Motion calling for investigation into health risks of house-building dust on Milton Keynes residents is blocked

Milton Keynes City Council has been blasted as ‘pathetic and inept’ after it withdrew a motion calling for an investigation into the health risks of house-building dust.

Cllr Hopkins, Danesborough and Walton, brought the motion before a meeting of full council last night after becoming increasingly concerned about the level of dust present in and around residential areas and schools located near urban expansion areas of the city. (22/11)

He first raised the issue last month as reported in the MK Citizen, stating all councillors had a duty of care to ensure the health and wellbeing of residents.

Cllr Hopkins’ motion asks the council to ‘listen to the concerns of his residents’ and commission an independent report into the impact of construction dust on the health of local residents.

He is also asking that there be a “planning holiday”, with no new building schemes approved until the risks are known.

But he says, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, (Labour), chose to focus on national politics and completely remove the motion rather than acknowledging the importance of this issue to local MK residents.

He said: “Labour chose to highjack the motion and then shut it down by withdrawing it.

“What are they so afraid of? We shall always place the interests of residents first when it comes to health and wellbeing matters.

“The attempt to divert attention from the item to a rant on national politics, then shut down any debate before it happens belittles the role of the local council and places the council in disrepute.”

Cllr Hopkins said the national Health and Safety Executive states that construction dust released into the environment is a “significant concern” for both workers and people who live near building site.

His motion ‘Is Milton Keynes Killing Me?’ states:

> Is there a serious health concern for residents (in particular youngest residents) posed by living in a dust contaminated environment over a continuous period of time (often many years).

> That the council agrees that the only way to assess this is by way of an independent report

> That areas such as Wavendon and Woburn Sands have done their bit, in the case of Wavendon growing from 300 to 3,300 homes over seven years with 4,000 more in the pipeline.

Cllr Mahendran, chair of the council’s planning committee, said: “While I hugely appreciate the issue of air pollution, as I stated last night, my issue is with the sensationalised way in which Cllr Hopkins framed it - titling his motion 'is Milton Keynes killing me?'

“I spoke last night about issues that are impacting local people and their life expectancy - such as housing and healthcare.

" I highlighted that we have the highest ever number of people in temporary accommodation in our city, and shared that across Milton Keynes, people are sat on NHS waiting lists for record lengths of time - including my own dad, who is waiting for a major surgery after giving his entire working life to the NHS.

“That Cllr Hopkins would call this contribution inept and pathetic says more about himself than anything else.”