Milton Keynes Council


Milton Keynes Council is the local council 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.

History

The council was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Milton Keynes District Council, under 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. The council gained borough status, entitling it to be known as Milton Keynes Borough Council and to annually appoint a Mayor of Milton Keynes.
It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Milton Keynes as a non-metropolitan district council would share power with the Buckinghamshire County Council. This arrangement lasted until 1997 when the district council gained responsibility for services that had been provided within Milton Keynes by the county council. On becoming a Unitary Authority, 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

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:
Since May 2014, the Labour Party has held office as a minority administration. The Labour Party continues in office with confidence and supply support from the Liberal Democrats.

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 vehicle built by the Transport Systems Catapult. Trials took place in Milton Keynes in 2016.