they decided, as last year, not to enter Olney for Britain in Bloom.
Conygere tree
As reported in last month’s Mercury, 6 Conygere was built close to a large tree which is now threatening to undermine the building’s foundations. The tree is on OTC’s land and, as the Council has now received a solicitor’s letter on the subject, it passed the issue to its own solicitors.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 4th April 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.
Olney Town Council Meeting February 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 7th February 2011
Mercury report for the Council Meeting of Monday 7th February 2011
Despite there being a very full agenda for this month’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Steve Clark managed to keep the meeting moving at a brisk pace. This was in no small part due to locally produced ale ‘Hopping Mad’ being on sale at The Swan for £1 a pint on this particular evening!*
Public participation
Although the council chamber was packed with members of the public, none of them were there to speak at the beginning of the meeting. It transpired that most of them were there for the meeting referred to in the first agenda item and left as soon as it had been discussed.
Future of Healthcare in Milton Keynes
Present at the meeting was Gill Prager, Director of Quality and Governance for Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust. Gill was there to present to the council the proposals set out in the consultation document ‘Shaping the Future of Healthcare in Milton Keynes’ and afterwards to hold one of a series of ‘Tell Us’ meetings at which the public would have an opportunity to speak to NHS staff about the specific proposals. Gill explained that the NHS is facing its toughest financial challenge and most radical reorganisation since it was created in 1948. NHS Milton Keynes is responsible for providing healthcare service for all people registered with General Practitioner (GP) surgeries in Milton Keynes, as well as dentists, hospitals and community services. It has an annual budget of £360 million which rise by less than 0.5% per year over the next few years, despite the fact that the population is rising and becoming increasingly elderly. It has been overspending for some time and as a result the hospital, alone, is £5 million in the red. It will not be possible to continue to provide the same level of services, so ways must be found of providing better services for more people with less money and to claw back some of the deficit. The reorganisation will see the end of Primary Healthcare trusts, she said, and in preparation for that NHS MK had already reduced its managers and administration staff by 40%. The consultation document refers to ‘thresholds’ which are guidelines for GPs to follow to when assessing patients’ needs for treatment. Deidre Bethune asked Gill how sticking to these thresholds would save money? Gill said that GPs do not currently stick to the current guidelines and will refer patients for treatment according to their professional opinions, regardless of the guidelines and cost. For many types of treatment new thresholds will be introduced which GPs will be obliged to comply with. This will reduce the number of patients undergoing those treatments, thus saving money, she said. Jeremy Rawlings said that this would lead to people suffering and singled out the new threshold for hip replacement patients to be unable to walk more than 250 metres as rediculous. Gill acknowledged that in some cases it may mean more people having to suffer pain for longer. The consultation period runs until Friday 25th February, so may well be over by the time you read this report, but the document can be downloaded from www.miltonkeynes.nhs.uk/discussion2011.htm
Driftway
Tony Evans reported that he had had a meeting with John Price, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services for Rural Areas, and his assistant Rob Ward. It had been agreed that the mound would be left with the existing profile, although there were concerns about the quality of the existing topsoil. MKC are looking to see if they can come to a financial agreement with Wimpey’s, the developers. Tony emphasised that the work must be done this spring and said that John and Rob were keen to resolve the issue.
Infants School
Jeremy Rawlings reported that as of February 1st the school had obtained Foundation status, which is the first stage to becoming an Academy. The Governors now own the land and buildings so the switch over to full academy status can happen any time, with June 1st being the probable date.
Olney Brass Band
Tony Moroney, Chairman of Stantonbury Brass, presented a proposal to change their name to ‘Olney Brass’. Tony explained that the band would shortly lose its main source of funding and would have to fold on April 1st unless an alternative source of funding could be found. The proposal was to change the name and form a closer allegiance to the town and request some funding from OTC. As a working band, they would look to be as self supportive as possible and raise money through member subscriptions, engagements and concerts. They would also apply for charitable status, which would also bring financial benefit through the gift aid scheme, he said. The band has 12 residents of Olney and Emberton amongst its strength of 25, 4 of whom are founder members. Throughout its 30 – 40 year existence Olney has featured more than anywhere else in their regular performances, whether through its annual Christmas concert, Dickens of a Christmas, various fetes and carolling. Over the years it would be fair to say that the band enjoyed a stronger affiliation with Olney, than with either Stantonbury or Milton Keynes, he said. Younger members of the band progress, both as individuals and as musicians and often go on to study music at university. The band were particularly proud of two of their current young players, one of whom has been offered a place at The Royal Northern College, whilst his own 15 year old son has been accepted into The National Youth Brass Band. As part of their commitment to Olney and the surrounding area it is also the intention to form an Olney Brass Development band, which would be available to all brass players who have attained at least grade 3 and it is hoped that they would be able to offer this opportunity free to members less than 18 years of age. The council members seemed generally happy to endorse the name change and the issue of funding was referred to the Finance Committee.
Cobbs Garden Surgery – Specialist Nurse for the Elderly
Carol Russell of Cobbs Garden Patient Participation Group was present to request OTC funding of a Specialist Nurse for the Elderly. Carol explained that that the surgery had employed an ex-District Nurse for the past two years, funded by Milton Keynes PCT. This funding had now been withdrawn so the present incumbent would be made redundant. She said that a letter in The Phonebox requesting local businesses, charities and MKC to provide sponsorship had met with only a limited response, so it was vital that funding be found from elsewhere. The intention would be to separate the post from the surgery so that it belonged to the community rather than the surgery, but the surgery would continue to provide facilities such as a desk, computer and phone. The current post holder was employed for 15 hours a week working with people who were socially isolated, lonely and anxious. Many of these people need time to be listened to, and practical help in many ways, such as filling out forms to claim attendance allowance etc. Carol said that in order to keep the nurse employed for a year they would need £13,500. Deidre Bethune, as Chair of the Finance Committee, was concerned that it would need to be an ongoing grant and wondered if OTC could be liable for redundancy payments if the post could not be maintained. Carol said she was optimistic that funding might be forthcoming from elsewhere for future years. Deidre said that. Deidre said that the Finance Committee were minded to fund the post for a year at a cost of £13,500 and proposed that the full council approve the recommendation, which they did unanimously on a vote.
Bits ‘n’ Bobs
The Parish Precept (the amount of Olney residents’ Council Tax which goes directly to OTC) will once again be retained at the existing rate.
The council agreed to purchase laptop for the Town Clerk and Deputy at a cost of £498+VAT to include relevant Microsoft software.
A vacancy exists for the Chair of the Personnel Committee. New member Colin Rodden was nominated and selected but then deselected on a pint of order, possibly the shortest tenure of any committee chairman on the council!
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.
*It had sold out by the time Mercury arrived.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 7th February 2011
Mercury report for the Council Meeting of Monday 7th February 2011
Despite there being a very full agenda for this month’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Steve Clark managed to keep the meeting moving at a brisk pace. This was in no small part due to locally produced ale ‘Hopping Mad’ being on sale at The Swan for £1 a pint on this particular evening!*
Public participation
Although the council chamber was packed with members of the public, none of them were there to speak at the beginning of the meeting. It transpired that most of them were there for the meeting referred to in the first agenda item and left as soon as it had been discussed.
Future of Healthcare in Milton Keynes
Present at the meeting was Gill Prager, Director of Quality and Governance for Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust. Gill was there to present to the council the proposals set out in the consultation document ‘Shaping the Future of Healthcare in Milton Keynes’ and afterwards to hold one of a series of ‘Tell Us’ meetings at which the public would have an opportunity to speak to NHS staff about the specific proposals. Gill explained that the NHS is facing its toughest financial challenge and most radical reorganisation since it was created in 1948. NHS Milton Keynes is responsible for providing healthcare service for all people registered with General Practitioner (GP) surgeries in Milton Keynes, as well as dentists, hospitals and community services. It has an annual budget of £360 million which rise by less than 0.5% per year over the next few years, despite the fact that the population is rising and becoming increasingly elderly. It has been overspending for some time and as a result the hospital, alone, is £5 million in the red. It will not be possible to continue to provide the same level of services, so ways must be found of providing better services for more people with less money and to claw back some of the deficit. The reorganisation will see the end of Primary Healthcare trusts, she said, and in preparation for that NHS MK had already reduced its managers and administration staff by 40%. The consultation document refers to ‘thresholds’ which are guidelines for GPs to follow to when assessing patients’ needs for treatment. Deidre Bethune asked Gill how sticking to these thresholds would save money? Gill said that GPs do not currently stick to the current guidelines and will refer patients for treatment according to their professional opinions, regardless of the guidelines and cost. For many types of treatment new thresholds will be introduced which GPs will be obliged to comply with. This will reduce the number of patients undergoing those treatments, thus saving money, she said. Jeremy Rawlings said that this would lead to people suffering and singled out the new threshold for hip replacement patients to be unable to walk more than 250 metres as rediculous. Gill acknowledged that in some cases it may mean more people having to suffer pain for longer. The consultation period runs until Friday 25th February, so may well be over by the time you read this report, but the document can be downloaded from www.miltonkeynes.nhs.uk/discussion2011.htm
Driftway
Tony Evans reported that he had had a meeting with John Price, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services for Rural Areas, and his assistant Rob Ward. It had been agreed that the mound would be left with the existing profile, although there were concerns about the quality of the existing topsoil. MKC are looking to see if they can come to a financial agreement with Wimpey’s, the developers. Tony emphasised that the work must be done this spring and said that John and Rob were keen to resolve the issue.
Infants School
Jeremy Rawlings reported that as of February 1st the school had obtained Foundation status, which is the first stage to becoming an Academy. The Governors now own the land and buildings so the switch over to full academy status can happen any time, with June 1st being the probable date.
Olney Brass Band
Tony Moroney, Chairman of Stantonbury Brass, presented a proposal to change their name to ‘Olney Brass’. Tony explained that the band would shortly lose its main source of funding and would have to fold on April 1st unless an alternative source of funding could be found. The proposal was to change the name and form a closer allegiance to the town and request some funding from OTC. As a working band, they would look to be as self supportive as possible and raise money through member subscriptions, engagements and concerts. They would also apply for charitable status, which would also bring financial benefit through the gift aid scheme, he said. The band has 12 residents of Olney and Emberton amongst its strength of 25, 4 of whom are founder members. Throughout its 30 – 40 year existence Olney has featured more than anywhere else in their regular performances, whether through its annual Christmas concert, Dickens of a Christmas, various fetes and carolling. Over the years it would be fair to say that the band enjoyed a stronger affiliation with Olney, than with either Stantonbury or Milton Keynes, he said. Younger members of the band progress, both as individuals and as musicians and often go on to study music at university. The band were particularly proud of two of their current young players, one of whom has been offered a place at The Royal Northern College, whilst his own 15 year old son has been accepted into The National Youth Brass Band. As part of their commitment to Olney and the surrounding area it is also the intention to form an Olney Brass Development band, which would be available to all brass players who have attained at least grade 3 and it is hoped that they would be able to offer this opportunity free to members less than 18 years of age. The council members seemed generally happy to endorse the name change and the issue of funding was referred to the Finance Committee.
Cobbs Garden Surgery – Specialist Nurse for the Elderly
Carol Russell of Cobbs Garden Patient Participation Group was present to request OTC funding of a Specialist Nurse for the Elderly. Carol explained that that the surgery had employed an ex-District Nurse for the past two years, funded by Milton Keynes PCT. This funding had now been withdrawn so the present incumbent would be made redundant. She said that a letter in The Phonebox requesting local businesses, charities and MKC to provide sponsorship had met with only a limited response, so it was vital that funding be found from elsewhere. The intention would be to separate the post from the surgery so that it belonged to the community rather than the surgery, but the surgery would continue to provide facilities such as a desk, computer and phone. The current post holder was employed for 15 hours a week working with people who were socially isolated, lonely and anxious. Many of these people need time to be listened to, and practical help in many ways, such as filling out forms to claim attendance allowance etc. Carol said that in order to keep the nurse employed for a year they would need £13,500. Deidre Bethune, as Chair of the Finance Committee, was concerned that it would need to be an ongoing grant and wondered if OTC could be liable for redundancy payments if the post could not be maintained. Carol said she was optimistic that funding might be forthcoming from elsewhere for future years. Deidre said that. Deidre said that the Finance Committee were minded to fund the post for a year at a cost of £13,500 and proposed that the full council approve the recommendation, which they did unanimously on a vote.
Bits ‘n’ Bobs
The Parish Precept (the amount of Olney residents’ Council Tax which goes directly to OTC) will once again be retained at the existing rate.
The council agreed to purchase laptop for the Town Clerk and Deputy at a cost of £498+VAT to include relevant Microsoft software.
A vacancy exists for the Chair of the Personnel Committee. New member Colin Rodden was nominated and selected but then deselected on a pint of order, possibly the shortest tenure of any committee chairman on the council!
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.
*It had sold out by the time Mercury arrived.
Olney Town Council Meeting January 2011
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Olney Town Council Meeting on Monday 10th January 2011
Public participation
Coneygere resident Tim Regan spoke at the start of this month’s meeting. Tim explained that he was there to present a ‘human face’ on an issue which has been the subject of some discussion at council meetings over the last few months. This matter was an item later on the agenda but for information, Tim has a large tree growing outside his house, number 6, which is threatening to undermine the foundations and he wants to have it removed. Olney Town Council’s (OTC) position has been that this is a matter between him and the builder, since the tree was there when the house was built and the builder should have provide the house with suitable footings. Tim was at pains to point out that he is not ‘anti-tree’ and if it were possible to put the offending tree on wheels and move it elsewhere he would be delighted, but the fact is that it is knocking down his house. Due to the age of the house (some 20 years, believes Mercury) Tim said he did not think it practical to go back to the builders and, although he would be sad to see it go, removal is the only option.
Driftway
It is possible that an end to the long running saga of the Driftway landscaping may be in sight. Attending the meeting was John Price Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services for Rural Areas and his assistant, Rob Ward. John said that there were a number of options available to resolve the problem: 1. Do nothing and continue with efforts to establish wild flowers on the existing banks. Cost to be met by developer. 2. Keep the existing profile, remove the wild flowers, and establish topsoil and amenity grass. Cost approx £10,000 to be met by MKC. 3. Reshape the Mound and establish amenity grass. Full cost in region of £120,000 to be met by MKC. John explained that the original problem with option 2 had been that the banks were too steep to be maintained by traditional mowing equipment, but as a result of an accident elsewhere MKC had been obliged to purchase equipment which could mow the banks. He said some preliminary investigations had been done into option 3 and presented the plans to the council. The reshaping would have the effect of reducing the overall height of the bank by 1.5m and the soil removed would be used to fill the existing gap. The downside was that some residents would now have a view across to the industrial estate opposite, which the mound currently blocks. Dave Price was concerned that OTC should consult the affected residents, but Steve Clark said any reshaping would require planning permission which would necessitate notification to the residents who could then express their opinion. Tony Evans said that the options presented were no different to those offered by MKC six months ago. The situation had now changed in that it would be possible to leave the profile of the banks as they are and sow with grass which could now be mown, although he thought that £10,000 to ‘sow grass on a heap of soil was very expensive!’. He thought it a waste of time to even consider the more expensive plan which had no chance of getting approved. If a decent sward could be grown on the existing banks without invasion by weeds and thistles then that was the obvious choice, he said. Jeremy Rawlings felt that to spend £120,000 of MKC’s ratepayers’ money on what was essentially cosmetic work was “obscene” in the present financial climate. At this stage Mayor Mike Hughes reminded the meeting that it was not OTC that had bought the proposals to the table, but MKC. Rob Ward said that the costs quoted were worst case scenarios and agreed that they appeared very expensive but wanted to ensure that all options were put before OTC so that they could make an informed decision. Dave Price once again suggested that local residents should be consulted but Mike Hughes believed that this would not be necessary for the preferred option 2, since there was now no intention to reshape the mound which had been constructed in line with the original planning permission. Steve Clark proposed that the council progress with option 2 and the vote was passed unanimously.
Planning Items
Steve Clark reported that a notification had been received from MKC concerning development of land to the rear of 57 and 59 Moores Hill. At this point Tony Evans declared an interest, having relatives living nearby. One of these houses is privately owned and the other is owned by MKC. The property owned by MKC has a covenant preventing further building taking place on the plot, which it will be seeking to relax. The intention then would be to apply for planning permission to build three new houses on the combined plot, with access from Dinglederry, although that would be subject of a separate request for Planning Permission. Steve reminded the council that such infill requests had been rejected in the past and said they would need to decide whether or not to object to this one in principle. Deidre Bethune said that this appeared to go against government policy of not splitting up gardens for development. She also noted that intention appeared to be to limit the number of houses to three and wondered if that would be fair on other residents in the area who might then wish to sell of land in a similar fashion. Ron Bull asked if the scheme would help towards MKC’s quota of new houses but Deidre said that infill does not count towards the quota. Mike Hughes, possibly playing devil’s advocate, asked if OTC should not be supporting what appeared to be a workable plan which would raise money for cash-strapped MKC and was likely to go ahead in any case. Tony Evans emphasised the need to consult the nearby residents, since 15-20 houses in total could be seriously impacted. He felt that it was important that the matter should be dealt with correctly by MKC, since they own part of the land, will sell it to a developer and will be responsible for granting planning permission. Mike Hughes reminded the members that the plans before them only related to the disposal of the land and not any subsequent building and that residents would get the chance to comment when planning permission was requested. He proposed the motion that the council should thank MKC for the consultation and reserve comment for any subsequent planning request, which was passed on a vote. The matter of the tree outside number 6 Coneygere was discussed under this agenda item. Tony Evans said it was clear that the tree had been there when the house was built but if the owner asked for permission to remove it and replace with two trees in the cemetery that would be acceptable. Mike Hughes said that OTC would not wish to be seen as intransigent on the matter and suggested that the council should allow the tree to be removed, so long as it was not at a cost to MKC. Della Cheal wondered if the owner’s insurance would cover the cost of removing the tree. At this point Standing Orders were suspended and Tim Regan was invited to speak. Tim confirmed that he had building insurance and hoped that it would cover such costs. Standing Orders were then reintroduced and a vote taken recommending that MKC be requested to remove the offending tree, which was passed unanimously.
Councillors’ email addresses
Jeremy Rawlings explained that OTC has use of the domain ‘olneytowncouncil.gov.uk’ which can be used as a suffix for members’ personalised email addresses, e.g. JeremyRawlings@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk This provides a standard format which would make it easier for members of the public to contact their councillors, rather than the current collection of individual email addresses, he said. If they did not want a personal email published then members could opt for admin@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk, which would go the Town Clerk for onward distribution. The proposal, whilst apparently acceptable to most members generated a surprising amount of anger and hostility from some, who appeared not to like having such a ‘label’ imposed upon them. John Sharp felt that councillors should be free to decide if they wanted to publish their existing personal email addresses and Deidre Bethune felt they were being treated like naughty school children and being told what to do. In any case, she never gets any emails from members of the public so what does it matter, she said. Eventually it was decided to allow members to publish their existing personal addresses if they really want to.
Bits ‘n’ Bobs
A letter had been received from Mark Luckin of The Olney Group (TOG) who organise the annual Fireworks Night. TOG has donated £500 to OTC in recognition of the fact that OTC underwrites the event every year in case of financial loss. The underwriting has only had to be called upon once in the entire history of this popular event. Tony Evans reported that a vacancy had arisen at the Ann Hopkins Smith Almshouses and any elderly female resident of the town wishing to take it up should contact him. Steve Clark reported that the Whirly Pit had frozen over in the recent cold spell, resulting in the loss of many, if not all of the fish. The pit is under the ownership of MKC, who had apparently made no effort to prevent it from freezing over or to remove the dead fish, resulting in something of a bad smell. Mike Hughes suggested an agenda item for a future meeting to propose that OTC take ownership, enabling the council’s own workers to maintain it. Deidre Bethune said that there had been much confusion about refuse collection over the Christmas period, resulting in refuse bags lying around for over two weeks. The MKC website stated that there would be a collection between Christmas and the New Year but it was not until Christmas Eve that an email had been sent to the Town Clerk confirming that the next scheduled collection would be Tuesday January 4th, which was then too late to advertise. Jeremy Rawlings reminded the council that only last month they had decided not to progress with training for the Clerk on the use of Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc.) which would have been an ideal method of distributing such news.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 7th February 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Olney Town Council Meeting on Monday 10th January 2011
Public participation
Coneygere resident Tim Regan spoke at the start of this month’s meeting. Tim explained that he was there to present a ‘human face’ on an issue which has been the subject of some discussion at council meetings over the last few months. This matter was an item later on the agenda but for information, Tim has a large tree growing outside his house, number 6, which is threatening to undermine the foundations and he wants to have it removed. Olney Town Council’s (OTC) position has been that this is a matter between him and the builder, since the tree was there when the house was built and the builder should have provide the house with suitable footings. Tim was at pains to point out that he is not ‘anti-tree’ and if it were possible to put the offending tree on wheels and move it elsewhere he would be delighted, but the fact is that it is knocking down his house. Due to the age of the house (some 20 years, believes Mercury) Tim said he did not think it practical to go back to the builders and, although he would be sad to see it go, removal is the only option.
Driftway
It is possible that an end to the long running saga of the Driftway landscaping may be in sight. Attending the meeting was John Price Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Neighbourhood Manager for Environmental Services for Rural Areas and his assistant, Rob Ward. John said that there were a number of options available to resolve the problem: 1. Do nothing and continue with efforts to establish wild flowers on the existing banks. Cost to be met by developer. 2. Keep the existing profile, remove the wild flowers, and establish topsoil and amenity grass. Cost approx £10,000 to be met by MKC. 3. Reshape the Mound and establish amenity grass. Full cost in region of £120,000 to be met by MKC. John explained that the original problem with option 2 had been that the banks were too steep to be maintained by traditional mowing equipment, but as a result of an accident elsewhere MKC had been obliged to purchase equipment which could mow the banks. He said some preliminary investigations had been done into option 3 and presented the plans to the council. The reshaping would have the effect of reducing the overall height of the bank by 1.5m and the soil removed would be used to fill the existing gap. The downside was that some residents would now have a view across to the industrial estate opposite, which the mound currently blocks. Dave Price was concerned that OTC should consult the affected residents, but Steve Clark said any reshaping would require planning permission which would necessitate notification to the residents who could then express their opinion. Tony Evans said that the options presented were no different to those offered by MKC six months ago. The situation had now changed in that it would be possible to leave the profile of the banks as they are and sow with grass which could now be mown, although he thought that £10,000 to ‘sow grass on a heap of soil was very expensive!’. He thought it a waste of time to even consider the more expensive plan which had no chance of getting approved. If a decent sward could be grown on the existing banks without invasion by weeds and thistles then that was the obvious choice, he said. Jeremy Rawlings felt that to spend £120,000 of MKC’s ratepayers’ money on what was essentially cosmetic work was “obscene” in the present financial climate. At this stage Mayor Mike Hughes reminded the meeting that it was not OTC that had bought the proposals to the table, but MKC. Rob Ward said that the costs quoted were worst case scenarios and agreed that they appeared very expensive but wanted to ensure that all options were put before OTC so that they could make an informed decision. Dave Price once again suggested that local residents should be consulted but Mike Hughes believed that this would not be necessary for the preferred option 2, since there was now no intention to reshape the mound which had been constructed in line with the original planning permission. Steve Clark proposed that the council progress with option 2 and the vote was passed unanimously.
Planning Items
Steve Clark reported that a notification had been received from MKC concerning development of land to the rear of 57 and 59 Moores Hill. At this point Tony Evans declared an interest, having relatives living nearby. One of these houses is privately owned and the other is owned by MKC. The property owned by MKC has a covenant preventing further building taking place on the plot, which it will be seeking to relax. The intention then would be to apply for planning permission to build three new houses on the combined plot, with access from Dinglederry, although that would be subject of a separate request for Planning Permission. Steve reminded the council that such infill requests had been rejected in the past and said they would need to decide whether or not to object to this one in principle. Deidre Bethune said that this appeared to go against government policy of not splitting up gardens for development. She also noted that intention appeared to be to limit the number of houses to three and wondered if that would be fair on other residents in the area who might then wish to sell of land in a similar fashion. Ron Bull asked if the scheme would help towards MKC’s quota of new houses but Deidre said that infill does not count towards the quota. Mike Hughes, possibly playing devil’s advocate, asked if OTC should not be supporting what appeared to be a workable plan which would raise money for cash-strapped MKC and was likely to go ahead in any case. Tony Evans emphasised the need to consult the nearby residents, since 15-20 houses in total could be seriously impacted. He felt that it was important that the matter should be dealt with correctly by MKC, since they own part of the land, will sell it to a developer and will be responsible for granting planning permission. Mike Hughes reminded the members that the plans before them only related to the disposal of the land and not any subsequent building and that residents would get the chance to comment when planning permission was requested. He proposed the motion that the council should thank MKC for the consultation and reserve comment for any subsequent planning request, which was passed on a vote. The matter of the tree outside number 6 Coneygere was discussed under this agenda item. Tony Evans said it was clear that the tree had been there when the house was built but if the owner asked for permission to remove it and replace with two trees in the cemetery that would be acceptable. Mike Hughes said that OTC would not wish to be seen as intransigent on the matter and suggested that the council should allow the tree to be removed, so long as it was not at a cost to MKC. Della Cheal wondered if the owner’s insurance would cover the cost of removing the tree. At this point Standing Orders were suspended and Tim Regan was invited to speak. Tim confirmed that he had building insurance and hoped that it would cover such costs. Standing Orders were then reintroduced and a vote taken recommending that MKC be requested to remove the offending tree, which was passed unanimously.
Councillors’ email addresses
Jeremy Rawlings explained that OTC has use of the domain ‘olneytowncouncil.gov.uk’ which can be used as a suffix for members’ personalised email addresses, e.g. JeremyRawlings@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk This provides a standard format which would make it easier for members of the public to contact their councillors, rather than the current collection of individual email addresses, he said. If they did not want a personal email published then members could opt for admin@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk, which would go the Town Clerk for onward distribution. The proposal, whilst apparently acceptable to most members generated a surprising amount of anger and hostility from some, who appeared not to like having such a ‘label’ imposed upon them. John Sharp felt that councillors should be free to decide if they wanted to publish their existing personal email addresses and Deidre Bethune felt they were being treated like naughty school children and being told what to do. In any case, she never gets any emails from members of the public so what does it matter, she said. Eventually it was decided to allow members to publish their existing personal addresses if they really want to.
Bits ‘n’ Bobs
A letter had been received from Mark Luckin of The Olney Group (TOG) who organise the annual Fireworks Night. TOG has donated £500 to OTC in recognition of the fact that OTC underwrites the event every year in case of financial loss. The underwriting has only had to be called upon once in the entire history of this popular event. Tony Evans reported that a vacancy had arisen at the Ann Hopkins Smith Almshouses and any elderly female resident of the town wishing to take it up should contact him. Steve Clark reported that the Whirly Pit had frozen over in the recent cold spell, resulting in the loss of many, if not all of the fish. The pit is under the ownership of MKC, who had apparently made no effort to prevent it from freezing over or to remove the dead fish, resulting in something of a bad smell. Mike Hughes suggested an agenda item for a future meeting to propose that OTC take ownership, enabling the council’s own workers to maintain it. Deidre Bethune said that there had been much confusion about refuse collection over the Christmas period, resulting in refuse bags lying around for over two weeks. The MKC website stated that there would be a collection between Christmas and the New Year but it was not until Christmas Eve that an email had been sent to the Town Clerk confirming that the next scheduled collection would be Tuesday January 4th, which was then too late to advertise. Jeremy Rawlings reminded the council that only last month they had decided not to progress with training for the Clerk on the use of Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc.) which would have been an ideal method of distributing such news.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 7th February 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.
Olney Town Council Meeting December 2010
Every month Olney Town Council have a meeting, it is on the first Monday of the month (usually) at 7.30pm. The public and our correspondent, Mercury, are always welcome.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 6th December 2010
Public participation
No member of the public spoke at this point in the meeting.
Co-option of new Councillor
As reported in last month’s Mercury, there was a vacancy on Olney Town Council (OTC). This attracted three candidates: Colin Rodden, Andrew Dooley and John Bates. Each was given a few minutes to speak and then, before the voting process began, all three were asked to leave the Chamber. The plan was then for two votes to be conducted, the top two candidates from the first vote progressing to the second, which would then decide the winner.
The first vote was taken, each Councillor writing their preferred choice on a slip of paper and the Town Clerk collating the results. This saw John Bates come first with four votes, the other two candidates attracting three votes each. This meant a tie for second place, so a show of hands was taken, with Colin Rodden winning by six votes to Andrew Dooley’s four.
The second vote, between John and Colin, was then taken. This resulted in another tie, and the Mayor used his casting vote in favour of Colin Rodden who was then duly co-opted to the Council and took his seat at the table.
Accounting and possible land purchase
When Ousedale School’s Olney Campus was built, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) transferred £180,000 to OTC in exchange for the additional land it needed to complete the new Campus. This money can only be used for land purchase, and OTC is actively looking to buy suitable land. As such, a recent Finance Committee meeting recommended that this amount be kept in general funds rather than being invested, thus keeping it available in case a land acquisition happens soon.
(Lack of) planning news
Steve Clark, Chair of the Planning Committee, reported that, likely due to the current financial climate, the number of planning applications was pretty low. It was felt that, as a result, it would be sensible to stop the regular Planning meetings, the Committee instead meeting only when a significant application required consideration. John Sharp and Mike Hughes stated that applications concerning the conservation area would benefit from face to face meetings, and this view achieved general consensus.
As background, Steve noted that, while the number of applications may be low at the moment, it would likely increase in future. For example, the interest in Green Energy may see an increase in applications for roof mounted solar panels and tubes. He touched on the fact that the current Local Plan, which expires next year, stipulates that any such addition to a roof should not be greater than 5cm in thickness. However, applications for some structures of greater thickness than this have been accepted, particularly when there is an obvious benefit – e.g. in energy
efficiency – and people living nearby are content with the plans.
It was agreed that Steve Clark, as Committee Chair, should use his discretion to decide which applications merited face to face discussion, at Planning Committee or full Council meetings, and which could be decided outside meetings, for example by email.
Christmas lights
Each year when the Christmas light columns are installed on the High Street, a contractor employed by OTC installs the light columns on the lamp posts, then OTC pays MKC to drop down a cable in each post and connect the lights. This year, OTC’s contractor offered to drop down the cables permanently, meaning that, from now on, each Christmas it could connect the lights without MKC needing to be involved. This work would cost £1,843 for the 38 light columns and, due to the yearly outlay to MKC no longer being required, would start to save money after three years. The Council voted unanimously to have the work done.
Councillors also discussed the possibility of increasing the number of light columns, stretching the decorated area further North and South. However, no decision was made and the topic will be discussed at a later meeting.
Driftway
In Debbie Brock’s absence, Gill Edmonson reported that John Price, a Countryside Manager at MKC, was investigating remodelling the mound and looking into the ownership of the land. Tony Evans was unimpressed, describing this update as ‘nothing’.
Social media
Councillors voted on whether some of them should attend a course on communicating with residents using social media. Jeremy Rawlings felt this was an important topic which the Council tended to underestimate. However, this feeling was not shared generally and, when Mike Hughes called a vote, it was not carried.
Financial control
John Boardman had spent time reviewing the Council’s Asset Register and, while finding it to be generally complete and accurate, questioned the values assigned to pieces of land owned by the Council. Deidre Bethune noted that the top half of Barn Field was noted in the register as being worth £22,500. This figure was felt too low and the land will be revalued.
Alms houses
Tony Evans reported that there is a vacancy at the Alms Houses, and that any interested elderly single lady who is reasonably agile and can climb stairs should apply in writing to him at Olney Park Farm, Yardley Road, Olney.
Play Builder
Steve Clark explained that austerity measures were resulting in holdups to the
budget for Play Builder projects, generally used to improve children’s play areas. He was unsure of what would happen, but was expecting an overall 30% reduction in the budget up to the end of this financial year. However, it was unclear how the effects of this reduction would be spread amongst the various planned play area improvements and, either way, it may just be possible that affected projects can attract funding from alternative sources.
Nunn Wood Wind Farm
Steve reported that the N-Power Nunn Wood wind farm was going to a Public Inquiry due to the non-determination of its three planning applications, there being three because the proposed site covers three different Local Authority areas: Milton Keynes (MK), Wellingborough and Bedford
MKC had asked N-Power to submit further information on certain aspects of the MK application in order to allow it to be determined. This further information was received by MKC on 7th October. Subsequently, N-Power lodged an appeal against the non-determination of all three applications, and notice of this appeal was received by MKC on 10th November.
Local Authorities are expected to determine planning applications within a certain period of time and, if this does not happen, applicants will often use the non- determination route to get the application resolved by Public Inquiry. Once this step has been taken, the Planning Inspector will rule on whether the application should be refused or permitted.
This means that the Council itself can no longer determine the application. However, it is common for the report on the application to be considered by the planning committee to ascertain what decision it would have made. The ‘theoretical decision’ might then be used as part of the Council’s representations to the Public Inquiry.
Thank you to Steve Clark for providing context and background to this topic.
Salt bins
A member of the public had asked the Council whether they could use the salt from the new roadside bins to help clear the ice. Gill Edmonson advised that the salt bins are indeed for public use and that, if a refill is required, the contact details are 01908 252570 or envservices@milton- keynes.gov.uk. For further guidance from MKC, surf to the Snow Code at www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/highways/docume nts/Snow_Code.pdf .
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 10th January 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.
Here we bring you an unbiased report of the meeting, saves you going along...
Town Council Meeting on Monday 6th December 2010
Public participation
No member of the public spoke at this point in the meeting.
Co-option of new Councillor
As reported in last month’s Mercury, there was a vacancy on Olney Town Council (OTC). This attracted three candidates: Colin Rodden, Andrew Dooley and John Bates. Each was given a few minutes to speak and then, before the voting process began, all three were asked to leave the Chamber. The plan was then for two votes to be conducted, the top two candidates from the first vote progressing to the second, which would then decide the winner.
The first vote was taken, each Councillor writing their preferred choice on a slip of paper and the Town Clerk collating the results. This saw John Bates come first with four votes, the other two candidates attracting three votes each. This meant a tie for second place, so a show of hands was taken, with Colin Rodden winning by six votes to Andrew Dooley’s four.
The second vote, between John and Colin, was then taken. This resulted in another tie, and the Mayor used his casting vote in favour of Colin Rodden who was then duly co-opted to the Council and took his seat at the table.
Accounting and possible land purchase
When Ousedale School’s Olney Campus was built, Milton Keynes Council (MKC) transferred £180,000 to OTC in exchange for the additional land it needed to complete the new Campus. This money can only be used for land purchase, and OTC is actively looking to buy suitable land. As such, a recent Finance Committee meeting recommended that this amount be kept in general funds rather than being invested, thus keeping it available in case a land acquisition happens soon.
(Lack of) planning news
Steve Clark, Chair of the Planning Committee, reported that, likely due to the current financial climate, the number of planning applications was pretty low. It was felt that, as a result, it would be sensible to stop the regular Planning meetings, the Committee instead meeting only when a significant application required consideration. John Sharp and Mike Hughes stated that applications concerning the conservation area would benefit from face to face meetings, and this view achieved general consensus.
As background, Steve noted that, while the number of applications may be low at the moment, it would likely increase in future. For example, the interest in Green Energy may see an increase in applications for roof mounted solar panels and tubes. He touched on the fact that the current Local Plan, which expires next year, stipulates that any such addition to a roof should not be greater than 5cm in thickness. However, applications for some structures of greater thickness than this have been accepted, particularly when there is an obvious benefit – e.g. in energy
efficiency – and people living nearby are content with the plans.
It was agreed that Steve Clark, as Committee Chair, should use his discretion to decide which applications merited face to face discussion, at Planning Committee or full Council meetings, and which could be decided outside meetings, for example by email.
Christmas lights
Each year when the Christmas light columns are installed on the High Street, a contractor employed by OTC installs the light columns on the lamp posts, then OTC pays MKC to drop down a cable in each post and connect the lights. This year, OTC’s contractor offered to drop down the cables permanently, meaning that, from now on, each Christmas it could connect the lights without MKC needing to be involved. This work would cost £1,843 for the 38 light columns and, due to the yearly outlay to MKC no longer being required, would start to save money after three years. The Council voted unanimously to have the work done.
Councillors also discussed the possibility of increasing the number of light columns, stretching the decorated area further North and South. However, no decision was made and the topic will be discussed at a later meeting.
Driftway
In Debbie Brock’s absence, Gill Edmonson reported that John Price, a Countryside Manager at MKC, was investigating remodelling the mound and looking into the ownership of the land. Tony Evans was unimpressed, describing this update as ‘nothing’.
Social media
Councillors voted on whether some of them should attend a course on communicating with residents using social media. Jeremy Rawlings felt this was an important topic which the Council tended to underestimate. However, this feeling was not shared generally and, when Mike Hughes called a vote, it was not carried.
Financial control
John Boardman had spent time reviewing the Council’s Asset Register and, while finding it to be generally complete and accurate, questioned the values assigned to pieces of land owned by the Council. Deidre Bethune noted that the top half of Barn Field was noted in the register as being worth £22,500. This figure was felt too low and the land will be revalued.
Alms houses
Tony Evans reported that there is a vacancy at the Alms Houses, and that any interested elderly single lady who is reasonably agile and can climb stairs should apply in writing to him at Olney Park Farm, Yardley Road, Olney.
Play Builder
Steve Clark explained that austerity measures were resulting in holdups to the
budget for Play Builder projects, generally used to improve children’s play areas. He was unsure of what would happen, but was expecting an overall 30% reduction in the budget up to the end of this financial year. However, it was unclear how the effects of this reduction would be spread amongst the various planned play area improvements and, either way, it may just be possible that affected projects can attract funding from alternative sources.
Nunn Wood Wind Farm
Steve reported that the N-Power Nunn Wood wind farm was going to a Public Inquiry due to the non-determination of its three planning applications, there being three because the proposed site covers three different Local Authority areas: Milton Keynes (MK), Wellingborough and Bedford
MKC had asked N-Power to submit further information on certain aspects of the MK application in order to allow it to be determined. This further information was received by MKC on 7th October. Subsequently, N-Power lodged an appeal against the non-determination of all three applications, and notice of this appeal was received by MKC on 10th November.
Local Authorities are expected to determine planning applications within a certain period of time and, if this does not happen, applicants will often use the non- determination route to get the application resolved by Public Inquiry. Once this step has been taken, the Planning Inspector will rule on whether the application should be refused or permitted.
This means that the Council itself can no longer determine the application. However, it is common for the report on the application to be considered by the planning committee to ascertain what decision it would have made. The ‘theoretical decision’ might then be used as part of the Council’s representations to the Public Inquiry.
Thank you to Steve Clark for providing context and background to this topic.
Salt bins
A member of the public had asked the Council whether they could use the salt from the new roadside bins to help clear the ice. Gill Edmonson advised that the salt bins are indeed for public use and that, if a refill is required, the contact details are 01908 252570 or envservices@milton- keynes.gov.uk. For further guidance from MKC, surf to the Snow Code at www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/highways/docume nts/Snow_Code.pdf .
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 10th January 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.