Week ending 19th June

Living in the past award of the week. We often report on the shortcomings of the Boston Borough Council website - though not as often as we could. Sometimes, the errors and omissions are corrected, sometimes they aren't. The latest that we've spotted is in the shopping guide to Pescod Square, which we are told: "boasts a wide range of top high street names including Next, HMV, Ottakars, Officers Club and Costa Coffee. The centrepiece of the square is the charming and historic medieval Pescod Hall. Pescod Hall is now home to designer label ladies store Esprit, their first store outside of London, and it is proving a huge success." Not so huge that it didn't close down quite some while ago - whilst Ottakars was taken over by HMV and its name changed to Waterstone's three years ago.
Leap of faith award goes to borough council leader Richard Austin, who reckons that occupancy of Boston Enterprise Centre on Enterprise Park will surge from a meagre 17% to a stonking 75% - equivalent to 26 more tenants joining the eight who are already there. However, just in case, he reminds us that the previous administration approved the budget and revenue implications of the centre. It's called having your cake and eating it. This whole concept has been a flop which has largely seen solely local firms relocate from expensive in-town accommodation to tailor made accommodation at rock bottom prices.
Squeaky clean award of the week goes to local MP Mark Simmonds, whose expenses are now available online along with every other member of the House of Commons. One of the few things that stood out among his incidental expenses provision which is for "costs incurred in the course of an MP's duty" was a claim for numerous copies of Decanter - "the world's best wine magazine." Still, given the mood in Westminster these days, the poor man probably needs a glass or two after work to drown his sorrows!
Here we go again award of the week. The news that the former Woolworth store in Strait Bargate is to reopen under the QD brand fills us with indifference. Yet another "bargain" store. For bargain, read cheap. Don't we have enough of these types of shop? With one or two exceptions, Boston's shopping "scene" is far too downmarket. Oh yes! And what's happening the the Merchants Quay project - which remains scheduled to open in 2012 despite the dwindling amount of time available in which to build it. Still with QD, the fact that 600 desperate people queued for hours for the chance of one of 25 jobs is yet another sign of the underlying malaise that is engulfing Boston.
Nought out of ten award goes to "local educationalists" following the news that parts of Boston are among the worst in the country for school leavers likely to go to university. Now we hear that they have promised to take action. So they also get our closing the stable door award of the week as well.
For our Let your imagine run riot on what happened next award we thank the writer of the Operation Fusion diary of Lincolnshire Police's clampdown on drugs. "Officers seized a quantity of suspected amphetamine, along with a plastic bag of a very fine white substance." Picture the scene. "Very fine indeed Inspector, would you like a toot as well, sergeant....."
Stating the obvious award of the week goes to the Boston Target for the headline -"Figures reveal the size of our obesity problem."

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