Milton Keynes News
The latest Milton Keynes news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
East West Rail Strikes Set for 10 and 17 October
RMT members at Chiltern Railways will strike on two Saturdays over plans for driver-controlled doors on the Oxford to Milton Keynes line. MK passengers will not notice; the line's opening is what is at stake.
More stories
Schools
Stantonbury School Could Be Moved to a New Academy Trust
Stantonbury School is in special measures, and the DfE presumes it will move to a new trust. Tove Learning Trust's reply was due 22 September. No decision yet.
Schools
MK Five-Year-Olds Beat 2028 Early Years Target: 76.4%
76.4% of MK five-year-olds reached a good level of development, the council says, past the 2028 target of 75%. Official data put MK 14th of 153 last year.
Council
Bletchley Parking Trial Cut as MK Council Rewrites Motions
A six-month parking crackdown for Bletchley was cut from a motion before MK Council passed it. Three other opposition motions were rewritten the same way.
Council
Milton Keynes Taxi Fees Frozen After Six Years of Rises
Taxi licence fees will not rise in April 2027 after three years of surplus, council officers say. Pub, scrap metal and gambling fees still go up 2.9%.
Olney
Olney's £375,000 Play Park Opens With a Giant Hare
Phase one at Johnson's Field is open, with a hare sculpture nodding to Cowper's pets. A zipline and trim trail for older children follow by spring 2027.
Business
Canon Industrial Estate in Wolverton Sold for About £28m
Wolverton's 29-unit Canon Industrial Estate has sold for about £28m, £147 a square foot. The seller paid £18.09m for it in 2019. What it means for tenants.
Transport
Milton Keynes E-Scooter Trial: MP Survey Opens for MK North
Chris Curtis MP has opened a survey on the MK e-scooter trial for Milton Keynes North residents, before a summit with Lime, Dott, the council and police.
House Prices
Milton Keynes House Prices Hit Record £330,419
The average Milton Keynes home reached £330,419 in July, the highest since the index began in 2009 and up £8,438 in a year. Flats were the only type to fall.
Council
MK Heat Network: Civic and Library Contract Approved
The council has approved a contract to prepare the Civic, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre for a waste-heat network. No cost or date published.
Environment
Aspley Guise Koi Herpesvirus Outbreak: Fish Movements Banned
Koi herpesvirus is confirmed in carp at a fish growing site on Salford Road, Aspley Guise, near Milton Keynes. No fish may move in or out of it.
Bletchley
Serpentine Court Demolition: £6.3m, and No New Tender
Knocking down Serpentine Court on Bletchley's Lakes Estate has a £6.3m budget and goes to the builder already on site with no new tender, after 24/7 guards.
Housing
Milton Keynes Council Housing: 7-Year Wait for a 5-Bed Home
Families needing a five-bed council home in Milton Keynes wait 7 years 9 months, and there are no six-bed homes. The council plans to spend £2.5m buying some.
Council
Milton Keynes Council Tax: Budget Plan Assumes 4.99% Rise
The council's new four-year plan assumes council tax rises 4.99% next April and again in 2028. It also admits £300,000 of green bin income never arrived.
Central Milton Keynes
Station Square Milton Keynes Wins Two National Awards
Station Square is named twice on BALI's 2026 National Award winners list, for soft landscaping and regeneration. The top prize in each is decided on 4 December.
Bletchley
Brunel Centre Bletchley: £1.3m Demolition From November
The council has cleared about £1.3m of demolition contracts for Bletchley's Brunel Centre and the old Wilko. Soft strip starts November, site clear by May 2027.
Travel
Milton Keynes to Euston Trains: None Before 4pm on 20 Sep
Network Rail is removing a bridge south of Watford, so nothing runs from Milton Keynes Central to Euston until 16:00 on Sunday 20 September. The ways round.
Charity
MK Councillor Abseils 418ft Northampton Lift Tower
Cllr Wing Tsang abseiled the 418ft Northampton Lift Tower on Saturday for Harry's Rainbow, the Milton Keynes bereavement charity. Her page is still open.
Elections
New Bradwell By-Election: Labour's Tracey Bailey Wins the Seat
Labour's Tracey Bailey won the New Bradwell by-election with 1,023 votes, 582 ahead of Reform UK. Turnout was 25.9%, down from 38% in May. Full result.
Planning
Milton Keynes Planning: Call-Ins Scrapped From 31 October
From 31 October no ward councillor, parish council or resident can send a Milton Keynes planning application to committee. Officers must decide the small ones.
Council
Great Linford's Listed Courtyard Put Up for Sale
The council will sell the Courtyard buildings at Great Linford Park after the Parks Trust turned them down. Essential repairs alone are put at £1.5m.
Council
MK to Sell Up to 250 Council Garages, 57% Now Empty
Over half of Milton Keynes' 2,090 council garages are empty. The council will sell up to 250 to neighbours, clear others for parking and freeze rent at £16.40.
Council
Milton Keynes Parking Surplus Hit £12.8m: Where It Went
On-street parking earned Milton Keynes £12.797m more than it cost to run in 2025/26. Buses took £5.3m of it, highways £4.9m, and the figures are out this week.
Community
North Crawley Chequers Listed: 6 Months to Bid If Sold
The Chequers is now an Asset of Community Value. If the owner sells, the village gets six weeks to register interest and six months to put a bid together.
House Prices
Milton Keynes house prices stall at £325,104 in June
The average Milton Keynes home was worth £325,104 in June, down 0.1% in a year, while Bedford rose 4.4% and Buckinghamshire 4.3%. Flats fell hardest, by 1.9%.
What's On
Milton Keynes Museum blacksmith weekend, 21 to 23 August
Britain's artist blacksmiths bring their AGM to Wolverton from Friday and will forge a permanent railing panel for the museum. Children's slots are sold out.
Schools
MK A level results 2026: remark deadline is 20 August
Milton Keynes sixth formers got A level results on 13 August. Three schools have published 2026 figures, and the priority remark deadline is 20 August.
Planning
MK City Plan 2050: hearings open 15 September
Two planning inspectors will examine the MK City Plan 2050 from 15 September at Margaret Powell House. Anyone can watch, and statements are due 28 August.
Jobs
Milton Keynes unemployment: 8,050 on the count in June
8,050 people in Milton Keynes were claiming unemployment benefits in June, 4.1% of working-age residents: above the South East's 3.1% and England's 4.0%.
Culture
Milton Keynes City of Culture bid: shortlist due in autumn
Milton Keynes unveiled its official UK City of Culture 2029 bid on 10 August, deadline day. The shortlist comes this autumn and the winner by early 2027.