Parking, rescue boats and roadworks on  Boston's county agenda

Friday saw another full meeting of Lincolnshire County Council, where Boston got more than its fair share of attention.
The headlines:
• Resident parking schemes could be here soon.
• Boston may get a dedicated rescue boat
• And Boston’s finally paid its dues for the road improvement scheme.
First with a question was Conservative Councillor Mike Gilbert - who represents Boston East - asking Highways supremo Councillor William Webb to update the progress of decriminalised parking in the county and the development of residents’ parking zones.
How timely, Councillor Webb replied, explaining that a proposal will be put to the Highways, Transport and Technology Scrutiny committee in June, with proposals going to the Department of Transport in December with a view to implementing the scheme in June and July of 2012.
“One of the concerns which has been raised is the issue over off-street parking, and I want to make it absolutely clear that Lincolnshire County Council has no designs whatever on off street parking or car parking charges in any of the districts or boroughs in the county. We are only concerned with on-street parking. Allied with this will be - in certain parts of the county and certain of the towns - residents’ parking schemes which will run alongside the CPE (civil parking enforcement) concerns and will be dealt with hopefully as a package deal.”
Next out of the trap was former Boston BBI Councillor Ramonde Newell, representing Boston West as an Independent at county level, with a blood-curdling account of a recent accident in Boston when a car ran through the metal crash barrier on Willoughby Road, and fell 15 feet into the Maud Foster Drain.
“I understand that the fire engine from Boston was on the scene in about four minutes,” said Councillor Newell, which led him neatly to a subject which has become a hobby horse on his visits to Lincoln.
“Unfortunately, the Swift Water Rescue Boat and team had been removed from Boston to Spalding some time ago. The rescue boat and team were thus 16 miles away in Spalding. Miraculously, the three young men in the car managed to get out of it as it sank. They swam to safety. They were clearly very lucky to escape a watery death. “My questions are: has an investigation and a report on this very serious matter been carried out, and has an updated risk assessment been carried out to see if the Swift Water Rescue Boat and team should return to Boston?”
A good question for Boston – but one which fails to take into account what might have been asked had the boat been moored in town and the accident had occurred in Spalding.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Councillor Peter Robinson, who looks after the county’s Community Safety, replied:
“Swift water assets in Lincolnshire are extremely stretched and their deployment is obviously a difficult decision. There is deep water in many places in Lincolnshire, and frankly, in this particular case, from what you’ve explained, I think it unlikely that the nearness of a swift water rescue team would have actually arrived to save lives of people in that car had they not made their own escape. However, on a much brighter note, I am glad to say that as a result of Exercise Watermark we have received the promise of extra funding from central government for a further nine or ten water rescue units, and when we get those, then I am sure that we will be in a better position to spread adequate water rescue services around much more of Lincolnshire - and I hope that will include Boston.
It was left to Tory Councillor Andrea Jenkyns, of Boston North West, to close the local questions with another for Councillor Webb, asking him for comment on the recently-completed improvements to highways in Boston - were they satisfactory and had all the work been completed?
We never quite understand the point of questions like these – other than to give the portfolio holders the chance to brag about what’s been going on in their department – and Miss Jenkyns has ‘previous’ with this type of question.
“I have been to Boston several times in the last few days” declared Councillor Webb, as though this depicted him as somehow either brave or foolhardy.
“I am sure all those who go through Boston will agree that the Spalding Road, Liquorpond Street and Sleaford Road improvements have worked very well indeed. “We’re not finished yet by any means. We’re now working on Spilsby Road. We’re doing the junction, we’re turning two sets of traffic lights into one – the Leader will be pleased about that - and we have more work still to do in other parts of the town. “So please bear with us, but we are delighted that the due funding from Boston Borough Council has arrived and as far as the future public transport infrastructure is concerned that will be largely under the control of Boston Borough Council, but the County Council continues to give a good service we hope and believe to the people of Boston in improving the circulation of traffic.”

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