A new look BAP

for Boston?

There was a time when  the Boston Area Partnership was the only BAP in town  - but now, the borough's come up with another - with  food in it. For some unknown reason, Boston Borough Council suddenly appears to have noticed that the borough has a business community – and has decided to throw it a sausage.
Businessmen and women are being invited to a breakfast meeting tomorrow morning to hear about business rates “and have a chance to express their views.”
The meeting starts at 7-30am at the White Hart Hotel, and will be over by 9-30am.
There’s just time enough to down a bacon and sausage bap and a cuppa before the presentations begin at 8am
Speakers include “experts” from the Valuation Office Agency, “free” business support advice from Boston-based business advisers, a council tax budget presentation and a general question-and-answer session.
Better make sure that the coffee is good and strong.
Boston Borough Council’s upbeat preview to the event says: “Every penny counts, whether you’re earning it, spending it or investing it and in these financially difficult times it has never been more important for councils to listen to the views of all.
“Boston Borough Council is most concerned that its business ratepayers get the full picture and have an opportunity for all their questions to be answered.”
We hope that as many local business people as possible go along and ask questions about the Boston Business Improvement District – which aside from failing to deliver anything much by way of improvement so far is now giving its reluctant members the finger and refusing to bow to their calls for it to be disbanded.
The council – which has a somewhat over-cosy relationship with the BID in the view of many people – has set up a Task and Finish Group to look into how the bid is run … but we don’t expect that to achieve much more than a rearrangement of the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Businesspeople might also like to ask about the way the Empty Shops Project is being run in Boston – particularly as more than £20,000 which was supposed to be allocated to improving the look of empty shops and aiding new business start-ups does not appear to have been used for that purpose.
Somehow we doubt that “the full picture” will ever go on show as far as these questions are concerned.
And whilst it is easy to shed crocodile tears of concern and promise to answer each and every question, in the case of the issues we have raised, no answers have been forthcoming – and nor do we expect that they ever will.
But it looks good on paper, doesn’t it?

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com  Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.