The Milton Keynes Council meeting on Wednesday 19 June 2024, saw the election of Councillor Marie Bradburn as Mayor and Councillor James Lancaster as Deputy Mayor for the Council Year 2024/25. The meeting also included a vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Mick Legg, and the approval of various committee appointments and structural changes.

Election of Mayor

Councillor Marie Bradburn was elected Mayor of Milton Keynes for the Council Year 2024/25. In her acceptance speech, she expressed her commitment to supporting children in care and announced her themes for the year: active transport, community cohesion, and young people and education. Her chosen charity for the year is SieveMK.

Vote of Thanks to the Outgoing Mayor

A vote of thanks was given to the retiring Mayor, Councillor Mick Legg. Councillor Legg highlighted his achievements, including his focus on health and wellbeing, particularly mental health, and the successful fundraising efforts for his chosen charities, Harry’s Rainbow and SOFEA, which raised £31,247.

Election of Deputy Mayor

Councillor James Lancaster was appointed Deputy Mayor of Milton Keynes for the Council Year 2024/25. The nomination was carried despite opposition from Councillor Muzammil.

Returning Officer's Report

The Council received and approved the Returning Officer's Report following the elections held on 2 May 2024. New councillors were welcomed to the Council.

Appointment of Deputy Leader and Cabinet

Councillor Marland, the Leader of the Council, announced that Councillor Darlington would serve as Deputy Leader. The Cabinet will include Councillors Fuller, Hearnshaw, Hume, Mick Legg, Mahendran, Townsend, and Wilson-Marklew.

Committee Proportionality and Appointments

The Council approved the allocation of committee seats in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990. The Conservative Group is entitled to 15.79% of the seats, the Labour Group to 52.63%, and the Liberal Democrat Group to 31.58%.

Structural Changes to Committees

Several committees were renamed, and their terms of reference were revised. The Housing, Planning and Placemaking Scrutiny Committee was dissolved. The Environment & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee was renamed the Environment and Place Scrutiny Committee, the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee became the Health, Housing and Adults Scrutiny Committee, and the Corporate Oversight and Scrutiny Management Committee was renamed the Policy, Performance and Scrutiny Management Committee.

Calendar of Meetings

The Calendar of Meetings for 2024/25 was agreed upon, with authority delegated to the Director of Law and Governance to make amendments as necessary.

The meeting concluded at 9.31 pm.