Enjoy your Bank Holiday.
We'll be back tomorrow.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Monday, August 31
Jam today ... and jam tomorrow as well in all likelihood!
Enjoy your Bank Holiday.
We'll be back tomorrow.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Friday, August 28
Week ending 28th August
Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
One down one to go ... The Dear Leader Councillor Richard "Papa Dick" Austin has at last renounced one of his public claims that he still represents Boston South on Lincolnshire County Council. After some chiding on Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire's durable and entertaining blog, he has removed the reference from his biography on the borough's website. However, he still seems to be clinging on to the former title on the Lincolnshire Independents website. We cannot believe that he can hold out for much longer. If he still wants a place at County Hall, it's all the more reason to contest Boston North West when it comes up in just over a month's time.
Just the ticket ... Another Boston website last week asked when anyone last saw a traffic warden issuing a ticket. We watched one industriously scribbling away in West Street about three weeks ago, before slapping the penalty on the windscreen of a car displaying a disabled badge. The car was parked next to the last available space on the south side of the street almost opposite the eastern entrance of Rosegarth Street. Its "offence" was to park on the broad yellow line marking a "buses only" area. However, the whole of the rest of the bus area was out of commission, having been taken over by the contractors building the new Wickes store to provide a pedestrian walkway. Don't these jobsworths ever exercise common sense or discretion?
Parking up the wrong tree ... Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. Not only does a Boston policewoman park in a disabled space rather than walk all the way from the nick to the borough council offices to view some CCTV coverage, but town inspector Phil Clark announces: "As a goodwill gesture we will donate what could have been a £70 fine to the Butterfly Hospice Trust." Er... that £70 would be ratepayers' cash from our council tax, wouldn't it, inspector.
Press cuttings ...
Keeping it brief ... we loved the quote from the prosecutor who said "X made unsolicitored remarks that he was growing cannabis in the bedroom." We agree it's always best to stay silent until your solicitor is present!
Reporter at large ... Our thanks to the irrepressible George (Nowhere's a Thought) Wheatman for his hilarious recounting of the conversation between a cockney couple on whom he eavesdropped in a local restaurant as they discussed the Into Town bus service. Such realism! We haven't read a script like that since the days of the Al Read Show, which is probably when George last heard it too. Sadly he failed to mention whether the couple concerned were wearing their pearly coats and hats as well!
Soft shoe shuffle ... A word of comfort for anyone being picked on by Boston prospective Labour parliamentary candidate Paul Kenny. His name is an anagram of "Puny ankle" - so whilst he may kick out, he can't do too much harm!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
One down one to go ... The Dear Leader Councillor Richard "Papa Dick" Austin has at last renounced one of his public claims that he still represents Boston South on Lincolnshire County Council. After some chiding on Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire's durable and entertaining blog, he has removed the reference from his biography on the borough's website. However, he still seems to be clinging on to the former title on the Lincolnshire Independents website. We cannot believe that he can hold out for much longer. If he still wants a place at County Hall, it's all the more reason to contest Boston North West when it comes up in just over a month's time.
Just the ticket ... Another Boston website last week asked when anyone last saw a traffic warden issuing a ticket. We watched one industriously scribbling away in West Street about three weeks ago, before slapping the penalty on the windscreen of a car displaying a disabled badge. The car was parked next to the last available space on the south side of the street almost opposite the eastern entrance of Rosegarth Street. Its "offence" was to park on the broad yellow line marking a "buses only" area. However, the whole of the rest of the bus area was out of commission, having been taken over by the contractors building the new Wickes store to provide a pedestrian walkway. Don't these jobsworths ever exercise common sense or discretion?
Parking up the wrong tree ... Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. Not only does a Boston policewoman park in a disabled space rather than walk all the way from the nick to the borough council offices to view some CCTV coverage, but town inspector Phil Clark announces: "As a goodwill gesture we will donate what could have been a £70 fine to the Butterfly Hospice Trust." Er... that £70 would be ratepayers' cash from our council tax, wouldn't it, inspector.
Press cuttings ...
Keeping it brief ... we loved the quote from the prosecutor who said "X made unsolicitored remarks that he was growing cannabis in the bedroom." We agree it's always best to stay silent until your solicitor is present!
Reporter at large ... Our thanks to the irrepressible George (Nowhere's a Thought) Wheatman for his hilarious recounting of the conversation between a cockney couple on whom he eavesdropped in a local restaurant as they discussed the Into Town bus service. Such realism! We haven't read a script like that since the days of the Al Read Show, which is probably when George last heard it too. Sadly he failed to mention whether the couple concerned were wearing their pearly coats and hats as well!
Soft shoe shuffle ... A word of comfort for anyone being picked on by Boston prospective Labour parliamentary candidate Paul Kenny. His name is an anagram of "Puny ankle" - so whilst he may kick out, he can't do too much harm!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Where's the Rush?
We mentioned the other day that a reader got in touch to question how assiduous one of our borough councillors was when it came to his civic duties.
The member in question was Councillor Paddy Rush, Better Boston Group member for Skirbeck ward, and a week ago today we sent him an e-mail to see what he had to say.
We wrote again on Sunday, requesting a reply by close of business on Tuesday night, as we intended to write a piece in Wednesday's blog.
As it happened, we spent more time on the Boston North West by-election debate than anticipated, which gave Councillor Rush another day in which to respond.
But he did not. Since then there has been a third request to him to respond to us - again unsuccessful.
He could have been away, but normal procedure is to set up an automated "out of office reply" which tells people who e-mail an individual that he or she is not available - and we didn't get one of those.
We briefly considered the telephone, but whilst 30 of the borough's 32 councillors provide a number at which they can be reached directly, Councillor Rush is one of only two who refers callers to Boston 314511 - the number for the borough's Civic and Member Services.
The only other councillor to use this buffer between himself and the punters is the former deputy leader Peter Jordan, who is not famous for his fondness for the great unwashed electorate.
So we decided to look a little further, and this is what we found.
Councillor Rush's photo is no longer on the list of councillors. Only one other councillor does not have his photo on the list - and as he was only elected in June, this is probably due to time considerations more than anything else.
In the borough's thumbnail sketches of its members, Councillor Rush is listed as a member of BTAC (the Boston Town Area Committee) and the International Links Committee.
However to call his attendance patchy could be considered an understatement.
A browse through the BTAC minutes shows that he was neither listed as attending nor apologising for the meeting of 6th July. He sent apologies for 29th January 2009, for 3rd December 2008 and 3rd September 2008.
He is listed as attending on 11th June, neither attending nor apologising for 5th March, 21st January, 28th November 2007, and apologising on 5th September 2007. Prior to that meetings were held under the former council.
Online minutes of the full council are a little haphazard, but they show that Councillor Rush sent apologies for the meeting of 25th June, and is neither listed as attending nor apologising on 18th June. He is neither listed as attending nor apologising for 2nd April, attended 2nd March, apologised 19th January, apologised 18th August 2008, attended 30th July and attended 26th June.This is a very poor attendance record.
A seat on two committees - one of which ... International Links ... seldom meets - puts Councillor Rush next to bottom of the list when it comes to shouldering the workload within Boston Borough Council.
Only BNP Councillor David Owens has less on his plate - and that is because of party political prejudice by the Bypass Independents who refuse to appoint him to any other committees. Councillor Owens declares on the borough website that he "is looking to gain permission to sit on many more, should council permit."
When seeking election, Paddy Rush wrote: "I have had a strong interest in politics. I feel that the voice of the younger person within the established parties has not been understood or accommodated until now."
He urged everyone in Skirbeck to vote for BBI, and was elected in May 2007.
He subsequently quit the BBI for the newly formed BBG in January 2008.
In his resignation letter he said: "It was the sad, but brave, departure of Councillor Tony Clarke, which gave me the courage to make this decision, and take this action, so that the people of Boston will know that there are still councillors who want to make a difference, and stand for what they pledged to try to do for our constituencies."
Hmmmm.
Calling Councillor Paddy Rush.....
Is anybody there?
Knock once for yes, twice (or thrice) for no.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
The member in question was Councillor Paddy Rush, Better Boston Group member for Skirbeck ward, and a week ago today we sent him an e-mail to see what he had to say.
We wrote again on Sunday, requesting a reply by close of business on Tuesday night, as we intended to write a piece in Wednesday's blog.
As it happened, we spent more time on the Boston North West by-election debate than anticipated, which gave Councillor Rush another day in which to respond.
But he did not. Since then there has been a third request to him to respond to us - again unsuccessful.
He could have been away, but normal procedure is to set up an automated "out of office reply" which tells people who e-mail an individual that he or she is not available - and we didn't get one of those.
We briefly considered the telephone, but whilst 30 of the borough's 32 councillors provide a number at which they can be reached directly, Councillor Rush is one of only two who refers callers to Boston 314511 - the number for the borough's Civic and Member Services.
The only other councillor to use this buffer between himself and the punters is the former deputy leader Peter Jordan, who is not famous for his fondness for the great unwashed electorate.
So we decided to look a little further, and this is what we found.
Councillor Rush's photo is no longer on the list of councillors. Only one other councillor does not have his photo on the list - and as he was only elected in June, this is probably due to time considerations more than anything else.
In the borough's thumbnail sketches of its members, Councillor Rush is listed as a member of BTAC (the Boston Town Area Committee) and the International Links Committee.
However to call his attendance patchy could be considered an understatement.
A browse through the BTAC minutes shows that he was neither listed as attending nor apologising for the meeting of 6th July. He sent apologies for 29th January 2009, for 3rd December 2008 and 3rd September 2008.
He is listed as attending on 11th June, neither attending nor apologising for 5th March, 21st January, 28th November 2007, and apologising on 5th September 2007. Prior to that meetings were held under the former council.
Online minutes of the full council are a little haphazard, but they show that Councillor Rush sent apologies for the meeting of 25th June, and is neither listed as attending nor apologising on 18th June. He is neither listed as attending nor apologising for 2nd April, attended 2nd March, apologised 19th January, apologised 18th August 2008, attended 30th July and attended 26th June.This is a very poor attendance record.
A seat on two committees - one of which ... International Links ... seldom meets - puts Councillor Rush next to bottom of the list when it comes to shouldering the workload within Boston Borough Council.
Only BNP Councillor David Owens has less on his plate - and that is because of party political prejudice by the Bypass Independents who refuse to appoint him to any other committees. Councillor Owens declares on the borough website that he "is looking to gain permission to sit on many more, should council permit."
When seeking election, Paddy Rush wrote: "I have had a strong interest in politics. I feel that the voice of the younger person within the established parties has not been understood or accommodated until now."
He urged everyone in Skirbeck to vote for BBI, and was elected in May 2007.
He subsequently quit the BBI for the newly formed BBG in January 2008.
In his resignation letter he said: "It was the sad, but brave, departure of Councillor Tony Clarke, which gave me the courage to make this decision, and take this action, so that the people of Boston will know that there are still councillors who want to make a difference, and stand for what they pledged to try to do for our constituencies."
Hmmmm.
Calling Councillor Paddy Rush.....
Is anybody there?
Knock once for yes, twice (or thrice) for no.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Wednesday, August 26
BNP choice steps up by-election pressure
It looks as though there could be an entertaining fight ahead for the Boston North West seat on Lincolnshire county council - which was made vacant by the forced resignation of Andrea Jenkyns.
Back in June, seven candidates contested the seat, which Miss Jenkyns won with 462 votes ... 89 ahead of the BNP candidate, and 180 ahead of the next placed candidate - Boston Bypass Independent Alison Austin, wife of the Dear Leader.
The BNP candidate - Colin Westcott from Lincoln - was an unknown quantity, but that didn't stop him getting an impressive result.
But Mr Westcott will not be contesting the seat at the by-election.
His place has been taken by Boston Borough Councillor David Owens, who was elected to the Fenside ward in November last year.
He told Boston Eye: "The situation which has led to this by-election has shocked and angered voters, whose hard earned taxes will now have to be used to pay for this by-election.
"This careless waste of money by people who should know the rules but clearly don't, brands them as incompetent and not worthy of trust.
"This election will give the people of Boston North West a chance to elect a BNP councillor to the county council, a councillor who does care about how money is spent and waste avoided."
Councillor Owens's selection is a shrewd strategic move by the BNP.
Fenside and Boston North West wards share a great deal of common territory, and if Councillor Owens has been putting himself about since his election, he will hit the ground running as a candidate well known to local voters, which must improve his chances.
This piles the pressure on to whomever stands for the other parties.
Not only that, but it could well see some rethinking about the nominees.
Miss Jenkyns has already said that she will contest the seat once again and, given the anger at the way she was forced out, has to be considered a highly popular candidate.
But what about the BBI and Labour?
While Councillor Alison Austin fought Boston North West, her husband was defending Boston South - which he had previously held, but from which he was rejected by the voters.
If Councillor Richard Austin now decided to contest Boston North West - and if he were to win it - he would again become a voice at County Hall, rebuild some important personal credibility, and hope to be taken seriously once more.
Labour's candidate in June, Pam Kenny, is the wife of Paul - the man responsible for forcing this by-election on what was more or less a technicality.
Mr Kenny lost the borough council by-election for Pilgrim Ward to none other than Myles Larrington - the man he is now pursuing through the council's complaints procedure, having been stung by comments allegedly made in Councillor Larrington's blog. Let's not also forget that he lost Boston East to the Tories at the county elections.
Mr Kenny will look more than a little silly if - after all the trouble he has taken to force a by-election in Boston North west - he doesn't then bother to contest it personally and see if the voters share his sense of moral outrage.
However he might be afraid to risk three electoral flops in around as many months ... which scarcely looks good on the CV of a man who hopes to be Boston's Labour MP this time next year.
He might also wish to have to avoid writing the press release if his intervention resulted in the BNP winning its first seat on Lincolnshire County Council.
But before all that, both men would have to persuade their respective spouses not to stand again.
Interesting times ahead, as they say.
The full results for Boston North West on 4th June were:
Andrea Jenkyns - Conservative 463
Colin Westcott - British National Party 374 Alison Austin - Boston Bypass Independents 283
Richard Leggott - Independent 279 Pam Kenny - Labour 205
Paul Appleby - Liberal Democrat 130
Andrew Bakewell -Independent 82
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Back in June, seven candidates contested the seat, which Miss Jenkyns won with 462 votes ... 89 ahead of the BNP candidate, and 180 ahead of the next placed candidate - Boston Bypass Independent Alison Austin, wife of the Dear Leader.
The BNP candidate - Colin Westcott from Lincoln - was an unknown quantity, but that didn't stop him getting an impressive result.
But Mr Westcott will not be contesting the seat at the by-election.
His place has been taken by Boston Borough Councillor David Owens, who was elected to the Fenside ward in November last year.
He told Boston Eye: "The situation which has led to this by-election has shocked and angered voters, whose hard earned taxes will now have to be used to pay for this by-election.
"This careless waste of money by people who should know the rules but clearly don't, brands them as incompetent and not worthy of trust.
"This election will give the people of Boston North West a chance to elect a BNP councillor to the county council, a councillor who does care about how money is spent and waste avoided."
Councillor Owens's selection is a shrewd strategic move by the BNP.
Fenside and Boston North West wards share a great deal of common territory, and if Councillor Owens has been putting himself about since his election, he will hit the ground running as a candidate well known to local voters, which must improve his chances.
This piles the pressure on to whomever stands for the other parties.
Not only that, but it could well see some rethinking about the nominees.
Miss Jenkyns has already said that she will contest the seat once again and, given the anger at the way she was forced out, has to be considered a highly popular candidate.
But what about the BBI and Labour?
While Councillor Alison Austin fought Boston North West, her husband was defending Boston South - which he had previously held, but from which he was rejected by the voters.
If Councillor Richard Austin now decided to contest Boston North West - and if he were to win it - he would again become a voice at County Hall, rebuild some important personal credibility, and hope to be taken seriously once more.
Labour's candidate in June, Pam Kenny, is the wife of Paul - the man responsible for forcing this by-election on what was more or less a technicality.
Mr Kenny lost the borough council by-election for Pilgrim Ward to none other than Myles Larrington - the man he is now pursuing through the council's complaints procedure, having been stung by comments allegedly made in Councillor Larrington's blog. Let's not also forget that he lost Boston East to the Tories at the county elections.
Mr Kenny will look more than a little silly if - after all the trouble he has taken to force a by-election in Boston North west - he doesn't then bother to contest it personally and see if the voters share his sense of moral outrage.
However he might be afraid to risk three electoral flops in around as many months ... which scarcely looks good on the CV of a man who hopes to be Boston's Labour MP this time next year.
He might also wish to have to avoid writing the press release if his intervention resulted in the BNP winning its first seat on Lincolnshire County Council.
But before all that, both men would have to persuade their respective spouses not to stand again.
Interesting times ahead, as they say.
The full results for Boston North West on 4th June were:
Andrea Jenkyns - Conservative 463
Colin Westcott - British National Party 374 Alison Austin - Boston Bypass Independents 283
Richard Leggott - Independent 279 Pam Kenny - Labour 205
Paul Appleby - Liberal Democrat 130
Andrew Bakewell -Independent 82
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Tuesday, August 25
What would Fred Kite have done....?
Oh bruvver!When shop steward Fred Kite found himself in a fix, he turned to the rule book.
Sound familiar?
In his war on the Tories, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Boston Paul Kenny used the rule book to oust Conservative County Councillor Andrea Jenkyns.
We're not entirely sure what sort of game he's playing where county and borough councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire is concerned, but there is no doubt about his antics with regard to the blog written by borough councillor Myles Larrington.
Commissar Kenny has made it the subject of a complaint to the Borough Council's Standards Committee.
Yesterday, when we first made reference to this, we supplied a link to Councillor Larrington's statement regarding the referral, which has led him to withdraw all previous entries.
When we looked later, we found that even that reference has now been removed, and now only contains its original welcome message, part of which reads: "I am trying this blog out in order to better communicate directly to local people. Members of the public will be able to keep informed about what is happening on Boston Borough Council. I also believe the public have a right to know where I stand on local issues, so I will be detailing some of my opinions on these. My aim is to keep this blog updated on a regular basis. Hopefully you will see that I am hardworking, straight talking and able to make a real difference."
How sad that this laudable exercise in communication has been the subject of such pettiness and spite.
We took a look at the code of conduct which binds members of Boston Borough Council to see what grounds Mr Kenny might have for complaint.
Without sight of the blog now that it has been withdrawn, it's difficult to remember everything that was written.
But there are really just three sections of the rules that could apply.
Section 3 (1) says "You must treat others with respect." As far as we can recall Councillor Larrington was critical - but not disrespectful - of Mr Kenny.
How sad that this laudable exercise in communication has been the subject of such pettiness and spite.
We took a look at the code of conduct which binds members of Boston Borough Council to see what grounds Mr Kenny might have for complaint.
Without sight of the blog now that it has been withdrawn, it's difficult to remember everything that was written.
But there are really just three sections of the rules that could apply.
Section 3 (1) says "You must treat others with respect." As far as we can recall Councillor Larrington was critical - but not disrespectful - of Mr Kenny.
Section 3 (2) (b) "You must not bully any person." Councillor Larrington at 22 years-old and with just two-and-a-half months in office, would surely not disagree that he is a beginner. The idea that he could "bully" a seasoned politician like Paul Kenny beggars belief.
It is a joke - but we're not laughing.
If Mr Kenny seriously feels bullied then it's time for him to get out of politics until he grows up.Section 5 of the code of conduct says "You must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or authority into disrepute." In fact quite the reverse is the case. Councillor Larrington was defending a colleague forced out of office by a "politician" crowing about a breach of the rules.
It is a joke - but we're not laughing.
If Mr Kenny seriously feels bullied then it's time for him to get out of politics until he grows up.Section 5 of the code of conduct says "You must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or authority into disrepute." In fact quite the reverse is the case. Councillor Larrington was defending a colleague forced out of office by a "politician" crowing about a breach of the rules.
Now, Councillor Larrington faces a jury of his peers to consider the Kenny complaint.
As we said yesterday, despite wearing his Labour Party hat when he attacked Andrea Jenkyns and Councillors Singleton-McGuire and Larrington, he is now sheltering behind a procedure designed for members of the public to complain.
The Local Assessment Panel can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a member, and cannot deal with complaints about things not covered by the Members’ Code of Conduct.
Blogs are such new development in local government, that we hope this fact alone will be enough to disqualify Mr Kenny's complaint.
Failing that, we don't think that he should have his cake and eat it.
If he attacks as a politician, then he cannot suddenly renounce that status and become a wounded member of the public just because it might help him to achieve his shabby objectives.
Mr Kenny's actions have so far led to the resignation of one councillor, and silenced another's right to free speech. His third target has been a politician for longer who is so far weathering the storm.
The Bypass Independents must be spinning with laughter in their collective grave - Paul Kenny is playing into their hands and all they have to do is sit and watch.
The most elegant solution would be if Commissar Kenny were to recant his boorish Old Labour flat cap politics, act his age and withdraw his complaint against Councillor Larrington.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
As we said yesterday, despite wearing his Labour Party hat when he attacked Andrea Jenkyns and Councillors Singleton-McGuire and Larrington, he is now sheltering behind a procedure designed for members of the public to complain.
The Local Assessment Panel can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a member, and cannot deal with complaints about things not covered by the Members’ Code of Conduct.
Blogs are such new development in local government, that we hope this fact alone will be enough to disqualify Mr Kenny's complaint.
Failing that, we don't think that he should have his cake and eat it.
If he attacks as a politician, then he cannot suddenly renounce that status and become a wounded member of the public just because it might help him to achieve his shabby objectives.
Mr Kenny's actions have so far led to the resignation of one councillor, and silenced another's right to free speech. His third target has been a politician for longer who is so far weathering the storm.
The Bypass Independents must be spinning with laughter in their collective grave - Paul Kenny is playing into their hands and all they have to do is sit and watch.
The most elegant solution would be if Commissar Kenny were to recant his boorish Old Labour flat cap politics, act his age and withdraw his complaint against Councillor Larrington.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Monday, August 24
Now big bruvver Kenny targets Tory free speech
Yaroo you rotters .... the sneak of Labour's lower remove is at it again!Just as Billy Bunter craved cream cakes, so Boston's prospective Labour Party parliamentary candidate Paul Kenny (see Saturday's lookalike photos below) has an obsessive yearning for the scalps of our local Tory councillors.
A week ago today we told readers that Mr Kenny was behind the disclosures that forced the resignation of Conservative County Councillor Andrea Jenkyns - and also that he'd fired off a letter to the Housing Minister after a BBC report alleging breaches of the Race Relations Act by estate agents was filmed in a private property originally built by a company owned by another Conservative, the county and borough Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire.
Now it appears that Mr Kenny is setting his sights on yet another Conservative borough councillor, Myles Larrington.
Until the end of last week, Councillor Larrington was writing a blog, designed to keep electors informed.
Now that exercise in informing the people who count - the voters - is at an end.
In his blog, which you can read in full by clicking here, Councillor Larrington says that several recent articles have been referred to Boston Borough Council’s Standard’s Committee, which handles complaints against councillors.
As a result, he has suspended his blog indefinitely, and withdrawn all previous pieces.
His writings have been erudite, informative and entertaining, and have enhanced local democracy by taking readers beyond the dryness of the council chamber, to give local politics a human face and voice.
Our initial reaction was to blame the Boston Bypass Independents, who, as any fule kno, are not renowned for their love of free speech - but after a few inquiries it soon became clear that the complainant was none other than ... Paul Kenny.
The complaints procedure is an avenue for members of the public to take up cudgels if they feel that they have been wronged by a local councillor.
Until now, Mr Kenny, who was defeated by Councillor Larrington in the June 4 by-election for Boston's Pilgrim Ward, has crowed his triumphs to anyone who cared to listen with his Labour Party political hat on.
After the demise of Andrea Jenkyns, he boasted: "Andrea Jenkyns has been forced to resign as County Councillor for Boston North West after being found to be ineligible to stand ... Being an employee of a council bars membership of the same council. This was revealed by Boston District Labour Party in a letter to the County Council’s Chief Executive."
And when Boston Eye asked for comment on the report that he complained to the Housing Minister about Councillor Singleton-McGuire, he was happy to brag: "As Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Boston & Skegness, I have sent the clip from BBC Look North to the Housing Minister, John Healey MP to alert him to concerns within the private housing sector in Boston raised by the BBC report."
Note in both cases Mr Kenny used the Labour Party as his sword of truth and trusty shield of fair play.
But when Councillor Larrington entered the debate to criticise his actions, Mr Kenny suddenly became just a humble aggrieved citizen being picked on by a 22 year-old newcomer to politics.
Goliath demanding that David gets an ASBO for throwing stones!
It would be funny - if you like pathos.
Mr Kenny has now managed to get one councillor sacked, silenced two of their blogs, and seems to be targeting a third.
Presumably he thinks that this will be seen as shrewd political manoeuvring to destabilise the Tories, when in fact he is enraging the broader electorate by flushing the sewage of politics normally associated with Westminster into the peaceful backwaters of Boston.
Hopefully, the Standards Committee will see his bluster for what it is, and exonerate Councillor Larrington so that he can carry on speaking his mind.
In fact we're not even sure that blogging is something that comes within the committee's remit at this stage, as the rules are not as up to date as they might be - which makes it an even more important political crossroads for free speech.
If the committee does not reject Mr Kenny's complaints, the consequences for Councillor Larrington could be harsh.
What a shame that, instead of shouting his party's policies from the rooftops so that the voters can judge him on them, Mr Kenny has descended to the engine room in the basement to pour sand into the fuel tank that powers the political process.
For a man whose initials are PR (Paul Robert) Mr Kenny has a lot to learn!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Saturday, August 22
Coming up on Monday: Labour Billy Bunter's latest attack on Tory tuck shop
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Friday, August 21
Week ending 21st August
Pay no attention to the man behind the screen ... Having been at the forefront in breaking the news of the resignation of Boston North West county councillor Andrea Jenkyns, and reporting the involvement of Labour parliamentary wannabe Paul Kenny in her downfall, we awaited the arrival of our two local newspapers with considerable interest. Strangely, Mr K receives no mention in either the Standard or the Target. For the life of us we can't think why ... unless politics has something to do with it. But Boston Eye will keep you up to date. Look out for Mr Kenny's latest antics on Monday's blog.
Silly old sausages .... Just as we accuse Boston Borough Council of missing an opportunity by letting someone else use the Ten Downing Street website to launch a petition for a bypass for the town, they leap into action. According to the borough's website, the council is showing its support for local butchers by encouraging people to sign a petition for the Lincolnshire Sausage to be granted Protected Geographical Status. Councillor Richard Dungworth, portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning, Sport and Cultural Services (presumably sausages are in there somewhere) said the council has a strong relationship with the local butchers and would encourage people to sign the petition. Smells more like baloney than Lincolnshire sausage to us.
One to go for an even dozen ... Meanwhile, the Number Ten petition for a Boston bypass remains locked on an unimpressive 11 signatures. Despite our plug for it last week, not a single member of the Boston Bypass Independents has added a signature to it. You can take a horse to water ..... but you'll never get it to eat a sausage. Is the BBI serious about a bypass ... we think not.
Is that all ..? After wading through endless serpentine ramblings down memory lane we finally discover in this week's Target that columnist George Wheatman has been to church. Heaven help us if he ever spends a week in Clacton!
Carpeted ...! Why does Boston always seem to get the dirty end of the stick? Whilst it's no big deal in the overall scheme of things, we can't help but wonder why, when Allied Carpets called in the receivers, the store in Boston is handed the black spot and closed, whilst the one in Spalding remains open. Over the years Spalding has steadily overtaken Boston as a place to shop and enjoy a good day out. What has South Holland District Council got that Boston Borough Council doesn't have. Flair, imagination, enthusiasm, competence .... the list is endless.
Soft toy soft toy approach ... "Operation Fusion hits the streets" says the headline. The reality? A handful of back office bogeys totter into the sunlight, dress up in a badger costume and hand out crime prevention leaflets at ASDA and the Pilgrim Hospital. This is apparently a crime prevention campaign which a spokesman says will "get the message out that we are totally committed to making our communities safe." What a load of old badgers**t. Until the police take things seriously and take on board the fact that what the public wants to see is more boobies one the beat, Lincolnshire Police will linger at the bottom of the public confidence league tables.
And finally.......
Wizard of Boz ... The town's Centenary Methodist Church is on the lookout for entrants to boost numbers at its annual scarecrow festival which is being held next month. Our nomination appears (right.) From what we've heard recently, scaring crows is just about all he's capable of doing - if that!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Silly old sausages .... Just as we accuse Boston Borough Council of missing an opportunity by letting someone else use the Ten Downing Street website to launch a petition for a bypass for the town, they leap into action. According to the borough's website, the council is showing its support for local butchers by encouraging people to sign a petition for the Lincolnshire Sausage to be granted Protected Geographical Status. Councillor Richard Dungworth, portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning, Sport and Cultural Services (presumably sausages are in there somewhere) said the council has a strong relationship with the local butchers and would encourage people to sign the petition. Smells more like baloney than Lincolnshire sausage to us.
One to go for an even dozen ... Meanwhile, the Number Ten petition for a Boston bypass remains locked on an unimpressive 11 signatures. Despite our plug for it last week, not a single member of the Boston Bypass Independents has added a signature to it. You can take a horse to water ..... but you'll never get it to eat a sausage. Is the BBI serious about a bypass ... we think not.
Is that all ..? After wading through endless serpentine ramblings down memory lane we finally discover in this week's Target that columnist George Wheatman has been to church. Heaven help us if he ever spends a week in Clacton!
Carpeted ...! Why does Boston always seem to get the dirty end of the stick? Whilst it's no big deal in the overall scheme of things, we can't help but wonder why, when Allied Carpets called in the receivers, the store in Boston is handed the black spot and closed, whilst the one in Spalding remains open. Over the years Spalding has steadily overtaken Boston as a place to shop and enjoy a good day out. What has South Holland District Council got that Boston Borough Council doesn't have. Flair, imagination, enthusiasm, competence .... the list is endless.
Soft toy soft toy approach ... "Operation Fusion hits the streets" says the headline. The reality? A handful of back office bogeys totter into the sunlight, dress up in a badger costume and hand out crime prevention leaflets at ASDA and the Pilgrim Hospital. This is apparently a crime prevention campaign which a spokesman says will "get the message out that we are totally committed to making our communities safe." What a load of old badgers**t. Until the police take things seriously and take on board the fact that what the public wants to see is more boobies one the beat, Lincolnshire Police will linger at the bottom of the public confidence league tables.
And finally.......Wizard of Boz ... The town's Centenary Methodist Church is on the lookout for entrants to boost numbers at its annual scarecrow festival which is being held next month. Our nomination appears (right.) From what we've heard recently, scaring crows is just about all he's capable of doing - if that!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Thursday, August 20
Getting Market Place right is crucial to town's future
Last Saturday we eavesdropped on the Market Place "consultation" exercise on the bland unimaginative sweep of paving slabs near Boots which we hope will be an early casualty of any redevelopment.
Although one was promised, not a councillor was in sight - but then most of the BBI usually have better things to do with their time than rub shoulders with the army of the great unwashed ratepayers who fill the town on market days.
The two officials on duty at the time were having a tough job trying to explain to an affronted punter the concept behind the consultation - ie that is was his opinion they wanted ... along of course with any other Tom, Dick or Harriet who could clutch a pencil and put their ideas on paper.
Some readers told us that the opportunity to talk was often lost because the staff were monopolised by people wanting to complain about council services generally, rather than discuss the Market Place in particular.
One told us how he waited and waited, then gave up, walked away, thought better of it, and returned - only to find the official manning the stall had attacked a store of buns and ignored him in favour of lunch.
Yesterday, that same person went back to try to make his point ... and again, noticed the fact that the promised councillors were conspicuous by their absence.
Oddly, for a council that that seeks our views on almost everything, the opportunity to give our opinions online does not appear to be available for what is arguably one of the most significant plans to enhance the town centre for many years.
With two million pounds in the kitty, this is a once and for all opportunity to get the Market Place right for the foreseeable future, and we fear that the "consultation" process being undertaken will not do the job.
There needs to be some serious design tendering for once, and avoidance of hiring the narrow selection that the council have used in the past - the ones who fill their reports with twee phrases such as "low hanging fruit" when they mean things that are easy to achieve.
What we need are at least half a dozen widely differing designs for consideration and we must seek to avoid the one size fits all approach that has turned so many town centres around the country into cloned identikit shopping areas.
It might be possible to agree some broad guidelines - such as making the Market Place a car free zone, and also banning those noisy, smelly Brylaine buses from herding shoppers aside and spoiling what might otherwise have been a pleasant day out.
And please, let's not even think of asking Boston College's art and design students to make a contribution!
There's a chance to do something really bold and imaginative for Boston for the first time in decades, which would make the Market Place a tourist attraction in its own right - and we must seize it with both hands.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Although one was promised, not a councillor was in sight - but then most of the BBI usually have better things to do with their time than rub shoulders with the army of the great unwashed ratepayers who fill the town on market days.
The two officials on duty at the time were having a tough job trying to explain to an affronted punter the concept behind the consultation - ie that is was his opinion they wanted ... along of course with any other Tom, Dick or Harriet who could clutch a pencil and put their ideas on paper.
Some readers told us that the opportunity to talk was often lost because the staff were monopolised by people wanting to complain about council services generally, rather than discuss the Market Place in particular.
One told us how he waited and waited, then gave up, walked away, thought better of it, and returned - only to find the official manning the stall had attacked a store of buns and ignored him in favour of lunch.
Yesterday, that same person went back to try to make his point ... and again, noticed the fact that the promised councillors were conspicuous by their absence.
Oddly, for a council that that seeks our views on almost everything, the opportunity to give our opinions online does not appear to be available for what is arguably one of the most significant plans to enhance the town centre for many years.
With two million pounds in the kitty, this is a once and for all opportunity to get the Market Place right for the foreseeable future, and we fear that the "consultation" process being undertaken will not do the job.
There needs to be some serious design tendering for once, and avoidance of hiring the narrow selection that the council have used in the past - the ones who fill their reports with twee phrases such as "low hanging fruit" when they mean things that are easy to achieve.
What we need are at least half a dozen widely differing designs for consideration and we must seek to avoid the one size fits all approach that has turned so many town centres around the country into cloned identikit shopping areas.
It might be possible to agree some broad guidelines - such as making the Market Place a car free zone, and also banning those noisy, smelly Brylaine buses from herding shoppers aside and spoiling what might otherwise have been a pleasant day out.
And please, let's not even think of asking Boston College's art and design students to make a contribution!
There's a chance to do something really bold and imaginative for Boston for the first time in decades, which would make the Market Place a tourist attraction in its own right - and we must seize it with both hands.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Wednesday, August 19
Floody hell - risk nonsense from Environment Agency
Last week's annual testing of the flood warning sirens was a timely reminder of Boston's status as the flood risk capital of the UK.The Environment Agency says one in six homes in England is at risk of flooding, and climate change will raise that number without better protection.
It calculates that funding for projects that protect communities from flooding from rivers and the sea needs to double to £1bn annually by 2035. Without that, it says, economic damage worth £4bn per year could be the norm. It places the Boston district at the top of its list of areas most at risk from flooding, with 23,700 properties - pretty well every home in the borough - in danger.
Second was North Somerset with 20,415 and third was our neighbouring district of East Lindsey, with 14,949 homes at risk.
The Environment Agency suggests that some schemes could be funded locally without input from central government.
We've talked about all of this before, as we are concerned about the impact that the Environment Agency's condemnation of the area is causing serious problems for homeowners, who are being heavily penalised on their insurance premiums, or even denied insurance entirely because of the "risk."
But how bad is it?
Not many people know this, but the figures produced by the agency are based on what is known as the "inherent flood risk" which is shown on the map above.
Inherent flood risk is defined as the extent of flooding which would occur assuming that no flood defences or other man-made obstructions to flood flows existed.
Second was North Somerset with 20,415 and third was our neighbouring district of East Lindsey, with 14,949 homes at risk.
The Environment Agency suggests that some schemes could be funded locally without input from central government.
We've talked about all of this before, as we are concerned about the impact that the Environment Agency's condemnation of the area is causing serious problems for homeowners, who are being heavily penalised on their insurance premiums, or even denied insurance entirely because of the "risk."
But how bad is it?
Not many people know this, but the figures produced by the agency are based on what is known as the "inherent flood risk" which is shown on the map above.
Inherent flood risk is defined as the extent of flooding which would occur assuming that no flood defences or other man-made obstructions to flood flows existed.
Imagine the outcry if your house insurance risk for burglary was assessed on the assumption that your home has no doors, locks or windows. You would doubtless be refused cover on the grounds that you were all but inviting burglars to trash your home.
Yet this is done in the calculation of flood risk, and no-one bats an eye.
We've said it before - someone in authority needs to get to grips with this issue before Boston becomes and area where no-one wants to live, and to which no business will want to relocate.
Yet this is done in the calculation of flood risk, and no-one bats an eye.
We've said it before - someone in authority needs to get to grips with this issue before Boston becomes and area where no-one wants to live, and to which no business will want to relocate.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Tuesday, August 18
Boston gets government aid to smarten up town shops
Even though you might have expected to have read the news on Boston Borough Council's website or the websites of our two local papers by now, it appears to be up to us to break the news that Boston is the recipient of a tasty chunk of government largesse.
The town is to receive £52,632 from a £3 million kitty set up by the Department for Communities and Local Government to help the 57 "hardest hit areas" in the recession to find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops are having on the high street, and re-open them as facilities for communities.
Communities Secretary John Denham said many high streets in areas of high deprivation are seeing empty shops boarded up because of the downturn, which is damaging consumer and business confidence.
"We know that the downturn has really hurt high streets in areas of high deprivation across England," he says.
"These grants will help to transform and re-open empty shops as part of our real help to keep town centres vibrant and combat the recession.
"Those councils will now be able to use our funding to come up with their own creative ideas to transform their boarded up shops into something useful like a learning centre, meeting place for local people or showroom for local artists.
"There is no need to see unused shops on our high streets going to waste, especially when we know that it doesn't take a lot to turn a vacant shop into something beneficial for the community.
"The top tips and new support in our town centre revival guide are already helping small businesses during this difficult time. Together these steps will help high streets continue to be vibrant places that remain at the heart of the community throughout the downturn."
We're not holding our breath on this one as Boston Borough Council is not renowned for its creativity and inventiveness, and we fear that the money will be frittered away on a series of twee little projects that will be more of an embarrassment than an asset.
It's ironic to recall the council's Dear Leader, Richard "Papa Dick" Austin's declaration in his New Year message that ... "because our local economy is based on the food industry I am confident that Boston is better placed than most to weather the global storm."
It seems as though the government doesn't agree, and as Papa D has never been known to be wrong before, this comes as something of a shock.
Ironically, whilst John Denham is giving Boston Borough the cash to tart up its empty shops, neighbouring East Lindsey is getting £57,000 to make small interest free loans to families to help them through the recession.
As well as loans to families who are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent and likely to become homeless, the council, in exceptional circumstances, can also make small grants to families for the same reasons.
The council will be able to recycle the loaned money as its paid back, to support other families facing difficulties.
It's hard to decide which use of money is the better, but we sincerely hope that Boston will use its cash imaginatively and wisely to make the town a brighter, more cheerful place.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
The town is to receive £52,632 from a £3 million kitty set up by the Department for Communities and Local Government to help the 57 "hardest hit areas" in the recession to find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops are having on the high street, and re-open them as facilities for communities.
Communities Secretary John Denham said many high streets in areas of high deprivation are seeing empty shops boarded up because of the downturn, which is damaging consumer and business confidence.
"We know that the downturn has really hurt high streets in areas of high deprivation across England," he says.
"These grants will help to transform and re-open empty shops as part of our real help to keep town centres vibrant and combat the recession.
"Those councils will now be able to use our funding to come up with their own creative ideas to transform their boarded up shops into something useful like a learning centre, meeting place for local people or showroom for local artists.
"There is no need to see unused shops on our high streets going to waste, especially when we know that it doesn't take a lot to turn a vacant shop into something beneficial for the community.
"The top tips and new support in our town centre revival guide are already helping small businesses during this difficult time. Together these steps will help high streets continue to be vibrant places that remain at the heart of the community throughout the downturn."
We're not holding our breath on this one as Boston Borough Council is not renowned for its creativity and inventiveness, and we fear that the money will be frittered away on a series of twee little projects that will be more of an embarrassment than an asset.
It's ironic to recall the council's Dear Leader, Richard "Papa Dick" Austin's declaration in his New Year message that ... "because our local economy is based on the food industry I am confident that Boston is better placed than most to weather the global storm."
It seems as though the government doesn't agree, and as Papa D has never been known to be wrong before, this comes as something of a shock.
Ironically, whilst John Denham is giving Boston Borough the cash to tart up its empty shops, neighbouring East Lindsey is getting £57,000 to make small interest free loans to families to help them through the recession.
As well as loans to families who are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent and likely to become homeless, the council, in exceptional circumstances, can also make small grants to families for the same reasons.
The council will be able to recycle the loaned money as its paid back, to support other families facing difficulties.
It's hard to decide which use of money is the better, but we sincerely hope that Boston will use its cash imaginatively and wisely to make the town a brighter, more cheerful place.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Monday, August 17
No petition by me - Kenny
We have just received the following from Mr Paul Kenny ...
"Thank you for putting the statement in your article today.
"I would like to inform you of some factual information.
"The only action I took regarding the Boston North West seat was to write to the Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council asking if it was permissable (sic) to be a councillor and work for the same local authority.
"It was news to me when you stated that I had started a petition and was trying to get names to force a by-election."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
"Thank you for putting the statement in your article today.
"I would like to inform you of some factual information.
"The only action I took regarding the Boston North West seat was to write to the Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council asking if it was permissable (sic) to be a councillor and work for the same local authority.
"It was news to me when you stated that I had started a petition and was trying to get names to force a by-election."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Labour attack forces councillor to quit
A level of politics associated more commonly with Westminster than local government has forced newly elected Boston North West County Councillor Andrea Jenkyns to quit.
She stood down after receiving legal advice that she was not qualified to act as a councillor because she worked part-time as a tutor with Lincolnshire Music Service.
Miss Jenkyns has now quit that job and intends to stand again as Tory candidate for the ward.
Ironically, she took advice from the county council before standing at the election on June 4th and was wrongly informed - something she says she hopes will lead the council to take more care when advising prospective candidates in future.
In her short time at County Halll, Miss Jenkyns proved herself to be a hard working and enthusiastic councillor, who put in more effort than many to serve the ward she was elected to represent.
And who knows, without behind the scenes dabbling, it might have been possible to have reached a compromise that would have allowed her to stay on.
Enter Paul Kenny, prospective Labour Parliamentary candidate for Boston and Skegness.
Boston Eye understands that the wannabe Labour MP launched a petition in the ward and also tried to get names to force a by-election - at which point Miss Jenkyns was advised to stand down before this could be presented. It's also alleged that Mr Kenny lodged an official complaint with Lincolnshire's Chief Executive.
And, according to another Tory County Councillor, the Labour activist has now set his sights on a new target.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire, County Councillor for Boston Fishtoft, and Borough Councillor for the Coastal ward, has accused Mr Kenny of putting two and two together and making five after a recent BBC TV programme highlighting alleged contraventions of the Race Relations Act by Boston estate agents filmed at a private residence in a development built by one of his companies.
"Subsequently, I have being informed on good authority by a number of Boston people that Paul Kenny has written to the Housing Minister at the Houses of Parliament concerning a Conservative Boston Councillor (i.e. me!), who has been caught up in the recent BBC Race Relations scandal.
"I honestly can’t believe that this many people would rush to warn me about something Mr Paul Kenny is doing if he hadn’t talked about it in such detail to them, (or others for that matter!")
So what's going on here?
Certainly Paul Kenny is playing a strange game if this is a way to seek political gain.
We've noted before that he tends to be rather shy and retiring for someone who hopes to be an MP in less than a year's time. Letters to the local press rarely mention his candidacy, and he is backward in putting himself forward in local political matters - despite formerly holding seats on both the borough and county councils and living in a borough that has no Labour representation on its council..
We fail to see what there is to gain from forcing the resignation of a popular and determined local councillor and trying to blacken the name of another by associating him with something with which he has no connection.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the by election for Boston North West takes place.
Among the candidates last time was Mr Kenny's wife Pam, who, if she stands again and repeats her previous performance has no chance of winning the seat.
The candidate who came second to Miss Jenkyns last June was Colin Westcott of the British National Party, so expect some mutterings into political beards if he decides to have another go.
Mr Kenny issued the following statement:
"Tory Councillor, Andrea Jenkyns has been forced to resign as County Councillor for Boston North West after being found to be ineligible to stand as council candidate in the June county council elections. Being an employee of a council bars membership of the same council. This was revealed by Boston District Labour Party in a letter to the County Council’s Chief Executive. "Commenting on the resignation, Councillor Rob Parker, Leader of the Labour Group on Lincolnshire County Council (editor's note - one of just four Labour councillors out of 77) said: 'I’m pleased that Ms Jenkyns has resigned rather than be formally disqualified. But it does show the level of incompetence in the Tory party in Boston and indeed in Lincolnshire that no one knew of the most basic of rules – that you can’t be a councillor on a council that you work for. I’m astounded that an officer of Lincolnshire County Council did not give the right advice because everyone involved in the running of the council knows or should know that there is a fundamental separation between the work of councillors and the work of officers. It is just not possible for someone to have a foot in both camps because that would present a huge conflict of interest. It is not a technical issue but a fundamental matter about what is right and proper. It took the Labour Party to bring this serious breach of the rules to the attention of the council. Some pretty important questions need asking all round here.
"'But it just goes to show the sort of slap dash (sic) selection process that Tory candidates go through in Lincolnshire. It would be almost humorous but incompetence is going to cost the council tax payer hundreds of pounds because of the need to have another election.'
"Commenting for Boston District Labour Party, Paul Kenny, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Boston and Skegness constituency, said: “I am astounded that the Tory Party did not check out this information with their own legal team as recommended in the guidance handbook for candidates and agents. We are amazed that a main stream (sic) party like the Tory Party were not aware of the qualification and disqualification criteria and allowed this ineligible selection process to take place.
“I also want to know if the Lincolnshire Conservatives are going to apologise to the electorate of Boston North West for forcing an unexpected extra expense to the taxpayers. Just as importantly I want assurances that any allowances wrongly paid during this ineligible period will be repaid to Lincolnshire County Council.” Boston District Labour Party became aware that the County Councillor for Boston North West had made it publicly known during a radio interview on Radio Lincolnshire on 29th July 2009 that she worked for Lincolnshire Music Services.
"Paul Kenny, on behalf of the Boston District Labour Party wrote to Lincolnshire County Council asking if this was permissible. The Local Government Act 1972 clearly states that …’a person cannot be a candidate if at the time of their nomination or their election, they are employed by the local authority…’
As far as the allegations by Councillor Singleton-McGuire are concerned, Mr Kenny said: "As Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Boston & Skegness, I have sent the clip from BBC Look North to the Housing Minister, John Healey MP to alert him to concerns within the private housing sector in Boston raised by the BBC report. This is on top of the zero star rating that Boston Borough Council received from the Audit Commission. If you read the report you will see their concerns about the private sector and the Council's involvement through its role as a strategic housing authority."
Wethinks the Labour Party hath protested too much...
Rob Parker is leading Labour to extinction at County Hall, and Paul Kenny seems unworried about riding on his coat-tails.
We fail to see how complicating the political life of Boston, and enhancing its already tarnished image with Whitehall does any service for the borough and its residents.
The full list of candidates from June 4th, (with votes cast) was:-
Paul Appleby, Liberal Democrats 130
Alison Austin, Boston Bypass Independent 283
Andrew Bakewell, Independent 82
Andrea Jenkyns, Conservative 463
Pam Kenny, Labour 205
Richard Leggott, Independent 279
Colin Westcott, BNP 374
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
She stood down after receiving legal advice that she was not qualified to act as a councillor because she worked part-time as a tutor with Lincolnshire Music Service.
Miss Jenkyns has now quit that job and intends to stand again as Tory candidate for the ward.
Ironically, she took advice from the county council before standing at the election on June 4th and was wrongly informed - something she says she hopes will lead the council to take more care when advising prospective candidates in future.
In her short time at County Halll, Miss Jenkyns proved herself to be a hard working and enthusiastic councillor, who put in more effort than many to serve the ward she was elected to represent.
And who knows, without behind the scenes dabbling, it might have been possible to have reached a compromise that would have allowed her to stay on.
Enter Paul Kenny, prospective Labour Parliamentary candidate for Boston and Skegness.
Boston Eye understands that the wannabe Labour MP launched a petition in the ward and also tried to get names to force a by-election - at which point Miss Jenkyns was advised to stand down before this could be presented. It's also alleged that Mr Kenny lodged an official complaint with Lincolnshire's Chief Executive.
And, according to another Tory County Councillor, the Labour activist has now set his sights on a new target.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire, County Councillor for Boston Fishtoft, and Borough Councillor for the Coastal ward, has accused Mr Kenny of putting two and two together and making five after a recent BBC TV programme highlighting alleged contraventions of the Race Relations Act by Boston estate agents filmed at a private residence in a development built by one of his companies.
"Subsequently, I have being informed on good authority by a number of Boston people that Paul Kenny has written to the Housing Minister at the Houses of Parliament concerning a Conservative Boston Councillor (i.e. me!), who has been caught up in the recent BBC Race Relations scandal.
"I honestly can’t believe that this many people would rush to warn me about something Mr Paul Kenny is doing if he hadn’t talked about it in such detail to them, (or others for that matter!")
So what's going on here?
Certainly Paul Kenny is playing a strange game if this is a way to seek political gain.
We've noted before that he tends to be rather shy and retiring for someone who hopes to be an MP in less than a year's time. Letters to the local press rarely mention his candidacy, and he is backward in putting himself forward in local political matters - despite formerly holding seats on both the borough and county councils and living in a borough that has no Labour representation on its council..
We fail to see what there is to gain from forcing the resignation of a popular and determined local councillor and trying to blacken the name of another by associating him with something with which he has no connection.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the by election for Boston North West takes place.
Among the candidates last time was Mr Kenny's wife Pam, who, if she stands again and repeats her previous performance has no chance of winning the seat.
The candidate who came second to Miss Jenkyns last June was Colin Westcott of the British National Party, so expect some mutterings into political beards if he decides to have another go.
Mr Kenny issued the following statement:
"Tory Councillor, Andrea Jenkyns has been forced to resign as County Councillor for Boston North West after being found to be ineligible to stand as council candidate in the June county council elections. Being an employee of a council bars membership of the same council. This was revealed by Boston District Labour Party in a letter to the County Council’s Chief Executive. "Commenting on the resignation, Councillor Rob Parker, Leader of the Labour Group on Lincolnshire County Council (editor's note - one of just four Labour councillors out of 77) said: 'I’m pleased that Ms Jenkyns has resigned rather than be formally disqualified. But it does show the level of incompetence in the Tory party in Boston and indeed in Lincolnshire that no one knew of the most basic of rules – that you can’t be a councillor on a council that you work for. I’m astounded that an officer of Lincolnshire County Council did not give the right advice because everyone involved in the running of the council knows or should know that there is a fundamental separation between the work of councillors and the work of officers. It is just not possible for someone to have a foot in both camps because that would present a huge conflict of interest. It is not a technical issue but a fundamental matter about what is right and proper. It took the Labour Party to bring this serious breach of the rules to the attention of the council. Some pretty important questions need asking all round here.
"'But it just goes to show the sort of slap dash (sic) selection process that Tory candidates go through in Lincolnshire. It would be almost humorous but incompetence is going to cost the council tax payer hundreds of pounds because of the need to have another election.'
"Commenting for Boston District Labour Party, Paul Kenny, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Boston and Skegness constituency, said: “I am astounded that the Tory Party did not check out this information with their own legal team as recommended in the guidance handbook for candidates and agents. We are amazed that a main stream (sic) party like the Tory Party were not aware of the qualification and disqualification criteria and allowed this ineligible selection process to take place.
“I also want to know if the Lincolnshire Conservatives are going to apologise to the electorate of Boston North West for forcing an unexpected extra expense to the taxpayers. Just as importantly I want assurances that any allowances wrongly paid during this ineligible period will be repaid to Lincolnshire County Council.” Boston District Labour Party became aware that the County Councillor for Boston North West had made it publicly known during a radio interview on Radio Lincolnshire on 29th July 2009 that she worked for Lincolnshire Music Services.
"Paul Kenny, on behalf of the Boston District Labour Party wrote to Lincolnshire County Council asking if this was permissible. The Local Government Act 1972 clearly states that …’a person cannot be a candidate if at the time of their nomination or their election, they are employed by the local authority…’
As far as the allegations by Councillor Singleton-McGuire are concerned, Mr Kenny said: "As Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Boston & Skegness, I have sent the clip from BBC Look North to the Housing Minister, John Healey MP to alert him to concerns within the private housing sector in Boston raised by the BBC report. This is on top of the zero star rating that Boston Borough Council received from the Audit Commission. If you read the report you will see their concerns about the private sector and the Council's involvement through its role as a strategic housing authority."
Wethinks the Labour Party hath protested too much...
Rob Parker is leading Labour to extinction at County Hall, and Paul Kenny seems unworried about riding on his coat-tails.
We fail to see how complicating the political life of Boston, and enhancing its already tarnished image with Whitehall does any service for the borough and its residents.
The full list of candidates from June 4th, (with votes cast) was:-
Paul Appleby, Liberal Democrats 130
Alison Austin, Boston Bypass Independent 283
Andrew Bakewell, Independent 82
Andrea Jenkyns, Conservative 463
Pam Kenny, Labour 205
Richard Leggott, Independent 279
Colin Westcott, BNP 374
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Friday, August 14
Week ending 14th August
Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Grubbiest building in town ... We've complained about the state of some of the town's shopfronts in the past, but were more than taken aback during a walk down West Street in the week when we noticed how neglected and filthy the mirror glassed Lubianka that comprises the municipal office extension is. Cobwebs and muck in equal amounts jostle for pride of place. Seems like there's more than one clean-up needed at the council.
Anniversary card ... Still lurking in the bowels of the Lincolnshire Independents website is one of the only two entries made by Boston Borough Council Leader Richard Austin back in the glory days when he also had a seat on Lincolnshire County Council. On August 12th 2006 - three years ago - at 2-13am (way past his bedtime we would have thought) the dear leader published his first thoughts. They read: "test1." There was a test two in May 2008 ... and since then ... silence. Oh, and did we say "back" in the day? According to the website, Councillor Austin is still "Independent councillor for Boston South." We wonder what his recently elected Conservative successor Paul Skinner might have to say about that!
Protesting too much... We love the advert in this week's locals from estate agent Bruseless Mather after a BBC television expose showed the firm to be one of three agents who rejected a Polish worker sent by the BBC to rent a property, while a BBC employee was allowed to view the properties. In characteristically wordy style, the advert even goes so far as to thank the Beeb for showing the company up. And they say that you shouldn't believe an estate agent....
A big boy did it and ran away ... Bypass Independent Councillor Richard Lenton takes over where colleague Major (Ret'd) Ramonde Newell has mercifully left off by writing to the local press following comments from Tory Councillor Peter Bedford and Labour activist Paul Kenny on the borough's recent damning (rather than "poor") report by the Audit Commission. He says the report for the year commencing April 2007 was for the period just after the BBI landslide, which makes it a reflection on "years of mismanagement by their receptive (sic) parties." We had hoped that the portfolio holder for financial management might have been better at doing his sums. The year commencing April 2007 covers the first eleven months of the BBI's tenure - which represents almost half its term in office. We're starting to wonder when the BBI is going to be big enough to own up to its own mistakes and stop trying to pass the buck.
Plodding along ... Good to see that Lincolnshire Police are undeterred after coming bottom in the national league of public confidence; having to write off almost 10,000 crimes that they've no hope of solving, and getting a slating from the government inspector for not having the specialist skills needed to solve serious crime. Their latest recruitment advert in the local papers seeks an ICT Applications Support Officer to help integrate business systems, an Information Sharing Officer, and a Reprographics Officer to run the force's print room. The total annual wage bill for these vital posts is more than £50,000. We're sure that once they are filled, crime will fall and confidence in the force rise.
Hacked off .... Like many people, we pick up our Standard when we head into town on market day, then read it at home whilst waiting for the Target to arrive. This week was one of those that show how hopeless our papers sometimes are. We patrolled the town with the shrill of the flood warning sirens threatening world war three or worse, then got home to read the paper only to find that that all the noise was just a test. We also discovered that we'd missed out first chance to take part in the Market Place consultation process. Some hours later, the Target's arrival rubbed salt into the wound. Certainly, the siren testing could and should have been in last week's papers - or is that too obvious?
Coming up on Monday ... Boston gets £52,632 from the government as one of the 57 areas hardest hit by the recession - to find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops are having on the high street. We'll be finding out more.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Grubbiest building in town ... We've complained about the state of some of the town's shopfronts in the past, but were more than taken aback during a walk down West Street in the week when we noticed how neglected and filthy the mirror glassed Lubianka that comprises the municipal office extension is. Cobwebs and muck in equal amounts jostle for pride of place. Seems like there's more than one clean-up needed at the council.
Anniversary card ... Still lurking in the bowels of the Lincolnshire Independents website is one of the only two entries made by Boston Borough Council Leader Richard Austin back in the glory days when he also had a seat on Lincolnshire County Council. On August 12th 2006 - three years ago - at 2-13am (way past his bedtime we would have thought) the dear leader published his first thoughts. They read: "test1." There was a test two in May 2008 ... and since then ... silence. Oh, and did we say "back" in the day? According to the website, Councillor Austin is still "Independent councillor for Boston South." We wonder what his recently elected Conservative successor Paul Skinner might have to say about that!
Protesting too much... We love the advert in this week's locals from estate agent Bruseless Mather after a BBC television expose showed the firm to be one of three agents who rejected a Polish worker sent by the BBC to rent a property, while a BBC employee was allowed to view the properties. In characteristically wordy style, the advert even goes so far as to thank the Beeb for showing the company up. And they say that you shouldn't believe an estate agent....
A big boy did it and ran away ... Bypass Independent Councillor Richard Lenton takes over where colleague Major (Ret'd) Ramonde Newell has mercifully left off by writing to the local press following comments from Tory Councillor Peter Bedford and Labour activist Paul Kenny on the borough's recent damning (rather than "poor") report by the Audit Commission. He says the report for the year commencing April 2007 was for the period just after the BBI landslide, which makes it a reflection on "years of mismanagement by their receptive (sic) parties." We had hoped that the portfolio holder for financial management might have been better at doing his sums. The year commencing April 2007 covers the first eleven months of the BBI's tenure - which represents almost half its term in office. We're starting to wonder when the BBI is going to be big enough to own up to its own mistakes and stop trying to pass the buck.
Plodding along ... Good to see that Lincolnshire Police are undeterred after coming bottom in the national league of public confidence; having to write off almost 10,000 crimes that they've no hope of solving, and getting a slating from the government inspector for not having the specialist skills needed to solve serious crime. Their latest recruitment advert in the local papers seeks an ICT Applications Support Officer to help integrate business systems, an Information Sharing Officer, and a Reprographics Officer to run the force's print room. The total annual wage bill for these vital posts is more than £50,000. We're sure that once they are filled, crime will fall and confidence in the force rise.
Hacked off .... Like many people, we pick up our Standard when we head into town on market day, then read it at home whilst waiting for the Target to arrive. This week was one of those that show how hopeless our papers sometimes are. We patrolled the town with the shrill of the flood warning sirens threatening world war three or worse, then got home to read the paper only to find that that all the noise was just a test. We also discovered that we'd missed out first chance to take part in the Market Place consultation process. Some hours later, the Target's arrival rubbed salt into the wound. Certainly, the siren testing could and should have been in last week's papers - or is that too obvious?
Coming up on Monday ... Boston gets £52,632 from the government as one of the 57 areas hardest hit by the recession - to find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops are having on the high street. We'll be finding out more.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Thursday, August 13
"Give us the PRSA numbers!"
It's been a long time since the PRSA has reared its white, elephantine head in the pages of Boston Eye, but it's back today in the form of a letter from long-time critic Martin Robbins with a challenge to tot up the total that's been spent over the years.
Dear Boston Eye,
In a recent article about the PRSA squirreled away on an obituaries page of the local media, in my opinion where the PRSA rightfully belongs, one trustee of the Boston Sports Initiative and the Council Portfolio Holder for Sport, Councillor Richard Dungworth, both made misleading statements that require a response.
A reality check that the PRSA is coming along in leaps and bounds is really telling everyone "The bad news is, BSI Trustees have shot themselves in the foot, but the good news is they didn’t shoot themselves in both feet!.
What has been achieved in the last three months is completely irrelevant because the directors are talking penny sweets language again whereas they have actually spent Empire State Building money!
It is not commonly realised that the organisation has tossed more than fourteen million pounds in the air so far, on top of which the Borough Council slid a million or three of its own money into the doomed venture before PRSA accounts began. BSI directors also reneged on £3m loans so, taking into account the unnecessary losses they created by embarking on unwinnable legal actions and arbitrary rejection of valuable business, the total in cash flow terms is likely to approach twenty million pounds.
This may be a tad optimistic so, on behalf of Boston’s long-suffering taxpayers, here’s the challenge to BSI’s directors!
Starting from the point where your audited accounts show income of £10,551,886 between 2003 and 2009, tell us what ‘setting-up costs’ were secretly paid for by the Borough between 1999 and 2003, how much you expect local taxpayers to cough up for your 2008-09 and 2009/10 trading losses and, finally, add on the unpaid loans.
It will be interesting to see what final total you come up with!
Of course, like every other question about the BSI/PRSA I doubt I will get any honest answers to my questions. After all, the original trustees and the council went to great lengths to get the PRSA registered as a "disability charity" knowing full well it was never about "disability" or "Sport for All" BUT all about supplying Boston Rugby Club with a posh new home at the taxpayers’ expense.
Regards,
Martin Robbins
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Dear Boston Eye,
In a recent article about the PRSA squirreled away on an obituaries page of the local media, in my opinion where the PRSA rightfully belongs, one trustee of the Boston Sports Initiative and the Council Portfolio Holder for Sport, Councillor Richard Dungworth, both made misleading statements that require a response.
A reality check that the PRSA is coming along in leaps and bounds is really telling everyone "The bad news is, BSI Trustees have shot themselves in the foot, but the good news is they didn’t shoot themselves in both feet!.
What has been achieved in the last three months is completely irrelevant because the directors are talking penny sweets language again whereas they have actually spent Empire State Building money!
It is not commonly realised that the organisation has tossed more than fourteen million pounds in the air so far, on top of which the Borough Council slid a million or three of its own money into the doomed venture before PRSA accounts began. BSI directors also reneged on £3m loans so, taking into account the unnecessary losses they created by embarking on unwinnable legal actions and arbitrary rejection of valuable business, the total in cash flow terms is likely to approach twenty million pounds.
This may be a tad optimistic so, on behalf of Boston’s long-suffering taxpayers, here’s the challenge to BSI’s directors!
Starting from the point where your audited accounts show income of £10,551,886 between 2003 and 2009, tell us what ‘setting-up costs’ were secretly paid for by the Borough between 1999 and 2003, how much you expect local taxpayers to cough up for your 2008-09 and 2009/10 trading losses and, finally, add on the unpaid loans.
It will be interesting to see what final total you come up with!
Of course, like every other question about the BSI/PRSA I doubt I will get any honest answers to my questions. After all, the original trustees and the council went to great lengths to get the PRSA registered as a "disability charity" knowing full well it was never about "disability" or "Sport for All" BUT all about supplying Boston Rugby Club with a posh new home at the taxpayers’ expense.
Regards,
Martin Robbins
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Wednesday, August 12
Who are these Number 10 bypass campaigners?
Look out, Boston Bypass Independents, there's a challenger in the race to provide the town with a by-pass.
And the voting is on at no lesser an address than number 10 Downing Street.
A petition created by someone called Shane Fletcher is posted on the website, which has hosted such conflicting demands as for Gordon Brown to resign, and for Jeremy Clarkson to replace him.
The top petition at present - the one for Gordon Brown to go - has almost 70,000 signatures - but that doesn't mean that the PM is considering his future. Most e-petitions to number 10 are mainly to give people a chance to get things off their chest rather than to get an outcome if enough votes are cast.
Whilst 70,000 is a lot of e-power, the Boston campaign has some way to go yet ... with just ten other signatures attached after Mr Fletcher's.
In case you may have heard of them, the other signatories are: Femi Owusu, Dwayne Forsell, James Mason, Paul Morgan, and Ishmael Bangura - all of whom are members of something called Sense With Roads - followed by Peter Morgan of the Association of British Drivers, with the balance made up of four individuals named Stephen Ward, Mark Bristow, Kathleen Betts and Storm Dinsey.
They declare: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to create a bypass for boston lincs (sic). Submitted by Mr Shane Fletcher – deadline to sign up by: 05 May 2010 – Signatures: 11
"More details from petition creator: traffic congestion is killing this town and the local and county councils seem to be doing very little to help the situation."
We suspect that this motley crew has as much chance of getting Boston a bypass as do Councillor Richard "Papa Dick" Austin and his cronies at Worst Street - although they are bang on the money with their claims that the councils seem to be doing very little to help.
Couple that with the fact that the Boston petition is only one of 4844 at the last count and you can understand our sinking feeling.
The petition currently bottom of Number 10's list -and sharing the least number of votes with one (presumably the petition creator) - calls for a ban on the use of the sisha, better known as the hookah, or water-pipe for smoking, and it is a sorry state of affairs that support for a Boston bypass is not much higher up the list than that.
We wonder who this rag, tag and bobtail bunch is that has started this petition on our behalf.
We know nothing about the individuals, but can tell you that Sense with Roads is "dedicated to making the roads safe and efficient for all those who find a need to use them," while the Association of British drivers calls itself "Britain's foremost campaigning group for drivers aiming to provide an active, responsible voice to lobby for Britain's beleaguered motorists."
Neither organisations' websites have much to say about Boston, and in fact Sense with Roads seems to concentrate its efforts mainly on the south of England.
You can check all the sources out here:
10 Downing Street - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bypassboston/
Sense with Roads - http://www.swr-uk.org/
Association of British drivers - http://www.abd.org.uk/
Superficially, it all seems a rather sad, except that with a little thought, organisation and lobbying, the BBI could have come up with this petition, which would if nothing else have been a good publicity coup and probably have drawn a few more by way of signatures.
Another missed opportunity!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
And the voting is on at no lesser an address than number 10 Downing Street.
A petition created by someone called Shane Fletcher is posted on the website, which has hosted such conflicting demands as for Gordon Brown to resign, and for Jeremy Clarkson to replace him.
The top petition at present - the one for Gordon Brown to go - has almost 70,000 signatures - but that doesn't mean that the PM is considering his future. Most e-petitions to number 10 are mainly to give people a chance to get things off their chest rather than to get an outcome if enough votes are cast.
Whilst 70,000 is a lot of e-power, the Boston campaign has some way to go yet ... with just ten other signatures attached after Mr Fletcher's.
In case you may have heard of them, the other signatories are: Femi Owusu, Dwayne Forsell, James Mason, Paul Morgan, and Ishmael Bangura - all of whom are members of something called Sense With Roads - followed by Peter Morgan of the Association of British Drivers, with the balance made up of four individuals named Stephen Ward, Mark Bristow, Kathleen Betts and Storm Dinsey.
They declare: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to create a bypass for boston lincs (sic). Submitted by Mr Shane Fletcher – deadline to sign up by: 05 May 2010 – Signatures: 11
"More details from petition creator: traffic congestion is killing this town and the local and county councils seem to be doing very little to help the situation."
We suspect that this motley crew has as much chance of getting Boston a bypass as do Councillor Richard "Papa Dick" Austin and his cronies at Worst Street - although they are bang on the money with their claims that the councils seem to be doing very little to help.
Couple that with the fact that the Boston petition is only one of 4844 at the last count and you can understand our sinking feeling.
The petition currently bottom of Number 10's list -and sharing the least number of votes with one (presumably the petition creator) - calls for a ban on the use of the sisha, better known as the hookah, or water-pipe for smoking, and it is a sorry state of affairs that support for a Boston bypass is not much higher up the list than that.
We wonder who this rag, tag and bobtail bunch is that has started this petition on our behalf.
We know nothing about the individuals, but can tell you that Sense with Roads is "dedicated to making the roads safe and efficient for all those who find a need to use them," while the Association of British drivers calls itself "Britain's foremost campaigning group for drivers aiming to provide an active, responsible voice to lobby for Britain's beleaguered motorists."
Neither organisations' websites have much to say about Boston, and in fact Sense with Roads seems to concentrate its efforts mainly on the south of England.
You can check all the sources out here:
10 Downing Street - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bypassboston/
Sense with Roads - http://www.swr-uk.org/
Association of British drivers - http://www.abd.org.uk/
Superficially, it all seems a rather sad, except that with a little thought, organisation and lobbying, the BBI could have come up with this petition, which would if nothing else have been a good publicity coup and probably have drawn a few more by way of signatures.
Another missed opportunity!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Tuesday, August 11
Start again with Market Place plans
When the contractors moved into Boston Market Place a while ago and created that dire, unimaginative stone drift of paving slabs, we thought that constituted whatever the council these days terms as an improvement.
We ended up with a weird chicane that leaves motorists wondering which way to turn and a new disabled parking area, which is stolen on the days it is most needed - market days - to become a store for the unsightly trailers used to transport the market stalls in and out of town.
Now, it seems, all that messing about was simply for the benefit of the Into Town bus service.
According to the borough's website, the 2007 Boston Town Centre Study identified the town centre as an area that was in need of improvement (surprise, surprise.)
The Study suggested that the Market Place was the centrepiece of the town and should be the first area to be refurbished, and, out of the blue, we are told, "the refurbishment of the Market Place will act as a catalyst for further works that will improve the appearance and offer of the town whilst retaining the town’s proud history.
"Boston Borough Council has embraced the recommendations of the town centre study and has been working in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council to secure funding for the refurbishment of the Market Place."
Jolly good, but if enough cash is forthcoming (and we doubt that for starters) we wonder where a report that is now two years out of date is going to lead us.
The report was written when the Merchants Quay project was thought to be something that was going to happen, and it made much of the impact that a new multi storey car park would bring.
It was also written at a time when pedestrians were able to graze happily in Strait Bargate and window shop at their leisure - not be forced to jump aside by noisy, smelly buses every few minutes so that people too lazy to walk a few hundred yards could be indulged in that idleness.
Indeed, the report goes so far as to say "The pedestrian experience in the Market Place can also be viewed as inadequate, due to the presence of manoeuvring vehicles, through traffic and the poor delineation of the pedestrian route across the Market Place. These issues lead to pedestrian/vehicle conflict and severance."
Cutting through all the waffle, the report declares a high priority for the creation of high quality, long-lasting, flexible public square in the Market Place that is safe and attractive for visitors and shoppers.
It also recommends the pedestrianisation of South Street to integrate it into the Market Place, vehicular access to the Market Place via Town Bridge only - meaning Bank Street closed and South Street closed (except for access) and provision of two multi storey car parks one at West Street, and one "elsewhere."
We think that the problem with any plan to improve the Market Place - and it certainly needs it - is that a two year-old report that has been overtaken by events is not the starting point. Without a new report, the borough could wind up throwing a lot of money at something that turns out to be a white elephant. Remind you of anything else....?
Having said that, we do agree with the comments about ending the conflict between pedestrians and traffic - and that this must include an end to the Into Town bus service using Strait Bargate as a rat run.
If that is not an integral part of any improvements, then we might as well not bother.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
We ended up with a weird chicane that leaves motorists wondering which way to turn and a new disabled parking area, which is stolen on the days it is most needed - market days - to become a store for the unsightly trailers used to transport the market stalls in and out of town.
Now, it seems, all that messing about was simply for the benefit of the Into Town bus service.
According to the borough's website, the 2007 Boston Town Centre Study identified the town centre as an area that was in need of improvement (surprise, surprise.)
The Study suggested that the Market Place was the centrepiece of the town and should be the first area to be refurbished, and, out of the blue, we are told, "the refurbishment of the Market Place will act as a catalyst for further works that will improve the appearance and offer of the town whilst retaining the town’s proud history.
"Boston Borough Council has embraced the recommendations of the town centre study and has been working in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council to secure funding for the refurbishment of the Market Place."
Jolly good, but if enough cash is forthcoming (and we doubt that for starters) we wonder where a report that is now two years out of date is going to lead us.
The report was written when the Merchants Quay project was thought to be something that was going to happen, and it made much of the impact that a new multi storey car park would bring.
It was also written at a time when pedestrians were able to graze happily in Strait Bargate and window shop at their leisure - not be forced to jump aside by noisy, smelly buses every few minutes so that people too lazy to walk a few hundred yards could be indulged in that idleness.
Indeed, the report goes so far as to say "The pedestrian experience in the Market Place can also be viewed as inadequate, due to the presence of manoeuvring vehicles, through traffic and the poor delineation of the pedestrian route across the Market Place. These issues lead to pedestrian/vehicle conflict and severance."
Cutting through all the waffle, the report declares a high priority for the creation of high quality, long-lasting, flexible public square in the Market Place that is safe and attractive for visitors and shoppers.
It also recommends the pedestrianisation of South Street to integrate it into the Market Place, vehicular access to the Market Place via Town Bridge only - meaning Bank Street closed and South Street closed (except for access) and provision of two multi storey car parks one at West Street, and one "elsewhere."
We think that the problem with any plan to improve the Market Place - and it certainly needs it - is that a two year-old report that has been overtaken by events is not the starting point. Without a new report, the borough could wind up throwing a lot of money at something that turns out to be a white elephant. Remind you of anything else....?
Having said that, we do agree with the comments about ending the conflict between pedestrians and traffic - and that this must include an end to the Into Town bus service using Strait Bargate as a rat run.
If that is not an integral part of any improvements, then we might as well not bother.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Monday, August 10
"Garbage" of farewell tributes
A leading opposition member of Boston Borough Council has hit out at the "garbage" spoken at the secret meeting which saw the departure of former Chief Executive Mick Gallagher and his replacement by Richard Harbord to hold the fort for six months.
His response came after Boston Eye's piece on Friday on whether or not the former Chief Executive received some sort of compensation for his abrupt departure from the authority.
Councillor Rush told Boston Eye:"There is another string to this that worries me as an elected representative.
"It is common practice before full council meetings to have prayers, led by a local person of the cloth, asking for spiritual guidance on the issues to be considered discussed and acted upon."This same scenario was performed in response to said former Chief Executive's departure, followed by the proposal to accept the application for the interim Chief Executive."It may seem a less than Christian of myself and one or two colleagues, who could not contain our laughter at the irony of being expected to pray for the outgoing!
"The hypocrisy, by those present of praying for someone who had been considered a failure as a Chief Executive and whom we certainly had lost all respect for was completely against the grain.
"The final straw came for me when the Leader began to read out a kind of testimonial, outlining an almost shining legacy of service and creditable projects that Mr. Gallagher had led on over his tenure, which could have led spectators (if they not been excluded) to wonder why such a talent was being allowed to go!
"The feeling of frustration became too much. I could no longer listen to this garbage. I splutteringly told our Lady Mayor that I could no longer take part in such a farce, and made my exit.
"So the point I am trying to make is that on the one hand we call on the almighty to guide us in our duty to expend truth and honesty in our deliberations for the people we represent, quickly followed by an expectation that we condone a blatant lie....as well as being an obvious waste of the vicar's time.
"I, like you, am angered by being expected to uphold such false protective secrecy.
"Although I have never broken the code of conduct with regard to confidentiality, I utterly condemn the need for Pink Papers, except in matters of defending the public interest.
"And anyway what little tin god decides what the public should or should not know?"As far as I can see if this system was to disappear, then service accountability and responsibility may be more highly regarded than it is today in local and national government.
"I can`t shed any light on your pay-off question, I had no involvement in that, but with recent developments, I may at last be tempted by expectations of improvements to come.
"Just another little vacancy here and another one or two there, and you know what, I might regain some political faith in the whole damn panto."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
His response came after Boston Eye's piece on Friday on whether or not the former Chief Executive received some sort of compensation for his abrupt departure from the authority.
Councillor Rush told Boston Eye:"There is another string to this that worries me as an elected representative.
"It is common practice before full council meetings to have prayers, led by a local person of the cloth, asking for spiritual guidance on the issues to be considered discussed and acted upon."This same scenario was performed in response to said former Chief Executive's departure, followed by the proposal to accept the application for the interim Chief Executive."It may seem a less than Christian of myself and one or two colleagues, who could not contain our laughter at the irony of being expected to pray for the outgoing!
"The hypocrisy, by those present of praying for someone who had been considered a failure as a Chief Executive and whom we certainly had lost all respect for was completely against the grain.
"The final straw came for me when the Leader began to read out a kind of testimonial, outlining an almost shining legacy of service and creditable projects that Mr. Gallagher had led on over his tenure, which could have led spectators (if they not been excluded) to wonder why such a talent was being allowed to go!
"The feeling of frustration became too much. I could no longer listen to this garbage. I splutteringly told our Lady Mayor that I could no longer take part in such a farce, and made my exit.
"So the point I am trying to make is that on the one hand we call on the almighty to guide us in our duty to expend truth and honesty in our deliberations for the people we represent, quickly followed by an expectation that we condone a blatant lie....as well as being an obvious waste of the vicar's time.
"I, like you, am angered by being expected to uphold such false protective secrecy.
"Although I have never broken the code of conduct with regard to confidentiality, I utterly condemn the need for Pink Papers, except in matters of defending the public interest.
"And anyway what little tin god decides what the public should or should not know?"As far as I can see if this system was to disappear, then service accountability and responsibility may be more highly regarded than it is today in local and national government.
"I can`t shed any light on your pay-off question, I had no involvement in that, but with recent developments, I may at last be tempted by expectations of improvements to come.
"Just another little vacancy here and another one or two there, and you know what, I might regain some political faith in the whole damn panto."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Friday, August 7
Week ending 7th August
Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events.....
Numbers game. The Local Data Company tells us that Boston has the highest percentage of empty shops in Lincolnshire at 8.8% - up from 2.71 a year ago. Yet still the applications flood in ... the latest being to turn the Red Lion Street car park into shops and flats. There should be some sort of rule that bans this sort of development until there is a proven need. Not only does Boston already have more empty shops than Lincoln, Grantham, Skegness and Spalding, but some of them are in areas that have lain fallow for years - the former ASDA site for instance.
Alphabet soup. Boston's interim Chief Executive Richard Harbord has said that he can't rule out job losses as he tries to clean up the mess at Worst Street. If it's of any help, we suggest taking the easy way out and starting alphabetically. Repeat after us ...... 'A' Is for Austin ...
No surprises that the council refuses to discuss any financial arrangement following the departure of former Chief Executive Mick Gallagher. However, we think that anyone who parts company from his employer with such haste must surely have received some sort of "compensation" - otherwise quitting just 24 hours ahead of a damning Audit Commission report hints at some sort of conscience ... and there's been precious little evidence of that in Worst Street for the last couple of years. We also think that if nothing else the council should say whether or not a payment was made. And surely, when the council's accounts are published, any settlement must appear in it. As ratepayers we are entitled to be informed.
Abolition of stamp duty. So Boston postal workers are on strike until Monday. How will we notice?.... oh yes .... the pavements will be a lot safer for pedestrians!
Letter of the week asks an obvious question that others have missed. The writer says: "I might appear a bit stupid here, but I would like to know what the role at the borough council of a person with the job title Deputy Chief Executive involves. I would expect it to mean deputising for the Chief Executive (pretty easy to work that out) at times when the Chief Exec is unavailable, to hold the fort if (say) the Chief Exec resigns. So why has the borough (presumably at great expense) bought (and brought) in a recognised local authority heavyweight as interim Chief Executive rather than asking the deputy to hold the fort whilst a permanent replacement is found? Is it an admission that the current Deputy Chief Executive is really not up to the job?" The writer also recalls that at the time the present deputy was appointed that a person specification for the post was produced and published as is usual practice, but an alternative specification was produced for internal candidates only. Under "educational," the external specification stated the candidate must be a graduate, whilst the internal specification stated that candidates must be a graduate or have "suitable equivalent experience." Interesting, given the borough's long standing history of appointing internal candidates to senior positions.
And finally .... If you don't get the joke, please don't write to ask for an explanation. According to the BBC, bird watching huts in Lincolnshire (many of which are around these parts,) are being used as love nests by amorous (human) couples. "Angry twitchers who use the hideaways to observe rare birds are arriving at nature reserves to find the huts already occupied. The bird-watchers have complained to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust which says repeat offenders face prosecution." Clearly, the Common Shag is not yet an endangered species!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Numbers game. The Local Data Company tells us that Boston has the highest percentage of empty shops in Lincolnshire at 8.8% - up from 2.71 a year ago. Yet still the applications flood in ... the latest being to turn the Red Lion Street car park into shops and flats. There should be some sort of rule that bans this sort of development until there is a proven need. Not only does Boston already have more empty shops than Lincoln, Grantham, Skegness and Spalding, but some of them are in areas that have lain fallow for years - the former ASDA site for instance.
Alphabet soup. Boston's interim Chief Executive Richard Harbord has said that he can't rule out job losses as he tries to clean up the mess at Worst Street. If it's of any help, we suggest taking the easy way out and starting alphabetically. Repeat after us ...... 'A' Is for Austin ...
No surprises that the council refuses to discuss any financial arrangement following the departure of former Chief Executive Mick Gallagher. However, we think that anyone who parts company from his employer with such haste must surely have received some sort of "compensation" - otherwise quitting just 24 hours ahead of a damning Audit Commission report hints at some sort of conscience ... and there's been precious little evidence of that in Worst Street for the last couple of years. We also think that if nothing else the council should say whether or not a payment was made. And surely, when the council's accounts are published, any settlement must appear in it. As ratepayers we are entitled to be informed.
Abolition of stamp duty. So Boston postal workers are on strike until Monday. How will we notice?.... oh yes .... the pavements will be a lot safer for pedestrians!
Letter of the week asks an obvious question that others have missed. The writer says: "I might appear a bit stupid here, but I would like to know what the role at the borough council of a person with the job title Deputy Chief Executive involves. I would expect it to mean deputising for the Chief Executive (pretty easy to work that out) at times when the Chief Exec is unavailable, to hold the fort if (say) the Chief Exec resigns. So why has the borough (presumably at great expense) bought (and brought) in a recognised local authority heavyweight as interim Chief Executive rather than asking the deputy to hold the fort whilst a permanent replacement is found? Is it an admission that the current Deputy Chief Executive is really not up to the job?" The writer also recalls that at the time the present deputy was appointed that a person specification for the post was produced and published as is usual practice, but an alternative specification was produced for internal candidates only. Under "educational," the external specification stated the candidate must be a graduate, whilst the internal specification stated that candidates must be a graduate or have "suitable equivalent experience." Interesting, given the borough's long standing history of appointing internal candidates to senior positions.
And finally .... If you don't get the joke, please don't write to ask for an explanation. According to the BBC, bird watching huts in Lincolnshire (many of which are around these parts,) are being used as love nests by amorous (human) couples. "Angry twitchers who use the hideaways to observe rare birds are arriving at nature reserves to find the huts already occupied. The bird-watchers have complained to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust which says repeat offenders face prosecution." Clearly, the Common Shag is not yet an endangered species!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Thursday, August 6
More bad press for Boston - now we discriminate
Boston is back making bad national news headlines yet again, with comprehensive pieces on national TV and Tuesday's Today programme on Radio 4.
The subject this time?
Local estate agents using illegal techniques to stop foreign workers viewing properties. The BBC featured three agents - B and B Mortgage services, AP Sales, and Bruseless Mather and Co - all if whom rejected a Polish worker sent by the BBC, while a BBC employee was allowed to view the properties.
One of the three companaies featured denied it discriminated in this way, another said it had created a new race-relations policy, and the third refused to comment.
But in total, the programme found that 14 out of 23 agents were prepared to discriminate.
There was no suggestion that the agents were racist, but the behaviour uncovered was described by human rights lawyers as a "disturbing and shocking" breach of the Race Relations Act of 1976 - which outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, religion, colour, religious beliefs, national or ethnic origins. Any discrimination against potential tenants or any plan to do so agreed with a landlord is also a breach of the National Association of Estate Agents mandatory code of practice for its members.
Initially, migrant workers had complained to the BBC that they were having problems gaining access to rental properties. So an undercover BBC correspondent, posing as a landlord, approached most of the rental agencies serving the town to ask if it was possible to rent out a property and ensure those of a non-British nationality were prevented from viewing it. Many refused to break the law, but more than half were prepared to discriminate against potential tenants on the basis of their nationality, on the instruction of the landlord. The estate agents' professional body has promised to investigate the claims.
But in the meantime, we feel that a stern message should be sent out to these people - possibly through Boston BID or Boston Borough Council - making it clear that their actions are threatening the town's image, which, let's face it, is bad enough already.
We cannot on the one hand celebrate Boston's "diversity", whilst denying those who are guests in our community the same rights as the indigenous population.
If the immigrant labour force is as vital to the Boston economy as the town's great and good keep telling us, then these unpleasant, anti-social - not to mention illegal - practices must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
The subject this time?
Local estate agents using illegal techniques to stop foreign workers viewing properties. The BBC featured three agents - B and B Mortgage services, AP Sales, and Bruseless Mather and Co - all if whom rejected a Polish worker sent by the BBC, while a BBC employee was allowed to view the properties.
One of the three companaies featured denied it discriminated in this way, another said it had created a new race-relations policy, and the third refused to comment.
But in total, the programme found that 14 out of 23 agents were prepared to discriminate.
There was no suggestion that the agents were racist, but the behaviour uncovered was described by human rights lawyers as a "disturbing and shocking" breach of the Race Relations Act of 1976 - which outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, religion, colour, religious beliefs, national or ethnic origins. Any discrimination against potential tenants or any plan to do so agreed with a landlord is also a breach of the National Association of Estate Agents mandatory code of practice for its members.
Initially, migrant workers had complained to the BBC that they were having problems gaining access to rental properties. So an undercover BBC correspondent, posing as a landlord, approached most of the rental agencies serving the town to ask if it was possible to rent out a property and ensure those of a non-British nationality were prevented from viewing it. Many refused to break the law, but more than half were prepared to discriminate against potential tenants on the basis of their nationality, on the instruction of the landlord. The estate agents' professional body has promised to investigate the claims.
But in the meantime, we feel that a stern message should be sent out to these people - possibly through Boston BID or Boston Borough Council - making it clear that their actions are threatening the town's image, which, let's face it, is bad enough already.
We cannot on the one hand celebrate Boston's "diversity", whilst denying those who are guests in our community the same rights as the indigenous population.
If the immigrant labour force is as vital to the Boston economy as the town's great and good keep telling us, then these unpleasant, anti-social - not to mention illegal - practices must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Wednesday, August 5
Cop this! Three strikes for Lincolnshire Police
It's been a week of triple whammies for Lincolnshire Police - following the news that the force was ranked bottom of the list of 43 forces in England and Wales in terms of public confidence.
First came the news that the county force has dropped almost one in five investigations because there is no chance of solving the crime.New figures said 9,650 reported crime investigations were scrapped in the last 12 months - most of them burglaries, theft cases and offences of criminal damage.The force says all reported crime is investigated – but that it is not realistic to think that every incident will end in court action.A spokesman said all crimes were "professionally assessed" before a decision was made about the likelihood of catching the criminal."The category of a crime is wide-ranging, from minor theft through to murder and quite obviously we must prioritise," he said."We cannot devote time on protracted investigations of crimes which we have professionally concluded we have no hope of solving."That would be a disservice to the public and counter-productive to our efficiency."
The claim of professionalism pales slightly in the wake of the second item of bad news for the police.
A review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary named Lincolnshire as one of only four forces lacking the specialist skills and resources needed to manage murders, sexual assaults, and other serious offences, and said urgent work was needed to bring them up to national standards. "The public rightly expects their local police service to protect them from serious harm," said HMIC Denis O'Connor. The force was also criticised for failing to collect information and develop tactics to understand the threat of major crime. Mr O'Connor said: "Major crime has devastating impact on individual victims, their families, and the wider community. "This report shows that while the police response to homicide is improving, some forces are still failing victims and families affected by major crime, and must improve their services. "The public rightly expects their local police service to protect them from serious harm and respond professionally when tragic events occur. "While most forces can and do meet that expectation, some cannot. This needs to change."Finally we heard the news that police officers are lo longer required to be able to swim, following an inquest on a man who was knocked into a ditch near Spalding by a car and who was left in 18 inches of water for three hours before being rescued.The emergency services decided that it was to risky to use ropes and ladders to negotiate a 15-foot river bank. A police spokesman told the inquest: "I can confirm it is no longer a requirement to be able to swim. Officers used to receive life-saving training but this is not the case now."
Not that many years ago, Lincolnshire Police officers were required to learn to swim and forced to earn a bronze life-saving badge. But then there was also a time when they were required to be fit as well.Not only the police failed to engage in this particular case. Although the victim was thrown into the ditch, at that stage unconscious and suffered broken ribs but was not fatally injured.The car driver called for an ambulance and was told to stay in his car. A paramedic who arrived 10 minutes later could not find the injured man so called for assistance. A fellow paramedic subsequently spotted the body face down in the water but thought it was too risky to reach it and called for firefighters.Two crews of retained firemen and more than 10 police officers arrived at the scene, and started placing a ladder on the bank.But the fire group manager decided they should wait for a specialist water rescue team of firefighters to arrive from Lincoln, more than 50 miles away.
Between them these three episodes plaint the bleakest possible picture of Lincolnshire Police.
They write off crimes because they have no hope of solving them....
When serious crimes are committed they lack the skills and resources to deal with them....
And in a county which probably has more miles of water courses than most, they are no longer required to be able to swim, and possibly save the lives of people who end up in one of our many drains and rivers.
But they are quick off the mark when it comes to sitting around in our local supermarkets handing our crime prevention leaflets, or organising football matches and litter picks.
Disgraceful!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
First came the news that the county force has dropped almost one in five investigations because there is no chance of solving the crime.New figures said 9,650 reported crime investigations were scrapped in the last 12 months - most of them burglaries, theft cases and offences of criminal damage.The force says all reported crime is investigated – but that it is not realistic to think that every incident will end in court action.A spokesman said all crimes were "professionally assessed" before a decision was made about the likelihood of catching the criminal."The category of a crime is wide-ranging, from minor theft through to murder and quite obviously we must prioritise," he said."We cannot devote time on protracted investigations of crimes which we have professionally concluded we have no hope of solving."That would be a disservice to the public and counter-productive to our efficiency."
The claim of professionalism pales slightly in the wake of the second item of bad news for the police.
A review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary named Lincolnshire as one of only four forces lacking the specialist skills and resources needed to manage murders, sexual assaults, and other serious offences, and said urgent work was needed to bring them up to national standards. "The public rightly expects their local police service to protect them from serious harm," said HMIC Denis O'Connor. The force was also criticised for failing to collect information and develop tactics to understand the threat of major crime. Mr O'Connor said: "Major crime has devastating impact on individual victims, their families, and the wider community. "This report shows that while the police response to homicide is improving, some forces are still failing victims and families affected by major crime, and must improve their services. "The public rightly expects their local police service to protect them from serious harm and respond professionally when tragic events occur. "While most forces can and do meet that expectation, some cannot. This needs to change."Finally we heard the news that police officers are lo longer required to be able to swim, following an inquest on a man who was knocked into a ditch near Spalding by a car and who was left in 18 inches of water for three hours before being rescued.The emergency services decided that it was to risky to use ropes and ladders to negotiate a 15-foot river bank. A police spokesman told the inquest: "I can confirm it is no longer a requirement to be able to swim. Officers used to receive life-saving training but this is not the case now."
Not that many years ago, Lincolnshire Police officers were required to learn to swim and forced to earn a bronze life-saving badge. But then there was also a time when they were required to be fit as well.Not only the police failed to engage in this particular case. Although the victim was thrown into the ditch, at that stage unconscious and suffered broken ribs but was not fatally injured.The car driver called for an ambulance and was told to stay in his car. A paramedic who arrived 10 minutes later could not find the injured man so called for assistance. A fellow paramedic subsequently spotted the body face down in the water but thought it was too risky to reach it and called for firefighters.Two crews of retained firemen and more than 10 police officers arrived at the scene, and started placing a ladder on the bank.But the fire group manager decided they should wait for a specialist water rescue team of firefighters to arrive from Lincoln, more than 50 miles away.
Between them these three episodes plaint the bleakest possible picture of Lincolnshire Police.
They write off crimes because they have no hope of solving them....
When serious crimes are committed they lack the skills and resources to deal with them....
And in a county which probably has more miles of water courses than most, they are no longer required to be able to swim, and possibly save the lives of people who end up in one of our many drains and rivers.
But they are quick off the mark when it comes to sitting around in our local supermarkets handing our crime prevention leaflets, or organising football matches and litter picks.
Disgraceful!
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Tuesday, August 4
Sharing services could mean losing jobs
Our correspondent Scanner has put pen to paper once again on the issue of pursuing privatisation of Boston Borough Council's services, and thinks that there are dangers ahead if the plans come to fruition.
It really does seem as though our councillors want to relieve themselves of any responsibility for the services the Council currently provide.
I can see the attraction.
The excuse will be, “I have listened to your complaint but it’s not mine or the council’s fault. It’s the fault of ……………. (whichever firm that ‘won’ the contract). I will take it up with them” (and will the firm listen? – fat chance! - and there will be little the council can do).
Costs will inevitably rise as services worsen.
But there will be only a small drop in numbers of staff in Worst Street as much monitoring of these firms will have to take place.
I bet there will not be fewer councillors either.
Word is that there have been at least two firms, so far, who have visited us to look at the waste collection services.
One, it seems, may be strapped for cash.
The other hailed from Grimsby, I understand.
It seems they want to use the vehicles they already have in Grimsby here in Boston as well.
Just make sure the A16 is kept clear!
The only sufferer, from any of these proposed takeovers, could be the council staff at street level.
If history has anything to show us, these staff will soon find that those firms may relieve themselves over them, as any employment agreements soon seem to be ignored or forgotten.
I maintain that over reliance in using shared services will also mean a loss of councillor responsibility and, as I’ve written previously, could lead to a net loss of workers living in Boston as well.
Earlier I mentioned learning the lessons from history, and I wonder does history repeat itself as well?
With the departure of Mick Gallagher and rumours of a deal with South Holland, are we going back pre 1974 and resurrecting the old County of Holland? As far I can remember there was little love between Boston and Spalding then, and I don’t think things have changed much since!
Hardly the basis for a “good marriage” even worse if a ‘shotgun’ is involved
SCANNER
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
It really does seem as though our councillors want to relieve themselves of any responsibility for the services the Council currently provide.
I can see the attraction.
The excuse will be, “I have listened to your complaint but it’s not mine or the council’s fault. It’s the fault of ……………. (whichever firm that ‘won’ the contract). I will take it up with them” (and will the firm listen? – fat chance! - and there will be little the council can do).
Costs will inevitably rise as services worsen.
But there will be only a small drop in numbers of staff in Worst Street as much monitoring of these firms will have to take place.
I bet there will not be fewer councillors either.
Word is that there have been at least two firms, so far, who have visited us to look at the waste collection services.
One, it seems, may be strapped for cash.
The other hailed from Grimsby, I understand.
It seems they want to use the vehicles they already have in Grimsby here in Boston as well.
Just make sure the A16 is kept clear!
The only sufferer, from any of these proposed takeovers, could be the council staff at street level.
If history has anything to show us, these staff will soon find that those firms may relieve themselves over them, as any employment agreements soon seem to be ignored or forgotten.
I maintain that over reliance in using shared services will also mean a loss of councillor responsibility and, as I’ve written previously, could lead to a net loss of workers living in Boston as well.
Earlier I mentioned learning the lessons from history, and I wonder does history repeat itself as well?
With the departure of Mick Gallagher and rumours of a deal with South Holland, are we going back pre 1974 and resurrecting the old County of Holland? As far I can remember there was little love between Boston and Spalding then, and I don’t think things have changed much since!
Hardly the basis for a “good marriage” even worse if a ‘shotgun’ is involved
SCANNER
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Monday, August 3
Time for BBI to listen and learn...
After all the to-ing and fro-ing with the office accommodation at Worst Street, we welcome the arrival at work today of Richard Harbord for six months as Interim Chief Executive at Boston Borough Council.
Talk about a poisoned chalice!
Mr Harbord arrives at a time when when the council is at its lowest ebb.
After a series of damning reports by the Audit Commission, some feel that the borough is a hairsbreadth away from some sort of official intervention in its affairs before it is declared to be a failing council.
Council Leader Richard "Papa Dick" Austin said of Mr Harbord's appointment: “I’m delighted to welcome Richard Harbord as the interim Chief Executive. He has a wealth of experience and that will be a great value to our borough in the months ahead.
“This is a crucial time for the council and to have somebody with Richard’s experience both in finance and local government, who can look independently at merged services and market testing, will be crucial.”
Dead right there, Councillor Austin, and we just hope that you and your colleagues will listen in a way that you clearly haven't before - previously preferring to keep a dog but bark yourselves.
Mr Harbord has worked in eight local authorities in London and the south east.
He is also a qualified accountant and a member of the Institute of Rating, Revenues and Valuation, Institute of Management Information systems and the Institute of Management Consultants.
He also has two master of philosophy research degrees and is on the Council of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the professional body for people in public finance, and Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation. He lectures and writes on local government issues, mainly on management and finance but has also worked extensively on emergency planning and business continuity and is the architect of the current resilience arrangements in London. He worked on the civil contingencies act at the cabinet office.
Mr Harbord is widely known in local government and central government departments. He is a past president of the Society of London Treasurers, Society of Metropolitan Treasurers and Institute of Rating Revenues and Valuation. We particularly like a phrase used by Mr Harbord six years ago in an article in "Public Eye," the public sector newsletter of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which was reprinted in the Guardian newspaper.
He wrote: "Every organisation, big or small, needs plans."
He must have had Boston in mind.
We hope the BBI leadership will keep a still tongue in a wise head and let Mr Harbord get on with his job.
If we can offer any advice when dealing with the leadership, we would offer this cleaned up quote from Elmore Leonard: "Too often, we lose sight of life's simple pleasures. Remember, when someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown BUT, it only takes four muscles to extend your arm and slap him/her upside the head..."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
Talk about a poisoned chalice!
Mr Harbord arrives at a time when when the council is at its lowest ebb.
After a series of damning reports by the Audit Commission, some feel that the borough is a hairsbreadth away from some sort of official intervention in its affairs before it is declared to be a failing council.
Council Leader Richard "Papa Dick" Austin said of Mr Harbord's appointment: “I’m delighted to welcome Richard Harbord as the interim Chief Executive. He has a wealth of experience and that will be a great value to our borough in the months ahead.
“This is a crucial time for the council and to have somebody with Richard’s experience both in finance and local government, who can look independently at merged services and market testing, will be crucial.”
Dead right there, Councillor Austin, and we just hope that you and your colleagues will listen in a way that you clearly haven't before - previously preferring to keep a dog but bark yourselves.
Mr Harbord has worked in eight local authorities in London and the south east.
He is also a qualified accountant and a member of the Institute of Rating, Revenues and Valuation, Institute of Management Information systems and the Institute of Management Consultants.
He also has two master of philosophy research degrees and is on the Council of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the professional body for people in public finance, and Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation. He lectures and writes on local government issues, mainly on management and finance but has also worked extensively on emergency planning and business continuity and is the architect of the current resilience arrangements in London. He worked on the civil contingencies act at the cabinet office.
Mr Harbord is widely known in local government and central government departments. He is a past president of the Society of London Treasurers, Society of Metropolitan Treasurers and Institute of Rating Revenues and Valuation. We particularly like a phrase used by Mr Harbord six years ago in an article in "Public Eye," the public sector newsletter of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which was reprinted in the Guardian newspaper.
He wrote: "Every organisation, big or small, needs plans."
He must have had Boston in mind.
We hope the BBI leadership will keep a still tongue in a wise head and let Mr Harbord get on with his job.
If we can offer any advice when dealing with the leadership, we would offer this cleaned up quote from Elmore Leonard: "Too often, we lose sight of life's simple pleasures. Remember, when someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown BUT, it only takes four muscles to extend your arm and slap him/her upside the head..."
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
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