Milton Keynes City Council
Milton Keynes City Council
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Milton Keynes City Council

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Milton Keynes City Council

Milton Keynes City Council is the local authority for the City of Milton Keynes, a local government district in Buckinghamshire, England. The council was established in 1974 as Milton Keynes Borough Council. Since 1997 it has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent of Buckinghamshire Council, the unitary authority which administers the rest of the county.

The council has been under no overall control since the elections on 7 May 2026. On 22 May 2026, the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party announced an alliance to run the authority. It is based at Milton Keynes Civic Offices.

The non-metropolitan district of Milton Keynes and its council were created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Bletchley Urban District, Newport Pagnell Urban District, Wolverton Urban District, Newport Pagnell Rural District and that part of Winslow Rural District within the designated area for the new town of Milton Keynes. From its creation, the district was also given borough status, entitling the council to be known as Milton Keynes Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

From 1974 until 1997, the council was a lower-tier district authority, with county-level services provided by Buckinghamshire County Council. On 1 April 1997, following a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England, the council became a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Milton Keynes covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority. Milton Keynes remains part of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.

From being made a unitary authority in 1997 until 2022 the council styled itself Milton Keynes Council. The borough was awarded city status on 15 August 2022. The council then changed its name to Milton Keynes City Council, and amended its logo to emphasise the new status.

The local council derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Milton Keynes is within a non-metropolitan area of England. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority and is responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. The council also appoints members to Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority and the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, both of which serve the borough.

The council has been under no overall control since the 2026 election. Following that election, a Liberal Democrat and Labour alliance formed to run the council, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Jane Carr.

The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

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