Archive for category: MK News

Welcome to the March edition of the MK Highways newsletter.

In this edition is a round up of the latest news, events and information from the Council’s Highways team.

Every day the Highways team receives a large volume of queries and reports of issues affecting the highway network. Each enquiry received by the team is logged and inspections are carried out to assess what the reported damage is and how urgently it needs to be fixed.

To report an issue use our online form, it’s quick and easy to use and the query goes straight to the team. You will also receive a reference number so you can be updated on your query.

In This Issue

 

Fixing the Links’ Project Starts in Bletchley

Work has already started in Bletchley between Buckingham Road and Locke Road to up-grade the pedestrian and cyclist links between Bletchley Rail Station and the town centre.

The aim is to improve the journey experience between the railway station and the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists and to address issues such as road safety.

 

 

Energy saving LED scheme wins government funding

A pilot scheme devised and developed by the Council’s street lighting team showed how converting street lanterns in a test area actually reduced the amount of energy used even during high demand periods. The scheme has now been awarded a share of £4.74m following the bidding process.

 

Road signs to get a Spring Clean!

Up to 100 road signs along the grid roads will be cleaned as part of a spring clean operation starting in February. The work will be done by Serco, the Council’s cleaning contractor and will take a few weeks to complete.

 

 

POD signage goes up in CMK

The Highways team and their service provider, Ringway have carried out a full site review for the driverless pods requirements and have already installed over 153 signs across CMK.

One of the three initial pods to travel from Station Square up Midsummer Boulevard was displayed to media last September.

 

 

 

Illuminated Furniture trial

The Council’s Highway team has just completed a trial to reduce the amount of energy used to illuminate street furniture such as street lighting, illuminated traffic signs, illuminated traffic bollards, solar power bollards, beacons and underpass fittings.

We spend around £250k per year on lighting street furniture across the city which is why the Highways team began a trial to look at ways this figure could be reduced by using more energy efficient products.

 

Latest planned Highway works

Here’s a round up of work that is happening across the Milton Keynes Borough over the next few weeks including resufacing, road closures, big events and repair work.

Further information can be found on the Highways webpages

Alternatively visit http://www.roadworks.org/

 

Coming soon… a new look for the website

The Highways sections of the Council’s website are being reviewed and we are looking at putting all Highways and Transport information under one simple button to make it more user friendly and promoting a ‘one stop shop’ for all Highways and Transport information.

If you have any comments or suggestions on this please let us know by emailing: communications@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

 

 

     

Contact

twitter.com/mkcouncil
01908 252570
envservices@milton-keynes.gov.uk

 

 

 

Following the decision by Executive Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 2nd December, Milton Keynes Council will now be publishing the ‘Plan:MK Strategic Development Directions’ document for a formal 12 week public consultation period from the 13th January to the 6th April 2016.

The consultation document seeks feedback on the development directions that emerged as part of the Plan:MK workshops held in Spring 2015. A number of questions are posed which provide an opportunity to tell us your thoughts on these development directions or suggest other ideas as to how and where Milton Keynes should grow in the future. Your input in this consultation will assist in preparing a vision and development strategy for Plan:MK.

The Plan:MK Strategic Development Directions Consultation January 2016.

For further information about the consultation process click here

Email received from Nicola Smith, Chair of NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

I am emailing to announce the start of the NHS Milton Keynes CCG public consultation on the future of the urgent care walk-in service at Broughton Gate Heath Centre. The public consultation will last for 12 weeks from Monday 15 February to Monday 2 May 2016.

We are keen to make sure that services for local people offer the best care possible, in the most appropriate place, at the right time.

Alongside wider work in progress to look at the way we provide healthcare services in Milton Keynes, we have been looking at how we can integrate Urgent Care and GP out-of-hours with the local A&E department to deliver a better urgent care service.

The vision for urgent and emergency care provision must be for a system that is as straightforward as possible, with patients aware of and able to access appropriate high quality clinical care and support at the right time and in the right place.  By integrating urgent care service into a single point of access, urgent care services will be easier to navigate meaning that patients will see the most appropriate clinician at the right time.

We are also thinking about the walk-in service that is part of the GP-led health centre at Broughton Gate. The contract for this service will expire later this year so we want to think about what kind of walk-in service local people would like in the future. This includes where the walk-in service is, and what hours it is open.

The GP services provided at Broughton Gate health centre will remain as they are now; it is only the urgent care walk in service that is being reviewed.

It’s really important that we understand local people’s views when we make decisions about the future service.  You can have your say online at:

www.miltonkeynesccg.nhs.uk/improving-urgent-care-services-in-milton-keynes/

Printed copies of the consultation document and questionnaire will also be available and we expect to distribute them to GP surgeries, and a range of community settings over the period of the consultation. The consultation survey has a Freepost return address.

Public meetings will also be held during the consultation period where people can meet with health leaders and discuss their views. There is no need to register for the drop in events, just turn up between the hours of 3pm and 6pm to one of the following venues:

• Tuesday 8 March 2016  at Milton Keynes Christian Centre, Strudwick Drive, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes MK6 2TG
• Wednesday 13 April 2016 at Brooklands Primary School (Countess Way Campus), Countess Way, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 7HN

If you would like to be sent a printed copy of the consultation document, please call 0116 295 4183.

We would be grateful if you would take a few moments to complete the online questionnaire and also cascade the information about how to get involved in this consultation to service users, staff, family and friends who live in the CCG area.

Also, please feel free to send a letter or email with your organisation’s response to:

Freepost NHS QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES

Your views are important to us and we do hope you will take part.

MK50 – Celebrating Milton Keynes’ 50th Anniversary
On 23rd January 2017, Milton Keynes will celebrate its 50th anniversary marking the date of the Designation of the New Town. This gives a fantastic opportunity to celebrate how far Milton Keynes has come as a city, to present to the world its unique story, and to look to the future vision for what Milton Keynes will become.

For more information please read the attached MK50 Theme and Information Handout.