Week ending 25th June

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Puzzle pieces ... We're told that the mystery of the £1 million pound loan has been solved. Target columnist George Wheatman says that one of the council's "newest" officers found it was for the refurbishment and extension of the municipal buildings in West Street - perhaps our new S151 financial wizard. And nobody remembered that until now? We calculated that at the time the loan was taken out in 1991, the council's annual budget was of the order of £4 million. So did someone really borrow an extra quarter of its annual budget for such a purpose? Not only that, but at today's prices, £1 million in 1991 is worth today between £1,610,000 on the retail price index, to £2,420,000 using the share of GDP. It's not enough simply to solve this mystery. It needs to be established whether the money really was borrowed for this purpose - and if so who borrowed it and on whose authority. Then even more serious questions can be raised.
Easy come, easy go ... More Freedom of Information requests on how much Boston Borough Council pays the Boston BID show that it stumps up for six properties in the BID area. These are: the bus station and premises in St George's Road , the now closed Haven Centre, the Assembly Rooms, South Square car park, the Market Place, and the Municipal Buildings. Since the BID started in December 2008, we, the taxpayer have poured £8071.16 down this pathetic drain. What on earth do we get in return for this? Perhaps someone could tell us.
Empty vessels ... The Empty Property Project aimed at privately owned homes empty for six months or more, which was announced this week, has undertones of busywork about it. Surely, the councils involved - which include Boston - already know where empty properties are, because their owners are not paying council tax on them. The idea of inviting whistleblowers to "report" empty properties smacks of Big Brother, and whilst the problems of empty properties are stressed in detail, there isn nothing about what "help" is available for their owners - just a hint of jam tomorrow.
Thanks a bunch, garden centre ... We are rightly exhorted to support our local businesses, but after the advert below appeared in this week's local papers, we feel that perhaps some local businesses ought to consider the idea of a little reciprocity.

Of course we all know that Boston has traffic problems, but to suggest avoiding the town because of them is a step too far. If the advertiser were Tesco rather than Johnsons we know what the reaction would be.
Great escape ... we note that Australian-born "psychologist" Kris Murrin has been appointed to David Cameron’s office as director of his" implementation" unit in charge of ensuring policies are delivered and that staff work effectively. Bostonians will recall Ms Murrin as the woman who boasted that she would get the town's motorists out of their cars and end traffic congestion at a stroke. Despite Boston Eye's warnings, and ably abetted by the Boston Bypass Independents, all she did was produce a TV show for Channel 4 called "The woman who stops traffic" which depicted a town filled with obese imbeciles who would rather die walk if they could otherwise drive. Since then, Ms Moron's triumphs have included helping a food retailer come up with sales ideas by getting staff to imagine they were ingredients in a stir fry in a "wok" made of beanbags and chairs. At least one Conservative MP has already said he is not prepared to be subjected to a "mumbo-jumbo psychobabble experiment." How sad that Boston lacked such prescience. And what happened to the apology we seem to recall the BBI was demanding from C4 for its pathetic programme?
Signing off ... How embarrassing for the local businesses whose names are still associated with the apparently defunct "Boston in Bloom" project . Outside the Post Office, two patchy strips of grass are all that are left of the once beautifully tended flower beds maintained by the borough as part of the sponsorship deal. Out of kindness if nothing else, those responsible should remove the name plaques ... unless of course the unsuspecting companies are still paying in the belief that they are helping make the town a prettier place.
How time flies ... It's six months to the day to Christmas Day. Surely the leader's New Year message on the borough's website ought to be considered well past its sell-by date by now? Presumably he's got nothing new to say, rather than being too busy to put pen to paper for his adoring public. But for someone who not that long ago announced a blog that fell flat on its face, the Leader has fallen eerily silent.

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