Milton Keynes City Council in the UK has secured £1m of government funding to develop and deploy drones that could speed up the delivery of medicines, ease road congestion and reduce carbon emissions.

The council will work with Cranfield University’s drone innovation hub and satellite applications and Catapult Westcott DronePort to test and trial drone-based services that work alongside current delivery services and autonomous vehicles.

Milton Keynes has built a reputation in future technologies and this latest trial should help create more high-tech jobs for local people.

The project includes smart traffic monitoring, secure parcel deliveries, remote building inspections and the transfer of medical supplies as part of an emergency response. Real-time information sharing through drone technologies should allow several services to work together and act faster when responding to incidents.

Integrating ground and air-based services can also reduce carbon emissions.

“We’re proud to be hosting yet another trial to test future technologies in MK, which will build on our reputation as a world leading smart city,” said Pete Marland, leader of Milton Keynes City Council. “The technologies have the potential to bring practical benefits to help people in everyday life and in time critical emergencies. If the trials are successful, it will also help us meet our climate action ambitions and create new jobs of the future for local people.”