Friday, July 16

Week ending 16th July

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
A load of old rubbish! ... We note that a return to weekly rubbish collections has been ruled out by Boston Borough Council. Deputy Chief Executive Phil Drury is quoted as saying people have been “supportive” of the two bin scheme.  That's strange, because we don’t recall having any say in the matter - the system was inflicted on us and that was that. The hottest summer since it was introduced highlights all the dangers that people warned about with fortnightly collections of general rubbish. Why doesn’t Mr Drury own up and admit that the scheme is cheaper for the council which is all that matters these days?
This one will run and run ... Tucked away in a report to next week’s cabinet meeting is news of more delay in handing over the Princess Royal Sports Arena the private sector: “Leisure Connection, in discussion, with the Government Actuaries Department have ascertained that certificate of pension broad (sic - should this be “board?”) compliance is not yet available and the contract award is conditional on this matter.” Presumably as with everything, times costs money - but how much more taxpayers’ cash is going into this apparently bottomless pit?
Parish the thought ... Even though Boston has a large number of parishes - at 18 - it’s disappointing to see that there are currently vacancies for councillors in three of them, whilst a fourth has been filled uncontested. We accept that the parish level represents the nursery slopes of local government, but regret that so many are not finding the duty worth the candle and that so few can be bothered to seek election.
Drunk with power ... We note that a meeting to discuss banning drinking in public places to the whole of the borough is being held on Tuesday. Lest anyone thinks that this is some sort of groundswell of public opinion, we should point our that it is the brainchild of a local residents’ group called Boston North West Action Group. This group has specific local issues with alfresco boozing, and to try to turn them into a borough wide concern is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. We have long held doubts about the use of Designated Public Place Orders - DPPOs - in Boston and are pleased that the council has so far resisted the blandishments of this group.
Catchphrase ... The borough’s governance and performance monitoring quarterly report appears under the heading “One Team - working together for Boston.” We’ve long mused about what effect people think these slogans have on those who read them. One team? Surely not. You’d need a meeting room the size of the Royal Albert Hall to accommodate them and they'd never agree on an agenda!.
Spellbound....  Headline of the week winner is the Boston Standard, for the entry: “Time to ‘role up our sleeves and help’ on global challenges.” They may have spellcheckers these days, but if you haven't a clue which is the right spelling to use, then nothing can save you!
Coming up on Monday ... BID, bad, and dangerous to know - the latest  moves to disband this unwanted company.

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