Chair’s report to Council on the Council Year 2004-5

20/05/07 — published by Mikki Thomas

I must report some disappointment this year. Our will to move council forward has faltered and it is particularly sad to me, that many of the initiatives that were born in this council have been picked up and put into operation by other Councils. We are now in danger of allowing negativity to kill initiative, in our service to our residents.

New Build

Failed

[a] Green Gym Project

[b] Tesco and loss of post office, though this remains ongoing

Lost

[a] Police/Parish One Stop Shop

[b] Cyber Café

Ongoing

[a] Allotments

[b] Alcohol Exclusion Zones

Successes

[a] Utilization of Oldbrook Green

[b] Gating Project on Fishermead

[c] Attracting new young councillors

HiMOs

We lead on work around HiMOs which have become a major issue in the Parish.

Play areas

Oldbrook at point of fruition (though Fishermead has failed).

Working in Partnership

Have achieved:

 

Redirection of government money to deal with area around Springfield shops and meeting place.
Estate deep cleans in partnership with other agencies.
Partnership with Police on Community Safety and Anti-social behaviour issues though much work still remains to be done.
We have 2 Police Community Support Officers now working in the Parish.
Partnership with Fire Service Work with schools around arson.
Partnership with Schools
With exception of Willen we have either Members or staff (and on occasion both) as representatives on our School Governing Bodies and are able to give much support to our schools.

Work with Other Parishes

We have particularly strong bonds with Woughton, West Bletchley and B/F and it is with gratitude I acknowledge in particular the support this council receives from Woughton and that I receive from its Chair, Cllr K Wilson.

We also welcome the support from our Ward Councillors C Tallack and I Wilson and in particular Cllr I Henderson for the successful work done on the Fishermead Gating Project. Sadly we have utilized the available funds on this, but will continue to seek funding to finish the project.

Overbridge and Underpass Linkages

After a long number of years raising this issue and indeed fighting the issue with the Central Milton Keynes Partnership, they have now announced they are looking to put a sum of money together (some from government grants and some from planning gain money) to do work around the up-grading of these linkages and CPPC will be the Pilot.

Woolstone Consultations

We are aware of our Woolstone residents’ justifiable concerns over the Oak Grove expansion plans. We have held several public consultation meetings and will continue to monitor this, though we like our residents are often at the end of any information chain. We will continue to fight this particular corner.

Staff

We are blessed with a truly superb staff for which I for one give daily thanks.

We would not have moved the work of this Council forward as much as we have done, without their commitment, hard work and effort.

Patrick Langston has coped in the last 2 ½ years with an incredible level of change.

Janice Walker/Elaine Webb who manage our administration and are our front office face of Council and whose support of members is dedicated.

Michael Hyrcak/Dominic Warner/John McLinton - very different one from another, but a truly superb team, consistently delivering our aims and objectives in a professional manner and known and respected throughout the Parish and beyond.

My deepest thanks go to them all.

I would like to offer the following tributes:

Richard Osbourne – a great loss to the Parish to whom he had always shown sterling commitment, in particular for a superb web site and for all the research and investigation he led on. He will be a particularly difficult act to follow and many of us will miss him most deeply.

Brenda Roberts for work on Oldbrook over the years and the consistent bringing forward of comments and problems. She will be sadly missed and we wish her well.

I particularly commend several new councillors in their commitment to Council.

Cllr Michelle Dudhill for her work with young people – Kids of the Street project, Summer Fun Days and Summer Workshops.

Cllr Tina Armstrong for her work with Residents Associations and in particular her work around HiMOs and work with Cllr Fraser around anti-social behaviour and community safety.

Cllr Martin Ramm for his work on allotments where several exciting new initiatives are poised to take off.

Cllr Katherine Kent for public consultation skills particularly on Oldbrook and around the wheeled sports activity consultations.

Also several of our longer term councillors

Cllr Malcolm Strang for his work on Transport and continuing efforts on the Community Bus Project and for his continued support to Chair of Council.

Cllr Brian Barton for his work around environment, where the short time he has chaired the Committee, has seen several new initiatives poised to take off.

Cllr Martin Petchey for his continuing and extraordinary grasp of planning issues and his support for that Committee.

Cllr Tom Fraser for his work on training for Council, for research and information work around community safety and for his support for our new younger councillors.

This is not to exclude councillors I may not have mentioned for I understand councillors have work and home commitments which mean they are unable to give the level of time or commitments of others. My thanks to you councillors for the support I have received from you in my service to this Council.
  • Isabella Fraser (Chair)
  • Campbell Park Parish Council