Milton Keynes City Council have reflected on work over the previous year in tackling homelessness, with their work receiving praise by a group of independent experts.
Last year, MK City Council spent more than £18 million on providing emergency accommodation to residents facing homelessness. The City Council also revealed that they are approached for help by around 175 local families every month.
Homelessness is deemed as a significant national challenge, and supporting people who are facing homelessness, as well as doing more to prevent homelessness, are listed by MK City Council as key priorities in their Council Plan.
On World Homeless Day (October 10) in 2024, the city council introduced a top up scheme to help more families move into private rented homes. In certain situations where rent is just out of reach, the city council tops up the difference between what a tenant can afford and what a landlord can reasonably expect. t’s helped more than 115 families this way, and around 150 landlords are signed up to the scheme – which also sees the city council providing financial incentives to landlords who can offer long term, secure tenancies.
Renters who are in dispute with a landlord can also get more help from the city council. Its ‘Call Before You Serve’ initiative prevents homelessness before it happens by offering mediation between landlords and tenants before eviction notices are served. It estimates around 35 evictions have been avoided since July, as well as lessening the financial and emotional cost of legal proceedings.
Residents who still find themselves homeless, perhaps because of a no-fault eviction, are now less likely to be housed in emergency B&B accommodation far outside the city. In the last year more than 400 smaller families have been temporarily housed in Harben House in Newport Pagnell after the city council struck a deal to book the hotel in full – saving over £400,000 on paying for B&Bs and other spaces night by night. City council teams run cooking clubs and other activities at the hotel to help families get to know each other.
The city council also opened a new, larger facility in Fishermead for people who had been sleeping rough. Since then, it’s helped more than 50 residents move into secure, long-term homes, providing ongoing mental health and other support. Many people are now renting successfully or have reconnected with family or moved into council housing. There is always space at the facility and the city council’s outreach teams are in regular contact with rough sleepers.
What MK City Council describes as a ‘common-sense approach’ to tackling homelessness was commended by a group of independent experts who spent four days in Milton Keynes earlier this year as part of a Local Government Association corporate peer challenge.
Cllr Ed Hume, Cabinet Member for Housing, said, “While tackling homelessness remains a significant challenge for all councils including in Milton Keynes, this has been a milestone year for us as we’ve introduced some major initiatives that are already showing an impact. We’re helping local people find safe, stable homes while doing more to prevent homelessness. This is all against a bigger backdrop where we’re building more council homes and encouraging developers to build more affordable homes.”
Fire crews were tasked to provide assistance after a major fire in a caravan in Olney on the outskirts of Milton Keynes.
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that firefighters were called to a caravan fire on Dagnall Road near Olney that broke out at around 4:30am this morning (13/10).
The blaze had spread to two outbuildings (measuring approx sixteen by eight meters) containing vehicles and building equipment.
Three crews from the Broughton, Olney and Harrold alongside an officer attended the situation. As part of their work, fire crews removed two propane and two butane gas cylinders, who proceeded to monitor and cool the cylinders.
The caravan was 100% damage by fire and three vehicles sustained heat damage.
Firefighters used four breathing apparatus sets, three hose reel jets, a main jet and thermal imaging cameras as part of their work to contain the blaze.
Crews remained on scene for an extended period of time for damping down and checking for hotspots.
MK Dons picked up a third League Two win in a row after a 4-0 success against Bristol Rovers.
Alfie Kilgour’s first half own goal had given MK Dons the lead, before a late flurry of strikes saw Laurence Maguire, Alex Gilbey and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy seal the victory for Paul Warne’s outfit.
Victory in Bristol means that the Dons have picked up 3 wins in a row, with the trilogy of successes seeing them rise up to 4th in the League Two table after 12 games. The Dons are one point behind Gillingham in the last of the 3 automatic promotion spots, and 5 points behind leaders Walsall.
For the second week in a row, an early own goal would put the Dons in front. Alex Gilbey got space for a low cross into the box from a free-kick, and his ball took a deflection of Kilgour that sent the ball careering into the bottom corner to put MK ahead.
Neither side created a substantial quantity of quality chances after that, with perhaps the best coming when Bristol Rovers’ former MK Dons striker Ellis Harrison headed straight at Craig MacGillivray from a corner.
That strike would however be the Pirates’ only shot on target of the game, as despite having some forward moments after the break, the home side struggled with chance creation.
Things then took a major turn when the Dons scored three goals in ten minutes to truly wrestle control of the contest away from the home side and confirm they would be taking the points.
MK Dons made it 2-0 with 83 minutes on the clock. Liam Kelly’s free-kick was flicked towards his own goal by a Bristol Rovers defender and Maguire stole in to get just enough to divert the ball past home goalkeeper Brad Young.
In the final minute of the 90, MK Dons duly made it 3-0. Kelly’s free-kick this time was a low pass that released Gilbey, who duly drilled a strike into the bottom corner.
There was still time for MK Dons to make it 4-0, when two subs combined in stoppage time to add gloss to the scoreline. Jonathan Leko was played in space down the MK right, and his cross duly found fellow sub Hepburn-Murphy, who marked his return from injury by drilling in a low effort to cap a fine away performance by the Dons.
MK Dons will look to continue their form next time out, when they welcome Crewe Alexandra to Stadium MK next Saturday.
The operators behind Willen On Ice have announced it will return next month, bringing festive fun this season with Friday Disco Nights and a number of special guest appearances inspired by children’s TV and movies.
Willen on Ice will host a series of special guests – namely Bluey on 20 November, Elsa from Frozen on 9 December, The Grinch on 16 December, and of course Santa himself on 23 December. Families can meet, greet, and snap unforgettable photos with their favourite characters on the ice.
As well as these, there are special Disco sessions for teens (age 11-18) every Friday night. Visitors can lace up their skates and glide under lights to music every Friday evening. With tickets starting from just £11.95, these disco events mark a new way to begin weekends.
Fans will also have the unique chance to skate alongside the MK Lightning ice hockey team in a special event taking place on 26 November.
Further information for booking tickets to all events is on the Willen Lake website.
Speaking about this year’s events, Operations Manager Emily Thorpe shared her excitement, “We’re thrilled to offer visitors not just the magic of skating, but a truly festive experience that brings families, friends, and the wider community together. This year, we’ve added even more festive fun with our Friday Disco Nights, a fantastic line-up of character visits, the unique opportunity to skate alongside the MK Lightning ice hockey team, plus much more. We want every guest to feel the joy of the season, whether they’re stepping onto the ice for the first time or continuing a Christmas tradition.”
Willen on Ice continues to be a seasonal highlight for the Milton Keynes community, offering sessions for all ages, from beginners to seasoned skaters, as well as group bookings for schools, businesses, and parties.
Last year, the Willen on Ice event went viral on social media when a workman installing ice as part of the rink at the venue accidentally placed their daughter’s mobile phone under the ice sheet, leaving it there for two months. The phone was later recovered and was successfully restarted.
Two late goals saw Northampton beaten 2-1 at home by Rotherham United despite scoring first.
Sam Hoskins’ 100th Northampton goal had put the Cobblers ahead at Sixfields, only for strikes in the last 20 minutes scored by Joe Rafferty and Josh Benson to win the game for the side from Yorkshire.
Defeat was the Cobblers’ first at home since mid-August, with the result seeing Kevin Nolan’s side left in 14th place in the League One table.
A busy start at Sixfields saw each side have early moments. Hoskins thought he had put Northampton ahead in the 8th minute when he headed in from Terry Taylor’s cross, only for an offside flag to thwart him. Rotherham had their own early chances, meanwhile, with Denzel Hall and ex-Northampton man Shaun McWilliams missing the target.
The game’s opening goal would be for the Cobblers. A foul by Zak Jules on Kamarai Swyer saw the hosts given a penalty, and from 12 yards, Hoskins beat Rotherham keeper Cameron Dawson. The strike was Hoskins’ 100th strike in a Northampton shirt, making him just the 4th player in the club’s history to hit such a milestone.
Rotherham offered little between falling behind and the break, but they would offer more after half-time, with Martin Sherif firing wide when well placed.
The Millers would duly find their way back on level terms with just under 20 minutes to go. Rafferty would score the equaliser, with the Rotherham man receiving Jordan Hugill’s knockdown and firing into the back of the net.
The game’s decisive moment then came with 87 minutes on the clock. Benson’s precise free-kick left Ross Fitzsimons with no chance, putting the visitors ahead.
Northampton were unable to respond to this blow, falling to defeat. Nolan’s Cobblers will seek to respond next time out, when they travel to Doncaster next Saturday.
