We've been highly critical of the machinery used to allegedly sound out public opinion over the continuation of the Into Town bus service.
The four week survey was reduced to three simply because the forms failed to arrive in time; the internet voting forms could be submitted time and time again, giving ample opportunity to express a single point of view, as could of course be done with the forms themselves.
The fact that anyone completing them had to pay for the privilege also caused us some concern. We had our knuckles sharply rapped when we mistakenly expressed the idea that the borough council was responsible for the distribution of the questionnaires, and were firmly told that this job belonged to Lincolnshire County Council, and not our local lords and masters.
But a question remains in our minds about who was doing what after we heard the other day that the forms had been hand delivered through the letterboxes of some houses in Boston, but not in others.
Is this some over enthusiastic councillor trying to influence public opinion?
If so, we would question the ethics of such an action.
What we can say with certainty that the County Council is most unlikely to be the culprit, because if door to door delivery had been part of the package, it would have featured in the publicity surrounding the survey.
As we have said before, the purpose of this survey is merely a pretence at local democracy, as so much money has been spent that the continuation of the service is a foregone conclusion.
The only thing that really should be done is to stop the buses running through Strait Bargate thus ending the noise, and fume pollution and the threat of injury or death that will inevitable result from vehicles using the same path as pedestrians - some of whom are elderly, infirm, prone to falling and often hard of hearing, and young children, who are a force of nature in their own right, who will run beneath the wheels of a bus if it suits them, no matter what their parent says.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tuesday, March 31
Sunday, March 29
Bright spark cops plan shock for town ruffians
Lincolnshire Police will soon be adding a whole new meaning to the time honoured phrase .... "a man has been charged."Our cash strapped force has just received £275,000 from the Home Office to buy three hundred ... yes, three hundred, tasers.
These handy little gadgets, you may recall, look like guns and fire needle-tipped darts up to 21ft to deliver a disabling, 50,000-volt shock, which means that police can flatten suspects without needing to go anywhere near them. At the moment, the cops have only 90 of these gadgets, and increasing the stock by a further 300 means that stun guns are theoretically available to one in three officers - so be careful not to cross a few pen pushers as well as the boys on the beat....there are that many to go around.
Lincolnshire Police are constantly telling us what a good job they do, and how the real worry in our big sky county is the fear of crime rather than the reality.
Yet in the announcement of this latest windfall, we are told: "The nature of policing means that we are constantly dealing with conflict situations, and tasers help us to resolve these quickly and effectively, protecting officers and the public."
This many tasers, in the hands of people in "conflict situations" is a recipe for disaster, no matter how well trained the users are.
The problem is that remote restraint is easier than wasting time trying to talk people into calming down, which is what we would prefer the police to do.
And we question whether Lincolnshire really requires this sort of sledgehammer to crack the nut of public disorder and the Friday night domestic argument.
The problem is that remote restraint is easier than wasting time trying to talk people into calming down, which is what we would prefer the police to do.
And we question whether Lincolnshire really requires this sort of sledgehammer to crack the nut of public disorder and the Friday night domestic argument.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Friday, March 27
Friday footnotes ....
People Who Live in Glass Houses award of the week goes to Councillor Jim Blaylock (is that him pictured left in the glam rock band Mud all those years ago?) His diatribe against Labour's performance at the last local elections asked why none of the party candidates were elected. "Perhaps it's because the electorate do not believe the spin they proliferate," he huffs. This from a senior member of a party that used spin and nothing else to gain power, and which has consummately failed to deliver on its promises ever since. Perhaps he should take his own advice - "remember your shortcomings...."Best Double Entendre of the week award goes to the Boston Standard for its piece on the "haunting" of Blackfriars. Without the addition of an exclamation mark to tell us they're only joking, the Standard reports..."a spirit has been seen in the upstairs bar."
And the Standard earns, our Better Late Than Never award of the week as well. Whilst the Business Profile feature "Enough with the doom and gloom" refers to "last month's" Boston Area Partnership workshop, the fact is that it was reported on the borough's website last month (3rd February) a full fortnight after the event itself, which was staged on 20th January - making the Standard piece two months and one week out of date. Perhaps is was intended for the Memory Lane page instead!
Shrinking Violet of the week award goes to Boston's Chief Executive for asking a councillor to write to the local press to explain his actions during the recent budget debate. Perhaps in these times of economic stringency his pen had run out which required someone else to write on his behalf.
Court With Your Briefs Down award of the week goes to the solicitor who dismissed a man's attempts to set fire to dustbins outside the borough's Worst Street offices with the words: "It's more of a silly offence in my book." Yes the damage was minimal .... but those of us with long memories will recall that this is exactly the same way the blaze that razed the Regal Centre began.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested
Thursday, March 26
Cold Steel stabs Boston in the back
So did you tune into Radio Four for "comedian" Mark Steel's programme from Blackfriars last night?Billed as "Mark records a show in Boston, Lincolnshire, celebrating sprouts, chavs, Puritans and the Boston Stump."
Just the usual tired nonsense, we're afraid.
We're in the Fens "which as places go is too flat. "
"Do you all go up to Swineshead on a Sunday to look at the slight slope?"
Local driving instructors say there's only one place in the whole town where you can practice a hill start.
Then from flatness to ... yes, you've guessed ... fatness.
A broken promise to mention this only once begins with the reminder that Boston was once listed as most obese town in Britain.... "obviously you need a few hills to do a work out."
Then we move on to xenophobia ... with Steel telling us that he thinks its fair to say that among some members of the population there is a distrust of outsiders.
Other items of interest....
Boston seems to be known throughout Lincolnshire as a "chavtown," and a website says "If you have ever been to Boston in Lincolnshire then undoubtedly you will have had the utmost pleasure of seeing many a pregnant 14 year old with the obligatory poverty pack of ten Richmond fags."
Boston doesn't do itself any favours in respect to chavs, Steel goes on. In the middle of the main street is a shop called It Must Be Stolen.
In 1911 the then vicar talked about low standard of sexual morality.
Mr Steel had gone out the previous day to meet the men who maintain the area's drainage systems ... "they were so enthusiastic about drains."
They warned that eventually Boston could be lost to the sea, and he visualised archaeologist divers in a thousand years saying "we've found it ... hundreds of really fat skeletons with all these bracelets round them."
Back to the flatness.
The second tallest building in Boston after the Stump is probably a postbox. From the top of stump you can see for miles and miles .... but you can also probably see Spalding if you sit on the back of a donkey.
He asked the audience if they had climbed the Stump more than once .... and suggested doing it again - yes ... to help them get their fat down.
We go on to tackle brussels sprouts, Puritanism, the Civil War and immigration.
Although the town has been at centre of history for centuries, its political life revolves around building a bypass. Do they have any other policies than to build a bypass, he asks.
And let's not forget Boston United and its financial disasters down the years.
One day, he concludes, Boston might rise again and become bigger than its sister in Massachusetts, and visualises a TV show from a bar also called "Cheers" where the barman only dates 14 year old girls from Eclipse, a psychologist says the last erection he saw was the Stump, and a fat man says "this beer's perfect for Boston, it comes from the drains and it's flat."
A bit like Mark Steel's humour really.
This felt like a cold, rushed performance, and in fact it wasn't very funny - even the audience didn't respond as we would have expected.
If you missed it and must hear it, the BBC website will play it back to you.
Frankly, we wouldn't bother ... it's just the usual stuff that puts Boston in the wrong light.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Wednesday, March 25
Black-buried in small print ... £15,000 to serve swankers!
A report to the cabinet tonight sets out the council's financial position at the end of February.
As is always the case, there are enough numbers here to choke a donkey, but sometimes its the figures within the figures that catch the eye.
For instance, the report mentions a staff savings target of £100,000 to be met by not filling vacancies.
However, it shows that whilst salary costs have gone down, overtime has gone over budget, and agency and temporary staff costs have soared beyond estimates to the tune of £296,000.
Consultancy fees also guzzle up wheelbarrows full of £50 notes.
The bill spent by the council comes to £81,540 - including almost £19,000 "archaeological services."
But this is dwarfed by Boston Area Regeneration Company's consultancy bill, which stands at £145,860 - most of it going to Tribal and Focus, the borough's pet consultants, who must be purring with delight.
And whilst we joke about bankers and other city slickers who'd rather be separated from their right arm than their Blackberry, it's no laughing matter to find an item of expenditure of £15,000 for Blackberry Enterprise Server - or Blackbery sever as the report refers to it - maintaining the hilarious misspellings and haphazard use of capital letters that has made council documents a local legend.
The question to be asked here is how many Blackberries has the borough handed out to staff (and presumably councillors) and why they're so important. They are really just gadgets for poseurs, and there are a lot of cheaper alternatives on the market - if alternatives are needed at all.
Then there are things such as the loss of income expected from the Guildhall.
Figures there show a steady decline in visitors following its lengthy closure for a highly expensive restoration, and on November last year numbered just THREE in November last year, surging to 38 in December.
Visits to the Haven and TIC were also lamentable.
We appreciate that running the business known as Boston Borough Council is a complex affair.
But there are stories in reports like these that tell of unnecessary spending on items and services, and we feel sure that a closer look at where the money is going could result in better deployment of resources.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
As is always the case, there are enough numbers here to choke a donkey, but sometimes its the figures within the figures that catch the eye.
For instance, the report mentions a staff savings target of £100,000 to be met by not filling vacancies.
However, it shows that whilst salary costs have gone down, overtime has gone over budget, and agency and temporary staff costs have soared beyond estimates to the tune of £296,000.
Consultancy fees also guzzle up wheelbarrows full of £50 notes.
The bill spent by the council comes to £81,540 - including almost £19,000 "archaeological services."
But this is dwarfed by Boston Area Regeneration Company's consultancy bill, which stands at £145,860 - most of it going to Tribal and Focus, the borough's pet consultants, who must be purring with delight.
And whilst we joke about bankers and other city slickers who'd rather be separated from their right arm than their Blackberry, it's no laughing matter to find an item of expenditure of £15,000 for Blackberry Enterprise Server - or Blackbery sever as the report refers to it - maintaining the hilarious misspellings and haphazard use of capital letters that has made council documents a local legend.
The question to be asked here is how many Blackberries has the borough handed out to staff (and presumably councillors) and why they're so important. They are really just gadgets for poseurs, and there are a lot of cheaper alternatives on the market - if alternatives are needed at all.
Then there are things such as the loss of income expected from the Guildhall.
Figures there show a steady decline in visitors following its lengthy closure for a highly expensive restoration, and on November last year numbered just THREE in November last year, surging to 38 in December.
Visits to the Haven and TIC were also lamentable.
We appreciate that running the business known as Boston Borough Council is a complex affair.
But there are stories in reports like these that tell of unnecessary spending on items and services, and we feel sure that a closer look at where the money is going could result in better deployment of resources.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tuesday, March 24
Village of the damned - but at least we can breathe easy!
We're often accused of taking a jaundiced look at life in Boston, but sadly the facts often speak for themselves.
The latest official snapshot of the town appear in various reports about Lincolnshire, and they show:-
• Only 11% of the county’s population live within the area known as the Boston Zone... but the area has
• Higher than average birth rates.
• Lowest proportion in the county of people moving out of the area.
• Lower levels of job and entrepreneurial opportunities than the county average.
• Higher levels of unemployment and worklessness.
• Skills levels in the adult population are significantly lower than the county.
• Higher levels of poverty with 13% of residents living in deprived areas xxiii.
• The area has higher proportion of homes not energy efficient (but air quality is good!)
• The rate of crime is higher than the county average.
The latest unemployment figures for Boston are particularly worrying. In February they were 1,366 compared with 1,088 in January. Last year they stood at 726. The increase of 278 between January and February represented a 26% increase and the year on year increase of 640 represented 88%.
We are reminded that Council leader Richard "Papa Dick" Austin assured us 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."
At the time we cautioned a still tongue in a wise head, but unfortunately it's now too late for that. The issues above are the things that need addressing in Boston.
When are we going to see some action?
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
The latest official snapshot of the town appear in various reports about Lincolnshire, and they show:-
• Only 11% of the county’s population live within the area known as the Boston Zone... but the area has
• Higher than average birth rates.
• Lowest proportion in the county of people moving out of the area.
• Lower levels of job and entrepreneurial opportunities than the county average.
• Higher levels of unemployment and worklessness.
• Skills levels in the adult population are significantly lower than the county.
• Higher levels of poverty with 13% of residents living in deprived areas xxiii.
• The area has higher proportion of homes not energy efficient (but air quality is good!)
• The rate of crime is higher than the county average.
The latest unemployment figures for Boston are particularly worrying. In February they were 1,366 compared with 1,088 in January. Last year they stood at 726. The increase of 278 between January and February represented a 26% increase and the year on year increase of 640 represented 88%.
We are reminded that Council leader Richard "Papa Dick" Austin assured us 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."
At the time we cautioned a still tongue in a wise head, but unfortunately it's now too late for that. The issues above are the things that need addressing in Boston.
When are we going to see some action?
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Friday, March 20
Letter calls from more openness from Bypass Independents
BOSTON BYPASS INDEPENDENT PARTY
..... or should that be
BRING BACK INTEGRITY PLEASE
Can I tell you a story about a group of people who answered an advert in a paper, and then decided to stand for election in the borough council elections in Boston in May 2007, namely the Boston Bypass Independent Party?
In the run up to their campaign, their glorified leader met with a local bus company, namely Brylaine Travel Ltd. A deal was struck where the bus company gave two cheques of £1000 each, plus also agreed to put posters on the buses on all the routes in Boston. They also agreed to paint up a whole bus in the BBIP colours and slogans – so for weeks in the run up to the election, we started to see buses running around our town with political literature on them.
We got to the glorious day of the count on 4th May 2007. The bus turned up so the 25 newly elected councillors all had their photos taken with their ‘Battle bus’ – even the TV cameras turned up.
Over the next few months, questions were asked about why they had not declared their interest. Some of them forgot they were members of a political party, and some didn’t know where they lived, but they kept being told by the Councils Standards Committee that it was okay.
We read with interest an article in our local papers on 5th December 2007 that the Council leader was pleased to announce that the new Into Town bus service was going to be run by Brylaine Travel Ltd – no surprise to some of us, knowing that it was the only company that had been allowed to tender for the work. So it was no surprise to read the quote from the leader who enthused that ‘it is great news that the order is about to be placed for the buses.’
Then when it came to the setting of their first budget on 25th February 2008, it came as no surprise, that there was a three year funding deal put together for the new Into Town bus service amounting to £364,000, and by now I don’t need to tell you who benefited from this money – yes – Brylaine Travel Ltd. What you may be interested to know is that in all the pre-budget meetings, nobody declared an interest with this bus company, and then on the night of the budget setting meeting on 25th February two BBIP councillors, Cllrs Dorrian and Rush declared an interest, before walking the floor to set up their new party. This meant that 23 members still had not declared an interest.
Then it got to June 2008 – a formal complaint was put into Boston Borough Council. The Standards Committee met and dismissed the allegation, and said that there was no need to declare their relationship with Brylaine Travel Ltd. An appeal was made in November 2008 against the decision and then we got this amazing response from Conservative Cllr John Ruskin, one of the members of the sub-committee of the Standards Committee:-
‘It was decided to uphold the decision not to take any action on your complaint because the donation from Brylaine was to the BBI and not to individual members. Whilst monies donated to an individual member needs to be declared, monies paid to a group do not.’
Even more amazingly at the full council meeting on 2nd March 2009, the group leaders from BBIP and the Better Boston Group both asked for it to be recorded that they were making a declaration of interest on behalf of all their members that Brylaine Travel Ltd had given a SMALL donation to their election campaign in 2007.
You then have to ask the following questions:
1. Why did members of Boston Bypass Independent Party not declare this interest when they were elected?
2. Why did members of the Boston Bypass Independent party not declare this interest at any meetings?
3. Why did members of the Boston Bypass Independent party not ask for dispensation from the Standards Committee?
4. What training did the members receive on disclosing, and did all of them sign the relevant forms to say that they accepted the Code of Conduct?
It seems to me that the people of Boston should have a proper explanation as to why a political party - the Boston Bypass Independent Party along with a local bus company - Brylaine Travel Ltd have a relationship but not want to be open and transparent about it.
I enclose a copy of the seven principles of Nolan:-
Selflessness
Take decisions based solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families, or their friends.
Integrity
Not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
Accountability
Are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
Openness
Be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
Honesty
Have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
Leadership
Promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
This whole affair does not bode well for democracy in Boston. You expect all of the members to live up to the expectations laid out in the seven principles of Nolan as above. You then have to ask yourself – if they have signed the Code of Conduct, is it worth the paper it is written on?
It is time for the Standards Board of England to investigate this case to see whether the high standards that should be upheld within local government is being upheld in Boston Borough Council, and the Audit Commission to investigate the governance and financial issues in this case, as the people of Boston are the people paying for public services and expect high standards of probity to its services.
It is interesting to know that the Lincolnshire County Council, who contracted Brylaine Travel Ltd as the sole providers have now written into the contract that no political material can be displayed on their buses.
It is also of note that on the Electoral Commission website - BBIP’s expenses for the year 2007/08 show a notional figure of £500 for advertising.
You may be interested to know that two of the existing Councillors have had police cautions for not submitting their election expenses.
You then have to ask – can you trust a political group who are not prepared to be open and transparent to the people whom they represent, but it gets worse.
..... or should that be
BRING BACK INTEGRITY PLEASE
Can I tell you a story about a group of people who answered an advert in a paper, and then decided to stand for election in the borough council elections in Boston in May 2007, namely the Boston Bypass Independent Party?
In the run up to their campaign, their glorified leader met with a local bus company, namely Brylaine Travel Ltd. A deal was struck where the bus company gave two cheques of £1000 each, plus also agreed to put posters on the buses on all the routes in Boston. They also agreed to paint up a whole bus in the BBIP colours and slogans – so for weeks in the run up to the election, we started to see buses running around our town with political literature on them.
We got to the glorious day of the count on 4th May 2007. The bus turned up so the 25 newly elected councillors all had their photos taken with their ‘Battle bus’ – even the TV cameras turned up.
Over the next few months, questions were asked about why they had not declared their interest. Some of them forgot they were members of a political party, and some didn’t know where they lived, but they kept being told by the Councils Standards Committee that it was okay.
We read with interest an article in our local papers on 5th December 2007 that the Council leader was pleased to announce that the new Into Town bus service was going to be run by Brylaine Travel Ltd – no surprise to some of us, knowing that it was the only company that had been allowed to tender for the work. So it was no surprise to read the quote from the leader who enthused that ‘it is great news that the order is about to be placed for the buses.’
Then when it came to the setting of their first budget on 25th February 2008, it came as no surprise, that there was a three year funding deal put together for the new Into Town bus service amounting to £364,000, and by now I don’t need to tell you who benefited from this money – yes – Brylaine Travel Ltd. What you may be interested to know is that in all the pre-budget meetings, nobody declared an interest with this bus company, and then on the night of the budget setting meeting on 25th February two BBIP councillors, Cllrs Dorrian and Rush declared an interest, before walking the floor to set up their new party. This meant that 23 members still had not declared an interest.
Then it got to June 2008 – a formal complaint was put into Boston Borough Council. The Standards Committee met and dismissed the allegation, and said that there was no need to declare their relationship with Brylaine Travel Ltd. An appeal was made in November 2008 against the decision and then we got this amazing response from Conservative Cllr John Ruskin, one of the members of the sub-committee of the Standards Committee:-
‘It was decided to uphold the decision not to take any action on your complaint because the donation from Brylaine was to the BBI and not to individual members. Whilst monies donated to an individual member needs to be declared, monies paid to a group do not.’
Even more amazingly at the full council meeting on 2nd March 2009, the group leaders from BBIP and the Better Boston Group both asked for it to be recorded that they were making a declaration of interest on behalf of all their members that Brylaine Travel Ltd had given a SMALL donation to their election campaign in 2007.
You then have to ask the following questions:
1. Why did members of Boston Bypass Independent Party not declare this interest when they were elected?
2. Why did members of the Boston Bypass Independent party not declare this interest at any meetings?
3. Why did members of the Boston Bypass Independent party not ask for dispensation from the Standards Committee?
4. What training did the members receive on disclosing, and did all of them sign the relevant forms to say that they accepted the Code of Conduct?
It seems to me that the people of Boston should have a proper explanation as to why a political party - the Boston Bypass Independent Party along with a local bus company - Brylaine Travel Ltd have a relationship but not want to be open and transparent about it.
I enclose a copy of the seven principles of Nolan:-
Selflessness
Take decisions based solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families, or their friends.
Integrity
Not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
Accountability
Are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
Openness
Be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
Honesty
Have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
Leadership
Promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
This whole affair does not bode well for democracy in Boston. You expect all of the members to live up to the expectations laid out in the seven principles of Nolan as above. You then have to ask yourself – if they have signed the Code of Conduct, is it worth the paper it is written on?
It is time for the Standards Board of England to investigate this case to see whether the high standards that should be upheld within local government is being upheld in Boston Borough Council, and the Audit Commission to investigate the governance and financial issues in this case, as the people of Boston are the people paying for public services and expect high standards of probity to its services.
It is interesting to know that the Lincolnshire County Council, who contracted Brylaine Travel Ltd as the sole providers have now written into the contract that no political material can be displayed on their buses.
It is also of note that on the Electoral Commission website - BBIP’s expenses for the year 2007/08 show a notional figure of £500 for advertising.
You may be interested to know that two of the existing Councillors have had police cautions for not submitting their election expenses.
You then have to ask – can you trust a political group who are not prepared to be open and transparent to the people whom they represent, but it gets worse.
They have even dropped the word BYPASS from their local Community Plan 2009/10 – obviously the wheels have fallen off the battle bus!
Paul Kenny
Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Boston & Skegness
Paul Kenny
Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Boston & Skegness
Your can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Friday footnotes ....
Once again, some odds and ends too small for a blog in their own write(!).... but still worth a line or two.
Useless Campaign of the Week Award: It takes something pretty jolly exceptional to get the Lib Dems to swing into action these days. Unrepresented on the council for almost two years and pretty nearly silent about the goings-on in Worst Street, they've surfaced at last to apparently "back" a campaign to save the Party in the Park. Wannabe local councillor Mike Sheridan-Smith, who's collating the signatures, tells the Standard: "I want to do something for the town. I am fed up with the town being treated like it is." And a booze up's the best you can come up with, is it, Mike?
Vote for Me in any Way, Shape or Form Award: From the Party in the Park to the Party in the Dark .... Lincolnshire Independents (LI for short) want people to stand for election to the forthcoming Lincolnshire County Council in June. We've already questioned how people who are truly independent (ie elected as individuals) can operate as a party, which under the rules then has to create a leadership and hierarchy .... thus nullifying any true independence. Our local contact to join this newest party is none other than the proprietor of the county's previous newest party, Boston Borough Council and Bypass Independents leader Richard Austin. And, as we understand it, the BBI is planning to put up candidates for the county elections as well. Some people collect stamps. Others prefer votes, apparently. UP GRAMS: music....."If I ruled the world....
Purloined Letter of the Week Award: Has to go to the Boston Target, for ignoring a letter critical of its columnist George Wheatman and his slavish promotion of the PRSA. We had pointed out in the past that Wheatman had failed to declare his connection with the stadium....and in fairness he did at last when he wrote the piece that prompted the letter. However, the criticism by Bowen Roberts, CEO of boston-lincs.com (pay it a visit if you haven't already) was well made, and it says a lot about the Target that it was not published.
Statement of the Obvious Award of the Week: Goes to Boston's University of the Third Age (U3A) which has produced a booklet called "Behind the Stump" as part of the church's 700th anniversary celebrations. "It's not often that a 700th birthday comes along," the author tells the local press. About once every...er.... 700 years, we'd guess.
Sweet Taste of Success Award: Goes to local cough sweet ... sorry "functional confectionery" ... maker Jakemans, who have taken over sponsorship of Boston United. We're probably not the first to say it, but we always thought that the Pilgrims would come to a sticky end...
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested
Useless Campaign of the Week Award: It takes something pretty jolly exceptional to get the Lib Dems to swing into action these days. Unrepresented on the council for almost two years and pretty nearly silent about the goings-on in Worst Street, they've surfaced at last to apparently "back" a campaign to save the Party in the Park. Wannabe local councillor Mike Sheridan-Smith, who's collating the signatures, tells the Standard: "I want to do something for the town. I am fed up with the town being treated like it is." And a booze up's the best you can come up with, is it, Mike?
Vote for Me in any Way, Shape or Form Award: From the Party in the Park to the Party in the Dark .... Lincolnshire Independents (LI for short) want people to stand for election to the forthcoming Lincolnshire County Council in June. We've already questioned how people who are truly independent (ie elected as individuals) can operate as a party, which under the rules then has to create a leadership and hierarchy .... thus nullifying any true independence. Our local contact to join this newest party is none other than the proprietor of the county's previous newest party, Boston Borough Council and Bypass Independents leader Richard Austin. And, as we understand it, the BBI is planning to put up candidates for the county elections as well. Some people collect stamps. Others prefer votes, apparently. UP GRAMS: music....."If I ruled the world....
Purloined Letter of the Week Award: Has to go to the Boston Target, for ignoring a letter critical of its columnist George Wheatman and his slavish promotion of the PRSA. We had pointed out in the past that Wheatman had failed to declare his connection with the stadium....and in fairness he did at last when he wrote the piece that prompted the letter. However, the criticism by Bowen Roberts, CEO of boston-lincs.com (pay it a visit if you haven't already) was well made, and it says a lot about the Target that it was not published.
Statement of the Obvious Award of the Week: Goes to Boston's University of the Third Age (U3A) which has produced a booklet called "Behind the Stump" as part of the church's 700th anniversary celebrations. "It's not often that a 700th birthday comes along," the author tells the local press. About once every...er.... 700 years, we'd guess.
Sweet Taste of Success Award: Goes to local cough sweet ... sorry "functional confectionery" ... maker Jakemans, who have taken over sponsorship of Boston United. We're probably not the first to say it, but we always thought that the Pilgrims would come to a sticky end...
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested
Thursday, March 19
Local services - one lump, or two, or three?
We said yesterday that there were a couple of interesting items on the agenda for tonight's meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The second subject is the progress on shared services - to save money by lumping together the same jobs carried out in different local authorities.
A month ago today, the cabinets from Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland met to discuss the different strands and activity under the shared services umbrella.
These include “back office” services, such as personnel, IT and finance), but also council tax payments, benefits and customer services.
The report stresses that the councils want to stay independent whilst they cut costs, but the fact is that these days,"localness" is not an essential when it comes to running services that are not only repetitive, but identical whether they are performed in Boston, Spalding or East Lindsey.
So many jobs now are uniform in the way they are conducted that they can be done wherever is cheapest - the use of overseas call centres by banks is a key example ... although we would not for one minute suggest something like this!
So much is potentially up for centralisation - Boston is in early talks on sharing environmental health, trading standards and possibly licensing.
And its also possible that things such as community safety, emergency planning, private sector housing and environmental enforcement could also come under the microscope.
If ideas like this go ahead, a major impact in staffing must be on the cards, as they go hand in hand with changes such as this.
In the local papers, Council Leader Richard Austin has been trumpeting the number of staff who have lost their jobs since the BBI took power - down from 355 to 295 ... a hefty percentage.
At this stage, the question will soon need to be asked: Does the council need to maintain its expensive premises in West Street? Perhaps it could move out to Endeavour Park, where there's plenty of room; it's much cheaper as well and parking can be provided free of charge at no cost to the taxpayer.
Aristotle said: “If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.” Perhaps he should have said deleted the word "in."
Your can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
The second subject is the progress on shared services - to save money by lumping together the same jobs carried out in different local authorities.
A month ago today, the cabinets from Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland met to discuss the different strands and activity under the shared services umbrella.
These include “back office” services, such as personnel, IT and finance), but also council tax payments, benefits and customer services.
The report stresses that the councils want to stay independent whilst they cut costs, but the fact is that these days,"localness" is not an essential when it comes to running services that are not only repetitive, but identical whether they are performed in Boston, Spalding or East Lindsey.
So many jobs now are uniform in the way they are conducted that they can be done wherever is cheapest - the use of overseas call centres by banks is a key example ... although we would not for one minute suggest something like this!
So much is potentially up for centralisation - Boston is in early talks on sharing environmental health, trading standards and possibly licensing.
And its also possible that things such as community safety, emergency planning, private sector housing and environmental enforcement could also come under the microscope.
If ideas like this go ahead, a major impact in staffing must be on the cards, as they go hand in hand with changes such as this.
In the local papers, Council Leader Richard Austin has been trumpeting the number of staff who have lost their jobs since the BBI took power - down from 355 to 295 ... a hefty percentage.
At this stage, the question will soon need to be asked: Does the council need to maintain its expensive premises in West Street? Perhaps it could move out to Endeavour Park, where there's plenty of room; it's much cheaper as well and parking can be provided free of charge at no cost to the taxpayer.
Aristotle said: “If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.” Perhaps he should have said deleted the word "in."
Your can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Wednesday, March 18
Is privatisation on the way? Or just an exercise in paperwork?
Tomorrow night sees a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which has a couple of interesting items on the agenda.
There might even be three - but something mysteriously entitled The Prevent Strategy, whilst it sounds dangerous, has no accompanying paperwork.
However, there is a update on something called market testing following something else called "a soft market exercise."
As far as we can make out this comes down to exploring the privatisation of two areas of the council's services that are presently performed in house, and talks with the equally mysteriously named "Market" have already taken place.
The first area up for grabs is Leisure and Cultural Services includes all the usual tourist attraction suspects and sporty bits including the Moulder leisure centre and PRSA - although the council would keep its finger in these latter two pies.
For once, expect swift action, with an announcement soon and a contract in place by April next year.
Having said that, a report to the committee says it is intended that market testing of Leisure Services will use the "restricted procedure procurement process" - by which we assume that there will be no real change of ownership.
The other section heading private could be Operational Services which handles less glamorous items such as waste disposal and - we guess its the same sort of area really - bereavement services.
Again the work could be contacted out no later than April next year.
In house bids are also to be considered.
By and large, this seems to have the ring of tokenism about it, with a lot of apparent seeking of change resulting in the continuation of the status quo.
Only time will tell.
Your can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
There might even be three - but something mysteriously entitled The Prevent Strategy, whilst it sounds dangerous, has no accompanying paperwork.
However, there is a update on something called market testing following something else called "a soft market exercise."
As far as we can make out this comes down to exploring the privatisation of two areas of the council's services that are presently performed in house, and talks with the equally mysteriously named "Market" have already taken place.
The first area up for grabs is Leisure and Cultural Services includes all the usual tourist attraction suspects and sporty bits including the Moulder leisure centre and PRSA - although the council would keep its finger in these latter two pies.
For once, expect swift action, with an announcement soon and a contract in place by April next year.
Having said that, a report to the committee says it is intended that market testing of Leisure Services will use the "restricted procedure procurement process" - by which we assume that there will be no real change of ownership.
The other section heading private could be Operational Services which handles less glamorous items such as waste disposal and - we guess its the same sort of area really - bereavement services.
Again the work could be contacted out no later than April next year.
In house bids are also to be considered.
By and large, this seems to have the ring of tokenism about it, with a lot of apparent seeking of change resulting in the continuation of the status quo.
Only time will tell.
Your can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tuesday, March 17
West Street latest score: Plans 0 - People with plans 2
There's an interesting rumour doing the rounds which claims that Primark is planning to take over the former Woolworths site in Strait Bargate.
Something like that would be good news indeed, as it would not only bring appropriate shopping to Boston, but it do much to lighten the encroaching bleakness afflicting this particular part of town.
The area of Bargate around W H Smith is beginning to look like a ghost town, as empty stores continue to deteriorate and there seems little hope on the horizon that new occupants will come to the rescue.
And whilst you might think it difficult to get excited about turning a bombsite into a car park, but that seems to be what Boston BID has just done.
Its leader, Niall Armstrong, has called the plan to bulldoze the former Regal Centre site and create fifty low cost parking places for a temporary term of up to three years, "very good news."
He claims that West Street is "the next focus area under the clean and attractive part of the BID business plan..."
So where is the first?
We assume it is the Pescod Square/Bargate area - and if that is the case we have to say that we have noticed little by way of change.
But to go back to West Street....
The Regal Centre site has apparently been bought by a local businessman who clearly sees it as a cash generator whatever happens.
Although it already appears as part of the West Street redevelopment plans, the new owner tells the local press that he is in talks with the developer, Modus, for the site to become a central part of the Merchants Quay development - almost as though it is separate from rather than an integral part of the plans. If that fails, he says he'll go ahead with his own plans for a £2.8 million five storey shopping centre with parking and flats.
However, the permission granting the pro tem car park application is clear that "the site is allocated as a regeneration/redevelopment site as contained within the Boston Borough Interim Plan in an area where policy RTC ll supports mixed use developments. The use of this site as a permanent car park would represent an inappropriate and inefficient use of the land which would undermine the overall aim of economic, social and environmental regeneration of this part of the town centre. This temporary permission is essential to ensure the long term future use and development potential of the site meet the objectives of Policy RTC II."
We can't see how the future plans for the site will change even if Modus were to withdraw from proceedings, as we assume that redevelopment of the area would remain a goal but with a new developer - and that piecemeal development would not be allowed.
We are afraid that we are already hearing echoes of some of the problems that bedevilled the Pescod Square project and others all those years ago.
There will be, wethinks, what people like to call interesting times ahead.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Something like that would be good news indeed, as it would not only bring appropriate shopping to Boston, but it do much to lighten the encroaching bleakness afflicting this particular part of town.
The area of Bargate around W H Smith is beginning to look like a ghost town, as empty stores continue to deteriorate and there seems little hope on the horizon that new occupants will come to the rescue.
And whilst you might think it difficult to get excited about turning a bombsite into a car park, but that seems to be what Boston BID has just done.
Its leader, Niall Armstrong, has called the plan to bulldoze the former Regal Centre site and create fifty low cost parking places for a temporary term of up to three years, "very good news."
He claims that West Street is "the next focus area under the clean and attractive part of the BID business plan..."
So where is the first?
We assume it is the Pescod Square/Bargate area - and if that is the case we have to say that we have noticed little by way of change.
But to go back to West Street....
The Regal Centre site has apparently been bought by a local businessman who clearly sees it as a cash generator whatever happens.
Although it already appears as part of the West Street redevelopment plans, the new owner tells the local press that he is in talks with the developer, Modus, for the site to become a central part of the Merchants Quay development - almost as though it is separate from rather than an integral part of the plans. If that fails, he says he'll go ahead with his own plans for a £2.8 million five storey shopping centre with parking and flats.
However, the permission granting the pro tem car park application is clear that "the site is allocated as a regeneration/redevelopment site as contained within the Boston Borough Interim Plan in an area where policy RTC ll supports mixed use developments. The use of this site as a permanent car park would represent an inappropriate and inefficient use of the land which would undermine the overall aim of economic, social and environmental regeneration of this part of the town centre. This temporary permission is essential to ensure the long term future use and development potential of the site meet the objectives of Policy RTC II."
We can't see how the future plans for the site will change even if Modus were to withdraw from proceedings, as we assume that redevelopment of the area would remain a goal but with a new developer - and that piecemeal development would not be allowed.
We are afraid that we are already hearing echoes of some of the problems that bedevilled the Pescod Square project and others all those years ago.
There will be, wethinks, what people like to call interesting times ahead.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Monday, March 16
£500,000 for pointless jobs, while crooks run rampant
If ever a decision not to spend money was justified, we feel it was the one taken by Boston Borough Council not to sling its last remaining £20,000 at Lincolnshire Police to fund one of those Pointless Community Support Officers.
Whilst the county force has yet to see a penny of its five per cent council tax rise, that's not going to stop it spending the money in advance.
No fewer than twenty-two new jobs are currently being advertised in the force's bid to "make a difference to the people of Lincolnshire."
They include three to work under the aegis of RIPA - the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act that authorises undercover investigations to help trap spies, terrorists and people who overfill their wheelie bins.
Other vacancies include financial investigation, "intelligence" investigation, computer stuff (inevitably) and lots of stuff to do with "reviews" and "disclosure."
Although these jobs were advertised in the Boston press, the vacancies are mostly in Lincoln, with five located at something called the Major Crime Unit in Sleaford.
Astonishingly, the wage bill for these posts totals more than half a million pounds a year.
We have to say we wonder whether they are all really necessary ... and also how much they contribute to the police claim in the advert that "We want to build trust and confidence in Lincolnshire Police by neighbourhoods safer, by protecting the public we serve and by improving our services."
The recruitment campaign coincides with a "series" of house burglaries in Boston that has prompted police to start a "crackdown."
A "series?" More like an epidemic.
The fact is that there have been FIFTEEN burglaries in two weeks around Fenside and the Sleaford Road area.
The police have, of course, adopted their usual proactive role.
"We need to hear from anyone who believes they may know who is responsible for these offences, which we believe are almost certainly linked," said a spokeswoman.
"As part of the initiative, increased high visibility and plain-clothed patrols are being carried out in the targeted areas, both as a deterrent and to trace those responsible.
"We're doing all we can to trace the person or people responsible for these offences, but we also need local residents to do their bit by taking preventative advice."
We say Hmmmmm.
If it takes 15 crimes in a small area before the police bestir themselves and set foot on our dirty pavements, then that is little short of scandalous.
The so-called "initiative" is nothing more than closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
And if anyone knows the secret of how to prevent thieves throwing a concrete block through your window to get into steal your belongings (which was the modus operandi in some cases) then we'd like to hear it.
Mornin' all.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Whilst the county force has yet to see a penny of its five per cent council tax rise, that's not going to stop it spending the money in advance.
No fewer than twenty-two new jobs are currently being advertised in the force's bid to "make a difference to the people of Lincolnshire."
They include three to work under the aegis of RIPA - the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act that authorises undercover investigations to help trap spies, terrorists and people who overfill their wheelie bins.
Other vacancies include financial investigation, "intelligence" investigation, computer stuff (inevitably) and lots of stuff to do with "reviews" and "disclosure."
Although these jobs were advertised in the Boston press, the vacancies are mostly in Lincoln, with five located at something called the Major Crime Unit in Sleaford.
Astonishingly, the wage bill for these posts totals more than half a million pounds a year.
We have to say we wonder whether they are all really necessary ... and also how much they contribute to the police claim in the advert that "We want to build trust and confidence in Lincolnshire Police by neighbourhoods safer, by protecting the public we serve and by improving our services."
The recruitment campaign coincides with a "series" of house burglaries in Boston that has prompted police to start a "crackdown."
A "series?" More like an epidemic.
The fact is that there have been FIFTEEN burglaries in two weeks around Fenside and the Sleaford Road area.
The police have, of course, adopted their usual proactive role.
"We need to hear from anyone who believes they may know who is responsible for these offences, which we believe are almost certainly linked," said a spokeswoman.
"As part of the initiative, increased high visibility and plain-clothed patrols are being carried out in the targeted areas, both as a deterrent and to trace those responsible.
"We're doing all we can to trace the person or people responsible for these offences, but we also need local residents to do their bit by taking preventative advice."
We say Hmmmmm.
If it takes 15 crimes in a small area before the police bestir themselves and set foot on our dirty pavements, then that is little short of scandalous.
The so-called "initiative" is nothing more than closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
And if anyone knows the secret of how to prevent thieves throwing a concrete block through your window to get into steal your belongings (which was the modus operandi in some cases) then we'd like to hear it.
Mornin' all.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Friday, March 13
Awards of the week
A few smaller items which don't merit a full blog in their own right, but are nonetheless are worth comment, make up today's little effort.
Our Recycler of the Week award goes to BBI Councillor Ray Newell for his letter in the Standard "Reformers v Destroyers." His repeated retelling of the miracles worked by the Bypass Independents is living proof that you can recycle the same old rubbish over and over and over again. His chilling threat that "the BBI will continue its programme of reform, despite efforts to stop us," reminds us of the famous letter from Jack the Ripper dated 17th September 1888. "I love my work an I shant stop until I get buckled...."
Opportunist of the Week award goes to Target columnist George Wheatman who uses his irrepressibly pointless column "Nowhere's a Thought" to salute the tireless devotion and courage of the trustees of the Princess Royal Sports Area - of which he just happens to be one. At least he's told us this time, but talk about taking advantage....
And talking of the PRSA, they get our ..... Whoops! We Forgot to Update our Website award of the week. We laughed aloud when we visited their website and clicked the link that takes us to "Sports & Partner Clubs." It leads to a page where we are told "With top quality resident athletics and rugby clubs you are able to train and participate to the highest level." Another link takes us guess where? The Boston and District Athletic Club's website..... the club the PRSA fought long and hard to ban from its premises.
Finally, First Footer of the Week award goes to the BNP. Their leaflet aimed at winning votes for the EU elections in early June dropped through our doors a few days ago. It was by the postman, which means that the party has booked a mass distribution with Royal Mail, which in turn means that every home in Boston has probably received a copy by now. When the BNP took its first seat on Boston Borough Council a few months ago there was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth, and claims that they had not quite played the game when it came to wooing voters. Now the starting gun has been fired, other parties will surely only have themselves to blame if they remain on the blocks.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Our Recycler of the Week award goes to BBI Councillor Ray Newell for his letter in the Standard "Reformers v Destroyers." His repeated retelling of the miracles worked by the Bypass Independents is living proof that you can recycle the same old rubbish over and over and over again. His chilling threat that "the BBI will continue its programme of reform, despite efforts to stop us," reminds us of the famous letter from Jack the Ripper dated 17th September 1888. "I love my work an I shant stop until I get buckled...."
Opportunist of the Week award goes to Target columnist George Wheatman who uses his irrepressibly pointless column "Nowhere's a Thought" to salute the tireless devotion and courage of the trustees of the Princess Royal Sports Area - of which he just happens to be one. At least he's told us this time, but talk about taking advantage....
And talking of the PRSA, they get our ..... Whoops! We Forgot to Update our Website award of the week. We laughed aloud when we visited their website and clicked the link that takes us to "Sports & Partner Clubs." It leads to a page where we are told "With top quality resident athletics and rugby clubs you are able to train and participate to the highest level." Another link takes us guess where? The Boston and District Athletic Club's website..... the club the PRSA fought long and hard to ban from its premises.
Finally, First Footer of the Week award goes to the BNP. Their leaflet aimed at winning votes for the EU elections in early June dropped through our doors a few days ago. It was by the postman, which means that the party has booked a mass distribution with Royal Mail, which in turn means that every home in Boston has probably received a copy by now. When the BNP took its first seat on Boston Borough Council a few months ago there was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth, and claims that they had not quite played the game when it came to wooing voters. Now the starting gun has been fired, other parties will surely only have themselves to blame if they remain on the blocks.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Thursday, March 12
TIC is in the wrong box!
Yesterday, we wrote about Boston Library, and why we thought it needed improvements.
The steady neglect of core public services is something that should worry us all, yet too often a gradual slide in quality not merely goes unnoticed, but seems almost to be actively encouraged.
We believe something like this is behind the gradual decline in promotion of tourism in Boston.
After spending mountains of money on the restoration on the historic Guildhall and opening it in a fanfare of fancy dress, the place emerged from years of closure as a sanitised, noisy non-attraction, lacking anything by way of character.
It now languishes, barely visited, with its hours set to be still further reduced, whilst that great White elephant just down the road - the Haven - is also to open for fewer hours.
And of course, the Tourist Information Centre is also to move yet again, from the Haven to the Guildhall, where it will presumably pursue its policy of only providing information on attractions in a 50 mile radius.
In Lincoln, the City Council has taken the unusual step of closing both its TICs from September – making the city the only major historic location in the country without a walk-in facility.
The centres will be replaced with a telephone and internet service.
We wonder how long it will be before Boston uses the Lincoln option as justification to close our local facility altogether.
Whilst the town's heritage is trumpeted by the council, when it comes down to it, we really have only the Stump (which was refused financial help to help mark its 700th anniversary this year) and the Guildhall, which will soon be mostly closed.
In Spalding, which many think has less on offer than Boston, there is a terrific TIC ... so what has gone wrong here?
We suggested a while ago that it would be a good idea to relocate Boston's TIC inside the Stump.
It makes a lot of sense, as the church is the place people make a beeline for when they visit the town.
The council could also pay a small "rent" to the parish for the space, which would give it a welcome boost in this crucial year in its history.
If something isn't done soon to promote Boston more enthusiastically, the powers that be might as well stop boasting about its attractiveness as a tourist venue and shut up shop once and for all.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
The steady neglect of core public services is something that should worry us all, yet too often a gradual slide in quality not merely goes unnoticed, but seems almost to be actively encouraged.
We believe something like this is behind the gradual decline in promotion of tourism in Boston.
After spending mountains of money on the restoration on the historic Guildhall and opening it in a fanfare of fancy dress, the place emerged from years of closure as a sanitised, noisy non-attraction, lacking anything by way of character.
It now languishes, barely visited, with its hours set to be still further reduced, whilst that great White elephant just down the road - the Haven - is also to open for fewer hours.
And of course, the Tourist Information Centre is also to move yet again, from the Haven to the Guildhall, where it will presumably pursue its policy of only providing information on attractions in a 50 mile radius.
In Lincoln, the City Council has taken the unusual step of closing both its TICs from September – making the city the only major historic location in the country without a walk-in facility.
The centres will be replaced with a telephone and internet service.
We wonder how long it will be before Boston uses the Lincoln option as justification to close our local facility altogether.
Whilst the town's heritage is trumpeted by the council, when it comes down to it, we really have only the Stump (which was refused financial help to help mark its 700th anniversary this year) and the Guildhall, which will soon be mostly closed.
In Spalding, which many think has less on offer than Boston, there is a terrific TIC ... so what has gone wrong here?
We suggested a while ago that it would be a good idea to relocate Boston's TIC inside the Stump.
It makes a lot of sense, as the church is the place people make a beeline for when they visit the town.
The council could also pay a small "rent" to the parish for the space, which would give it a welcome boost in this crucial year in its history.
If something isn't done soon to promote Boston more enthusiastically, the powers that be might as well stop boasting about its attractiveness as a tourist venue and shut up shop once and for all.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tuesday, March 10
In bad books
A recent report says that the number of visits to libraries around the country has dropped by 2.6% million in the past year alone, with the number of people borrowing books down by 3.3%.
At the same time the number of people using the internet to renew books or check catalogues rose by 20 per cent.
Oddly enough, the fact that fewer people are using their library, and those who do can't be bothered to go there in person has been interpreted as good news.
And the figures also show that public library spending on books dropped again in the 12 months to March 2008, following earlier drops of 0.7% and 1.6% in 2007 and 2006. Book stock held by libraries also fell.
The Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) took a positive line on the statistics, saying that the rise in online use was "evidence that the library service is . . . becoming more relevant, adapting to the changing needs of its users and meeting the challenge to supply information in the most suitable way".
We use the library in Boston a lot ... or rather, we used to.
The fact is that some of the books on the shelves more closely resemble the Dead Sea scrolls than works of literature. Some of them have been on the same shelves - and often in more or less the same place - for years.
Boston Library has always seemed generally poor for the size of the town it serves.
The arrival of new books, which used to be something to look forward to at least once a year (the famous spending spree that preceded the end of the financial year) is something now seldom celebrated.
In common with other libraries, an increasing amount of space is being devoted to computers for internet use, or for the hire of CDs and DVDs.
The latter is a task we feel should be left to hire shops, not local libraries, as they offer no "added value" and are purely commercial.
Aside from that the overall volume of books at Boston is small, and largely out of date. The only recent addition that we can make out is a display unit that is three times the size of the old one yet holds only a fraction of the books.
And the information leaflets about other events around the county arrive almost as an afterthought.
We have lost count of the number of times we've picked up a brochure only to find that whatever it refers to is over ... or almost over.
It's as if the leaflets are sent elsewhere and eventually to Boston by way of an afterthought.
Lincolnshire county Council lets Boston down when it comes to our library service.
It needs a spring clean, more new books, and less by way of computers, CDs and DVDs.
Write to us a boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
At the same time the number of people using the internet to renew books or check catalogues rose by 20 per cent.
Oddly enough, the fact that fewer people are using their library, and those who do can't be bothered to go there in person has been interpreted as good news.
And the figures also show that public library spending on books dropped again in the 12 months to March 2008, following earlier drops of 0.7% and 1.6% in 2007 and 2006. Book stock held by libraries also fell.
The Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) took a positive line on the statistics, saying that the rise in online use was "evidence that the library service is . . . becoming more relevant, adapting to the changing needs of its users and meeting the challenge to supply information in the most suitable way".
We use the library in Boston a lot ... or rather, we used to.
The fact is that some of the books on the shelves more closely resemble the Dead Sea scrolls than works of literature. Some of them have been on the same shelves - and often in more or less the same place - for years.
Boston Library has always seemed generally poor for the size of the town it serves.
The arrival of new books, which used to be something to look forward to at least once a year (the famous spending spree that preceded the end of the financial year) is something now seldom celebrated.
In common with other libraries, an increasing amount of space is being devoted to computers for internet use, or for the hire of CDs and DVDs.
The latter is a task we feel should be left to hire shops, not local libraries, as they offer no "added value" and are purely commercial.
Aside from that the overall volume of books at Boston is small, and largely out of date. The only recent addition that we can make out is a display unit that is three times the size of the old one yet holds only a fraction of the books.
And the information leaflets about other events around the county arrive almost as an afterthought.
We have lost count of the number of times we've picked up a brochure only to find that whatever it refers to is over ... or almost over.
It's as if the leaflets are sent elsewhere and eventually to Boston by way of an afterthought.
Lincolnshire county Council lets Boston down when it comes to our library service.
It needs a spring clean, more new books, and less by way of computers, CDs and DVDs.
Write to us a boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Easy to preach when you don't practice!
Isn't it funny how democracy becomes your monopoly when you become the party that holds the reins?
That's how it seemed to us after Boston's opposition councillors combined to present an alternative budget to last week's full meeting of the borough council.
"This is a deliberate attempt to disrupt and cause mayhem to our democratic process," stormed Council leader Richard (Papa Dick) Austin - whilst his ton ton macoute nodded warningly in support.
So what had these opposition agitators done that left such a dirty taste in Papa Dick's mouth?
They had the temerity to propose a small increase in council tax rather than a freeze - which they claimed would have salvaged some of the services that the BBI planned to cut ... unfortunately including the Party in the Park, which no-one in their right mind can continue to justify.
Councillor Austin's Chief Executive was at his side as the leader thundered against the opposition, warning in no uncertain terms against adjourning the budget.
And to deliver the coup de grace to the opposition, the leader sneered at their alternative.
"This information has been available for months. Handing it (the alternative budget) to us at this late hour just goes to show how inefficient they (the opposition) are and how badly they are serving the people of Boston."
Tough stuff - though let's not forget the adages about people who live in glass houses, and pigeons coming home to roost.
If the budget information really had been available for months, we wonder why was it that the Joint Committee charged with discussing it had to be adjourned because the papers the committee needed to consider failed to arrive in time for them to digest them properly.
And whilst headmaster Mick is right to threaten the cane if the budget were adjourned, the proposal at that stage was merely to discuss an alternative - something successfully blocked by the ton ton macoute.
It is always interesting to be lectured on democracy by a party that can afford to do so because it doesn't have to practice it.
And talking of opposition - isn't it time that Labour and the Lib Dems had more to say about what goes on at Boston Borough Council.
They are represented at county level even though their presence is not felt in Worst Street, yet somehow, we never seem to hear their comments about what goes on at grass roots level in Boston.
For Labour, only Paul Kenny - whose memorably lacklustre campaign to be our local MP in the 2005 general election saw almost 10% slashed from the party's vote compared with the elections of 2001 and 1997 - writes occasional letters to the local press .... but usually without stating his party affiliation.
He also bobbed up in last week's papers waving a leaflet.
Whilst Boston remains in the grip of an Orwellian nightmare, we need a vocal opposition more than ever.
We applaud the combined efforts by Conservative, Independent, BBG and BNP councillors to try to break the BBI mould.
And we decry the leader's carping, jeering rejection of their efforts.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
That's how it seemed to us after Boston's opposition councillors combined to present an alternative budget to last week's full meeting of the borough council.
"This is a deliberate attempt to disrupt and cause mayhem to our democratic process," stormed Council leader Richard (Papa Dick) Austin - whilst his ton ton macoute nodded warningly in support.
So what had these opposition agitators done that left such a dirty taste in Papa Dick's mouth?
They had the temerity to propose a small increase in council tax rather than a freeze - which they claimed would have salvaged some of the services that the BBI planned to cut ... unfortunately including the Party in the Park, which no-one in their right mind can continue to justify.
Councillor Austin's Chief Executive was at his side as the leader thundered against the opposition, warning in no uncertain terms against adjourning the budget.
And to deliver the coup de grace to the opposition, the leader sneered at their alternative.
"This information has been available for months. Handing it (the alternative budget) to us at this late hour just goes to show how inefficient they (the opposition) are and how badly they are serving the people of Boston."
Tough stuff - though let's not forget the adages about people who live in glass houses, and pigeons coming home to roost.
If the budget information really had been available for months, we wonder why was it that the Joint Committee charged with discussing it had to be adjourned because the papers the committee needed to consider failed to arrive in time for them to digest them properly.
And whilst headmaster Mick is right to threaten the cane if the budget were adjourned, the proposal at that stage was merely to discuss an alternative - something successfully blocked by the ton ton macoute.
It is always interesting to be lectured on democracy by a party that can afford to do so because it doesn't have to practice it.
And talking of opposition - isn't it time that Labour and the Lib Dems had more to say about what goes on at Boston Borough Council.
They are represented at county level even though their presence is not felt in Worst Street, yet somehow, we never seem to hear their comments about what goes on at grass roots level in Boston.
For Labour, only Paul Kenny - whose memorably lacklustre campaign to be our local MP in the 2005 general election saw almost 10% slashed from the party's vote compared with the elections of 2001 and 1997 - writes occasional letters to the local press .... but usually without stating his party affiliation.
He also bobbed up in last week's papers waving a leaflet.
Whilst Boston remains in the grip of an Orwellian nightmare, we need a vocal opposition more than ever.
We applaud the combined efforts by Conservative, Independent, BBG and BNP councillors to try to break the BBI mould.
And we decry the leader's carping, jeering rejection of their efforts.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Monday, March 9
On the Party in the Ark the BBI is right
Any period that follows a council meeting is usually newsier than other times in the council calendar ... and the spell after the annual budget decisions are made is busier than most.
Reaction from our local newspapers has been at both ends of the editorial spectrum.
The Standard has taken an overall view of the budget and the cuts that will follow it.
The Target, however, sees sit largely in terms of the Party in the Park - dubbing the council "party poopers" for suspending the event to save more than £80,000.
We're surprised by this.
Who in their right minds could fail to criticise a council that was faced with the need to make major financial savings if it persisted to run a booze-up in a town which already famously fails to count its calories?
Generally speaking, we think that the Boston Bypass Independents are doing a fairly poor job of running the borough - but on this issue they are right.
The party was staged to mark the millennium. Because there has always been an issue over the year which actually marked this temporal milestone, if was reasonable to stage it in both 2000 and 2001.
But because the townsfolk embraced the concept of a free to visit musical knees-up, and our then masters were suckers for fireworks, the party has just gone on and on and on.
It passed its sell-by date some while ago (the Party in the Ark, perhaps,) and the point at which it was cancelled due to bad weather would have been an ideal one to kick it into touch.
But the BBI decided to keep it alive - although it couldn't resist meddling with the way it was run, resulting in an admission policy coupled with a poor line-up that resulted in a major slump in attendance, which the politicians blamed on the weather (well, it couldn't be their fault, could it?).
The time for events like this is now well and truly over unless they are completely privatised and handed to outside organisers who have to make such an event not only self funding but profitable.
In these straitened times, the BBI does not have to resort to parties to cheer us up.
They're already doing enough to make us laugh as it is!
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tomorrow - how democracy is viewed ... depending whether or not you're in charge.
Reaction from our local newspapers has been at both ends of the editorial spectrum.
The Standard has taken an overall view of the budget and the cuts that will follow it.
The Target, however, sees sit largely in terms of the Party in the Park - dubbing the council "party poopers" for suspending the event to save more than £80,000.
We're surprised by this.
Who in their right minds could fail to criticise a council that was faced with the need to make major financial savings if it persisted to run a booze-up in a town which already famously fails to count its calories?
Generally speaking, we think that the Boston Bypass Independents are doing a fairly poor job of running the borough - but on this issue they are right.
The party was staged to mark the millennium. Because there has always been an issue over the year which actually marked this temporal milestone, if was reasonable to stage it in both 2000 and 2001.
But because the townsfolk embraced the concept of a free to visit musical knees-up, and our then masters were suckers for fireworks, the party has just gone on and on and on.
It passed its sell-by date some while ago (the Party in the Ark, perhaps,) and the point at which it was cancelled due to bad weather would have been an ideal one to kick it into touch.
But the BBI decided to keep it alive - although it couldn't resist meddling with the way it was run, resulting in an admission policy coupled with a poor line-up that resulted in a major slump in attendance, which the politicians blamed on the weather (well, it couldn't be their fault, could it?).
The time for events like this is now well and truly over unless they are completely privatised and handed to outside organisers who have to make such an event not only self funding but profitable.
In these straitened times, the BBI does not have to resort to parties to cheer us up.
They're already doing enough to make us laugh as it is!
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tomorrow - how democracy is viewed ... depending whether or not you're in charge.
Friday, March 6
Who was that mystery man in the mask - oh, just the loan arranger
The million pound mystery - Boston's pioneering version of quantitative easing all those years ago -rumbles on.According to the BBC's website of Lincolnshire news, "an investigation" has begun at Boston Borough Council into the reasons for the loan ... at 11 per-cent ... taken out nearly 20 years ago, and officials have admitted they haven't a clue why the money was borrowed or what it was used for.
The BBC quotes Councillor Richard Lenton as saying that the situation is "unacceptable" - which has echoes of the saga of Sir Fred Goodwin's bonus about it.
"A lot of the records seem to have disappeared one way or another. We are in fact investigating this, we're going back to State Street (the holders of the loan) to find out exactly what it is for.
"Investigations are going on through the finance department at the moment, clearly this is an anomaly.
"To do this over a 50 year term is a bit peculiar. You've got to question the thinking."
As far as we can discover, no mention of this matter appears in the Council's Policy and Finance Committee's minutes up until May 1991.
But the year was one of some upheaval. The late R Ernest Coley retired as town clerk early in 1991 and there was an acting postholder until the unforgettable James McAusland took the reins later in that year .
But, despite all the current fulminations, this loan affair is not "new" news in that councillors were told of it in late 2006.
At that time they were aware of forthcoming financial budget restraints, and started work on a five year plan.
Officers were told to contact the loan company to see if agreement could be reached to settle it.
But the amount at was far more than the council could afford to pay and the advice was to wait until times were better.
We suppose that any further questions were "lost" in the run up to the 2007 May elections.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Thursday, March 5
Mayorvellous!
Well, we said we could always hope that something approaching decency might emerge when the time came to select the borough's Mayor for the year ahead.
Which is why we are so pleased to see that Councillor Maureen Dennis, who was elected to the Council to represent Old Leake & Wrangle in 2003, and was one of the few candidates to survive the BBI landslip of May 2007 has been honoured with the job.
Councillor Dennis defeated the current Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gerry Clare by 15 votes to 13 ... a winning margin of just two .... after a secret ballot.
Interestingly, we understand that two is precisely the same number of BBI members who are believed to have fallen out with the leadership in recent times. Is a further reduction in the BBI majority on the cards?
Equally interestingly Councillor Dennis would have been automatically entitled to the position under the previous system, so it seems that enough councillors at the meeting (a handful were absent) remained satisfied with the "if it's not broken, don't mend it" way of doing things after all.
Councillor Dennis was generous in her acceptance of the job according to local paper reports.
She referred to the job as "the hand of friendship to the people.
"When we have a bad press they are down, and I want to lift them out of that."
Prepare for some heavy lifting in the year ahead then, Madam Mayor!
As with all things, there is good news and there is bad news.
The good news is this year's election result.
The bad news is that it most probably paves the way for a BBI ouncillor* to don the ermine next year, as there is little by way of excuse to avoid it.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
*ouncillor
Not a typographical error, as readers might imagine. A political lightweight, used in reference to the Boston Bypass Independents.
Which is why we are so pleased to see that Councillor Maureen Dennis, who was elected to the Council to represent Old Leake & Wrangle in 2003, and was one of the few candidates to survive the BBI landslip of May 2007 has been honoured with the job.
Councillor Dennis defeated the current Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gerry Clare by 15 votes to 13 ... a winning margin of just two .... after a secret ballot.
Interestingly, we understand that two is precisely the same number of BBI members who are believed to have fallen out with the leadership in recent times. Is a further reduction in the BBI majority on the cards?
Equally interestingly Councillor Dennis would have been automatically entitled to the position under the previous system, so it seems that enough councillors at the meeting (a handful were absent) remained satisfied with the "if it's not broken, don't mend it" way of doing things after all.
Councillor Dennis was generous in her acceptance of the job according to local paper reports.
She referred to the job as "the hand of friendship to the people.
"When we have a bad press they are down, and I want to lift them out of that."
Prepare for some heavy lifting in the year ahead then, Madam Mayor!
As with all things, there is good news and there is bad news.
The good news is this year's election result.
The bad news is that it most probably paves the way for a BBI ouncillor* to don the ermine next year, as there is little by way of excuse to avoid it.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
*ouncillor
Not a typographical error, as readers might imagine. A political lightweight, used in reference to the Boston Bypass Independents.
Wednesday, March 4
Don't miss the bus - vote early and vote often!
In Ireland there was once a famous pursuit known as "personating."It involved obtaining the identity of someone eligible but unable to vote either because of infirmity, or in some cases by virtue of being dead, and casting their vote for the person that the pretender wanted elected.
It's a trick that has now largely died out, but, of course, polls remain malleable.
To tip the balance gently in the direction you would like it to go depends on a number of influences.
Firstly you can encourage people to take part, or you can discourage them.
And you can do your best to ensure that people only vote once.
In the context of the current poll on the Into Town bus service, which closes at the end of this week or a week today, depending on what you read, where you read it, and whom you believe, these two key factors have not been met.
The best line of encouragement is to make a poll as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
But before it even began, this poll period was reduced by 25% - from four weeks to three .... which must have the effect of allowing fewer people to take part.
The survey is being run for Lincolnshire County Council by the Mott MacDonald Group - "a management, engineering and development consultancy serving the public and private sectors world-wide."
Indeed, Mott Macdonald would appear to be such massive global player that we assume a survey like this is a small beer operation being done for pin money.
But to ensure that it doesn't waste a penny of its fees, completed forms have to be returned to its Norwich headquarters by post at the expense of whoever has taken the time and trouble to fill them in.
We think that this is quite unusual.
Almost every organisation which invites people to take part in a survey provides a Freepost address to return the answers to.
We think a lot of people won't take part if they have to pay and post the replies .... and as far as we can tell, there are no collection boxes locally for people to use.
Still, there's always the internet.
According to Lincolnshire County Council, the survey is available on the Boston Transport Strategy website.
If it is, we can't find it ... certainly it's not on the link posted on the county website.
There is, however, a survey on the Boston Borough Council website on behalf of Mott MacDonald in which you can apparently participate until 11th March - even though (according to the county) it runs only until the 8th.
Despite its obvious resources the company chooses the cheap and cheerful "Survey Monkey" to conduct this online exercise.
And one problem with this particular survey is that there is nothing to stop you completing and submitting it again ... and again ... and again.
Yes, if you want to influence the result it's as easy as filling the form in repeatedly until you feel confident that your wishes will prevail.
As the personaters used to say ... "vote early and vote often."
And this is called local democracy!
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Tuesday, March 3
Dodge these issues at your peril!
We never cease to be amused by the priorities of the great and the good and how they compare with the wishes of the people they claim to represent.The Community Action Plan - drawn up to give our otherwise rudderless leadership a sense of direction - sets out improving transport as its top priority.
The plan says reducing traffic congestion is overwhelmingly the public’s highest priority – apparently 68% of people said this was what most needed improving. For some reason this was particularly important for older people, whilst younger people were also concerned about availability of public transport and safe cycling facilities.
The public opinion was garnered in general survey carried out in 2006/07 ... so it is now well out of date.
We think that most people - if asked again today would say that they were now far happier about the traffic situation in and around Boston.
Aside from a the odd occasion when things jam up like they used to, it is fair to say that traffic now flows well, proving what many had long said - that the problem was caused by traffic lights and not by traffic. Now the lights are off, the traffic flows ..... quod erat demonstrandum.
As far as safer cycling facilities are concerned, cyclists continue to do what they've always done - use the pavements as cycle tracks regardless of the bylaws and the safety of pedestrians knowing that no-one will bother to stop them doing so.
The next priority is improving the health of the community – encouraging participants to take part in physical activity and eat healthily and providing better facilities to do so.
This apparently is the justification for spending a fortune on the Geoff Moulder Leisure Pool.
We don't dispute the worth of this particular facility - in fact we wish the council would focus on the Moulder site and ditch the PRSA once and for all - but we do doubt that investment in sporting facilities will do anything by way of encouraging a healthy lifestyle among the town's tubbies and the borough's biggest.
Generally, sporting and health centres are treated as fashion items .... to be tried on for a short while and then discarded when the novelty wears off.
And frankly the obese 29% of the borough's residents are highly unlikely to be in any way concerned about leading a healthier lifestyle.
We hate to sound patronising, but you know the sort of people we mean, and therefore you know that what we say is true.
Oddly enough, item three on the list - enhancing the quality of the town by reducing litter and generally smartening the place up is, in our book, the most important.
Whilst no surveys exist to prove the point, Boston has to be the litter capital of this part of Lincolnshire.
The streets are strewn with rubbish, and whilst people use the town as their personal tip, there is no way that they are ever going to consider improving their own lifestyles.
And it would be great if, for once, the reports on how to make the borough a better place made less of the "town centre" and more of the town as a whole ... or should that be hole?
People who live in the town but not in the centre are sick of seeing the amount of filth that litters our streets and gutters and blocks the drains. Not just rubbish, but food, glass and animal waste seem to be everywhere.
We recall with amusement the fanfare that accompanied the gum removal machine last September ... but wonder what has happened to it since - certainly we've not seen it in use since the photocall.
Another thing that could be done to make an immediate impact on the town centre would be to ask some of the big name outlets like Carphone Warehouse and Thorntons to give their shopfront a lick of paint.
A token it might be but it would certainly bring a huge improvement at very little cost - as would smartening up the ever-growing number of vacant shops from that make Boston look like Dodge City.
Small improvements can have a big impact without the need for fancy reports....
Write to us a boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
Monday, March 2
New, radical ... but still celebrating May 2007
What a shame that BBI press officer Councillor Ray Newell has taken Boston Eye off his mailing list.
Otherwise we would have known that the party DOES plan to field candidates in the forthcoming County Council elections.
The announcement is made in the guise of a letter to the toadying Boston Standard rather than a press release, which we guess is one way to get it published.
It celebrates a "new, radical reforming group" that has pursued a programme of improvement and change and sorted out the mess left by previous administrations.
For a moment there, we thought that Councillor Newell had joined some of his former colleagues and defected to another new party, but we have to assume that his words really do refer to the BBI.
We've seen little in the way of reform ... apart from the way we select the Mayor.
Improvement ... well, buses grinding their way between the pedestrians in Strait Bargate is certainly better for people who can't be bothered to walk a few hundred yards.
Sorted ... er how about the PRSA debacle, and the mystery million pound loan?
Councillor Newell's paean for the BBI eventually descends into a party political rant that slags off the Tories on the County Council and the Police Authority.
We aren't quite sure how the Boston electorate "will have the chance to change this situation" at the county council elections, as even in the unlikely event that they won all seven local seats they would have little collective influence on the decisions being taken at the authority.
And if the BBI does win any seats, will they fall under the mantle of the newly formed Lincolnshire Independents (co-prop: Richard Austin?) and the new councillors therefore be the servant of two masters?
We imagine that the candidates will be selected from the existing ready-tamed band on the borough council.
It's all getting very confusing - as is the way our radical council works.
More and more frequently, we are seeing items on agenda left in abeyance, or being pushed forward to another date.
Could this be an example of the "smoke and mirrors" mentioned by another councillor a few days ago?
Meanwhile, the "radical" BBI remains firmly rooted in the past ... at least as far as its website is concerned.
The last entry was made on 12th May 2007, so there is clearly little interest in keeping electors up to date on the party's activities.
And the list of elected candidate includes the two who have resigned, the four who defected and formed the Better Boston group and a fifth who decided to become truly independent.
Something of a yearning for the good old days from a party that claims to be so progressive, it would appear.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
PS - if you're at tonight's council meeting, we'd love to know who gets nominated for mayor.
Otherwise we would have known that the party DOES plan to field candidates in the forthcoming County Council elections.
The announcement is made in the guise of a letter to the toadying Boston Standard rather than a press release, which we guess is one way to get it published.
It celebrates a "new, radical reforming group" that has pursued a programme of improvement and change and sorted out the mess left by previous administrations.
For a moment there, we thought that Councillor Newell had joined some of his former colleagues and defected to another new party, but we have to assume that his words really do refer to the BBI.
We've seen little in the way of reform ... apart from the way we select the Mayor.
Improvement ... well, buses grinding their way between the pedestrians in Strait Bargate is certainly better for people who can't be bothered to walk a few hundred yards.
Sorted ... er how about the PRSA debacle, and the mystery million pound loan?
Councillor Newell's paean for the BBI eventually descends into a party political rant that slags off the Tories on the County Council and the Police Authority.
We aren't quite sure how the Boston electorate "will have the chance to change this situation" at the county council elections, as even in the unlikely event that they won all seven local seats they would have little collective influence on the decisions being taken at the authority.
And if the BBI does win any seats, will they fall under the mantle of the newly formed Lincolnshire Independents (co-prop: Richard Austin?) and the new councillors therefore be the servant of two masters?
We imagine that the candidates will be selected from the existing ready-tamed band on the borough council.
It's all getting very confusing - as is the way our radical council works.
More and more frequently, we are seeing items on agenda left in abeyance, or being pushed forward to another date.
Could this be an example of the "smoke and mirrors" mentioned by another councillor a few days ago?
Meanwhile, the "radical" BBI remains firmly rooted in the past ... at least as far as its website is concerned.
The last entry was made on 12th May 2007, so there is clearly little interest in keeping electors up to date on the party's activities.
And the list of elected candidate includes the two who have resigned, the four who defected and formed the Better Boston group and a fifth who decided to become truly independent.
Something of a yearning for the good old days from a party that claims to be so progressive, it would appear.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
PS - if you're at tonight's council meeting, we'd love to know who gets nominated for mayor.
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