Roll gathers

moss

The Borough Council’s Roll of Achievement – half-heartedly launched a week or so ago – now lies floundering at the top of the council’s web page …  like a goldfish won at the May Fair which was doomed never to last very long.
For such a prosaic offering, it seems to be drawing controversy like iron filings to a magnet.
Initially, the project was presented as a fait accompli, then it was returned for reconsideration before finally becoming reality. Standard BBI steamroller tactics.
Now it is emerging that the £500 a year disputed cost of maintaining the Roll will actually not be exceeded because Council Leader Richard “Papa Dick” Austin has claimed that staff would be prepared to do this in their own time “as a sense of pride for the community of Boston.”
Whilst we would never question the devotion of the staff to the borough, we have to say that this sounds like a step too far.
And even if it is the case, it is completely wrong to ask an already over-stretched workforce to do something for nothing in this way.
This Roll of Achievement is another of Councillor Austin’s back of a fag packet constructions that appear after little by way of forethought.
It was intended to be a beacon of achievers that would draw visitors to the website and by extension to the town.
It now languishes with uncorrected errors and a total absence of style – whilst elsewhere on the lamentable borough website a far more interesting group of people are listed under the headline “Famous Bostonians”
So now we have two separate sources of Boston achievers.
Sorry, make that three.
There is also the annual “Service to the Community awards” which are now being reviewed as a possible economy.
There does seem to be reasonable cause – as the event apparently costs £800 to stage … £150 for the scrolls presented to nominees, and £650 for munchies and cocktails for the councillors who attend the bash.
And even with a lure like that, many of them can’t be bothered.
This year 26 councillors attended the event, with three sending apologies and a further three not even bothering to do that, whilst in 2009 it was even worse, when just 18 turned up for the awards with nine sending apologies, and four ignoring things altogether.
Before this whole business descends into total farce, we need a serious review.
There is only enough room for one roll of Boston achievers/famous citizens/people who go that extra mile for the town.
The whole thing needs collating and properly presenting as a single list.
It might then be worth reading.
The latest addition to the roll arrived yesterday in the shape of Colour Sergeant Damian Todd, who has completed his “Gumpathon” – a 3,530-mile fundraising run across America to raise money for wounded military veterans.
Yet another sporty nominee, bringing the total to four out of seven – all of them nominated by the same member of the Borough’s communication team.
What happened to the Achievement Committee that was supposed to do this? Has it met? Was Colour Sergeant Todd the only nominee?
And although his efforts are remarkable, do they really meet the criteria set out for entry in the Roll of Achievement in that they have brought “great credit” to the borough. We think not.


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