Milton Keynes City Council have announced they are extending an electric car charging trial to help motorists without off street parking charge at home.
In partnership with Kerbo Charge, the city council initially trialled ‘through-pavement channels’ for six families who don’t have access to off street parking.
The City Council have now said that the trial is now being extended for up to 100 electric vehicle users in Milton Keynes, with the council saying that the new method could save electric car drivers more than £1,100 each year.
How the scheme works is that a product is installed in tarmac or stone pavements directly outside a customer’s home, creating a narrow channel (30mm deep, 42mm wide) with a hinged lid in which the user can easily place a charging cable, running it to their car with no trip hazards from trailing cables.
MK City Council have reported those who trialled the scheme fed back it was a success as it gave them the confidence to move from petrol/diesel cars to electric, reducing CO2 emissions.
David Peake, a resident that took part in the initial trial has hailed the new technology as ‘transformational’. Prior to enrolling onto the trial he either needed to trail a cable over the pavement or drive a small distance to his nearest charge point. He and others now have a specially designed polymer channel with a self-closing lid in the pathway outside their house, which they can switch on using an app.
Peake said, “The Kerbo Charge installation has been transformational for me because I can now safely charge my car at home and drive in electric mode every day, saving around 80 litres of petrol every week and slashing my emissions. Hats off to Milton Keynes City Council for leading the way with this new technology.”
Recent data from Zap Map shows that on average, a resident who can charge their car at home spends £680 annually, compared to £1,820 for those using public chargers. This disparity is particularly evident for the 40% of UK households without driveways, where the expense of public charging turns many people away from owning an electric car.
Residents interested in the scheme can apply on the city council’s website.
Cabinet Member for Public Realm, Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, said, “We have a proud history of supporting innovation and encouraging electric vehicle uptake here in Milton Keynes. We have one of the best public charging networks in the country but want to do more to help our residents. This extended trial enables our residents to home charge when they do not have a driveway, giving them the confidence to switch to a low-emission lifestyle which helps us meet our sustainability targets.”
Kerbo Charge Co-Founder Michael Goulden, added, “Our aim is to make it affordable for residents without driveways to move to electric. We’re delighted that Milton Keynes City Council is making home charging accessible to residents with street parking across the city. Milton Keynes is known as one of the most innovative councils in the UK and they’ve certainly lived up to that reputation here.”
Red Bull Racing is set to keep Sergio Perez in one of it’s F1 race seats after speculation he was set to be dropped during the season’s summer break.
Despite the Mexican only signing a new contract with Red Bull last month, speculation had built up that the team were considering dropping Perez from his seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Perez has seen a slump in form, with the 34-year-old failing to score a podium in the last 10 races and not finishing a race higher than seventh since the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
The drop in form has seen the driver fall to seventh in the F1 Driver’s Championship standings, which would have been eighth had George Russell not been disqualified after winning last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
The form has also seen Red Bull become vulnerable in the Constructor’s Championship. The Milton Keynes-based team enter the summer break still leading but are now 42 points clear of McLaren, having been over 100 points clear in May and having been outscored by McLaren and Mercedes in the last 2 months.
It was widely reported that Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko were planning to meet to review the first half of the season on Monday the day after the Belgian Grand Prix, with one item of review being whether to keep Perez in his seat for when the F1 season resumes after the summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix in late August.
Internal remarks by Horner that were reported by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and verified by multiple outlets including the BBC, Sky, The Race, RaceFans and Autosport suggests that the team have made the decision to retain Perez for at least the next four races in the Netherlands, Italy, Azerbaijan and Singapore.
Horner is quoted as saying, “Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the speculation of late. We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has done well before.”
The decision will also see Red Bull’s junior team RB maintain its current line-up, with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda remaining there and reserve driver Liam Lawson remaining in reserve. Ricciardo and Lawson had been rumoured at various points over the last month as being linked with taking Perez’s seat.
Multiple criticisms of Perez’s form had emerged from Red Bull in recent weeks, with Horner calling Perez’s form “unsustainable” in a TV interview after he failed to score points at the British Grand Prix and Marko saying Perez “completely collapsed” in his own TV interview after the Belgian round when he went from starting second to finishing eighth, before being promoted to seventh after Russell’s disqualification.
MK Dons played out a draw with Portsmouth as the two sides drew 1-1 in the Dons’ first home pre-season friendly.
Former MK Dons winger Josh Murphy gave the visitors an early lead, before Tommy Leigh equalised just after the hour.
The Dons had a smattering of chances to take victory, but nevertheless had their moments as they held out against a side that are preparing to compete in next season’s Championship.
Having started their pre-season with games against Barnet, German side Hannover’s B-team, Chelmsford City and Wealdstone, the Dons turned their attention to a pair of home friendlies against Championship opposition in their final preparations for the League Two season kick-off.
Last season’s League One champions Portsmouth were the first, with Pompey making the trip to Milton Keynes in a midweek encounter at Stadium MK.
The game was the first chance for the Dons to field some of their new recruits at Stadium MK, with seven starting and two on the bench.
But it was the visitors who took the lead. After winning the ball high-up, a Portsmouth passing move saw the ball worked for Murphy, whose shot took a deflection off Sam Sherring that wrong-footed goalkeeper Tom McGill and bobbled in.
On a super hot evening in Milton Keynes, the Championship-bound visitors were having their moments but while they winning the ball high up, they weren’t creating too many chances, with the best seeing a shot by Paddy Lane blocked by Laurence Maguire.
It took the Dons around 20 minutes to create their first major chance, but they very nearly made the most of it. Space opened up for Conor Grant, and his strike from the edge of the box was tipped wide by Will Norris.
Portsmouth responded with a few chances of their own, as a hit from the wide area by Sammy Silvera nearly arced it’s way into the net before Ryley Towler’s header from a corner just crept wide.
The visitors continued to look dangerous but MK Dons were having their moments. A through-pass by Leigh nearly sat kindly for Callum Hendry, but the Dons maintained pressure and Leigh bent a shot just wide.
Half-time sub Matt Dennis saw a low shot creep just wide in the opening minutes of the first half.
Dennis would later see a goal disallowed for a foul on Towler, with this coming after a period where the Dons had begun to see more of the ball without creating many opportunities.
The hosts came very close when a low hit by Joe Tomlinson was tipped wide by Norris. But a few moments later, the hosts would equalise. A smart low pass by Carroll released Leigh, who was able to dispatch a fine shot into the net for a Dons equaliser.
This was the cue for the Dons to make six substitutions, which did affect the flow a little. But the Dons nearly had an opening as Carroll intercepted a loose pass. He found Alex Gilbey, who saw an effort denied by Norris.
Norris was then also on hand to keep out Dennis after he was able to break down the flank.
Both sides looked to push for a late winner. Norris in the Portsmouth goal did well to deny Wearne’s strike, before the same man had a shot blocked when found by a searching ball.
Portsmouth nearly won the game right at the end when Jack Tucker lost possession and substitute Callum Lang was denied by Tom McGill, as the game ended all square.
MK Dons: McGill – Sherring (Pritchard 63, Offord (Kelly 63), Maguire (Lewington 63) – Tripp, Carroll (Lewis-Burgess 84), Williams (Tucker 45), Tomlinson (Wearne 63) – Leigh (Harrison 63), Grant (Gilbey 63) – Hendry (Dennis 45)
Subs not used: Harness, Silver, Singh-Hurditt, Stirland
Goal: Leigh (62)
Booked: Carroll
Portsmouth: Norris – Williams (Swanson 79), Shaugnessy (Stevenson 79), Towler, Ogilvie – Pack, Lowery (Moxon 79) – Lane (Lang 63), Silvera (Devlin 79), Murphy (Whyte 79) – Yengi (Saydee 79)
Subs not used: Devlin
Goal: Murphy (3)
Booked: Shaugnessy
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for potential thunderstorms in England on Thursday (01/08).
Thunder is forecast at the end of a recent heatwave in southern England, with temperatures rising above 25 degrees Celsius in the region over the last few days.
This heatwave is however forecast to run into a thundery patch, with expectations that storms could be seen on Wednesday evening but are likelier to fall on Thursday.
As of 08:20am on Wednesday 31st July, Milton Keynes is forecast potential rain between 1pm and 7pm on Thursday, with the highest risk of rain falling being between 2pm and 5pm.
A risk of rain on Wednesday was initially forecast in some weather forecasts, but current forecasts suggest it’ll remain dry.
Under a yellow weather warning, Met Office advice is that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, and where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus service.
Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost in some extreme circumstances.
In very extreme circumstances, flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds, while fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.
In a statement, the Met Office’s Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Holley said, “While there is often some uncertainty during thundery breakdowns, we’re monitoring several areas that could see some thunderstorms on Wednesday, but more especially Thursday. There is a small chance in parts of south and southeast England as early as Wednesday, perhaps more likely on Wednesday night, with other areas of heavy and locally thundery rain developing across portions of Wales, the Midlands and northern England later on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
“In addition, scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms may break out on Thursday afternoon and evening across parts of central, southern and eastern England, along with perhaps south Wales, which may produce gusty winds, large hail and the risk of surface water flooding. The heaviest downpours could produce in excess of 25mm of rain in less than an hour, with disruption possible in some areas. This is an evolving story, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest forecast during the next couple of days.”
Proposals to redevelop The Brunel Centre and former Sainsbury’s site in Bletchley are set to progress as Milton Keynes City Council begins the search for a development partner.
Following engagement with the local community, the sites have been earmarked to deliver a modern mixed-use scheme, including new homes and shops in place of the existing buildings currently on the site.
The city council’s independent property arm, Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP), purchased the sites last year to form part of the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Deal project. The Town Deal project will see major improvements to Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, partly paid for by £23m in government funding the city council had previously secured.
Both sites form part of the city council’s proposals to regenerate the town centre. Plans are also progressing to attract more events to Queensway such as food festivals and offer grants to entrepreneurs who want to open small business on the high street.
A decision to begin the procurement process is scheduled for 30 July.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Customer Experience, Cllr Lauren Townsend, said, “This is another important milestone in delivering a brighter and more prosperous future for Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. We’re keen to find the right development partner who can take the community’s vision and reinvigorate these important sites.
“We have a real opportunity to deliver a scheme that will benefit people for generations to come. It’s thanks to the local community who have helped shape the proposals until now. We look forward to receiving proposals for the next phase of the project and continuing our work with local people.”
