More than 21,000 young people voted in last week’s Milton Keynes Youth Council ballot, electing 30 new youth councillors.
Administered by Milton Keynes City Council, elections saw over 90 students put themselves forward for a youth councillor position across all 15 local authority-maintained secondary schools in the city.
The Youth Council, which is elected every two years, gives young people a say on issues most important to them. It has previously worked on mental health support for young people and tackling violent crime, helping to shape policies that directly impact their peers. Each year, members also choose a Youth Mayor to lead their work.
Milton Keynes Mayor Marie Bradburn visited schools during the election to meet candidates and hear about their campaigns. Schools were also invited to watch the vote count at the Civic Offices for the first time, giving them a closer look at the democratic process in action.
The new councillors will have their first meeting next month.
Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “It’s inspiring to see so many young people stepping up and getting involved in democracy. The Youth Council is a great way for them to make a difference, and I can’t wait to see what this new group achieves. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who took part.”
Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr Marie Bradburn, added, “It was fantastic to visit schools during election week to see their enthusiasm and passion for the issues they campaigned on. It shows that we have a bright future ahead of us. Many congratulations to our new youth councillors and a big thank you to everyone who got involved.”
Additional acts have been announced for the Tribes Unite Festival, which will be taking place in Milton Keynes in August and headlined by Pendulum.
A Phase 2 lineup announcement was made last week for the festival, which will be taking place at the National Bowl on Saturday 9th August 2025.
Headlined by Pendulum Live, with over 40 acts performing across 5 electrifying stages, this year’s edition promises a celebration of bass, hip hop, and rave culture.
Drum & bass heavyweights Netsky, Friction, K Motionz, Turno and Serum are among the new names added, alongside rising stars A Little Sound, Sota, and Clipz. Bassline stars Flava D and DRS Live performance also join the bill, with over 30 more acts also confirmed as taking part in the festival.
These artists join a lineup already featuring drum & bass titans Andy C, Hedex, Bou & Wilkinson, Pendulum’s groundbreaking side-project Knife Party, American hip hop duo Joey Valence & Brae, dubstep pioneers Caspa & Rusko, junglist collective 4am Kru, and celebrated British MC Flowdan.
Stage hosts UKF, Fantazia, Fabric Live and Breakin Science will curate immersive experiences that showcase the talents of bass music, uniting global icons with breakthrough talent. Each stage promises to be curated around its own designated sound, offering attendees a diverse journey through the sounds of drum & bass, dubstep, jungle, hip hop, and more.
Pendulum will provide the show closer as the event’s headline act.
Tickets are on sale now. The final allocation of £52.50 Second Release tickets is selling fast. Prices will rise to £57.00 for Third Release tickets at 6:00 pm GMT on Wednesday, 19th February, unless sold out prior.
Northampton Town were beaten 2-0 at home by promotion chasing Wrexham.
First half goals by Sam Smith and Ollie Rathbone decided the game in the Welsh side’s favour, with Kevin Nolan’s hosts unable to recover as they slip to a first defeat in three matches.
Results elsewhere saw the Cobblers drop a place to 19th position in the League One table, with Northampton now 5 points above the relegation zone with 15 games to go.
The Saturday lunchtime affair had seen Northampton arrive on the back of victories against Huddersfield and Mansfield, with the Cobblers aiming to take a noteworthy scalp against a Wrexham side chasing a third straight promotion.
The game began in a fairly quiet manner, with few chances in the opening 20 minutes or so. However, two goals around the 20 minute mark firmly steered the game in the away side’s favour.
A 19th minute opener put the visitors ahead, when a long pass by Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Howard released Smith, and the Welsh side’s January signing beat Nik Tzanev in a one-on-one, scoring his first goal for the club.
Three minutes later, Northampton fell 2-0 down. A long ball was not dealt with by the hosts, allowing midfielder Rathbone to run forward, elude challenges and drill a shot in via the post.
The visitors looked likelier to grab the game’s next goal, with Jordan Willis having to make a last-minute blockade, James McClean striking the post with a corner and Rathbone firing wide.
Northampton had struggled to get going in an attacking sense in the first half, and were still on the back foot after the break, with Jay Rodriguez denied by Tzanev and substitute Steven Fletcher heading wide.
Sam Hoskins saw a late strike bounce wide, but a two goal lead would be insurmountable as Wrexham left with the points.
For the Cobblers, they will seek to bounce back next weekend when they welcome Bristol Rovers to Sixfields.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy will be hosted at the Midsummer Place shopping centre in Milton Keynes tomorrow (19/02).
Rugby fans will have an opportunity to get their picture taken with the trophy, which will be placed in the shopping centre between 9am and 3:30pm.
The visit comes ahead of this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, which takes place in England from 22nd August to 27th September 2025.
The closest venue to Milton Keynes hosting games will be Franklin’s Garden, home of the Northampton Saints rugby team, which will be hosting six matches in the tournament.
As well as photo opportunities to get photographed with the trophy, there will be further activities.
Visitors can test their luck with a claw grabber arcade game for a chance to win tickets to Loughborough Lightning’s final Premiership match of the 2024/25 season on Friday 21st February in Northampton, along with exclusive keyrings and other goodies.
There will also be a Q&A session with representatives from Northampton Saints, who are partnered with Loughborough Lightning, and a member of the RFU to learn more about the tournament and women’s rugby.
Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place, said, “We’re excited to have this exciting event at Midsummer Place and having the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy at the heart of Milton Keynes. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the community to celebrate women’s sport and experience the buzz leading up to the tournament. Whether you’re a rugby enthusiast or just looking for a fun family day out, this event has something for everyone.”
Luton Town are now without a win in 10 Championship games as they lost 1-0 at home to promotion chasing Sheffield United.
Anel Ahmedhodzic scored the only goal of the game to decide the contest during the second half, in a result that put Sheffield United into top spot in the table at least until Leeds play on Monday.
This is in stark contrast to Luton, who fell to bottom spot in the table after they were beaten by Sunderland in midweek and remain both bottom and without a win in 2025.
With 14 games of the season to go, Luton find themselves 3 points from safety but in need of a spark to avoid becoming the first team since Sunderland in 2017 and 2018 to suffer back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and Championship.
The Hatters had been relegated alongside Sheffield United from the Premier League last season, but while the Yorkshire club are in the mix for an immediate return, Luton entered still chasing a first win with Matt Bloomfield in charge.
Defeat away at Sunderland in midweek combined with a heavy win for Plymouth over Millwall had seen Luton slide to bottom spot in the Championship table, but against their promotion chasing guests, Luton had started brightly.
In the early stages, Elijah Adebayo would see a header go wide before Thelo Aasgaard would see a fine strike hit the crossbar.
Adebayo would later volley over from an Aasgaard cross, with the home side having looked likelier before the break to score first.
Sheffield United offered little going forward before the break but nearly made Luton pay for their profligacy in the latter stages of the half as Thomas Kaminski was forced into a save to deny Tyrese Campbell.
A busy opening to the second half saw both sides come close, with Carlton Morris denied by visiting keeper Michael Cooper before half-time Sheffield United sub Ben Brereton Diaz hit the post.
Things continued to be busy, with Brereton Diaz missing the target from close range before Morris was kept out by Cooper.
The ultimately decisive moment would come in the 79th minute. An earlier attack had seen Vini Souza denied by Kaminski, but a few moments later, Callum O’Hare cycled the ball back into the box and Ahmedhodzic headed home. Many Luton fans thought the Bosnian had been offside, but the officials didn’t and the goal was awarded.
Luton ultimately had no answer, ending the game beaten ahead of a big six-pointer with Plymouth on Wednesday.
