Milton Keynes City Council has been praised for its high performance, strong leadership and motivated work- force in an independent report published by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The report sets out the findings of a team of leading councillors and experienced senior officers from other English councils who scrutinised key documents and performance data and spent four days in Milton Keynes, meeting more than 100 councillors, employees, partners and representatives from community organisations, to comprehensively review how the council is performing for residents.
The team commended Milton Keynes City Council for ‘getting things done, and getting them done well’, describing it as a ‘high-performing and well-run council with a strong track record of delivery’.
Employees were recognised as being motivated and proud to work at the City Council, where there is a ‘caring and inclusive culture, where colleagues are empowered by visible senior leaders to continuously identify ways to do things better to improve service delivery’.
The council’s leaders are cited as a particular strength, as is its track record for taking finances seriously and delivering balanced budgets.
Successes highlighted in the report include building affordable homes and increasing recycling rates (MK has the biggest increase of any place in England).
Recommendations to help the council build on its strengths include:
- Making improvements to its overview and scrutiny functions.
- Further collaboration with voluntary and community groups.
- Marketing the city’s achievements to a wider audience.
Next generation network rolled out
Residents and businesses in Milton Keynes are among the first in the UK to benefit from EE’s roll-out of its next generation 5G standalone (5G SA) network. 5G SA is the UK’s most reliable mobile technology, and the roll-out will give customers improved network performance as they go about their daily lives – whether streaming, online gaming, working remotely or accessing local services online.
EE, part of BT Group, now provides near uninterrupted 5G SA coverage across the city enabling smoother video calls and livestreaming, even in congested areas and at the busiest times.
As well as bringing immediate benefits to consumers, 5G SA also provides new capabilities for businesses and will support innovation across the city. One of its first uses being explored is connectivity to the autonomous shuttle services which will soon start operating in the city centre. Businesses and residents across Milton Keynes are able to make use of the new network with an EE or BT 5G Standalone plan.
