View from the Chair

The View from the Chair – August 2025

The last couple of months have flown by and it has been a busy time for the Parish Council, not least due to the installation of the new Playground equipment, which comes after a lot of hard work over the last couple of years – an update is below. Alongside that there have been a number of other activities and news that I will update you on.

But first, a couple of goodbyes and a welcome. Rick Whyte has recently resigned from the Parish Council due to a change in personal circumstances that makes it hard for him to commit to the regular meetings. In addition as noted in our last update, Maria, our Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer, left us at the end of July to pursue a new career opportunity. We thank them both for all they have done for the Parish Council.

I would specifically like to thank Maria for her support when I became a Parish Councillor and Chair a couple of years ago and for helping the Parish Council to drive forward a number of projects in the last few years, most notably the Playground update, which she was always very passionate about. I am glad that it is largely complete by her leaving day and am confident she will be bringing her young family to play on it, especially as they were often involved in discussions behind the scenes! She will be much missed by us all.

We have appointed a new Clerk, Shamina Rushton-Cato, who joined us on 18 July. She attended her first meeting on 21 July and with Maria’s no doubt excellent handover, is learning the ropes. We all welcome her on board and look forward to working with her. Contact details for the Clerk are unchanged.

Councillor Vacancies

Rick’s departure means that we are now down to four parish councillors from our suggested complement of seven. Whilst this clearly means we have to spread the workload between a smaller group so less is getting done, it also reduces the points of view around the table when we have decisions to make. Slightly more worrying, we are increasing the risk of not being quorate and that would mean we could not make decisions on any matter including co-opting new councillors. In extremis, MKCC would appoint temporary councillors, likely from outside the Parish.

We need to bolster councillor numbers and increase representation from across the Parish. Outside of the monthly meetings, this voluntary role is very flexible and you can decide how much time and effort you wish to put in. We all find it very rewarding and you can all see the difference we have been able to make on a number of areas across the Parish.

If you are interested in finding out more or to apply, please contact the Clerk at clerk@havershamlittlelinfordpc.gov.uk. I am also happy to have an informal chat if you want to discuss this with me before making up your mind.

Defibrillator Checks

One of our residents has been completing the monthly checks of our three defibrillators since they were installed back in 2022. However, they will shortly be moving away from the Parish so we are looking for volunteers to undertake these checks going forward. They are very simple and we have full instructions, so we are hoping some of you may want to ‘adopt’ the defibrillator nearest to you. If you would like to help us, please email the clerk.

Playground Latest

As I write this article, the final stage of the installation is taking place and whilst there has been a slight delay during the build, we would hope to have opened the new Playground equipment around the time that this magazine drops through your letterbox.

The exciting changes are now really taking shape and we are all very excited to see the end result. We are also pleased that we have been able to relocate some of the benches to make them more usable, as well as procure a couple of new ones. The older wooden benches and the picnic table are being refurbished to improve the overall look. We really do hope everyone enjoys the new equipment and, based on the conversations I have had with parents and children when I have been down on site, I can sense the excitement building!

The next stage is to replace the entrance path, which we are working towards doing later this year, and beyond that there are other parts where we would like to do a bit of refurbishment, mainly on the surfaces, as time and money permit.

We are also about to start work on the resurfacing of the skate ramp having identified sufficient funds – in part provided by the skateboarding community – and chosen a supplier. We would hope this will be completed during the first half of August.

Allotment Open Day

A couple of days ago I visited the ‘Allotment Open Day’ and was very pleased to see over 50 residents come along, take a look around, have a chat and eat some of the lovely cakes the team had prepared. The event had a real community feel to it and I think everyone enjoyed themselves despite the odd shower.

Well done to those tenants that organised such a great afternoon and I hope we do it again next year. They have shared a bit more about the event elsewhere in the magazine.

Wolverton Household Waste Recycling Centre

Little to report here but MKCC have reconfirmed their intent to set up ‘Resident Liaison Groups’, although no further details or timings have been shared. Those who have offered to join this group have met with our Ward Councillor to share concerns and prepare for the discussions that we hope will happen soon.

We have no indication of when MKCC will submit their formal planning application, but as things develop, we will keep residents informed of progress via the usual channels.

New Footpath and Dog Bin

After a multi-year effort and various consultations, the long established, yet informal footpath from the end of Brookfield Road heading north has finally become a legal route and been added to the definitive map. It is a well-used path and helps to join up part of the Parish to the overall Public Rights of Way network, so this is a great outcome. Thank you to former Parish Councillor Philip Turnbull for his efforts on getting the path recognised in this way.

As well as installing the finger post Footpath sign at the end of Brookfield Road, MKCC have replaced or installed a number of Rights of Way signs across the Parish to help enhance our network and make it more visible.

The Parish Council has taken the opportunity to add a new dog bin at the end of this new path as the area was often quite badly littered with dog waste bags – some of which were also thrown into the front gardens of properties along Brookfield Road. We encourage you to use this bin and avoid littering.

Unfortunately, due to a combination of flooding issues and the poor accessibility for collection, we have had to remove the dog waste bin from the riverside location at the meadows. We are currently looking for a suitable alternative location which, unlike the riverside location, will be within the Parish.

Please note that dog waste can also be put in public waste bins if a dog waste bin is not available, or taken home and dealt with as black bin waste. Leaving dog waste behind, whether in a bag or not, is an offence under the MKCC Dog Fouling Public Spaces Protection Order and the owner can be fined £100, so please act responsibly.

Highways and Road Safety

Less to report on this time, as much has already been achieved and shared. We continue to monitor the occasional bouts of Anti-Social Behaviour at Stanton Low and additional patrols are taking place to try and mitigate that – although we can see the situation is much improved over previous years since car and van access has been prevented.

We continue to engage with MKCC to try and improve the flooding situations at Rowan Drive and Haversham Hill, to get the final street lamp issues resolved, and complete various road safety and speed limit changes around the Parish.

We have also requested that MKCC and Lime change the boundary or ‘geofence’ for the eScooters and eBikes to stop them being ridden part way down the Haversham Road and when they stop working, being dumped like litter on the pavement or in the hedgerow creating an obstruction for pedestrians.

Lime, one of the operators, are keen to extend the scheme into New Haversham. Whilst no decision has been made by the operator and MKCC, we have raised some questions on feasibility and we would be interested to understand residents’ views regarding the possibility – so please do let us know. If their plans develop further, we will try to seek further views on the proposal from you.

As always if you see a maintenance issue locally, don’t forget to use the ’Report It’ page on the MKCC website, https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/pay-report-and-apply/report-it.

Planning Matters

On the New City Plan, MKCC have slightly delayed the start of the next six-week round of consultation (Regulation 19) which they intend to commence in late October. They still intend to submit the plan for examination in March 2026.

On the HcLL Neighbourhood Plan allocated development site in the old village, the developer is also slightly behind, with the pre-application process likely to start late summer and a full planning application late 2025 / early 2026.

As you may be aware, the Government is set to announce its plan for 12 new towns across the UK shortly and the rumour is that Milton Keynes will be one of the twelve. As there are no further details, we have no idea whether or not that will impact our Parish.

As and when we have news, we will update our website at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/city-plan and www.havershamlittlelinfordpc.gov.uk/npsitenews

Other News

Haversham Social and Community Centre: the trustees have provided their update elsewhere in this magazine and there is a lot of information about the Village Show as well, which is coming up on 6th September and is a great community event. The Village Show is also where the Parish Council award the Rose-Stimpson Cup for the ‘Parish Resident of the Year’. I also look forward to judging the ‘Best Novice Entry’ on the day, and I am sure I will see many of you there.

Neighbourhood Watch: we have provided an update on the great progress we have made with refreshing Neighbourhood Watch across the new village. We encourage you to sign up via www.ourwatch.org.uk/find-your-local-nw and build our NHW community and hopefully we will be able to extend the reach to the rest of the Parish in the coming months.

Parish Magazine Content: we are always keen to have more content to consider so we can keep the magazine as interesting and useful as possible.

We are very interested in local interest content, charity news and of course the contributions from the younger residents who I am sure will have lots to share after the summer holidays. So if you do have an article or other content to contribute, please send it to our editor at carol.langham@havershamlittlelinfordpc.gov.uk for inclusion in the next or a future issue.

Contacting Us and Helping Out

As well as this regular article, we use our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HcLLParishCouncil and website www.havershamlittlelinfordpc.gov.uk to share news and useful information – so please follow us on Facebook and visit the website regularly.

If you have any issues, suggestions or questions for us, or would like to volunteer to help with one of our initiatives (Community Speedwatch, Neighbourhood Watch or Litter Picking), then please either message us via Facebook or email the Parish Clerk at clerk@havershamlittlelinfordpc.gov.uk. We do our best to respond promptly.

I hope that you have enjoyed this regular update and I wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable summer whether you are having a ‘stay-cation’ or planning to travel further afield.

Cllr Richard Pryor
Chair