Lib Dem Councillor blasts MKP over bus stop "consultation"

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 1st Aug 2006

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Jaime Tamagnini-Barbosa, has been left fuming by Milton Keynes Partnership (MKP) after they have reneged on the site of a bus stop in Isaacson Drive, Wavendon Gate (in his Walton Park ward).

Both local residents and their Lib Dem Councillors believed that the controversial proposed bus stop had been scrapped last year. On Friday, 7 July local residents received a letter from MKP consulting them on last years proposal, again.

Cllr. Jaime Tamagnini-Barbosa said; "The astonishing thing about this "consultation" letter is that MKP were only consulting five houses and there are 12 houses in the immediate vicinity of the proposed bus stop; with around 250 households in total that will be affected. It has been left to concerned local residents to spread the word. MKP only let me know this was going to happen very much after the horse had bolted."

Campaigners and one of the trees under threat

The proposed bus stop is being opposed by local Lib Dem Cllr. Jaime Tamagnini-Barbosa and residents as it will mean the removal of trees, will intrude on the privacy of many residences and make a junction extremely unsafe by blocking visibility. Cllr. Jaime Tamagnini-Barbosa has so far received scores of letters in protest and continued; "Due to the massive influx of mail I have received on this issue I have had to do a mass reply this weekend as there is no way I could reply individually. I have therefore hand delivered around 250 letters outlining my position to the households affected. However I would like people to continue replying to the consultation so this can be knocked on the head once and for all."

"We were given assurances this was stopped - why are MKP pushing the idea, yet again?" demanded the local Lib Dem Cllr.