Missed again!

To save you looking, no-one from Boston is listed in the New Year Honours!
Why does that not surprise us?


You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

The Ballad of Bostonland

Our last blog until the New Year features a non-seasonal faintly pantomimic ode by Boston's poet laureate Carol Ann Duffer.
We hope it brings a smile to you face, and wish your all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

The Ballad of Bostonland

There once was a place called Bostonland,
A magical place that was oh, so grand.
But the old Queen Joyce
Lost her grip on the crown
And the quality of life
Went down and down.

The horses and carts
Got stuck on the roads.
And often didn't move for hours.
So bad were the jams
That the horse**** piled up,
And roses became the most popular flowers

Then along came a champion -
Richard his name.
And he made this almost incredible claim

"Just vote for me and my men of true grit
"And in one fell swoop,
"and not bit by bit
"I'll sweep away all of this vile old horse****"

'Twas a big and bold plan that had people enthralled,
And 'ere long good King Dick and his team were installed
But they dickered and bickered
And messed up the job.
And soon Bostonland broke out in a sob.

How they cried,
How they gnashed and they wailed:
"You've failed us King Richard."
They railed and they cursed:
"You promised the best
"But delivered the worst."

Not only that.
You said horse**** would go
But what have you done - do you think we don't know?
Despite what you promised you don't care a bit
The vile fruit of the horse
You've replaced with BULL****

We'll be back on Monday January 4th


You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Week ending 18th December

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Thanks a million ... (well, 30,000 anyway.) Your continued support saw our blog celebrate 30,000 hits during the course of the week. Thanks for helping to make our little effort so successful ... and please tell your friends where to find us. We were especially touched when a new reader wrote to tell us: "I do enjoy reading your blog, as it gives me a better idea of the state of the place than I could read in any biased newspaper!"
Talking of which ... We commented the other week on the "new look" Boston Standard, and how it now offers readers even less through the use of bigger pictures, bigger headlines and larger typefaces. This "improvement" is growing apace as this week's issue shows. Some pages carry no more than three stories, and a count across the main news pages show an average of just two to a page.
New books? This is a library! ... We don't like the colour scheme, but after years of campaigning, we welcome the news that Boston Library is getting a face lift. What's on the cards? New carpets, signs and general decoration and "convenient" self-service technology. We have our doubts about this latter offering. In all the years we've been using the library, we've seldom seen anyone manage to operate the "convenient self-service" photocopying machine without having to call for help. There will also be improvements to the "People’s Network" computer suite - (don't you hate the "people's" tag that's tied to everything these days? Another welcome benefit will be the introduction of more natural light, and we hope that the terrible strip lighting will at last be consigned to the bin. The staff counter will be removed, "leaving more space for new books" - although why we couldn't have had more new books years ago is anyone's guess. Boston Library has been a bleak source of new books for years - but we live in hope. And let's hope they can get ride of the smell.
That's all right then ... After the last full council meeting we quoted the question posed by County and Borough Councillor Ramonde Newell regarding the withdrawal of the warning flood sirens. He appeared to be very concerned that the sirens were on the way out, suggesting that their international language was really the only way to warn people of impending danger. Yet now he's written to the local press praising the replacement system to the skies and apparently associating himself with the changes he appeared to be unhappy with by signing himself as a County Councillor and Borough member for emergency planning. As far as we can see, Councillor Newell is merely repeating what he was told at the meeting. In the interest of everyone's safety, we hope that he will check it out in more detail as soon as possible. The idea of one politician believing what two others tells him beggars belief!
Plodding along ... We welcome the news that Lincolnshire's Chief Constable hopes to "put more officers on the beat" in Boston - even though we've heard it all before. But we confess to being a little nervous about the subtext that goes with the pledge. "The budget has not been set but we will be presenting plans for more uniformed officers in each division," says the Chief Con. Forgive us if we think that sounds a bit like " how much are you going to give us if you want some extra police for your borough?"
Smarmer of the week award goes to Target columnist George Wheatman for his item on the pressures of being a council leader. He makes it sound as though the criticism heaped on the heads of leaders past and present is somehow unjustified. Generally it is deserved - at least at the time. He also speculates that there will be jockeying for the leadership "if, come next spring there is a change of political complexion after the borough elections." If there is, we will be greatly surprised. The next borough elections are not until May 2011. We thought that George might have known this - or if not, someone else at the Target would have spotted the mistake. Or was it perhaps just wishful thinking?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

More bad news for Boston

The news that Donington has been earmarked as a possible home for a planned rail freight hub, which could attract £200m of investment and create up to 4,400 jobs, generates the usual sinking feeling that one gets whenever one reads about how our neighbours in South Holland seem to have all the good ideas while we in Boston have none at all.
The idea would dramatically change the way big food firms in the area operate, and sweep lorries off the roads and on to the railways.
It's an idea you'd think someone in Boston might have come up with, especially as combining a freight interchange with a port would be an ideal distribution scenario, and the idea of driving heavy lorries off our roads would do much to improve Boston's own dire traffic problems.
But no.
Once again it has been left to our neighbours to take the initiative and team up with a firm of transport specialists to pursue the project in more detail.
They're looking at the idea of an "International Food Park" for South Holland with Donington a strong favourite.
So near, yet so far.
Boston's life story over and over again in recent years.
We have seen the highly successful Springfields Retail Outlet go from strength to strength, now boasting many extra stores and even an hotel. And parking there is a fraction of what it costs in Boston.
So attractive is South Holland as a partner, that even Boston College have joined forces with them on a multi million pound food training centre.
For reasons we never fully understood, Boston Borough Council backed out of a three way partnership with South Holland and East Lindsey to combine back office services to save money and improve efficiency.
Now Boston seems to be floundering alone in trying to generate savings from external deals.
No wonder the Audit Commission couldn't find a good word to say for it.
Ironically the news comes at the same time as the recommendation that the ill-fated Boston Area Regeneration Company (BARC) be closed following a dismal three years during which the Audit Commission hit out at its "failures of governance."
Another white elephant bites the dust.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Market was curate's egg

People often compare Boston Eye with the model Katie Price (aka Jordan) - saying that at the bottom line we're just big knockers.
And we're afraid that that's partly the case after our visit to the Boston Christmas Market.
But first, let's hear from one of our readers, Claire Eadie , who is a newcomer to the town.
"I was very disappointed to find the distinct absence of a 'Santa's Grotto' at the Christmas market on Sunday, as promised in the newspaper," she writes. "The whole thing was actually very half-hearted, I felt.
"Barely any advertising left me wondering whether they were planning to just see what they could organise on the day, and if something fell through then not many people would be disappointed.
"My three year old was saddened to find Santa missing from the celebrations, as he had been looking forward to it all week. Maybe Santa was lurking somewhere, but we couldn't find him, and when we asked a policeman handing out 'security in the community' leaflets, he had heard nothing of a Santa's grotto."
Frankly, whatever we thought about the market pales into insignificance beside a disappointed three year-old who was looking forward to meeting Father Christmas.
But our feelings as a whole were that it looked ok - superficially.
We also thought that it was better than we expected but not as good as it could have been.
Silly little things like market stalls branded "Bargate Green Market" let the atmosphere down, when half a dozen banners reading "Boston Christmas Market" could have been made for peanuts to cover them over.
We agree with Claire when she talks about the absence of pre-publicity.
Boston Eye's lament that Christmas was apparently passing the town by, was followed a day later by a press release from the Borough Council saying that Boston BID and the council were joining forces to stage a market.
Aside from that, a handful of laminated A4 notices tie-wrapped to the lamp posts in Strait Bargate was little short of pathetic.
Why doesn't the council invest a few hundred quid in a programmable scrolling LED display, which could be hung from the balcony of the Assembly Rooms to shout Boston's news to the town?
Answer: Not enough goes on to make it worth it.
And another problem that Boston BID should be addressing is hidden in the phrase in their announcement "the majority of shops will be open on Sunday."
If Boston really wants to draw shoppers, there must be uniformity - all of the shops opening, and all at the same time.
They can do it at the Springfields outlet in Spalding, so why can't we do it here?
Having said all that, for the first time the market stuck to a proper Christmas these.
We rate it as a good starter for ten - and hope for better next year.


You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

What the Audit Commission was too polite to say

Yesterday we published the Audit Commission "Oneplace" organisational assessment report on Boston Borough Council and made the point that we felt the Commission was trying desperately to find something to call positive to avoid total condemnation of the council.
Well is that the case or not?
We took a look between the lines to see what sort of interpretation could be drawn from the report.
It says the council performs poorly because of lack of leadership until very recently and a lack of capacity at a senior level.
This is clearly an attack on the Bypass Independents Party, who, after more than two and a half years in charge of the borough can no longer fall back on blaming the previous administration.
The appointment of Richard Harbord as acting Chief Executive has gone a long way to paper over the cracks, and whilst the lack of capacity at a senior level is partly being addressed, the fact that it has gone on for so long is again the fault of the BBI.
What about the criticism that "In recent years plans have not been completed when expected, there has been a track record of services not being planned properly and the needs of local people have not been taken into full consideration. Performance does not meet the Council's own targets, and the process for managing performance is not fully used or enforced. Unless capacity at a senior level is addressed and scrutiny is enhanced, further improvement will be difficult to achieve."
Again, what a desperate indictment of the BBI. An accusation of total failure to do the job for which it was elected.
The "scores" tell it all.
One out of four for Managing Performance, Use of Resources, Governing the Business and Managing Resources and just two out of four for Managing Finances.
At senior management level there is lack of capacity and resources to drive improvements forward, and staff feel they are not getting the leadership they need to support the direction the council is going in.
Again, what a dreadful picture of a floundering administration. Not only does it not care about the taxpayers it pledged to represent, but it treats its staff in the same cavalier manner.
And what improvements can the BBI boast about?
The Into Town bus service.
Really? Not if you see it as the ruination of the ambiance of Strait Bargate.
The government Swim4life initiative, ‘fit kids' programmes.
Walking groups to help residents get fitter.
The town centre clean up - done by local people who aren't the litterers, but concerned citizens doing the job the borough has failed to do for them.
And with no sense of irony, the Audit Commission adds: "Keeping it clean is now the challenge." That's a challenge that our eyes tell us has already been lost.
Improvements to the Market Place are mentioned which have improved occupancy.
But guess what - the market traders have taken over the running of the market stalls.
More and more, it seems that once the BBI abdicates responsibility for a particular task, things immediately improve.
Residents are "more satisfied" with the area as a place to live and believe the community is getting on better together - but Boston is still well below the national average.
The number of people who feel drink and drugs are an issue in open spaces has also reduced but are still at a level most residents would feel are unacceptable.
Council Leader Richard Austin has little room for manoeuvre in the fact of such damning criticism.
The best he can say is that it shows the council, working with other public authorities, is delivering against some of the area's priorities.
He goes on: "The organisational assessment, of which the council was already fully aware, makes it clear for residents the scale of the challenge we are dealing with and the need to improve."
So? - We were aware.
And we didn't do anything until we were pushed.
Councillor Austin says he's confident that next year's report "will show the improvement our residents expect and deserve."
The Audit Commission can't say it, but we can.
If Boston was company and the BBI its board of directors, the shareholders would be baying for their collective resignation.
Boston isn't a company - but even so, this louche, lacklustre bunch of amateurs should have the decency to quit now, and hand the job over to people who can do it.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

The no good ... the bad ... and the ugly

The Audit Commission "Oneplace" organisational assessment report on Boston Borough Council came out last week, and before its publication, we thought that the best way we might simplify it would be to split it up along the lines of the movie title "The good ... the Bad ... and the Ugly."
Unfortunately. as is so often the case with Boston, the list doesn't have anything you could put in the file marked good, so here we go with Boston Borough Council - the Bad and the Ugly.
The report says the council performs poorly because of lack of leadership until very recently and a lack of capacity at a senior level. In recent years plans have not been completed when expected, there has been a track record of services not being planned properly and the needs of local people have not been taken into full consideration. Performance does not meet the Council's own targets and the process for managing performance is not fully used or enforced. Unless capacity at a senior level is addressed and scrutiny is enhanced, further improvement will be difficult to achieve.
The council scores one out of four for Managing Performance, Use of Resources, Governing the Business and Managing Resources. It only bounces off the bottom with its rating for managing finances - with a stonking two out of four.
At senior management level there is lack of capacity and resources to drive improvements forward, and staff feel they are not getting the leadership they need to support the direction the council is going in.
But the report says the council has recognised major improvements are needed and has set up an Improvement Board to help with what it needs to do.
Areas of improvement include the Into Town bus services. Other schemes such as the government Swim4life initiative, ‘fit kids' programmes, and walking groups are giving residents the opportunity to get fitter. More plans to offer a healthier lifestyle such as healthy eating campaigns are being made.
The town centre has undergone a big clean up involving local groups and residents. Keeping it clean is now the challenge.
Improvements to the market place have resulted in occupancy going up and market traders taking over the running of the market stalls.
While residents are more satisfied with the area as a place to live and believe the community is getting on better together, Boston is still well below the national average. The number of people who feel drink and drugs are an issue in open spaces has also reduced but are still at a level most residents would feel are unacceptable.
It's all pretty bleak, really, and we get the feeling that the Audit Commission is trying desperately to find something to brand as positive to avoid total condemnation of the council.
Whilst we thought the best thing to do would be to step aside and let someone else take on the council's leadership, Richard Austin has managed to find light at the end of the tunnel as you might expect.
"I'm glad to say it does show that the council, working with other public authorities, is delivering against some of the areas' priorities - namely improving transport, decreasing traffic congestion and improving health.
"The organisational assessment, of which the council was already fully aware, makes it clear for residents the scale of the challenge we are dealing with and the need to improve.
"We are in the process of delivering an improved council and changing the culture of the authority. It is my belief that by working with a voluntary Improvement Board we will improve the value for money the council provides for residents and improve the council's performance quickly and effectively.
"I'm confident that our organisational assessment in 12 months' time will show the improvement our residents expect and deserve."
You can read the report for yourself by following the link here
But pour yourself a stiff drink first.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Week ending 11th December ...

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Why the Secret Squirrel mentality ... The news that the Borough's Acting Chief Executive is to have his tenure extended until October next year is another of those items surrounded in unnecessary secrecy. The decision was taken at the Full Council meeting on November 9th, after a paper entitled "Management Structure" was considered in secret, and was not announced for a month afterwards. Did such secrecy imply a lack of confidence that the appointment would be extended thus making a debate necessary? Of course not. Richard Harbord was a popular choice back in August, and unless lightning strikes twice in the same place, there was no reason to assume that he was doing anything other than a good job. So why the secrecy? We think it's just because councillors like the idea of intrigue. - and that perhaps its time they grew out of it. Incidentally, the last we heard from the ACE was on the day he started work. Any chance of a proclamation on how things are going four months in?
Blogged down in the mire ... Blogging by our elected members seems to have hit something of a fallow period recently, but we hope that those councillors who do will start writing more (and more often) again soon. The Leader's brief attempt at blogging on the council's webpage has been replaced by an ad hoc "Message" which is now a month out of date, and there is no news on whether he will start a personal blog at some point. However, this is all an improvement on the almost forgotten Lib Dem hopeful Mike Sheridan-Shinn, whose "vote for me" blog still promises the launch of phase two of the Boston North West by-election campaign last October which "is very exciting and I know my supporters will like it."
Higher politics - 1 ... Boston Lib Dem MEP Bill Newton-Dunn was more than happy to snuggle up to Sir Paul McCartney when he visited the European Parliament to present his argument for a Meat-Free Monday, which asks everyone to go vegetarian for one day a week. The MP who turned his back on the Tories when he thought William Hague hadn't got a chance obviously feel that sucking up to Macca is a good source of brownie points ... but we doubt it will win him any votes.
Higher politics -2 ... We think that whoever produces the occasional newsletter put out by our MP Mark Simmonds should take a look at pictures before captioning them. "Mark presents a donation to staff at St Barnabas Hospice" shows him loafing up against a sign. "Mark helps local farmers with the pea harvest..." shows him standing as a lord-of-all-he-surveys from the balcony on a pea viner, whilst "Mark tours local businesses ..." shows him standing around in ASDA - that famous local business. Almost every caption tells a story that the photo doesn't. Perhaps its an innate habit among politicians.
Dig this ... We had to smile at a report to next week's borough cabinet recommending spending £25,000 on infrastructure works at Cuckoo Land to turn it into allotments. Among the reasons given are to cater for unmet demand from local allotment holders, to promote "grow your own" and physical activity as part of the healthy lifestyles agenda, to promote the growing of local produce to reduce “food miles” and carbon emissions and to encourage a sense of belonging and pride. We wonder what the allotment holders evicted from Broadfield Lane might have to say about that - especially as they were thrown out with such indecent haste to make way for housing developments that now seem unlikely to take place.
Lookalike of the week ... Earlier this week we reported on last Friday's County Council meeting (which is more than our local papers did.) A propos of nothing at all we noticed a remarkable resemblance between the Highways supremo Councillor William Webb, and Mr Jolliman, who models clothing for gentlemen of a certain age. What do you think?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

New attack on Strait Bargate "to fight crime"

A reader took us to task the other day after our piece in which we criticised what we thought was the sledgehammer approach to policing in Boston in the run-up to Christmas .
"Whilst I agree with your opinions and articles 99% of the time," he wrote, "all I hear from people, almost daily is we don't see enough police in Boston. I would be interested to listen to what people say leading up to Xmas about the high visibility policing in Boston. There are many times I try to do my job as a citizen reporting groups of drunks in the park or in alleyways, etc, to the police. Half an hour later I walk or drive past and nothing has been done. So, personally I'm in favour if indeed all it does is send out a message of zero tolerance."
We replied saying that we were actually singing from the same hymn sheet. "Our constant complaint is also the absence of officers on the street.
What we're saying here is that the police response to Christmas is disproportionate, and treats ordinary folk as potential criminals. What the police are doing is making the traditional seasonal noises expected of them at this time of year. It's largely a PR stunt in our view. It the same with homeless people - we only ever hear about their
plight at Christmas. The question we asked at the end of the piece is the key. If the cops can muster all this visibility for two weeks of the year, why can't they do it the rest of the time?"
We stand by this. In fact we feel that that the police have underlined their often quirky approach to crime prevention in recent days.
Under the headline "Police determined to combat criminals this Christmas," the Boston Standard told us: ""Badger Bill has been out and about helping to promote
Boston Police's new safer Christmas shopping campaign. PCSO Paul Lote donned the badger outfit to help draw attention to shoppers in Asda to the help and advice that was given for the festive period."
So for "combating criminals," read "dressing up as a giant badger."
It's obvious when you think about it, isn't it?
And pity poor Strait Bargate.
After the news that CCTV cameras in Boston have helped the police to make 709 arrests in the past 12 months, we're told that to ensure a good level of coverage a number of trees will be pruned in Strait Bargate, which will improve the line of sight for CCTV cameras.
First the Into Town buses render the shopping centre hostile to shoppers.
Now attractive trees are to be mutilated to make life easier for our deskbound bobbies.
Whatever your view on crime prevention, surely, you must agree that this is a step too far.
We think it's time to argue the case against policing by cliche, and ask Boston's invisible (for most of the year) force to do what everyone wants them to do ....
Does it not occur to them that what people want to see is an increased street presence?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

PS We haven't forgotten the Audit Commission's "Oneplace" report on Boston. Check out our blog on Monday.

What they asked - and what they were told

Yesterday we gave you the highlights from last Friday's Lincolnshire County Council meeting.
Today, we give you the local questions word for word, so you can see which of our County Councillors have taken the time to raise Boston issues in a way that the entire county representation can hear.
And you can hear the answers as well and see how the people who hold the keys to Boston's future regard our humble borough.
First came a question for the county's highways supremo Councillor William Webb , who was asked by Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire:-
"In light of the recent articles in the Boston papers by the Bypass Party, Councillors Ray Newell and Richard Austin, could Councillor Webb please explain why has LCC actually failed to honour its statutory and legal highway commitments to Boston, which Councillor Newell claims in his article to be the largest town in the county, with the road infrastructure that a sub regional centre requires. Could also any light be thrown on claims by Councillor Newell that Lincolnshire County Council actually apparently grabbed nearly 80% of the council tax that Boston council taxpayers contribute, which indeed, apparently over thirty years he claims could have built ten bypasses - I think we actually only need one.
"Councillor Webb, could you please identify also where the second bypass is that Councillor Newell refers to in Spalding in his article, and also a bypass for Stamford in fact Councillor Richard Austin informs me through the local paper that it is not the LDF (Local Development Framework) or his administration which is holding up the bypass for Boston - apparently this information is incompetent and naive it is the coastal st... (interruption) the coastal strategy ... (Chairman interrupts whoever is interrupting) Are these claims true, and if so what is Lincolnshire Council doing to progress the long awaited Boston Bypass?"
Councillor William Webb replied: "Deep down I think this question is actually asking how are road schemes funded? And in fact there are three main mechanisms. One is through the regional funding allocation, the second one is through growth points and the third point, part is through private investment. Let me talk immediately about Boston and say that a distributor road for Boston is int, int, integrally linked to land allocation through the immersion, emerging, local development framework and the transport strategy funding allocation was reviewed in 2009 and funding was reassigned to release £300,000 to assist Boston Borough Council to progress their local development framework to include a distributor road. That I think answers the first part of the question. Secondly as far as council tax is concerned only a very small proportion of the council tax collected actually goes towards highways - don't quote me on this, (!!) but I believe it's as low as six per cent of the pot that we collect of that actually goes towards maintenance of making sure that the roads themselves are maintained and the street lights have electricity to them erm but the point is that the rest of the council tax funding goes towards the provision of children's services, adult social care, fire and rescue service, waste disposal, library services etc. Highways only gets an infi, infinitesimal part of the council tax collected by the boroughs and districts. On the third point apparently we have bypasses springing up all over the county .... well I can tell you that this is not the case. We are working at the moment on a bypass for the eastern part of Lincoln. That will be funded from the regional allocation. we are also looking at a further scheme, it has to be said in Spalding, but this will be entirely on the back of large developments from the point of view of housing and also industrial development in Spalding - and it will be funded by that mechanism. As far as bypasses for other places, I've heard Stamford mentioned, (but) I can assure you at the moment that is no more than aspirational.
The second question concerning Boston came from Councillor Ramonde Newell, who sensibly used notes this time rather than last time's extempore speech, which caused some hilarity at the time.
He asked: "Will the risk to the people of Boston be increased, and their protection reduced with the removal of the flood warning sirens in Boston? The sirens protect the people of Boston 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. The sirens have a warning in all languages. The sirens have successfully warned of danger for very many years. Those at particular risk are children, the elderly, those with a disability or a mobility problem, the sick and the thousands upon thousands of foreign nationals in Boston. They, I understand speak 64 languages. I only know, personally one flood warden in Boston -- hundreds will be needed. Is this council guaranteeing to continue to warn and to protect all the people of Boston?"
A reply came from Councillor Eddie Poll, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, and although we promised word for word coverage, there was so much waffle, that we are forced to summarise.
The core of his response was to say: "The removal of the sirens in Boston is not as disastrous as Councillor Newell suggests that it could be. The flood warning system along the entire east coast is very old, very hit and miss . Nothing in new developments. If you happen to be sat in your house watching your foreign language TV programme because you're miles away from home, the chances of your being able to hear the sirens are very remote. The Environment Agency flood warning system will require people to sign up to the alerts but now it will require people to "sign out" I think this is a vast improvement to public safety. I don't see this as a downgrade. I see this as a vast improvement of everybody in Lincolnshire."
And, apropos of nothing in particular, Councillor Poll harked back to Councillor Singleton-McGuire's earlier questions.
"I have to say that the comments from the question to Councillor Webb about Boston quite struck me that there were certain parallels with Rome - in that, yeah, all roads allegedly lead to Rome - and I think that Boston thinks that all roads lead to Boston. I couldn't but help but extend that parallel a bit further and see that the current administration kinda reminds me of Emperor Nero"
Thanks for taking the trouble to turn up Eddie!


You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Twin Rays spotlight Boston's plight

We're not big fans of reality TV - but Friday's live webcast of Lincolnshire County Council's December meeting was in a class all of its own.
There was a grim magnetism that glued your eyes to the computer screen as the councillors lurched through the agenda.
More worrying is how poorly some of the more senior members performed, and what a fragile grip some of them seem to have on language and presentation.
But what we were looking for was evidence that Boston's name is being pushed to the fore.
Boston has seven councillors, and at the last meeting just one of them spoke.
The latest meeting saw twin Rays of Sunshine, in the form of the unlikely duo of Councillors Raymond Singleton-McGuire and Ray Newell.
Councillor Singleton-McGuire raised a question with the County Council's Executive member for highways, William Webb about a bypass for Boston, during which he seemed to be interrupted by an invisible and anonymous heckler in the early stages. The tone of the question was more critical of Boston Borough Council's leadership rather than Lincolnshire County Council, and underlined the communication difficulties which have hogtied relations between the BBI and opposition parties. By the sound of things, it appears that more information is passed from the rulers to their fellow councillors through the letters pages of the local papers than in the council chamber.
Unfortunately, this opened a window of opportunity to field the question by way of a statement of the qualification protocol before a town gets a chance to get a foot on the first rung of the bypass ladder. But at least the opportunity was taken and the point made.
When his turn came, Councillor Newell bemoaned the withdrawal of the flood warning sirens and painted an Armageddon-like scenario of Bostonians of all nations being washed out to sea - stressing that the sirens speak in all of the sixty some odd tongues that it's now claimed comprise polyglot Boston. He was told he was over reacting and that the new system would be a grand improvement on the old one.
The only other mention of Boston came in an answer from Eddie Poll, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, and Conservative member for Spalding East and Moulton, whose photo on the county council's website shows a slightly rakish figure with designer stubble and a gold hoop earring in his left ear.
Referring back to Councillor Singleton-McGuire's question, he said: "I have to say that the comments from the question to Councillor Webb about Boston quite struck me that there were certain parallels with Rome in that yeah, all roads allegedly lead to Rome - and I think that Boston thinks that all roads lead to Boston. I couldn't but help but extend that parallel a bit further and see that the current administration kinda reminds me of Emperor Nero."
For those non-historians among our readers, Nero's rule is often associated with tyranny and extravagance while the emperor himself "fiddled while Rome burned."
So, out of seven councillors from Boston (assuming they were all there) just two asked questions. Given that a third, Andrea Jenkyns, was being welcomed back into the fold on that day, whilst a fourth, Peter Bedford, is Vice Chairman and therefore somewhat limited in his ability to grab the floor, that still leaves three other councillors unheard from over two meetings.
Boston admittedly has a lot of problems and special needs - many of which can be remedied by Lincolnshire County Council - but how can we expect to have a voice when our representatives remain mute?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Christmas is coming after all!!

On December 2nd we mourned the fact that Christmas looked like passing Boston by.
But the very next day an unexpected burst of bonhomie broke out in the form of a press release issued by Boston Borough Council, and headed: "CHRISTMAS MARKET TO BRING GOOD CHEER."
It goes on:-
"Boston BID has worked with officers from the Borough Council to deliver this year’s Christmas Market, which will be held on Sunday 13 December between 09.30 am and 4.30 pm.
"On the day there will be a traditional Christmas Market in the Market Place offering a varied selection of Christmas fayre. The Assembly Rooms will also be packed with craft stalls where you can pick up that special Christmas gift. Throughout the day there will be on stage entertainment provided by a variety of local acts and there will be additional attractions for the children including fair ground rides and santa’s grotto.
Steam engines from Boston Steam Rally will present both a static and moveable display of vintage engines, which will provide some real atmosphere in the Market Place.
"At 11am the Market Place will be home to 300 Santas taking part in this years Santa Fun run arranged by Boston United Football Club.
"The Christmas Market opens at 9.30 am and promises to be a great day out for all of the family.
"Councillor Richard Dungworth, portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning, Sport and Cultural Services, said: 'The Christmas Markets bring something special to Boston, and we would like to extend an invitation to everyone to come along and enjoy the festivities'
"Following on from the traditional Christmas Market and maintaining the Christmas spirit, Boston will host a French Continental Market in the area around the Ingram Memorial between the 17th and19th December. The Market will sell a large selection of French wines and food in addition to clothing and gifts.
"To add to the Christmas atmosphere the Stump has arranged a Christingle Service, which will take place in the Church from 4pm on Saturday 19th December.
"The week, starting with the Christmas Market on the 13th and ending with the French Continental Market and Christingle Service on the 19th promises to provide a truly festive feel for residents and visitors to Boston."
What a relief, but what a shame the announcement has been left until such a late stage. And neither Boston Borough Council or Boston BID still has no mention of the event on it's website
By the time it hits the local papers on Wednesday there will be less than a week to go, and at this busy time of year, we've no doubt that many people may wll have planned to visit somewhere other than Boston.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Week ending 4th December

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Thin end of wedge ... ? A week ago today one of our readers was somewhat startled to see a police BMW estate car cruising through Strait Bargate with occupants smiling "smugly" out at the afternoon shoppers. Our views on buses using the precinct are well known and shared by many others. We just hope that our less than athletic police don't view the fact that buses can treat shoppers like sheep means that they can follow suit. Let's hope this isn't the thin end of the wedge...
Wasted spaces ... With Christmas around the corner, parking in Boston is at a premium. This has prompted a reader to ask what's happening about the 50 space car park offering a day's parking for just £2 that was promised for the former Regal Centre site back in March. Bulldozers were scheduled to move in by June - but here we are in December ... still waiting. Any ideas?
Let's get it right ... A sharp-eyed reader with more patience that we have has read all through the requirements for the borough's proposed Director of Resources. On page six under Main Duties and Responsibilities, Item 11., the blurb for the £87,500 a year job says "Statutory s151 officer. There is a legal requirement for a professional accounting qualification." Yet on page 12 under the Person Specification, an accounting qualification is listed as merely "desirable." For a job as big as this, we fervently hope that someone has made a mistake.
Why didn't we get this ...?As the county council strives to bus Bostonians to Lincoln and Spalding to do their Christmas shopping, we understand that work is scheduled to start on a project that South Holland District Council expects to attract shoppers and investment. The £6m food centre on a derelict area Red Lion Street in Spalding will include shops for local produce, teaching areas with catering facilities and office space. About 30 jobs will be created by the project which is funded by SHDC, Lincolnshire County Council, the East Midlands Development Agency and .... Boston College. Thanks a bunch.
Missing mugshots ... Have there been some staff reductions at the Boston Standard? We only ask because a couple of familiar faces are missing from the Rogue's Gallery which appears in the paper every week.
Who ya gonna call ...? We join the sceptics who think that claims of ghostly goings-on at the town's Guildhall are just so much stuff and nonsense. If there are any spooks around, we suspect that they will be of former occupants rattling their chains at the sterile modernisation of the once characterful building and the ghastly (rather than ghostly) soundtrack that now ruins a visitor's chance to enjoy a trip around.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

A sledgehammer to crack a nut

Yesterday we remarked about what a dismal Christmas was on the cards in Boston.
But just in case you're still thinking of celebrating, the powers that be have plans for you.
Using the claim that Christmas shopping will be "safer than ever," Boston's Neighbourhood Policing Team, Boston Borough Council and local businesses are launching a "safer shopping" campaign over the Christmas period.
Whilst the laudable aim is to prevent opportunistic crimes such as theft, vehicle crime, burglaries and shop lifting it will mean increased high visibility patrols around the town centre at weekends and on late-night shopping nights.
And if PCs, PCSO's Special Constables and Town Rangers weren't enough Lincolnshire's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership is providing "street wardens" to provide high visibility patrols and Boston 's Neighbourhood Policing Team is holding four crime prevention sessions on the run up to Christmas.
One of the constant complaints of the sledgehammer to crack a nut approach to crime prevention it that it increases the fear of crime to a point where it is greater that the threat of the real thing.
Then there is the issuing of "alcohol strips" to officers patrolling the town.
The idea of this seems to be to stigmatise Boston's young people by assuming that all teenagers toting a drink can are using it to conceal alcohol, but that they won't get away with it because the alcohol strip will find them out.
"We know that there are young people who use soft drinks containers to disguise the true identity of an alcoholic drink," said Boston Police's licensing officer.
"If the drink is vodka-based, such as the alcopop products, it is very difficult to prove the contents. Any drink in a coloured container isn't easy to identify unless it has a strong smell, such as wine, beer or cider. The alcohol strip will confirm the contents in just two minutes."
The iron fist in the iron glove approach means that underage youngsters found consuming alcohol will have their details taken and their parents contacted and a police officer making a personal visit to their parents.
When we were boys and girls, a nip or two at Christmastime was a rite of passage.
Now it seems to be the first step on the road to a criminal record when more often than not, no serious offence has been committed.
Of course we don't want to see the streets of Boston teeming with pickpockets and footpads. Nor do we wish to see the town's streets reeling with drunken youngsters - or adults for that matter.
But there is no real evidence that this has ever happened in the past, and to swamp the town with police, and treat every shopper as a potential thief seem to us to be over-egging the Christmas pudding.
This sort of policing is just too much.
Bostonians in general are decent, law abiding people - whatever their age - and should be treated as such.
Oh. One final question.
Where do the police go and what do they do for the other eleven and a half months of the year?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Yo Ho ... Oh No!

The other day, someone asked us what was going on in Boston at Christmas.
To be honest, we were stuck for an answer, and decided to take a look around and see what we could find out.
Our starter for ten was the assumption that there would be no Continental Christmas Market this year, because it was driven away last year by unacceptable proposals to locate it out of the way of the sainted Into Town bus service - which effectively meant locating it somewhere where no-one would want to visit it.
We seemed to recall that Boston BID was seeking support for a Christmas Market earlier in the year.
We remember because there was criticism in the local papers back in August that as is so often the case the event was going to ignore the existence of West Street.
Now, though, the event seems to have disappeared from the BID calendar altogether - at least there is nothing about it on the organisation's website, and earlier references to the lack of enthusiasm for the idea seem to have vanished.
A search of Lincolnshire County Council's website finds the combination of the words Christmas and Boston conspicuous by their absence.
Boston Borough Council's website has no reference to any sort of Christmas Market plans, and it's what's on pages also suggest a bleak midwinter on the market cards.
A look at the Boston Standard's What's on internet feature finds it mired in the past rather than looking ahead to the festive season (click on the picture below to enlarge.)
The Target's feature, whilst up to date, has nothing of a Christmassy nature at all in December.
So if you want to celebrate Christmas this year, we suggest you board one of the extra buses laid on by Lincolnshire County Council specifically to take Bostonians to Lincoln or Spalding about which they bragged when it was announced back in October “These new Sunday services will provide improved access for shopping, especially during Christmas and the sales ....."
Yo, ho, no ....
Is Boston celebrating this year .... if you know, please let us know.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Time to clean up town's bleak image

If we were trying to put together an image of Boston from the jigsaw puzzle of items about it that have appeared in the news in the past few weeks alone, the picture on the box would be very bleak indeed.
Males in and around Boston have the lowest male life expectancy at birth in the county, and whilst females can expect a further five years, it is still the third lowest life expectancy in the county.
Unemployment rose by three per cent in and around Boston last month.
We're the area most at risk from flooding, with the forecast for even worse times ahead - and the County Council plans to withdraw the warning siren service.
Boston is one of only five local authorities where women have no choice between the three options of home birth with a midwife, a local birth centre or an obstetric unit in a hospital.
Anti-social behaviour is on the rise, despite promises to curb it.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, which includes the Pilgrim Hospital, is second on a "roll call of tragedy" published in a national paper with 226 "needless" deaths.
The by-pass which everyone wanted, and which the BBI promised with such confidence, is now at least ten years away, but with the greater liklihood that it will never come to pass.
The town has inflicted itself with a bad image through the unnecessary imposition of designated public places orders which suggest that - without them - we would have a serious public problem with alcohol.
And with Christmas just around the corner, the crowds in Strait Bargate are to be herded like cattle by buses that no-one wants to see in their town centre.
That's just for starters.
What is going wrong with Boston?
We need some thinking people to come up with some sensible answers.
The town's image needs a makeover.
We need an image Czar - and not just a couple of tourism press releases.
And soon.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Yes. Not one promise has been kept

Last Monday, Better Boston Group Councillor Brian Rush threw down this challenge to Councillor Richard Dungworth.
"I know of not one single election promise that has been kept, and Councillor Dungworth is challenged to remind me of any."
As we are sure that Councillor Dungworth will not be likely to be taking up the challenge, we thought we would take a look at the BBI's list of promises, and see for ourselves what's been done.
The BBI is not exactly famous for keeping the electors in touch, and the nearest we could come to a list of promises appeared in the one and only blog posted by the BBI on Saturday 12th May 2007 - the morning but one after the landslide election that swept the party into power.
"Boston Bypass Independents (BBI) were elected at the local elections on a manifesto of Getting Boston Moving by getting a bypass built for Boston. We were accused by our opponents of being a single issue party but the electorate soon saw through this political smokescreen, voting the old guard out and a virtually brand new council in to power.
"The BBI firmly believes in having no sacred cows, no person nor issue immune from scrutiny or criticism, and questioning all aspects of the council's work. We want to reflect the views of the electorate and promote Boston as a good place to work and live."
Then came the list of promises - so let's take a look and see how well ... or otherwise ... the BBI has done in the two and a half years that it has ruled the borough.
Short-term traffic-flow improvement. Up to a point. Turning off traffic lights here and there was an idea dreamed up by the previous administration, and has been successful. However, the coming phase of road "improvements" in Queen Street and Sleaford Road promise a year of chaos that will see millions of pounds wasted just to prove that they won't work and that Boston still needs a bypass.
A better bus service. Certainly we have more buses. The passenger figures claimed for the Into Town bus service seem to be plucked out of thin air. Nor do they seem to have had much impact in terms of persuading people to abandon their cars. And the routing of the service through Strait Bargate is indefensible. The disbenefits outweigh the benefits.
A review of car parking charges. Yes, they went up
Better public toilets. This shouldn't need to be a promise, although given the appalling state of the public loos it is an essential one. Improvements may be taking place, but we're also losing one facility.
More recycling. Yes - and about time, too.
Less litter . Our eyes tell us that this promise is not being kept.
Reducing anti-social behaviour . Again the evidence of the local court reports and crime statistics say the issue is getting worse, rather than better.
More off-street parking for residents. We think this must mean charging people for parking outside their own homes. Never a good idea, but as far as progress is concerned ... who knows?
Full investigation of the affairs of the Princess Royal Sports Arena . Ha ha ha.
After that dismal list of non achievements, the BBI pledged:
"This blog will be updated regularly to keep you informed on our progress, the latest issues and developments and also to give you the chance to comment and/or pose questions in an open forum."
Guess what? That blog was the first and the last. No further information has been forthcoming.
And the BBI's BIG promise of a bypass? Just pie in the sky.
Councillor Rush's challenge was made after a meeting of the Policy and Projects Committee. Perhaps it's no accident that in council-speak the Policy and Projects Committee is referred to by the acronym PAP.
Pap is defined by the dictionary as "worthless or oversimplified ideas."

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Week ending 27th November

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Ark at this (again) ... Last weekend's Sunday Times carried the chilling headline:- "Climate change to lash Britain with tropical storms," and a graphic showed both Boston and East Lindsey districts as two of the areas most at such risk in the future. Couple this with the news that Lincolnshire County Council plans to save a puny £47,000 by doing away with its 46 flood warning sirens, and you could be forgiven for deciding to pack your bags and leave Boston sooner rather than later. Let's hope that after its recent robust stance on the need for better flood protection that Boston Borough Council decides to oppose this inane decision, or if not to demand a replacement warning system.
Time to Stump up ... One of the few delights when one approaches Boston from a distance on these dark nights is to see the Stump brilliantly illuminated - a true beacon of the Fens. We hope that there's someone out there who can find the £300 needed to keep the lights going until Christmas. Better still, we'd like to see a sponsor to continue the year-round costs, which is terrific value in terms of tourism and image benefits benefits at less than £4,000 a year. When you think how much money is wasted by the powers that be, it shouldn't be beyond the wit of the great and the good to do something worthwhile with their cash for once.
Word from the wise ... A pseudonymous correspondent called "Lincs County" writes to say:-"Isn't it time for the good citizens of Boston to revolt and send a clear message to Council Leader Richard Austin that they will not put up with any more money wasting and poor performance from the Council. It wouldn't be so bad that they haven't delivered on their central election promise of a by pass if in the meantime they had run the council in an efficient manner. There have been a succession of independent audit reports saying how badly the Council is being run and I predict another one to come in early December - look out for the CAA report. They are throwing money away - they got rid of the chief executive for an undisclosed sum, appointed an interim chief executive for an undisclosed sum and have now created a new director post (I missed this going through the open transparent decision making process!) which they are presently advertising in select (some would say secret) locations at £87,500 (more than comparable jobs in other similar sized authorities). They rejected proposals which would have saved money through working with the neighbouring authorities - as happens elsewhere. Time to call an end to a well intended disaster." This sounds like someone who knows whereof he speaks. Keep your eyes open.
Woofless war on drugs ... Daft definitions. Boston College has given police dogs and their handlers free rein to search the campus to show drugs "will not be tolerated on the site." The police dog section carried out an operation as part of its training, and Principal Sue Daley, interestingly refers to the event as "a really positive partnership." She adds: "By advising people of the dangers and potential repercussions of drug use, we hope that this will allow us to avoid it within the college, and what's more keep the college's staff, students and visitors safe." We vehemently disapprove of drug taking which is yet another Boston blight. But we think that Ms Daley is being heavy handed and demonstrating a distrust of her wards. This is not "advice. " It is insulting every student by treating them as an addict, and using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Lost for words ... Still with policing, we deplore the use of the word "Fest" to describe a night of crime in which seven cars were broken into around the town. It makes things sound quite light and jolly, when in fact many people are faced with big bills for damage to their cars and lost belongings. We rank the unfortunate turn of phrase alongside the now defunct term "joyriders" which was used to describe car thieves whose reckless behaviour often ended in the death of other innocent drivers or pedestrians. The inspector concerned should note that "fest" is short for "festival," which the dictionary defines as: "an occasion for feasting or celebration."
Acronym-onious debate ... Finally, after Monday's debacle which broke the news that any chance of a bypass for Boston was at least ten years away, we think that an oblique approach to the problem might be not to continue to press for a bypass, but instead to lobby for faster,improved access to Skegness for holiday visitors. Something on the lines of (say) a Coastal Rapid Access Pathway. The BBI could put its might behind such an idea, and then it could truthfully be said that "Boston Bypass Independents stand for CRAP."

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

A grand job - 87 times over!

With refreshing candour Boston's newest job advert for a Director of Resources & Section 151 Officer says:
"Dear Applicant.
"Boston Borough Council makes no secret of the fact that we have some challenges ahead. We are making progress but this is nowhere near where we want to be. There is no doubt we are ready for a step change in our delivery of quality services to our residents.
"We need to establish a sound base of financial stability and sustainable service improvement whilst driving down our costs and demonstrating real value for money. We are looking to enhance our management team with this senior role which will be key to securing our future. And this is where we hope you will come in, to provide inspired and determined leadership as we strive to become a better performing council, focused on working with our partners, to secure the right outcomes for local people."
The invitation to apply for this poisoned chalice is signed by Council Leader Richard Austin, Portfolio Holder for Financial Management and Corporate Governance Richard Lenton and Interim Chief Executive Richard Harbord.
Looking at the job description it has to be worth every penny of EIGHTY SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS it will pay each year, with a list of no fewer than 36 main duties and responsibilities.
Head hunting this superstar is a company called Veredus, who are "leading providers of executive recruitment, interim management and business psychology to the public, private and not-for-profit sectors," and you can read full details of the post by clicking here and then following the link to the information pack.
Interestingly, Mr Harbord was a Veredus property when he was appointed interim national director of the National Union of Students, so he clearly holds the company in some regard.
Given the use of the words "enhance" and "new" to describe the role of Director of Resources & Section 151 Officer, we assume that this is a newly created job.
"Our council is seeking a new director to take the lead across a broad portfolio of services and statutory financial responsibility for the authority.
"In challenging financial times, achieving further improvements and even greater efficiencies and value for money will be crucial to our council for our future sustainability. As Director of Resources you will be given the space to establish a new approach to efficiency and value for money that not only supports but drives transformation across the Council and the Borough.
"You will support the Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team in the development of overall Council strategies, including the Medium Term Financial Plan, the Capital Strategy and the Community Plan and policies within which effective financial management of individual services can be delivered.
"A strategic thinker, you’ll be a professionally qualified accountant with substantial senior level management experience and the ability to communicate sensitively within a political environment. You’ll have an in-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements relating to key service areas and the ability to communicate effectively with partners, stakeholders and members to secure better outcomes for our all of our customers."
The range of people the post holder is expected to liaise with is equally exhaustive (or exhausting.
"Elected Members of the Council, specifically Leader, Deputy Leader, Group Leaders and Committee Chairmen; Chief Executive and other Directors, Staff of the Directorate, Key Stakeholders in the Community, Government Departments, Peers in County-Wide Initiatives, Voluntary Organisations and Business."
It may sound cynical, but it almost seems as though the council is looking to recruit a Chief Executive elect once Mr Harbord finishes his six month stint with the borough.
The only problem with all of this is that places like Boston are famously not known as magnets for applicants of the quality being sought.
The other problem is that flinging money at high-sounding executive posts doesn't really win friends or influence people among either ratepayers of the council's long suffering staff.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Bid to bring bus debate to public

There were positives as well as negatives at this week's Policy and Projects meeting.
Alongside the news that Boston's chances of getting a bypass now rate alongside those of a snowball in hell, another item saw a move to broaden the debate on the Into Town bus service, that would give people rather than politicians a say in the scheme.
The proposal - put forward by Conservative Myles Larrington - was to hold a debate on exploring the option of having a referendum on the Into Town Bus Service.
Councillor Larrington told Boston Eye:- "I believe it is time this council starting listening to the people, and it is time for us to debate whether we need to give them their say on this issue.
"I question how effective the original consultation was, and my hope is that by exploring the option of referendum it will generate a good public debate about the pros and cons of this service.
The committee has taken the proposal on board as part of their work programme to be debated some time next year.
"I think that it is about time that people are given a real chance to have their say, not through a consultation but through the ballot box," said Councillor Larrington.
"All the council is committing to at this stage is a debate. I think that - given the clearly flawed consultation process from Lincolnshire County Council, in light of the differing opinions this issue generates - that we owe it to the people of Boston to revisit this issue again.
"My own personal view is that the public will never be content as long as this issue is merely decided by councillors.
"The consultation only really included bus users and excluded the wider public who, being frequent visitors to Strait Bargate, clearly have strong views on this. To me, Lincolnshire County Council's argument regarding most people being in favour of the service is construed, as they only consulted those using service, most of whom are clearly going to be in favour of its continuation come what may.
"My hope is that this debate will not necessarily lead to a referendum (even though I am in favor of this) but that the public will get involved again and become more informed about the real issues.
"Basically, most people are unaware that we either have to keep the service going through Strait Bargate or not have it at all. Although I oppose having buses through the centre of town, I now know that due the way the routes are constructed, Lincolnshire County Council will be fined heavily if the services are not on time. This is not possible on a half hourly schedule without using Strait Bargate.
"By having this debate, I believe that it will better inform the public and the public response to the referendum idea will be an indication of the public's view on the Into Town Bus Service itself. "I am pleased to say that when I put this to the committee, it was supported by members from all political parties. I believe, particularly in the case of this council, there are too many times when we makes decisions on behalf of the people of Boston without giving them a proper opportunity to have their say.
"I cannot see what we, as a council, have to lose from giving the public a referendum and a vote on this issue.
"At the moment, the only foreseeable problem is that Lincolnshire County Council is soon going to make the traffic orders in relation to the Into Town Bus Service permanent. As far as I am concerned, if Lincolnshire County Council is stupid enough to do this having not properly consulted the public, then clearly they will have to face the consequences of this.
"As for the issue of expense, I realise this could be an expensive option but that is something the council will have to consider in full before making a decision to go ahead with this or not."

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Bypass battle veteran quits over "negativity"

One of the longest battling campaigners for a Boston bypass has called it a day after reaction to his attempts to portray the battle in a realistic light.
Michael Borrill sent us the news in the following e-mail....
"Dear Boston Eye
"Since 2002 I have been actively involved in, first, voicing my concerns about the Southern Economic Corridor and Dock Link proposals for Boston.
"Following on from this I soon got involved with the groups pushing for a bypass for the town, and, over the years, have made my feelings known to Lincolnshire County Council, Boston Borough Council and the people of Boston through various forms of media.
"Following the election of a Boston Bypass Independent Council, it was wrongly assumed that a push would be made on Lincoln County Council to give Boston a fair share of the cake. "Unfortunately this did not happen, and we are now in a worse position concerning any road infrastructure help than under the previous administration.
"Lincolnshire County Council are now preparing the next Local Transport Plan, 3LTP, and although several towns are noted in the document, there is no mention of a bypass/distributor road for Boston.
"It is also noted that besides the above mentioned proposed roads, Lincoln City is also, together with Lincolnshire County Council, negotiating with Network Rail towards the elimination of the two rail crossings in the city. There is also discussion about the rail crossings in Spalding with a further bypass for the town. And as we know, Sleaford is also to get its rail crossing bridged by way of developer funding.
"My concern over the last few months has been the 'negative' comments I have heard in the town, and especially following the recent publication of the Ministers' remarks following his receipt of the Economic Report I had prepared. This was something that was already known, and Whitehall will only go on what is dictated by the Local Transport Plan. To get into the next period Boston must at least be in the 3LTP which is being prepared - hence my 'suggestion' that ALL our County Councillors seek a meeting with their Leader at LCC.
"I am dismayed beyond belief that the amount of backlash that has been directed against me for making this comment in the local press, which has been 'stirred up' to distract attention from the real issue which I was trying to present.
"An egoism complex springs to mind and my sympathy goes to my fellow residents of Boston, who will probably have to endure tailbacks from Johnson’ s Garden Centre on one side to The Four Crossroads on the other
"My age and health are running against me and although I have given my time and energy freely to the 'Bypass Cause' over the last seven years, the last few weeks have shown that I have little support in Boston for continuing my pursuit for a solution to our badly needed road infrastructure.
"I am, therefore, leaving the 'bypass scene' with immediate effect.
"I would like to give my sincere thanks to all those who have helped me over the last few years.
"Michael Borrill"

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

BBI "failed to prioritise bypass"

The "official" news in last week's Boston Standard that the town won't get funding for a bypass for at least ten years sent a shockwave rippling through last week's Policy and Projects Committee meeting.
We assume the report came from the item headed "Transport Strategy for Boston 2006 to 2021 and beyond – progress update: A report by Lincolnshire County Council."
Unfortunately, as mere members of the public, we weren't able to read the report, as for some reason it refused to download, and our pleas to the powers that be to do something about it were ignored.
Councillor Brian Rush, of the Better Boston Group, felt the publication of the report showed yet again the uselessness of the Boston Bypass Independents Party.
In an e-mail, he wrote:
"Dear Boston Eye,
"The most amusing incident at the meeting was the naivety of Councillor Richard Dungworth as he held up this week's Standard, and asked the Highways Officers in attendance to explain the front page feature that the bypass issue was dead!
"I think it was an attempt by this hapless character, to be seen to be angry with such news.
"It appears not to have sunk in that ever since the election, the BBI have done nothing to prioritise the very item that they had been entrusted to deliver, and instead now roll over and accept the 'seriously flawed and ineffective' road widening scheme condemned by the whole BBI Group.
"Foolishly, preferring to stand shoulder to shoulder with Councillor Richard Austin as he slithered around Martin Hill, and William Webb at County.
"I know of not one single election promise that has been kept, and Councillor Dungworth is challenged to remind me of any.
"He should cast his mind back to May '07, if only to understand that those first few euphoric days and weeks, presented the biggest opportunity for this town to get the bypass on the agenda.
"What was needed, and in fact was promised, was strong, deliberate visible action.
"But it just never happened!
"I accept that such tactics may still not have resulted in the yearned for success, but at least the people of the borough would have appreciated the valiance and bravery of such an attempt.
"He and his colleagues still refuse to accept that they chose the wrong path, they cannot, or rather will not admit that kowtowing to Lincoln, actually played straight into the hands of the County, and we end up with another useless waste of funds.
"Unlike a large number of Johhny come lately BBI Candidates, who appeared pre-election, original Boston Bypassers were frustrated by these cowardly an ineffective acts, orchestrated by Councillor Richard Austin. We had already experienced his self interested double standards when elected to County, so were not surprised.
"It is ironic though, that the previous condemnation of the road widening scheme which assisted the Bypass group's successful election, will now also become another of the many reasons for their failure come May 2011."

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Week ending 20th November

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Row, row, row your boat .... Despite doing his damnest to put as much distance between himself and Boston as possible, local oarsman Mick Dawson found himself on the receiving end of a phone call from the borough's senior snake oil salesman Richard Austin when he set foot on dry land in San Francisco. It's enough to set you rowing away all over again. We note that Mick's craft was flying a couple of flags, and thought it a shame that no-one considered giving him a borough flag to display on arrival .... a sort of latter-day Pilgrim Father. Given the parlous state of borough finances, we also hope the leader remembered to reverse the charges. Seriously though, well done Mick, and we hope you enjoy the civic knees up when you get home. Oh, and a final message to whoever wrote the piece on the borough's website. The "gate" suffix used by hacks to define a scandal (Cheriegate, Dianagate, Bloodgate, Sachsgate et al) does not apply in geography. Repeated references to San Francisco’s "Goldengate" Bridge should be corrected immediately.
Old timer's disease ... We note that the Dear Leader, Councillor Richard Austin, has been ordered to take more training after the Standards Committee upheld a complaint that he failed to declare a prejudicial interest during discussions on funding for Centrepoint at two meetings - even though he was a member of the homeless charity and his wife is a director and trustee. It seems hard to believe that he could have been so forgetful about his role with the charity, and we would have thought that - especially after a four year stint as a county councillor - Papa Dick" ought not to have made such a mistake about declaring interests. Perhaps as well as a training refresher, he should be sent on a memory improvement course.
Driving us insane ... We've commented before on the attitude of some Brylaine bus drivers who seem to feel that they own the road and that all other road users must get out of their way. But the behaviour described in a letter to one of the local papers when they tried to force their buses through crowds marking the two-minute silence at the town war memorial is inexcusable. Perhaps Brylaine should consider sending their merry men of a public relations course - and a highway code refresher session while they're about it.
Ticketty boo 1 ... Another letter highlighted the anomaly in the town's car parking charges, where the signage says that it costs 50p for 30 minutes on Sundays, but a traffic warden says that it's £1. Not only that, but he gleefully told the writer that the ticket machine would have guzzled the 50p without producing a ticket unless more money was put in - which is bad news for anyone who brings what they believe is the right money and have no more change. Doubtless the traffic warden would also have been quick to ticket the vehicle for not having paid. To tell the motorist that that the 50p charge notice is overruled by the "all day for a pound" notice is something we think could be successfully challenged in the event of a ticket being issued, and we think that Boston Borough Council should provide new signs at once.
Ticketty boo 2 ... Talking of parking tickets .... we've noted for ages the existence of a yellow line free section of road which runs from Pensioner House towards the rear of Marks & Spencer. It's been a little oasis of free parking that many people have found useful. However, the other day we saw that a car parked there had been issued with a ticket despite the absence of lines, or any obvious signs banning parking. Are our newly appointed wardens perhaps being a bit overzealous? They have their uses, but not if they let their new found powers go to their heads so soon.
Nolan-ger subscribing ... We're not sure whether being a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate counts as public office, but we do know that Labour's Paul Kenny sets great store by the Seven Principles of Nolan, which lays guidelines for such postholders. Principle Five, on Openness, declares:- "Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands." Does that mean we can expect a reply from Mr Kenny fairly soon in response to our questions asking why he has become a serial campaigner against members of Boston Borough Council? We think not. He talks the talk, but will he walk the walk?
Vote, vote vote for ... ? After yesterday's blog about there being no-one big enough to fill the shoes of an elected Mayor for the borough, we received one or two suggestions. Sadly they did little more than confirm that we were right all along.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Heads they win, tails we lose

It came as little surprise when we heard that plans to consult Boston's electorate on government changes to the way the council will be run after the next election in May 2011 have been put on hold because the council cannot explain them in understandable English.
In a nutshell the council needs to pick one of two new options to replace the present system where it is run by a Leader and Cabinet Executive.
The choice is between a new Leader and Cabinet Executive model or an elected Mayor.
Under the first plan the Leader would be an elected councillor as at present who would take control for four years, appointing the Cabinet and delegating responsibilities - but with one crucial change to the ways things are run at present.
The Leader would have total control over all executive functions and therefore have complete discretion to allocate decision-making powers to the Cabinet as a body or to delegate decision-making to individual Cabinet members or to officers.
We seem to recall that the present leader sought similar powers before, and that the idea was rejected, but no such rejection will be possible in the future.
In terms of cost, there would be no change to the current Cabinet structure (plus ceremonial Mayor) which costs £61,720 in the current financial year.
Under the alternative scheme a Mayor would be directly elected, and unlike the Leader would not be a councillor representing a ward. The ceremonial Mayor would remain as a separate post. The elected Mayor would appoint a deputy and a Cabinet which would then operate much the same as things do now.
Electing a Mayor would be much more expensive, costing between £87,210 to £253,050 - although if members’ allowances continue to be paid at 40% below the levels recommended and if this continued, costs the cost would range from £58,810 to £154,250. It would cost £21,000 to run the ballot, and there would also be costs of running the Mayor's office.
There's also the matter of the cost of a referendum, which are put at £50,000. But to council willing to blow £28,000 on a sound system to save a couple of deaf members the price of a hearing aid, we're sure that's just peanuts.
Although there are no choices here, we have to say that, sadly, the argument "it's not broken, so don't mend it" does not apply to the present council structure.
The BBI has produced a rotten executive, and the question is whether whatever replaces it will be any better.
The problem with option A is that we get the mixture as before with the exception that the new leader has absolute authority, which - depending on the leader - could be a very dangerous thing.
We've seen what happens in the present council when conflicts of personality collide with spite.
The problem with option B is that we cannot for the life of us think of anyone who is big enough to be deemed electable as a potential Mr or Mrs Boston.
The only redeeming feature in the whole business, is that as these changes will take place at the next elections, it is a racing certainty that whoever forms the next leadership will not be the Boston Bypass Independents Party.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

The Kenny saga ... Day Two

The following e-mail from Boston Fenside Councillor David Owens concerning serial complainer Paul Kenny, Boston's Prospective Labour Party Parliamentary candidate (see yesterday's blog and Eyes passim) speaks for itself....
"Dear Boston Eye,
"I have kept quiet in relation to the activities Mr Kenny has been up to in relation to complaining about everyone who is not a Labour party member - however I feel the time is right to expose some of the malicious and thoroughly unpleasant activity he has carried out in the last 12 months.
Following the BNP success in Fenside last November, I received a call from Lincolnshire Police, as they had received a complaint that a piece of my election material may be 'illegal.' This was reported to them by the ever vigilant Mr Paul Kenny.
"I duly made an appointment to speak to the senior officer (who the prior week was investigating a murder) to show him the evidence proving that such an allegation was in fact, unfounded.
"This senior officer was apologetic and was clearly most frustrated that his time was being wasted investigating the most heinous crime of not having an imprint (i.e. name and address of printer etc) on a leaflet, and the fact that the 'evidence' produced by the complainant was not even the genuine leaflet, but a photocopy of the A5 sized leaflet copied as an A4 document! And as such, not a leaflet used in the campaign.
"Needless to say the police’s time and that of a very senior officer was wasted, by the vindictiveness and clear political motivation of Mr Paul Kenny.
"However, having failed in the pursuit of quashing any political opponents, the ever-persistent Mr Kenny was not prepared to leave it there, as aside from swiping at the other councillors as mentioned in your blog, he attempted to have another go at me.
"This time, following the last county council by-election which saw the Labour Party in Boston destroyed at the ballot box, he launched a new wave of complaints relating to my reference to the migrant community in Boston in my election material, and somehow tried to link my observations and comments into how that was not treating others with respect and claimed I breached equality enactments in my capacity as an elected member.
"This led to another complete waste of Standards Committee time and resources leading to the expected result of the complaint not being upheld.
"How much more has the Boston taxpayer got to put up with and fund the fantasies of this wannabe politician, when will he realise that Labour's days of influence in places like Boston have come to an end.
"Labour had their chance and they blew it! They sold out to the Multi-Culti fantasy and ignored what their hardcore supporters and voters were telling them.
"May they rest in Peace "
What do you thinks about Paul Kenny's activities? If you have something to say, please write and let us know ....

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Tell us why, Mr Kenny

With a General Election just around the corner, Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Boston, Paul Kenny, is busy making the news - but not for the usual reasons.
Boston Eye first had dealings Mr Kenny, some months ago.
He wrote to us after we commented on what we saw at the lightness of his campaigning.
In the course of his communication, he challenged us to publish information concerning the Boston Bypass Independents which he said the local papers had failed to print because they had been "frightened off."
We accepted the challenge, verified the information, and gave Mr Kenny a date on which we would be publishing it.
It was therefore something of a surprise to see the self-same material appear two days before the agreed date on another alternative Boston website, and we mused why Mr Kenny had pulled such a strange stunt.
We're no closer to knowing, but since then Mr Kenny's name has popped up regularly in slightly off-kilter context.
There was the case of the Boston North West county council by election in which the successful Conservative candidate was knocked out on a technicality, then re-elected - only just - in a poll that saw the BNP almost claim the seat.
Then there was the complaint to Boston Borough Council's Standards Committee against Conservative Borough Councillor Myles Larrington over remarks made in his blog. The complaint was not upheld, but the act of complaining caused Councillor Larrington to review the dangers of exercising free speech and decide that blogging was not worth the candle.
Mr Kenny then turned his spotlight on to Conservative Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire, complaining about comments made in his blogs.
Councillor Singleton-McGuire has disclosed that between January and September this Mr Kenny has made 13 complaints of which only two have been processed so far - at a cost to the taxpayer of almost £2,150. The year before, he apparently complained against the entire Bypass Independent Party.
And it now appears that even more complaints by Mr Kenny against Councillor Singleton-McGuire are in the pipeline.
The raison d'etre for the complaints appears to be that although Mr Kenny often acts in the name of the Labour Party, when anyone dares to counter-attack, he responds as a member of the public.
It's an interesting mindset - if it can be called a mindset.
We asked Mr Kenny if he would care to expand on his reasons for being a costly serial campaigner, as it appears that if he hadn't protested so much, the next complaint to reach the council this year would be the first.
Mr Kenny did not bother to reply to us.
We also asked Councillor Singleton-McGuire for a comment, and he told us:-
"In the interests of everyone’s sanity and the obvious ongoing waste of public taxpayers’ money, I have, as a diligent and concerned councillor, attempted to raise with the Labour Party directly the matter of Mr Paul Kenny’s seemingly endless barrage of criticism and complaints about Boston Borough Councillors over the past two and a half years.
"Bearing in mind that politics and politicians in particular are not exactly the flavour of the month at present (what with the recent Parliamentary expenses issues and the impending Parliamentary Election next year), I am sure local taxpayers must be seething if not disgusted at the added burden of public taxpayers money being wasted by a politician, albeit a Parliamentary Candidate at that, based on nothing more than a seeming self indulgence.
"The term 'vexatious litigation' springs to mind – an activity generally frowned upon by the courts.
"For every £1 incurred through Mr Paul Kenny’s endless complaining, £1 less is spent on public services. It should come as no surprise that at a recent council meeting the point was made that Legal Service expenses are likely to be over budget. "Were it not for Mr Kenny’s endless whining, Boston Borough Council would still be awaiting a complaint to deal with this year!
"It is for these reasons and in the interests of public spending that I contacted Mr Richard Oliver of the Labour Party East Midlands selection body and Newcastle Office who deal with issues of complaint expressing the concerns of all.
"Disappointingly, Three days later I received a further seven complaints and/or matters of conjecture from Mr Paul Kenny!"
Boston Eye thinks that it is high time for Mr Kenny to take his knocks like the seasoned politician he claims to be rather than to run crying to hide behind the skirts of the complaints system.
Certainly, if he proposes to run his campaign by eliminating his Tory opponents one-by-one, he is in for a long and disappointing fight, and one which - regardless of the current of the political climate - would be certain to end in failure.
Mr Kenny should by now be preparing for a high profile public General Election campaign, not putting his efforts into niggling, petty stuff that wastes time and money to no real effect.
Once again, Boston Eye invites Mr Kenny to to put on his political hat and tell us what the trouble is, as so many frivolous complaints at such great cost is both a burden and an insult to the borough's taxpayers, and if our mediation would be of help, we would be happy to offer it.


You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

Has leader considered costs of improved flood protection?

A weekend that's seen some of the worst weather of the year, with flooding and storm damage in many parts of the country, again highlights the precarious position of Boston in the flood risk league.
And co-incidentally, after last week's full meeting of Boston Borough council at which a petition to the government demanding levels of flood protection similar to those in Holland, we have received the following from Independent Borough Councillor Richard Leggott.
"Whilst giving my support at Council on Monday 9th November to the motion to lobby for better flood protection for our Borough, I do have misgivings as to a demand for protection on the scale envisaged by Councillor Richard Austin - 1 in 4000 for agricultural land and 1 in 10000 for urban areas.
"In reasoning for such a level of flood defence Councillor Austin quoted levels of defence enjoyed by SOME areas in Holland.
"Also relevant to comparison with Dutch flood defences is the fact which I have learnt
from inspection of such , and discussion with various Dutch Drainage Board members, that much of the funding of their high level (no pun intended) flood defence spending comes from local sourcing.
"One wonders whether any research into the costs, both nationally and locally, of such improved standards has been undertaken by Councillor Austin.
Perhaps, too, I may explain through your site that, nature being as unpredictable as it is, a 1 in 4000 rating is not a defence against an event that could only happen once in 4000 years.
Such a rating indicates that one is looking to give the protection needed up to the
4000-1 chance of such an event occurring in any one year.
"Whilst, on behalf of all the Borough and its inhabitants , I would dearly love to see a commitment to much higher local flood defence standards by Government , DEFRA and the Environment Agency (and will gladly work to influence such decision makers,) I do wonder if in these times of financial restraints, and given Boston's actual record as to recent flooding, one should be seeking more realistic improvement targets in possible discussions with all at Westminster.
"Two more questions that raise themselves in my mind.
"Is this 'raise our flood defences' item intended to divert us from BBI's failure to deliver a Bypass for Boston?
"Following on from that - this is somewhat tongue in cheek - will we get improved flood defence levels in time to protect our new Bypass? "
Richard Leggott

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.