Compass points in right direction for Spalding and Manby

A major step forward is being taken tonight that will see our neighbours in South Holland and East Lindsey District Councils merging services in a move that will save them tens of millions of pounds over the coming years. The item on the agenda at South Holland’s cabinet meeting says the two councils can save £30.726 million over ten years by establishing a jointly owned merged service company to operate Customer Services, Revenues and Benefits, ICT, Human Resources and Finance.
Not only that, but once the company has an established reputation for securing significant savings it will attract work from other public sector bodies - potentially locally, regionally and nationally, which the report says will provide even more financial benefits.
The company to be set up by the two councils starts on 1st August and will run for ten years under the name Compass Point Business Services (East Coast) Ltd - and, in a stunning piece of irony, we understand that much of the planning for these services (and the company's board meeting) is being carried out currently at the Boston Enterprise Centre - a handy halfway house between the two council areas.
Let’s not forget that Boston could have been a contender* -  but because of its lamentable financial disarray at the time discussions were taking place had to pull out.
Now we find the borough is likely playing host to what is expected to be a highly successful piece of local entrepreneurship, as well as losing out not only on major savings, but also the possibility of real income from offering services to others.
Oddly enough, as South Holland talks about it tonight, the merged services issue is on the agenda for tomorrow’s cabinet meeting, when Boston’s Interim Chief Executive Richard Harbord reports to the cabinet on proposals for sharing services with other Lincolnshire district councils in areas such as waste disposal, revenues and benefits, ICT, street scene, organisational development and communications.
But it seems there is no going back to amend lost opportunities.
In one section of his report, Mr Harbord says: “I am informed that at a presentation to all staff at South Holland their Leader told the staff we would be joining them after the election next year but that we would have to pay a large joining fee to recompense them for their start up costs.
“I believe their start up costs have been very large indeed and when I met the Managing Director of the new company recently I told him we would be happy for them to tender competitively for work that we advertised but we would not be prepared to ever pay an ‘entrance fee.’ ”
So there!
Not for the first time, Boston leads from the back.

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* "I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." - On the Waterfront (1954)