Milton Keynes Council

Milton Keynes Council is the local authority of the Borough of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The borough is divided into 19 wards, electing 57 councillors.

Milton Keynes Council
Third of council elected three years out of four
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Mayor of Milton Keynes
Mohammed Khan, Labour
since 20 May 2020
Leader of the Council
Peter Marland, Labour and Co-op
since 26 May 2014[1]
Chief executive
Michael Bracey
since 26 October 2018
Structure
Seats57 councillors
Political groups
Administration (32)
  Labour (19)
  Liberal Democrats (13)
Opposition (25)
  Conservative (24)
  Independent (1)
Meeting place
Civic Offices, Milton Keynes
Website
milton-keynes.gov.uk
Footnotes
Labour Party and Liberal Democrats coalition administration

The next election will be held on 5 May 2022.[2]

History
See also: History of Milton Keynes

The 'Milton Keynes District' was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Bletchley Urban District, Newport Pagnell Urban District and Wolverton Urban District, together with Newport Pagnell Rural District and that part of Wing Rural District within the designated New Town area. The council was formed under the same act as the Milton Keynes District Council, subsidiary to Buckinghamshire County Council. The council was first elected in 1973, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the District of Milton Keynes on 1 April 1974. In 1974, the council gained borough status, entitling it to be known as Milton Keynes Borough Council and to annually appoint a (ceremonial) Mayor of Milton Keynes.[3][4]

It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Milton Keynes as a non-metropolitan district council would share power with the then Buckinghamshire County Council (now Buckinghamshire Council). This arrangement lasted until 1997 when the district council gained responsibility for services that had previously been provided for Milton Keynes by the county council. On 1 April 1997, following a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England, the Borough became a self-governing Unitary Authority,[5] and the council renamed itself Milton Keynes Council.

Powers and functions

The local council derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Milton Keynes is within a non-metropolitan area of England. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority and is responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. The council also appoints members to Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority and the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, both of which serve the borough.

Political control
Further information: Milton Keynes local elections

One third of the council is elected each year for three years, followed by one year without election. Since 1996 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[6]

Party in controlYears
Labour1996–2000
No overall control2000–2002
Liberal Democrats2002–2006
No overall control2006–present

From May 2014 to May 2021, the Labour Party held office as a minority administration. Since May 2021, the administration is a Labour Party and Liberal Democrats coalition.

Technology facilitation

In recent years, the Council has promoted the Milton Keynes urban area as a test-bed for experimental urban technologies. One of these projects is the LUTZ Pathfinder pod, an autonomous (self-driving) vehicle built by the Transport Systems Catapult. Trials took place in Milton Keynes in 2016.[7][8]

Logos

Milton Keynes Council has two logos:

The first logo was the green leaf which was used since the 1990s.

The second logo is more colourful than the previous version, which comprises two letters in different colours representing Milton Keynes: 'm' is coloured in azure and 'k' is coloured in green, which is currently in use.

References
  1. "CMIS > Councillors". milton-keynes.cmis.uk.com.
  2. "England Elections 2022: Political parties share plans for Milton Keynes". BBC News. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  3. "District Councils and Boroughs". Hansard 1803–2005. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  4. "Table III(a)". Local Government in England and Wales. a Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. pp. 15–109. ISBN 0117508470.
  5. "The Buckinghamshire (Borough of Milton Keynes) (Structural Change) Order 1995". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 July 2020. (2) A new county shall be constituted comprising the area of Milton Keynes and shall be named the county of Milton Keynes.
  6. "Milton Keynes". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  7. Burn-Callander, Rebecca (11 February 2015). "This is the Lutz pod, the UK's first driverless car". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. Davies, Rob (11 October 2016). "Self-driving car tested for first time in UK in Milton Keynes". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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