In an e-mail to all councillors, Interim Communications and Marketing Manager, Andrew Mallkin, says the Chief Executive's decision was taken because of the legal position concerning the risk of libel.
The e-mail includes a blood-curdling explication of what constitutes libel which alone would be enough to terrify even the most humble diarist from ever putting pen to paper again.
At present, only two borough councillors blog, whilst a third was intimidated from doing so by a frivolous complaint made by a local politician who holds no office.
The decision to cut the links has angered prolific council blogger Raymond Singleton-McGuire, who has branded it ridiculous, pointing out that publishing a link to a blog is no different than publishing a telephone number.
Councillor Singleton-McGuire, the Tory representative for the borough's Coastal Ward and the county's Fishtoft Division, asks " in the same vein as you
have given reason for removing Blog links, I question whether you are going to be removing phone numbers as well?"
The councillor, who has copied his e-mail correspondence to Boston's MP Mark Simmonds, asks for the move to be reconsidered and the links reinstated before he takes the issue up with the Government Office and Local Government Association.
In a subsequent e-mail, he points out that the Borough's Standards Committee have already ruled that blogs are the personal property of the individual Councillor
and in no way representative of the council's views, which means the council cannot be held to account.
"By your very actions of disconnecting or removing the link ... you have created a situation disbarring a Member or Members of the Council from Freedom of Speech. My blog has been established for a year and I now have a paper trail of how many referrals I get from my link with Boston Borough Council, which I am informed adds significant weight to my case.
"I have also been advised on the basis of your email and the aforementioned it would be a consideration for the basis of a Complaint against either yourself or indeed Boston Borough Council for taking such action."
All of this might be considered a storm in a teacup were it not for the fact that Boston Borough Council's ruling group, the Bypass Independents, have an almost pathological obsession with secrecy.
Indeed, last week's meeting which elected the mayor for the coming year carried out the ballot in secret. Selection of the mayor has been going on in Boston for centuries, and we can recall no time in previous years when it has been turned into such a clandestine affair. Then reason was obvious when the voting figures emerged, as they showed that yet again the BBI was using its majority to steamroller its candidate and was hoping that the public would not find out.
As far as the argument put forward for cutting the links to councillors' social networking sites is concerned we could perhaps find it acceptable if Boston's action was in line with others. But Lincolnshire County Council and other Lincolnshire district councils all seem happy enough to publicise such links.
And as long ago as 2007, a report of the Councillors' Commission, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, specifically mentioned blogging and its importance as a communications tool.
It said: "As part of their corporate communications strategy, local authorities and councillors should promote the role of councillors using a range of communication tools, for example by: a) Using the media and communications resources of the council to work to build positive relations with the local media; b) Making use of council newsletters and other media publications; c) Harnessing technological solutions – such as email, web 2.0, blogs and texting – to make councillors’ activities more visible.
Councillor Singleton-McGuire is noted as a blogger who is highly critical of the controlling group, and we are sure that the corks on the Sanatogen Tonic Wine have been popping in the cabinet room since his wings were clipped by this arbitrary action.
How much better if the Interim Chief Executive had opted to treat the elected members as adults (yes, we know it's not easy in some cases) and written to them to warn that a highly remote pitfall of blogging could result in the threat of a libel action and therefore to exercise caution. Instead, he has acted dictatorially, without consultation, and let another officer to do the dirty work and take the flak.
Once again Boston stands out from the rest not for good reasons, but for bad ones.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
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