Good news - we're spending £2 million on the pool , then giving it away

Further to yesterday's news about the shadowy appointment of a highly paid senior officer to Boston Borough Council, more information has been finding its way to Boston Eye.
We understand that the selection panel included former Deputy Leader Councillor Peter Jordan and Council Major (Retired) Ramonde Newell.
Apparently, the reasons given were that the massive experience in industry of Councillor Jordan, and the less obvious career talents of Councillor Newell (whose biography on the borough website refers to early employment at Boston's County Hall, teaching at Kitwood Boys School, and a spell in the army) had previously qualified them for a place on the committee ... so why change the status quo?
Some observers considered it strange that the portfolio holder for Borough finances, Richard Lenton, who is probably most likely to have contact with the new Section 151 officer, was not included on the panel. Stranger still, it seems that Councillor Lenton's lifetime role in the financial industry, and the administrative relationship that that might need to be formed with the new appointee, were also not taken into account by those in the leadership who prefer doing things the old way.
Talking of which ...
Whilst we don't doubt Councillor Jordan's industrial credentials from all those years ago, we feel that someone who is old enough to remember eating school meals at the Guildhall during the Second Word War (thankfully not the First) is also old enough perhaps  to be considered a little past his sell-by date as far as the contemporary world of industry is concerned.
There is a school that feels that whilst Councillor Jordan is no longer deputy leader he remains the eminence gris at Worst Street - something that the evidence seems to underline.
As we reported yesterday, the appointment of the new officer was treated as a confidential item on the agenda. We can see the need for this at the time - but not the need to maintain such secrecy a couple of months after the job has been filled.
On Monday night, the pink papers which gag the press and ban the public from meetings were rustling again when a vote was taken on privatising Boston's leisure services.
A fly on the wall tells us of refusals to postpone standing orders, no real examination of officer-led proposals, little regard for loyal staff or community needs, disregard of flaws in recommendations, and block voting - which is how the BBI tells the rest of the council and the electorate to get stuffed.
However, we were at least informed of the result - or the headline if nothing else.
"One of the country’s leading leisure companies" has been awarded the contract to run services at the Geoff Moulder Leisure Pool and the Princess Royal Sports Arena.
The successful bidder won't be named until the losers have been told.
The deal will lead to the re-opening of the training pool, after the borough (ie the ratepayers) stump up more than £2 million to refurbish it.
Councillor Richard Dungworth, Portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning, Sport and Cultural Services, dubbed the deal a "good news story" for Boston ratepayers that will save the council £154,000 a year.
It may not be so for the council staff at the two centres who will transfer to the new organisation - and who probably represent some of  the savings Councillor Dungworth is chortling about.
Nor has anything been said about the massive debts run up by the PRSA - presumably they'll get written off as well.
More good news then?
And what about the useless Boston Sports Initiative? Hopefully that rides off into the sunset as well.
Somehow, we're not sure that this story has yet reached its final chapter.

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