Milton Keynes City Council

Unitary authority in England

Milton Keynes City Council

City of Milton Keynes

Coat of Arms of Milton Keynes

Council logo

Type
Type|

Unitary authority

History
Founded| 1 April 1974
Leadership

Mayor

James Lancaster,
Labour
since 14 May 2025[1][2]

Leader

Peter Marland,
Labour
since 11 June 2014[3]

Chief Executive

Michael Bracey
since 26 October 2018

Structure
Seats| 57 councillors

Political groups

Administration (30)
Labour (30)
Other parties (27)
Liberal Democrats (18)
Conservative (9)
Elections

Last election

| 2 May 2024

Next election

| 7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ
Website
milton-keynes.gov.uk

Milton Keynes City Council is the local authority for the City of Milton Keynes, a local government district in Buckinghamshire, England. The council was established in 1974 as Milton Keynes Borough Council. Since 1997 it has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent of Buckinghamshire Council, the unitary authority which administers the rest of the county.

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2024. It is based at Milton Keynes Civic Offices.

## History

[edit]

See also: History of Milton Keynes

The non-metropolitan district of Milton Keynes and its council were created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Bletchley Urban District, Newport Pagnell Urban District, Wolverton Urban District, Newport Pagnell Rural District and that part of Winslow Rural District within the designated area for the new town of Milton Keynes. From its creation, the district was also given borough status, entitling the council to be known as Milton Keynes Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[4][5]

From 1974 until 1997, the council was a lower-tier district authority, with county-level services provided by Buckinghamshire County Council. On 1 April 1997, following a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England, the council became a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Milton Keynes covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority.[6] Milton Keynes remains part of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.[7]

From being made a unitary authority in 1997 until 2022 the council styled itself Milton Keynes Council. The borough was awarded city status on 15 August 2022.[8] The council then changed its name to Milton Keynes City Council, and amended its logo to emphasise the new status.

## Powers and functions

[edit]

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

[edit]

Further information: Milton Keynes City Council elections

The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[9][10]

Non-metropolitan district

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1974–1976
| Conservative | 1976–1982
| No overall control | 1982–1990
| Labour | 1990–1992
| No overall control | 1992–1996
| Labour | 1996–1997

Unitary authority

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1997–2000
| No overall control | 2000–2002
| Liberal Democrats | 2002–2006
| No overall control | 2006–2024
| Labour | 2024–present

The council was under no overall control from 2006 to 2024. From May 2014 to May 2021, the Labour Party held office as a minority administration. From May 2021 to May 2024, the administration was a Labour Party and Liberal Democrat "progressive alliance".[11] Since May 2024 the Labour Party has had a majority on the council.

### Leadership

[edit]

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Milton Keynes. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

Bob Swepston  |  | Labour  | May 1974  | May 1978
Kevin Wilson[12][13][14] |  | Labour | May 1996 | May 2000
Norman Miles[15][16] |  | Labour | 23 May 2000 | May 2002
Isobel McCall[a][17] |  | Liberal Democrats | 21 May 2002 | May 2009
Sam Crooks[18] |  | Liberal Democrats | 19 May 2009 | May 2010
Cec Tallack[19] |  | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 2010 | May 2011
Andrew Geary[20][21] |  | Conservative | 24 May 2011 | May 2014
Peter Marland[22] |  | Labour | 11 Jun 2014 |

### Composition

[edit]

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:[23]

Party | Councillors

|

| Labour | 30
| Liberal Democrats | 18
| Conservative | 9
Total  | 57

The next election is due in 2026.[24]

## Elections

[edit]

See also: Milton Keynes City Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2014, the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 19 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[25]

The Local Government Boundary Commission has invited comments on a proposal to revise the ward boundaries and increase the number of councillors to 60 in time for the 2026 elections. If approved, all council seats will be up for election that year.[26][27]

## Premises

[edit]

A wide angle view of the Civic offices building and flagpole in July 2020

The headquarters of the council, including the council chamber, is the Milton Keynes Civic Offices building at 1 Saxon Gate East in Central Milton Keynes. The building dates from 1979 and was designed by architects Faulkner Brown Hendy Watkinson Stonor.[28] The building is sited very close to the moot mound (meeting place) of the Anglo-Saxon Sigelai (or Secklow) Hundred.[29]

## Logos

[edit]

Milton Keynes City Council has had two logos. The first logo was an oak leaf which was used from the 1990s.

The second logo is more colourful than the previous version, and consists of the two letters M and K, representing Milton Keynes. The 'M' is coloured in azure and 'K' is coloured in green: this is the logo that is currently in use, with a recent revision to change the font and text accompanying it to mark Milton Keynes' city status.

Coat of arms of Milton Keynes City Council

Notes
Granted 3 December 1975 by the College of Arms.
Crest
Perched upon the battlements of a tower Proper issuant therefro on either side a branch of oak fructed of five acorns and as many leaves an eagle displayed wings iverted Or gorged with a collar dancetty of four points upward per fess dancetty Gules and Sable.
Torse
Argent and Gules.
Escutcheon
Vair three bars Gules issuant from the base an oak tree of five branches fructed and the trunk enfiling a mural crown Or.
Supporters
On either side a fallow buck Proper charged on the shoulder with a representation of a Cretan double axe erect Or.
Motto
By Knowledge Design And Understanding[30]

## Technology facilitation

[edit]

In recent years, the council has promoted the city as a test-bed for experimental urban technologies. The most well-known of these is the Starship Technologies' (largely) autonomous delivery robots: Milton Keynes provided its world-first urban deployment of these units. By November 2020, said Starship, Milton Keynes had the 'world's largest autonomous robot fleet'.[31] Other projects include the LUTZ Pathfinder pod, an autonomous (self-driving) vehicle built by the Transport Systems Catapult. Trials took place in Milton Keynes in 2016.[32][33]

## Controversies

[edit]

### Blakelands Warehouse

[edit]

In May 2017, the City Council approved plans to build an 18m (59ft)-high warehouse in Blakelands, with the warehouse (which was constructed in 2018) being criticised by local residents as "oppressive", and there were concerns about planning malpractice, including the lack of a noise barrier and the retention of trees and hedges.[34] In February 2019, the Council commissioned external planning expert Marc Dorfman to review the decision, although the report was not complete due to Dorfman's resignation later that year. Following this, the Council appointed independent barrister Tim Straker to carry out an independent report, with the report (published in 2021) finding that while planning conditions were missed as a result of "human error", there was "no untoward conduct."[35]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Called Isobel Wilson until 2005

1. ^ Murrer, Sally (14 May 2025). "Meet the new Mayor of Milton Keynes - the councillor who switched from Tory to Labour and works for an MP". MK Citizen. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
2. ^ "Council minutes, 14 May 2025". Milton Keynes City Council. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
3. ^ "CMIS > Councillors". milton-keynes.cmis.uk.com.
4. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
5. ^ "Table III(a)". Local Government in England and Wales. a Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. pp. 15–109\. ISBN 0117508470.
6. ^ "The Buckinghamshire (Borough of Milton Keynes) (Structural Change) Order 1995: Article 8", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1995/1769 (art. 8), retrieved 13 July 2024
7. ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1997 c. 23 (sch. 1), retrieved 29 May 2024
8. ^ "Crown Office". The London Gazette (63791). TSO. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
9. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Milton Keynes" in search box to see specific results.)
10. ^ "Milton Keynes". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
11. ^ Norford, Olga (19 November 2021). "Progressive Alliance in Milton Keynes celebrates six months of putting people before politics" (Press release) – via Milton Keynes Citizen.
12. ^ Larner, Steve (9 May 1996). "In the hot seat!". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
13. ^ Larner, Steve (25 May 2000). "Council cabinet plan gets the thumbs down". Milton Keynes Citizen. p. 7. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
14. ^ Tooley, David (16 May 2019). "Councillors pay warm tributes at first meeting following death of former Milton Keynes Council leader Kevin Wilson". MK Citizen. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
15. ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2000" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
16. ^ "Milton Keynes Council leader Norman Miles is to be the first permanent executive director of Milton Keynes Lifelong Learning Partnership". Milton Keynes Citizen. 2 May 2002. p. 21. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
17. ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2002" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
18. ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2009" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
19. ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2010" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
20. ^ "Council minutes, 24 May 2011" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
21. ^ "Local elections: Labour make gains in Milton Keynes". BBC News. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
22. ^ "Council minutes, 11 June 2014" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
23. ^ "Milton Keynes result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
24. ^ "Milton Keynes". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
25. ^ "The Milton Keynes (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/22, retrieved 13 July 2024
26. ^ "Electoral boundaries and maps | Milton Keynes City Council". www.milton-keynes.gov.uk. Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
27. ^ "Milton Keynes". Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
28. ^ "Civic Offices Milton Keynes Council". Race Cottam Associates. 2018.
29. ^ Historic England. ""Secklow Hundred mound: a moot at the junction of North Row and North Ninth Street" (1007940)". National Heritage List for England.
30. ^ "Armorial Bearings". WhatDoTheyKnow. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
31. ^ "Milton Keynes now has 'world's largest autonomous robot fleet' as Starship expand further". Starship Technologies (Press release). Retrieved 6 November 2020 – via MKFM.
32. ^ 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.
33. ^ Davies, Rob (11 October 2016). "Self-driving car tested for first time in UK in Milton Keynes". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
34. ^ "Milton Keynes warehouse planning decision 'bona fide'". BBC News. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
35. ^ "Milton Keynes warehouse: Blakelands planning conditions were missed as a result of "human error"". BBC News. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2023.

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[edit]

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