Milton Keynes Labour Party Annual General Meeting

Attended the Milton Keynes City Labour Party Annual General Meeting held at Conniburrow Meeting Place, Conniburrow Boulevard, Conniburrow today at 10:30am.

The Chair opened the meeting thanking Cllr Norman Miles for attending General Committee meetings, Cllr Kevin Wilson for his administration duties stepping in to the shoes of Deb Shann who has left, his experience was gratefully recieved, and the Executive and Officers of the General Committee.

The election of officers for the city party were as follows brackets denote the branches that nominated each candidate:

Chair: Cllr Peter Billups (Linford/Bradwell, West Bletchley, Milton Keynes West, Wolverton, Hanslope)
Two (2) Vice - Chairs:
David Newens (Linford/Bradwell)
Cllr Camilla Turnball (West Bletchley, Milton Keynes West)
Secretary: Cllr Pauline Wallis (Linford/Bradwell, Milton Keynes South, West Bletchley, Milton Keynes West, Wolverton)
Treasurer: Angela Sullivan (Linford/Bradwell, Wolverton, Hanslope)
Youth Officer: Rob Middleton (nominated at the meeting)
Womens Officer: Cllr Hannah O'Neill * (nominated at the meeting)
Membership Secreatary: Vacancy
Trade Union Liaison Officer: Cllr Reg Edwards (Linford/Bradwell, Milton Keynes South, Wolverton, Hanslope)
Annual Conference Delegates
Milton Keynes North: Cllr Hilary Saunders (Wolverton)
Milton Keynes South: Cllr Hannah O'Neill (nominated at the meeting)
Two (2) Auditors:
Philip Turnball (Linford/Bradwell, West Bletchley, Milton Keynes West, Wolverton, Milton Keynes Labour Party Executive Committee)
Cllr Brian White (Linford/Bradwell, Milton Keynes Labour Party Executive Committee)
Executive Committee Branch Section nine (9):
Brian Barton (Linford/Bradwell)
The following were nominated at the meeting:
Cllr Hilary Saunders Cllr Mike O'Sullivan, Cllr Martin Potter, Colin Lund, Cllr Nigel Long, Pete Marland, Cllr Jess Holroyd
Executive Committee Trade Union Section six (6): Alan Williams
Executive Committee Other Affiliated organisations two (2): Cllr Veronica Belcher

* Cllr Jan Lloyd made her yearly point about having a Womens Officer as why not a Mens Officer as well, Cllr Camilla Turnball as usual disagreed saying that due to the unequal pay of women in the workplace there was still a need for such a post. Cllr Hannah O'Neill made an excellent point about having an Equalities Officer instead (Dan Simpson City Party Organisor said that that may be differcult and an approach may have to be made to the NEC as that post is in the party's constitution.)

There then followed Merit Award Certificate presentations to Cllr Camilla Turnball (Whaddon Ward) and Cllr Roger Bristow (Denbign Ward) who both will be standing down from Milton Keynes Council this year after many years service.

The Leader of the Labour Group Cllr Norman Miles said that Cllr Camilla Turnball was a very good Labour Group Chair who made meetings more business like and unconfrontational, she was someone who gave good and strong advice and if you asked her to do something she either said yes or no if it was yes you knew the job would be done, and he was upset to see her go when her husbands job moved to Fuji (she returned back to Milton Keynes and won the Whaddon By - Election in 2008 following the resignation of Cllr Nigel Long who due to his job was barred from being a member), she also held a differcult portfolio on Childrens and Schools as a Cabinet member.

Cllr Norman Miles paid tribute to Cllr Roger Bristow who had been on Milton Keynes Council since 1981 with a short break and returned in 1996, he too valued his advice and memory in debates which served the Labour Group well and his vast experience on planning and licensing , when Cllr Miles first was elected on to Milton Keynes Council in 1990 he was asked by Cllr Kevin Wilson to be a member of the Planning Committee and he recalled how long the meetings were as Roger wanted to ensure the right decsions were being made, and the fact when he campaigned he never let go until he had succeeded and often clashed with Officers such as John Best and even telephoned Cllr Miles to say he had resigned from a committee due to his principles. Cllr Miles said that whenever he opened a local paper his photograph would be on quite a few pages and he must hold the record of undertaking the most engagemets as Mayor in 1989/1990.
Cllr Miles said Roger's leaving the Council will created a massive hole to fill which he said that was not a good term of phrase to much laughter!

Cllr Brian White said that the nation and Milton Keynes owes Roger a great debt for saving Bletchley Park from being demolished and built over which was going to happen before he managed to get the buildings and huts listed, even though he could be a pain when he was MP and to his wife who was his Secretary.

Cllr Kevin Wilson said he remembers that he and Roger took their young daughters swimming at Bletchley Leisure Centre and a Citizen Photographer was tipped off and took a photograph of them leaving the changing room luckily the picture never got in the paper, but some weeks later the photographer met Roger in the Street and set I can sell you the negative but I have still got copies at the office but even now he wonders if that picture will ever surface.

Cllr Kevin Wilson even mentioned the campaign Roger did in logging broken paving slabs in his ward and waged a campaign with officers and the Conservative Administration to get them repaired, unluckily he very badly injured himself on one some weeks later when he made his compensation claim Milton Keynes Council (of which he was a member) defended themselves by saying he should of known he could trip as he had made a list but he replied how could he remember as it was some months ago he submitted said list! he eventually got his claim sorted by the time he was Mayor, he could never work again as an Ambulance Worker.

Cllr Roger Bristow replied by thanking everyone on behalf of himself and his wife Ruth who he valued her support over the years for this award he was soon to be a Grandfather and may soon move out of the area as his wife wanted to live near to their daughter, he also was sad his son James would not replace him as a member due to the fact he was so busy with his business.

He said that Bletchley Park saved the Country that was three (3) weeks from surrending and the freedoms we all take for granted would have been taken away from us, he had spoken recently to a group of workers who informed him of underground networks of tunnels, he spoke also to Cllr Sam Crooks (Leader of Milton Keynes Council) and Brian Sandom (Environment Director - Milton Keynes Council) who has promised to allow use of infrared equipment to find these tunnels and £10,000 is being sought to contiune this work. Bob Reid (former Milton Keynes Partnership Committee Chair) toured the site with Roger who was appalled of the condition of the buildings and wanted to help even by shamining the owners by going to the press.

He also said that he was advised by George Conghie to do his maiden speech at his first Council meeting and that he would write him a question regarding the proposed development on a park in Bletchley of a huge office block to the then Conservative Leader of the Council Cllr David Lee who was equally opposed but the question unearthed the fact that it was the Milton Keynes Development Corporation who were making the proposal of which he was on the board then all hell broke loose but he was glad of the support of fellow Labour Councillors such as Cllr Cecil Bowden and Cllr Frank Atter.

His final tale was how he hated Margaret Thatcher so much for what she had done to the Country and how he would of loved to strangle her, he nearly got his wish when he stood near to her when she opened the Shopping Centre in 1979 and thought how history could of changed if he took a lunge at her how we all agreed in the meeting that we wished he had done so.

There then followed speeches from Cllr Norman Miles as the Leader of the Labour Group praising the hard work of his members who were punching above their weight when a few were very ill and he was pleased how united the group were compared to the splits in the Liberal Democrat Group and felt lucky he was not in Cllr Sam Crooks shoes.

Dan Simpson Organiser spoke on the fact that due to the boundary changes of both the constituencies they were now super marginals and Milton Keynes South is on the Tories top twenty (20) list of target seats.

Andrew Pakes said there is 90 days left to the General Election and there is a lot of work ahead of us and the seat is winnable.

At this stage the Chair Peter Billups had to leave to attend another meeting and gave way to the Vice - Chair Dave Newens who said he was pleased to see fifthy (50) delegates in attendance and how the party was growing in strength, he then opened the meeting to any questions.

Cllr Reg Edwards was concerned about a leaflet put out by the Tories about the Labour Group working with the Liberal Democrat Administration, Cllr Nigel Long said he campaigned against the Liberals in Hackney in the 1970's and did not like them he said the Leadership of Cllrs Isobel McCall and Sam Crooks was a disater for Milton Keynes.

The Meeting was then closed.

Cllr Janet Irons approached me to say she had forgotton to bring a letter from home to give to me from the Deputy Mayor Cllr Debbie Brock (Conservative - Olney Ward) I wonder what that could be about?

Also Veronica Belcher gave me a pile of 2010 Calendar's and contact cards for Dr Phyllis Starkey MP for the Woughton Community Council Offices.

I spoke to Cllr John Goss and said I would be at his house for 10:30am tommorrow to collect some letters to deliver on Oldbrook before going to my friends house who also lives on Oldbrook.

With that I was off to Bradwell Common to do some leafleting and meet up with Cllr Norman Miles, Cllr Pauline Wallis and Alan Williams.