MK MAYOR

The varied life of a Mayor

The Mayor of the city of Milton Keynes, Cllr Amanda Marlow gives an idea of the highs and lows of her role in a description of a day from last November.

One of the key things about being Mayor, about being a part of civic life, is that your day can be an emotional rollercoaster. This was something that I felt very keenly last November when my days engagements reflected the depth and the impact of how you have to deal with your emotions and thoughts throughout the day.

At the start of my day I attended the Business Breakfast in Bedford, where I gave a positive speech about what becoming a city means to not only Milton Keynes, but also to our geographical neighbours. My speech was well received and I was pleased with how it had gone. I got into the car and drove back to MK for my next engagement, which was a hard hitting campaign run by Thames Valley Police entitled “Safe Drive Stay Alive”.

Meeting Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing

I spent the next hour quietly crying, watching and listening to the powerfully thought provoking narrative that was played out, not only by the film that they showed, but also by those who gave their personal testimonies that are left behind.”

It is aimed at young adults of driving age, and is about the devastating impact caused by poor driving, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, and not wearing a seatbelt. I spent the next hour quietly crying, watching and listening to the powerfully thought provoking narrative that was played out, not only by the film that they showed, but also by those who gave their personal testimonies that are left behind. All bearing witness to the tragedy that is born out by thoughtless and reckless driving. I was sat next to a lovely man, who had lost his teenage son in a motorbike accident over the summer. We sat clutching each others hands, both of us feeling very overwhelmed and affected by what we saw and heard.

After that event, feeling emotionally drained, I hurried to my next appointment which was at Niftylift in Shenley Wood, where they had opened up their engineering and manufacturing plant to demonstrate and encourage secondary school aged girls to choose tech as a career path. It was a fascinating interactive visit, covering working the lift controls, understanding facial recognition software, seeing how the machines are assembled and how they work, and the logistics of sourcing parts globally. I was then filmed and asked about why I felt it was important that women and girls should think more about choosing science and engineering, and about why apprenticeships are without doubt a major contributor to the success of business in Britain. Through out all of this activity, at the back of my mind, was the powerful message from the Safe Drive Stay Alive campaign – replaying over and over. I had two further engagements that day, which was a meeting with a local business leader and then on to an Interfaith event which was about the Cost of Living crisis. All the while I was still processing what I’d seen earlier in the day, while trying to do my job as Mayor and not show how affected I’d felt by the morning’s presentation. It literally took me several days to get over TVP’s messaging and I hope that it will have struck a chord with all of the hundreds of sixth formers and college students who attended the two presentations, and that it will be something that young drivers will remember when they’re behind the wheel of what is effectively a weapon.

It’s a funny old business being Mayor of the city that you love. The impact is something that stays with you forever, and I hear this statement so often from previous mayors. We have a lot to celebrate here in MK as well as a lot to support each other through. The kindness and generosity of others never ceases to amaze, whether it be through the MK Food Bank’s monthly Big Doorstep Give or through taking time to help others. We are blessed to have a fantastic community here in MK, who give so much.

It was great to end the year through sporting success, on such a positive note. Oracle Red Bull Racing who won not only the World Drivers Championship, with Max Verstappen having had a superb season, but they had also won the Constructors Championship. To celebrate, they took to the streets of Milton Keynes on 10th December, roaring up and down Midsummer Boulevard. It was an incredible spectacle to mark the end of an incredible year for the team. Add that to the news that Red Bull by 2026, will be building the F1 engine in their Tilbrook factory alongside the chassis, which will mean that the whole car will be built right here in MK. Ferrari are the only other F1 race team to do that. This is tremendous news for not only Oracle Red Bull Racing, but also for Milton Keynes, and it just goes to show how much faith Christian Horner and his team have by being based here in MK, and that they will be bringing even more jobs to MK. What an end to an incredible year, and let’s see what success 2023 will bring to MK.