Milton Keynes City Council have announced details of a by-election in September for the Bletchley East ward.

One councillor slot for the ward has opened up after the resignation of Emily Darlington, who resigned on August 1st.

Darlington, who previously one of the ward’s councillors, was recently elected as a Labour MP for the Milton Keynes Central constituency and she has chosen to focus on her duties as a Parliamentary MP.

As a result, a by-election will now be held on Thursday 12th September 2024 to elect a new councillor for the seat.

Polls will be open between 7am and 10pm, with a result to be declared within 24 hours of the polls closing.

Under the rules, MK City Council have provided a timetable for those who wish to stand for election and those who intend to vote.

Nominations open today (07/08) and will run until a deadline of 4pm next Thursday (15/08), with a publication of nominated candidates to be released at 4pm the next day.

Voters that wish to register to vote have until 27th August to do so unless they are already registered. Anyone already registered to vote will be sent a poll card towards the middle of August.

People who are unsure if they are registered to vote can call Milton Keynes City Council on 01908 254706 to check.

The final deadline to apply for a postal vote is Wednesday 28 August at 5pm. MK City Council will have information on their website for how to apply to obtain the right to vote by post.

The final deadline to apply to appoint a proxy is Wednesday 4 September at 5pm, and the person appointed as a proxy will need to either visit the allocated polling station to vote or apply for a postal vote before 5pm on 28 August.

Milton Keynes City Council have announced plans to host an Artificial Intelligence Festival in the city later this year.

The Milton Keynes AI Festival 2024 will be held from 28 October to 1 November, with the city council intending to put together an exhibition across the city showcasing modern technologies and AI. 

Events, conferences, and hackathons will be running across the city, hosted by major organisations including Bletchley Park (where the Festival will formally open), The Open University, Connected Places Catapult, Aiimi and His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) – others to be confirmed. A full programme will be published on the Protospace website closer to the event. 

This event follows on from an AI Safety Summit held by the British government at Bletchley Park, last year which saw global leaders in government and technology attend to discuss the future of AI.

MK City Council intends for the Festival to be an opportunity for businesses to showcase their AI work, share insights and engage with a diverse audience determined to make the most of the opportunities presented by modern technologies. Organisations are now invited to express an interest in hosting events during the week. 

In addition, organisations and businesses are welcome to set up their own fringe events which, while self-funded and separate to the main programme, will be promoted by the city council to help the organisers find a wide audience. Information on how to register interest to host a fringe event is available on the Protospace website.

A key focus of the Festival is to highlight the ongoing work to boost the city’s position as a leader in the tech ecosystem and deliver on the city council’s Technology, Smart City, Digital and Creative Industries Strategy, cementing Milton Keynes’ global reputation as a smart city and the home of innovation.

Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability, and Innovation, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “We’re really proud to be at the forefront of the growth in tech and AI. It’s no coincidence that the first multi-national agreement on the future of AI was signed here in Milton Keynes. The Festival will enable us to bring together leading AI and tech developments in MK and across the country, so we can work together to we make the most of these opportunities for our businesses and residents.

“If you’re involved in this area, this is a great opportunity to showcase your work and collaborate with other partners who share the same interests. I would encourage interested businesses to apply to host events, so we can show the world why Milton Keynes is and will always be the home of innovation and high performance technology.”

CEO of Bletchley Park Trust, Iain Standen, added, “It was a privilege for Bletchley Park to be the host location for the world’s first AI Safety Summit in November 2023. As a site that has witnessed the power of human intelligence, emerging technology and collaboration, we recognise the importance of ensuring that AI technology is developed and deployed in a safe and ethical manner. It was incredibly exciting to provide the stage for discussions on global safety standards, which will help everyone manage and monitor the risks of artificial intelligence, and to see this encapsulated in the Bletchley Declaration.

“It was also a huge opportunity to showcase not only Bletchley Park as a museum and visitor attraction, but also the aspirations of Milton Keynes to be a leading city in emerging technology. The Milton Keynes AI Festival 2024, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Summit, is a fantastic opportunity for the city to build on the legacy of this historic event.”

The MotoGP bike racing series will change its Silverstone event to a May timeslot for 2025.

Silverstone hosted the British round of the championship last weekend, which saw Enea Bastianini take a double victory in both the sprint and feature race.

With the 2024 edition completed, Silverstone and MotoGP have now confirmed a change to the schedule for the British Grand Prix MotoGP races for 2025, which will now take place in a May timeslot.

The races had held an August timeslot since 2013, initially in a late August position around the August Bank Holiday in England before moving to an early August position in the calendar in 2022.

Silverstone have announced the race weekend at the circuit will now take place between 23rd and 25th May 2025, which will see it held as the first of what the circuit calls its three major events in the form of the British Grand Prix F1 race in July and the Silverstone Festival in August.

The event has been noted by some as moving the British MotoGP event to the same weekend as two of world motorsport’s prestige events in the form of F1’s Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500 in the USA.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, said in a statement, “It’s a fabulous venue and the racing here is always fantastic. We’re really happy to be able to confirm when we’ll be returning to Silverstone next season, and to celebrate the British GP at a different time of year.”

Stuart Pringle, Chief Executive Officer at Silverstone, added, “Our fans won’t have to wait so long for their next British GP fix and we’re already working on putting together another great weekend of MotoGP action, live music, jaw-dropping stunt shows and much more.”

Two men have been arrested following an assault of a man at the Reggae Land Festival in Milton Keynes.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the two arrests were made in connection with an incident that happened at about 8.50pm on Sunday (4/8).

The incident saw a man assaulted in the main arena at The National Bowl, and after medical staff attended the scene, the injured man was taken to hospital with stab wounds. He is now stable and recovering.

Police have confirmed that two men, aged 29 and 31-years-old and both from Milton Keynes, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, public order offences and drug offences. They both remain in custody.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Graeme Williams, based at Milton Keynes police station, said, “We understand that this may cause concern to the community but we still believe that this was a targeted attack and there is no risk to festivalgoers or the wider public.

“We have been working very closely with the event organisers and their security team, and we are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.

“If anyone has mobile phone footage, or anything that may help us with our investigation, please come forward.

“If you witnessed the assault or have any other information and haven’t already spoken to a police officer, please call 101, or visit our website, quoting investigation reference number 20240726-1285.”