Emily Darlington has announced she will step down from her role as a Milton Keynes City Council Councillor to focus on her new role as an MP for the city.
Darlington won the Milton Keynes Central MP seat for Labour at the recent general election, being elected to Parliament for the first time.
In a statement, the Milton Keynes Labour Party stated that Darlington has decided that her duties in Parliament mean that she has decided to stand down as a city councillor.
A by-election will be held in September in the Bletchley East ward to elect a replacement.
Darlington has been a city councillor since 2018 and was Deputy Leader of the Council until her decision to stand down.
In her time with MK City Council, she has previously held cabinet roles looking after areas such as public realm, housing and social care, initiating projects such as the White Ribbon campaign to end violence against women and girls and an initiative to reduce rough sleeping in the city.
She has also been responsible for the multi-million-pound regeneration programme underway on the Lakes Estate, which is an area that forms part of her ward. Work to complete the first new homes of the scheme is now underway.
In a statement, Emily Darlington MP said, “It has been a great honour to represent the people of Bletchley East and Fenny Stratford ward. I am proud of my record as a local ward councillor, especially working with the community to deliver the regeneration of the Lakes Estate.
“It has also been a privilege to serve as a city councillor, especially during my time as a Cabinet member and Deputy Leader. I am immensely pleased that as part of a strong Labour administration, I have been able to lead on important areas such as seeking to end violence against women and girls, reducing rough-sleeping and making Milton Keynes a dementia friendly city.
“Now I have a new role representing Milton Keynes Central in parliament it is not possible for me to do both important jobs, so I sadly have to stand down from my job on the city council, but I will be continuing to stand up for our great city in Westminster.”
Cllr Peter Marland, Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, added, “I would like to thank Emily for all she has done as a city councillor. There is absolutely no doubt that the issues she has sought to address will ensure a lasting legacy for both her ward residents and the wider city.
“However, I’m delighted that she is now one of our three new Labour MPs for Milton Keynes, and I’m sure that in the next part of her journey she will take the same drive and determination she has shown as a councillor to stand up for our city and speak up on those issues she cares passionately about.”
IF: Milton Keynes International Festival has announced it will be making a return in July 2025.
The arts festival will take place in the city from Friday 18 July to Sunday 27 July 2025.
Across the ten days, audiences will be treated to a variety of art installations across Milton Keynes, including live music, large-scale outdoor events, circus shows, comedy, cabaret, installations and free family activities.
Founded and produced by local performing arts venue The Stables, the Festival has become a popular fixture in Milton Keynes’ cultural event calendar.
Engaging more than one million people in its seven previous editions between 2010 and 2023, the festival takes place in locations across Milton Keynes, including parks, public squares, commercial and retail spaces.
IF: Milton Keynes International Festival was also recently been honoured with the EFFE Label 2024/2025 by the European Festivals Association, recognising the event as one of Europe’s most remarkable festivals.
The festival organisers have placed on record thanks Arts Council England, Milton Keynes City Council and headline partner centre:mk for their continued support, as well as the many businesses, trusts and foundations and organisations who are all valued partners of the festival.
Luton Town have confirmed that several games between early October and mid-January have been chosen for live TV broadcast.
A new round of fixture announcements were made earlier this week by Sky Sports, confirming games they intend to broadcast on TV between October and the FA Cup Third Round weekend in January.
Six of Luton’s games will now have new kick-off times due to Sky choosing them for broadcast.
The Hatters’ trip to Coventry remains on Saturday 26th October but will now be a 12.30pm kick-off.
A home game with West Bromwich Albion will be moved to Friday 1st November and be an 8pm kick-off.
Another home game chosen is the Hatters’ clash with Cardiff City, which will still be on Wednesday 6th November as scheduled but now kick-off at 8pm.
Luton’s trip to Middlesbrough will remain on Saturday 9th November but has now been brought forward to a kick-off time of 12.30pm.
The Hatters’ home game with Derby County will now be an 8pm kick-off on Friday 20th December, and the final game moved is the team’s trip to QPR, which will be an 8pm kick-off on Monday 6th January 2025.
As part of the announcement, Luton also confirmed revised kick-off dates and times for three other games.
The home derby game against Watford remains on Saturday 19th October as planned but will now have a 12.30pm kick-off, while the team’s trip to face Leeds United is now on Wednesday 27th November and will have a 7.45pm kick-off. Neither of these two games will be televised.
The Hatters’ home game against Leeds on Saturday 5th April 2025 now has a 12.30pm kick-off. This however is potentially subject to change down the line, with TV picks for April 2025 not expected for another few months.
Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious injury collision that happened in Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at around 4.37pm on Sunday (28/7) in Newport Pagnell on Wolverton Road at the junction of Marsh End Road.
A Vauxhall Corsa and Suzuki motorcycle collided, with the rider of the Suzuki, who was a man in his late teens, taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
As of an update yesterday (29/07), Thames Valley Police said the motorcycle rider remains in the Oxford hospital in a serious condition. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.
The driver of the Corsa, a woman in her twenties, suffered minor injuries.
Investigating officer PC Alastair Jarratt of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said, “We are appealing for witnesses following this road traffic collision in which a man is seriously injured.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time.
“We are asking anyone who may have been driving in the area and may have dash cam footage of the collision, or any dash cam leading up to the collision to please come forward.
“If you saw anything, please call 101, quoting reference 43240359968.”
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.”
