This year, Milton Keynes City Council Conservative Group will be proposing nine budget amendments across a range of issues that matter to our residents.
These amendments will be debated the Budget Full Council meeting this Wednesday (19th February).
They are as follows:
- Glebe Farm School
a) This Council acknowledges the urgent need for a solution to accommodate essential daytime community activities disrupted at Glebe Farm School due to the school's rapid expansion and safeguarding concerns.
b) This Council supports dedicating officer resources to investigate and develop a comprehensive plan for the siting of a temporary facility on school grounds to fulfil the existing community led demand via the use of tariff funding.
- All Out Elections
That this Council initiates the legal process to transition to All Out Elections. The anticipated savings of approximately £150,000 per year or more should be allocated to enhance services for the residents of Milton Keynes.
- Potholes
a) That this Council notes that the monies allocated and subsequently hailed in the Government’s Autumn Budget for filling potholes, as was confirmed at Budget & Resources Scrutiny Committee by the Section 151 Officer, cannot legally be used for filling potholes as it is capital funding
b) It is proposed therefore that an additional £150k of revenue funding is added to the 2025/26 budget to fund pothole repairs. The funding is proposed to be sourced from the Contingency budget.
- Exemption for Places of Worship from Green Bin Charges
That Places of Worship are exempt from the proposed charges for properties with more than one green bin. Costs are estimated to be between £2k and £3k per annum, with this being funded from the Corporate Contingency.
- Household Waste Facilities
a) That this Council acknowledges that the new Household Waste centre facility in Wolverton has yet to receive planning permission and hence construction has not begun, and that the saving from the closure of the Newport Pagnell HWRC is included within 25/26 budget thus the site would have to be closed by end of March 2026.
b) That in a recent Council Partners communication video in January, presented by the Chief Executive and Head of Communications, assurances were given that no Household Waste Recycling Centre sites would close before the Wolverton site was fully operational.
c) That this Council therefore acknowledges that the budget for 26/27 may need to be altered to accommodate any delays in planning and construction.
- Youth Services
a) That this Council agrees that youth services are essential for supporting many of the council’s priorities.
b) That this Council delays the proposed cuts to youth services for one year to facilitate a comprehensive consultation of the capabilities of our partners, such as parish councils and the voluntary sector, to fill the gap, identify potential ‘youth service deserts’ across the city and how this Council can target resources most efficiently in the future to address them.
c) The proposed saving of £241k in 2025/26 is deferred and the impact of this offset by using £241k from the Council’s Contingency budget.
- School Transport Delivery for Post 16 SEND Pupils
That the decision to change school transport support for post 16 SEND pupils and subsequent budget saving be delayed for 1 year until a full consultation on the proposed changes is undertaken with the families and carers of those that will be affected in coming years , and reviewed by a dedicated Councillor body with a 1:1:1 ratio. The proposed saving of £50k in 2025/26 is deferred and the impact of this offset by using £50k from the Councils Contingency budget.
8. Sheltered Housing
a) That this Council acknowledges that the proposed cuts to sheltered housing wardens are understandably causing concerns among residents, and that the proposed extra charges are unaffordable for many, especially following the Winter Fuel Payment cuts.
b) That, in recognition of these concerns, the proposed cuts are deferred until the next financial year, pending a more equitable process to support those who cannot afford to pay. This decision is to be offset by utilizing £300,000 from the Council's Contingency budget.
c) The anticipated savings of £300,000 for 2025/26 do not adequately reflect the input of residents and disregard the vital role housing officers play in ensuring community safety and support for long-standing residents who have contributed to the growth of Milton Keynes.
d) Therefore, this Council calls for a comprehensive consultation process with residents to ensure their voices are heard and for the establishment of a working group to explore sustainable solutions prior to the 2026/27 budget.
- Reinstate the Shopper Bus
That the decision to remove the Shopper Bus service for residents in sheltered housing be reversed for 1 year while proper consultation is undertaken with residents on how the service could be made more sustainable. The proposed saving of £65k in 2025/26 is deferred and the impact of this is offset by using £65k from the Councils Contingency budget.
Cllr Keith McLean will also be proposing two amendments on Lavendon Flood Prevention Scheme and for the purchase of gel bags for the village of Lavendon:
a) Lavendon Flood Prevention Scheme “That following the village of Lavendon being flooded for the 3rd time in 12 years and with a scheme designed by engineers WSP after the 2012 floods and checked and updated in 2022 after the 2020 floods and hence is ready to deliver, but with any external funding apart from that already available unlikely (as confirmed by correspondence between the LLFA and the EA that this scheme that would protect the village does not meet the EA’s Cost benefit analysis calculator). That this council therefore either uses underspends in the existing capital budget or uses prudential borrowing up to £1.5m to fund the already engineer designed and partially implemented Lavendon Flood prevention scheme. If borrowing is used and interest needs to be paid on that borrowing, then this should come from the CMK events fund for the first year and then the interest payments should be built into future budgets.”
b) Gel bags “In light of the repetitive flooding in the village of Lavendon, £5,000 is allocated to purchase gel sand bags and storage for these bags and training of volunteers, to be used by the already recruited flood wardens directed by Cllr Gary Manning in line with their flooding emergency plan. When the flood alleviation measures are implemented these can be redeployed to other areas in the borough. In an area that is over 25 minutes away from the council’s depot and flooding generally happens within 30 minutes of its starting to rain heavily assets on site are vital. This as a one[1]off purchase and should be funded from the CMK events fund.”
The meeting will be able to be watched live on Milton Keynes City Council’s youtube channel here: Milton Keynes City Council - YouTube
