Our Christmas card for you

Well, it's time  for us to hang up our stocking and spend the next few days sharpening our pencils ready for 2011.
Many thanks to the tens of thousand of you have have visited our blog during the year. We hope that you have found it entertaining.
Here's the winner of our Christmas card caption competition - and it comes with every best wish for Christmas and the new year from everyone at the Boston Eye team. Just click on the card to enlarge it.

Boston Eye will resume publication on Thursday 6th January - but we're not going away, and if something crops up that needs publishing, rest assured that we'll be up to the task.
Once again, our best wishes for 2011, and thanks for reading.

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

A seasonal spoof ...

Long after everyone else had gone home on Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Austin – also known as Pa Humbug - blew out the candle that served as both light and heat in his Worst Street counting room, and set off for his home.
He walked the cold corridors that had once bustled with life before the staff cuts were introduced, and was startled to see a light beneath the door of his former deputy …. Jacob Jordan.
Gingerly, he opened the door and peered round.
Sure enough, the man who had once sat at Ebenezer’s right hand was standing there, wreathed in chains.
“I wear the chains I forged in life,” he said in answer to the unspoken question. “I forged them link by link.
“They go well with the ermine don’t you think?” And with that he gave a twirl and clattered off.
“I forgot,” he called back over his shoulder.” There are some ghosts coming to see you. So you’d better watch out.”
And with that he strolled across the River Witham and disappeared from sight.
Halfway down the Worst Street stairs, Ebenezer encountered a jolly red-faced man who introduced himself as the Ghost of Christmas past.
The spirit waved an arm and immediately the corridors all around them became bright with light, and warmth suffused them – just as it had in the days before the cuts.
The ghost took Ebenezer by the arm and led him to the council chamber.
A huge ash log fire blazed in the hearth, sending sparking light scintillating off the civic regalia.
Councillors and officers danced together, laughing gleefully.
One of them, and elderly white-haired woman was clearly the centre of attention.
Ebenezer was aghast.
“Why, it’s old Dobbiwig” he cried “I haven’t thought of her for years and years.
“Everyone seems so happy, yet I always though that the previous administration was an evil bunch of ne’er do wells who were responsible for every bad decision ever taken.”
“Only because that’s the impression you chose to give,” said the ghost haughtily, as they left the scenes of jollity behind them and returned to the stairs – which had once again become dark and cold.
Another ghost was waiting for them – the Ghost of Christmas Present.
He walked Ebenezer out into Boston Market Place, where a few tired residents struggled to find some last minute gifts for their families.
The council’s Christmas lights hung in rat’s tails as they had since they were put up in July. The footpaths were slathered with chewing gum, and the only real activity was from the litter, which bowled and bounced merrily on the breeze, wrapping itself around the legs of the shoppers.
“I am beginning to see the error of my ways,” moaned Ebenezer. “All those zero per-cent increases in council tax were a false economy. The town could have been so much nicer for the sake of a few pence on the taxes and the thousands that they would have brought in.”
The ghost glowered, and then vanished in a puff of smoke to be replaced by the third visitation – the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
“You can see the future,” said Ebenezer.
“Yes.”
“That makes you something of a know-all.”
“Yes. But you can call me Ray.”
The spirit took Ebenezer by the arm, and showed him a vision of a Boston even worse than the one they had just seen.
People lay where they fell in the street, as the cost of cremation was now too expensive for most of them to afford. The path carved by the Into Town bus service had turned Strait Bargate into a track that more closely resembled the medieval Bar Ditch. What quality shops there had been had closed and replaced by even more mobile phone dealers and charity shops.
But of charity, there was little to be seen.
A ray of light suddenly struck Ebenezer.
“I understand the message you are sending me, “he said.
“If I repent the error of my ways, and rule fairly, openly and transparently, this vision can be erased, and Boston can once again be restored to the happy place it once was.”
“And, ” he added beneath his breath “I’ll get re-elected for another term.”
“Not a chance, mate” said the ghost. “I heard that last bit. That’s something you couldn’t do in a century of Christmases.
“Come May 5th next year you and your chums will be out on their ears. You had your chance and you blew it. That’s the future - and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”
And with that, he vanished, leaving Ebenezer sobbing with regret.
“Now I’ll never get a place on the Roll of Honour,” he cried.
“Oh yes you will,” the spirit’s voice boomed back from the future….
“But for all the wrong reasons.”

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Stale fare at County Council meeting

Time for some news before today’s festive fun – with a look back to Friday’s meeting of Lincolnshire County Council.
A rather stale feast for the pre-Christmas meeting, we felt – about a flat as last year’s trifle … and about as trifling.
There were just two questions put by our local representatives – or one if you discount that put by Boston’s singing conservative councillor for the borough’s North West division, Andrea Jenkyns.
Miss Jenkyns asked the executive councillor for children’s’ services Patricia Bradwell to update members “on the recent annual assessment that’s just been done.”
Small beer for what we reckon was Miss Jenkyns’s maiden speech – but a question that Mrs Bradwell approached with gusto, croaking and stumbling her way for the next four minutes through a sheaf of notes she’d made earlier.
We say we are inclined to discount the question, because it had that eerie feel of the sort of request made to Gordon Brown at Prime Minister’s Questions in the dying days of the last government, when a prearranged question was posed that would allow him to give a “good” answer.
Doubtless Miss Jenkyns will tell her devoted followers more on her blog – but the likes of you and I are denied access to is, as it is open to invited readers only.
Another triumph for spontaneity, openness and transparency!
The second question was from one of our old timers – known as Councillor Major Ramonde Newell at County Hall – where he sits as the Independent member for Boston West rather than a member of the BBI (even though he was elected on that party’s ticket) – and he lectures others on turning coats!
His question is one that has already been asked and answered through the pages of the local press, and concerned the removal of the Fire and Rescue service Swift Water Rescue Boat from Boston to Spalding.
At the end of the day we learned that the removal of a service that most of us had never heard of until Councillor Newell mentioned it will have no detrimental effect on the people of Boston.
At least it was a local and relevant question – unlike the one from Miss Jenkyns.
But enough of this! Like the pantomime villain, it’s behind us.
It’s time to move on now to today’s piece of festive fun – with the winner of a “caption a Botticelli nativity scene with a Boston angles” competition.
Hope you like it.

If you have an idea for a caption of your own, please write and let us know.
Tomorrow sees our very own version of A Christmas Carol. Guess who’s been cast as Scrooge.


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

Christmas countdown - day 1

You may think that the work of Gustave Doré, the world famous illustrator, whose woodcuts and engravings brought to life such works as Poe’s The Raven and Coleridge’s’ Rime of the ancient mariner, might have little to do with Boston.
Not so.
In our search for something humorous in the run up to Christmas we stumbled across the images he created to illustrate Danté’s Divine Comedy.
And immediately some of the pictures struck a chord.
We reproduce them below – suitably captioned, and hope they make you smile.
If you have an idea for a caption please send it to us.
  

Tomorrow, the winning entry in our “caption a Botticelli masterpiece to provide a Boston slant….” which is also the runner-up in the Boston Eye Christmas card competition.

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

The week in words

The words most used in Boston Eye in the last seven days

Click on the photo to enlarge it

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

Week ending 17th December

Our Friday miscellany

of the week's

news and events

Out of the mouths of political babes … The debate about the Bypass Independents’ membership of the Independent Network drones on and on. Now it is being explained to us by a gentleman called Spencer Pearson, who is the prospective BBI candidate for Staniland North – a seat currently held by Councillor David Lingard, who presumably is standing down at next May’s elections. Mr Pearson is keen to tell us that BBI councillors are asked to sign up to the ten “Bell principles” laid down by the Independent Network. These include such things as being free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip,making decisions transparently and openly and treating political opponents with courtesy and respect. As Mr Pearson is not presently a councillor we would forgive his naiveté – except that we worry about the credentials of a candidate who cannot believe the evidence to the contrary that stares him in the face

Game of the name … It’s not occurred to us until now, but the BBI’s obsession with its “independent” status could well be the prelude to a change of name ahead of the elections in May. The town’s multi-million pound road improvement scheme will be complete by then, and it wouldn’t surprise us if the BBI claimed “job done” insofar as traffic flow had been improved, and perhaps adopt the less wordy and more popular sounding “Boston Independent Party” as a new name. Certainly it might fool a few voters into supporting what must be the most unpopular local group of politicians in Boston’s history. Whatever, a bypass for Boston is now dead and buried – at least for the coalition government’s term of office which ends in 2015 … just in time for a new batch of local elections.
Boston – where’s that? … But a bypass for Lincoln could still be on the cards – after County Council officers went to Westminster to lobby transport minister Norman Baker to ask him to favour the scheme. How come they can’t do something similar for Boston? We think we know the answer to that one.
Rolling on … Boston’s Roll of Achievement has a new member at last. Without wishing to seem unkind, we have to say that the story of the widow of a weight training club owner who continues to run the business “for love” is highly laudable but no more than that – and would not meet our definition of “achievement.” Was her nomination the only one received? If not, how many others were rejected? As we’ve said before there have to be fairly stringent criteria for admission to the roll – otherwise the whole thing becomes nothing more than a list of anyone who applies for admission.
Drain on resources … Argument over the appointment of BBI Councillor Gerry Clare as Boston representative on the county council Flood and Drainage Management Scrutiny Committee continues. His appointment was made without consultation or discussion with the excuse that a nominee was needed at short notice. It’s now emerged that the timetable was actually quite lengthy and that Councillor Clare’s name went forward a full three weeks before the first meeting of the committee. Apparently the plan now is to formalise the appointment at the next council meeting. Not without proper, transparent, and open discussion and a vote, we hope.
Killjoy was here … Talking of transparency, we are pleased to note that a formal procedure has been suggested for attendance at next June’s Local Government Association annual conference in Brighton. The recommendation is that the council’s leader and deputy, plus the leader of the largest opposition group be asked to attend at a total cost of £1,557 excluding accommodation, travel and subsistence,which can all be claimed on expenses. In addition the recommendation is that should the councillors who hold these positions at the timet be unable to attend, there should be no substitutions. Boston Eye readers will recall that at the time of this year’s conference Leader Richard Austin offered the opposition leader an invite which was declined – at which point he extended the offer to “the next biggest political group on the council”, which turned out to be his own party members who were not in the cabinet! Not surprisingly, one may think, by sheer coincidence the winner of a ballot amongst this ‘group’ to attend the dog-hanging - was the leader's wife. Sounds like there was a killjoy around when the latest recommendation was drawn up.
Room for more spending … It’s too costly to provide the money for stickers which would improve the look of empty shops, but not apparently to carry on enhancing the Community Rooms for which £30,000 was allocated and presumably spent. We learn that they closed for a few days while a new heating system was installed. Was this included in the budget? If not, how much has it cost? And was it really necessary given that the building may be demolished in the not too distant future.
Twits … Boston Borough Council ‘s website invites us to visit its Twitter page, where people can become “followers” or fans of the council. “Bostonboro” as it is called boasts eleven followers – which is ten more than we expected. Then we noticed that four of them – oddly all young men of a similar age – have signed on from BBC Lincolnshire. Perhaps this is intended as a joke. If not, it is very very sad.
Yo ho ho ... That’s it for today. In the spirit of Christmas we plan to lighten up next week. We'll have the winning entries in our competition to find a Boston slant on engravings by the French artist Gustave Doré originally produced to illustrate an edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy. That will be followed by the runner up to our Christmas card competition for the best caption to a Boticelli masterpiece. Then there’s our very own version of A Christmas Carol, and finally the overall winner of this year’s Boston Eye Christmas caption competition.

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

Pear-shaped is

today's mantra

By some perverse form of osmosis is seems that no sooner does Boston Business Improvement District become involved in a project than it all goes pear-shaped.
Earlier this year, for reasons best know to itself, Boston Borough Council decided to let the BID handle the lion’s share of the operation to improve the look of the town centre with the aid of a £52,000 government grant.
The bulk of the money was spent on the community “hub” which has shown itself to be all but worthless since it opened well after schedule (apart, of course, from hosting the brilliant, crowd pulling, endlessly informative and entertaining Boston 200 exhibition - created by our brilliant and imaginative council leader Richard Austin.)
A sum of £12,000 was set aside to brighten the look of empty shops by decorating their windows, and a design created by local schoolchildren was approved.
Boston Eye regularly and repeatedly ask what has become of this money, and now we have an answer.
It appears that this project has been “quietly scrapped” because Boston Borough Council decided that it was a waste of money.
Yet again, the council is guilty of sneaky, underhand and patently non-transparent moves which for once it has been unable to keep under wraps.
The excuse offered is that empty shops turn over so rapidly that money would have been wasted because the graphics “sealed to the windows” would have to be removed and could not be reused.
Has our sneaky council not heard of self-cling film which can be removed and used elsewhere? Apparently not.
Instead “giant” reusable maps of Boston are to be used – though why this could not have been done in the first place has not been explained.
It’s hard to determine which is the more hapless – Boston Borough Council or Boston BID.
Over the long run it would have to be the council, as is has had more time and more practice. But in the short race, Boston BID must be ahead on points.
Not only is it unwanted by the town’s businesses upon whom it was so unfairly inflicted but we have seen no evidence that it is seeking to improve.
Only the other day we heard that the BID (or rather the businesses which fund it) had been fined £375 by Companies House for failing to submit its accounts on time. Some business organisation.
And whilst one minute the BID manager is pooh-poohing statistics highlight the number of empty shops around town, the next he is writing of his concerns over the self same issue.
Some months ago a “Task and Finish” committee was set up by Boston Borough Council to look into Boston BID – but the BID refused to have anything to do with it, and it appears that the committee simply slunk away with its tail between its legs.
The contempt in which the BID holds the council, the town’s businessmen and the local people is outrageous.
Yet still it is allowed to suck money from local firms and waste it willy nilly.
It is time Boston BID was brought to book.
Finally, and talking of things going pear-shaped, we commented yesterday on the abrupt withdrawal of the report on leisure services to the Cabinet by the Chief Executive and his deputy.
The report was also due to feature at today’s meeting of the borough’s Performance Review Committee under an item headed “Boston Sports Initiative/PRSA. Now of course, it won’t be discussed.
What is interesting is an attached excerpt from the cabinet minutes of 17th November which remains son the agenda.
Which among other things, reports:
• Answers provided by the Chairman of the Boston Sports Initiative were uninformative and unhelpful.
• Officers had not handed over the funding cheque to the Boston Sports Initiative until satisfied with the Princess Royal Sports Arena’s performance. The committee could not see how this was measured when no targets had been put in place since January 2010 to monitor performance.
• There was no indication of when Leisure Connections would take over the running of the facility, therefore, it was essential that an agreement was put in place between the Boston Sports Initiative and the Council.
• In the event that the Leisure Connections contract did not go ahead, it would make it all the more important to ensure good governance was in place by way of something such as a contract or service level agreement.
• The Princess Royal Sports Arena’s accessibility was still a major problem.
• The Giles School swimming pool could be used by the public when it opens, which would take users away from the Geoff Moulder Leisure Complex and the Princess Royal Sports Arena.
Remember what we said yesterday about the council plan to privatise leisure services going pear-shaped? Keep it in mind.

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

Top council post

goes job share....

....has leisure deal

gone pear shaped?

Merger is in the air as South Holland and East Lindsey District Councils meet today to agree the business strategy for their shared services company – Compass Point Business Services (East Coast) - and its trading arm.
By merging customer services, revenues and benefits, ICT, human resources and finance, the two authorities expect to save more than £30 million over the next 10 years.
Not only that, but by generating new business – which we assume means taking on work for other local authorities – the councils expect to earn as well as save money.
Regular readers of Boston Eye may remember that Boston Borough Council could have had a seat at this financial feast as well – but backed out when it realised that its financial position was so shaky that it would have to borrow money to be a player.
Now, if Boston wants to join the savers’ club it will have to pay – just like everyone else.
And yet, bizarrely, the Borough will play a role in all of this - albeit an extremely peripheral one.
When Compass Point was created, one of South Holland’s strategic directors was temporarily appointed as the company’s Section 151 Officer – its financial supremo.
And among the staff transferred to the new company was East Lindsey’s Section 151 officer – which left ELDC without a post holder.
Now it emerges that after discussions with Boston Chief Executive Richard Harbord, Boston’s recently appointed Director of Resources and Section 151 officer will step into the breach - working for each authority for two and a half days a week with the salary shared 50-50.
Readers may recall that the Boston job was advertised at a stonking £87,500 a year, and filled almost on the quiet, with no formal announcement.
While the reported salary was disputed, it appears that East Lindsey’s half of the bill equates to a salary cost of £58,000 per annum (including on costs) which makes the total an even stonkinger £116,000.
Whilst we don’t understand how all these things work, we wonder at the wisdom of appointing someone earlier this year when it must have been clear then that the job took only two-and-a-half days a week to do, rather than the five days that the salary was offered for.
Meanwhile, South Holland District Council is not letting the grass grow under its feet. A further report following the Chief Executive job sharing arrangement with neighbouring Breckland Council earlier in the year puts forward proposals for a joint shared management structure between the two authorities which will deliver savings of a further £1 million a year.
As the grass stays neat and tidy in the south of the county, Boston, meanwhile, disappears ever deeper into the woods.
This morning’s agenda of Boston’s Cabinet has fallen victim to the famous disappearing disease - which ranges from whole committees vanishing from agendas to individual reports.
Today’s casualty is a report on Leisure Services by the council’s top two officers. One minute it was “not yet available” then it was “withdrawn.”

Now you see it - now you don't - two views of Boston Borough Council's website just hours apart

We’ve no idea what the report might have contained, but we worry that it suggests that the Borough’s deal to privatise the running of the Princess Royal Sports Arena and Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre might just have gone pear shaped. If that is the case, rest assured that we, the taxpayers will be the last to know.

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

First the BBI hijack independence

in Boston

- now they mock a true Indy!

The unholy alliance between the Boston Bypass Independents and the Independent Network (key player: ex-BBC war correspondent in white suit Martin Bell) continues apace.
Regular readers may recall that the BBI was recently bragging about being "endorsed" by IN - which describes itself as "a loose association that provides support to candidates who are not members of traditional political parties."
If this is the case, we wonder why the BBI has received recognition as it is registered as a political party (albeit not traditional) with the electoral commission and as at the end of March this year had £785.96 in its campaign coffers.
Members of IN are obliged to comply with The Bell Principles, under which they pledge to:
1: abide wholeheartedly by the spirit and letter of the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by Lord Nolan in 1995: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership
2: be guided by considered evidence, our real world experience and expertise, our constituencies and our consciences
3: be free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip
4: be non-discriminatory, ethical and committed to pluralism.
5: make decisions transparently and openly at every stage and level of the political process, enabling people to see how decisions are made and the evidence on which they are based
6: listen, consulting our communities constantly and innovatively
7: treat political opponents with courtesy and respect, challenging them when we believe they are wrong, and agreeing with them when we believe they are right
8: resist abuses of power and patronage and promote democracy at every level
9: work with other elected independents as a Group with a chosen spokesperson
10: claim expenses, salaries and compensation openly so the public can judge the value for money of our activities.
On the evidence known about the BBI to date, they should be removed from membership for failing to honour principles 3, 4,5,6,7,8,and 9 - just for starters.
On its website, the Independent Network now offers a map, headed "Your local election candidates" (see picture below, and click on it to enarge it.)

If you click on the pointer that is obviously hovering over Boston, it will inform you that your "local election candidates" are "Boston Bypass Independents - constituency Boston Borough council."
Not only is this an insult to TRUE independents, but it also seems to be a calculated attack on the longest serving Independent on Boston Borough Council - Councillor Richard Leggott.
Recently, Councillor Leggott and his colleague Councillor John Storry wrote a tongue in cheek letter to the local press, suggesting that an earlier letter from Councillor Ramonde Newell trumpeting the BBI's new found association with the Independent Network had not been reflected with an application from him to join their group.
However, on the Independent Network website, a click on the map link to the Boston Bypass Independents gives their address as the BBI blogsite.
But anyone wishing to take matters further is not - as you might expect - invited to
e-mail Councillor Newell as "campaign officer" or Councillor Richard Austin as Great Panjandrum, but are directed to contact Councillor Leggott at Boston Borough Council. (see picture below, and click on it to enarge it.)

How this might impact on Councillor Leggot's political reputation is anyone’s guess, as is how long this link has been in the public domain (the longer, the more harmful)  - but it is a damaging and disgraceful stunt to pull - even by the BBI's abnormally underhand standards.
The BBI may consider themselves a clever bunch of comedians, but they don't make us laugh here at Boston Eye.
They have gained a false place at the Independent Network's table, are are doubtless hoping that come election time anyone wanting a truly independent candidate will be tricked into believing that their nominees are the ones to vote for.
We hope that someone will intervene and get their endorsement withdrawn.

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

Tried hard - could

do better

It’s very easy to criticise a lot of things that go on in Boston – we should know, because we do so often …. and sadly, with good cause.
This year’s Christmas Market found us in something of a quandary as it is clear that, whilst a lot of individuals put a lot of effort into trying to make things go well, the overall impression was of something lacking.
Ahead of our critique, we have to say that we agree with comments about the town’s Christmas lights.
The switching-on fiasco over BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s airwaves made the town look pathetic, and the efforts to claim it as a PR masterstroke in the last borough bulletin only served to underline just how disastrous the affair was.
The lights and ratty bunting have been rolled out and strung up since the days when coppers wore high hats, and are now more than merely past their sell-by date – they are a disgrace.
The Christmas Market was not – but it could have been a whole lot better.
For some strange reason the stalls were crammed along the western edge of the Market Place in rows that unnecessarily mimicked the weekday market layout. It produced  a formalised, unfriendly almost military ambience, and left the opposite side of the Market Place looking empty and neglected. In fact it was mostly used for parking of emergency vehicles, a rock stall and a seasonal fire brigade demonstration of how to cut up tin cans.
Just look at the photos we took.
The first shows the hostile outlook produced by the back of the stalls that bordered the market. Why are they all bunched to one side facing inwards towards the shops, when the Market Place is such an attractive, open area?

…. And look at what could have been a wonderful Christmas view of the Stump with market stalls in the foreground on a bright December morning. Instead, it is an unsightlly mess that does nothing to promote the town.

As we left the Market Place to walk through Strait Bargate, we were stuck by how much more attractive the atmosphere could have been if stalls had been placed along the bus lane which operates there on the remaining six days of the week.

Look at our little map on the right of how it could have been laid out.
Starting at the northern end of Strait Bargate, our line of stalls runs through the precinct then opens out along the outer limits of the Market Place. The stalls face inwards, emphasising the huge space of the arena, with their backs to the shops. Santa’s shed could have been in the centre here – rather than lurking on the edge of all the activity. This leaves the way clear for Sunday shoppers who don’t wish to get involved in the Christmas Market to window shop virtually unimpeded.
Lots of effort went into yesterday’s event.
But as so often happens in Boston, it was let down through lack of vision and imagination.
One final thing.
Will those who reckon that the Assembly Rooms are such a fine building do something about the staircase, whose dangers are underlined when several people use it at once, as they did yesterday.
It is more like a fairground cakewalk, and sometime soon some poor devil will go head over heels because of the precarious tilts and angles that the stairs present. It is not fit to host a public event in its present condition.

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

The week in words

The words most used in Boston Eye in the last seven days

Click on the photo to enlarge it

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

Week ending 10th December

Our Friday miscellany

of the week's

news and events

Quiz time ...  Here’s a little picture quiz for you. What’s the photo on the right all about? Is it a government campaign to warn us of the dangers of sneezing without using a handkerchief? Or some pantomime character designed to scare the living daylights out of the children? The answer’s at the foot of the page …..
Election could become a grave matter … A side bar to our piece earlier this week concerning the debacle over plans to turn the original part of Boston Cemetery into an unusual tourist attraction is that an interesting challenge might appear at next May’s local elections. The Boston Victorian Cemetery Trust is so incensed at the cavalier handing of its plans by the borough council that members are considering putting up an Independent candidate to raise the issue on a public platform “as a way of highlighting that the current management is not acceptable.” It’s a very interesting idea – and one which bring local politics back to its roots.
Indepen-dense … Talking of such things, we had hoped that last week’s light-hearted letter from local Independents John Storry and Richard Leggott, taking a pop at the BBI’s Ramonde Newell might have brought an end to the “Mouth of the Haven’s” ramblings. But no. He’s back this week with his usual chuntering about “turncoats.” If the man can’t take a joke he shouldn’t be in politics. Come to think of it, he shouldn’t be in politics anyway.
Lost bridge game … It seems that Boston has a claim to fame that no-one knew about until now, which ought to bring tourists flocking to the town. According to local historian Paul Mould, writing in this week’s Boston Standard, 1809 was “the year John Rennie built the first cast iron bridge in England here in Boston.” We think that the residents of the World Heritage Site at Ironbridge in Shropshire might take issue with that claim – especially … as any fule kno … the world's first cast iron bridge was built by Abraham Darby the third at Coalbrookdale thirty years earlier in 1779. Perhaps Mr Mould is confused. Certainly the final paragraph of his report left us that way. What precisely does he mean when he says:” The present Town Bridge was replaced by Rennie’s bridge in 1913”
Snap happy - 1 … We commented on Monday about the way in which council leader Richard Austin dominated the borough’s website report of last week’s visit to Boston by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman – even though he was a minor player in the day’s events. We note that he also features well in the local press photo coverage of the event. But then that’s not surprising - as the photos have clearly been provided by the borough to the newspapers.
Snap happy - 2 Last week’s photo of council leader Richard Austin apparently clutching his Star Wars light sabre (click here for a reminder) generated something of an admonishment from one reader, who wrote: “Could I suggest your interpretation of the photo is somewhat flawed. It is obvious to everyone, and not only from your snapshot, that the Leader is brandishing the white stick he needs to carry. Shame on you mocking the politically afflicted! The gentleman on extreme right however, judging from his facial expression, is desperate for the toilet opening ceremony to be over. One can only hope he 'made it' in time and was not 'caught short'--of 20p.”
Imitation greatest form of flattery … We’re sure that the borough is grateful to have such a supine local press. Earlier this week, the borough website reported … “Battling bin men in Boston borough have almost managed business as normal despite abnormal weather conditions...” This was followed by a report in the Boston Target which read: “Battling bin men in Boston have almost managed business as normal despite the bad weather …” Perhaps they felt that words such as “abnormal” and “conditions” were a few syllables too much for their readers.
Blast from the past … In the past fortnight, two letters have appeared in the local papers signed by “former Conservative councillor” Yvonne Gunter on issues as wide ranging as local politics and the town’s Christmas lights. We wonder if this heralds a return to next year’s political action by Miss Gunter – whom we recall made a lot of noise but produced little by way of action. If the cold weather hasn’t yet made you shiver, then that prospect certainly should!
Not what it seems ... For local industrialists, the chance to advertise in a glossy colour production called “The Year in Review – a look at how businesses in Boston and Sleaford fared in 2010” must have sounded too good to miss. We wonder how they’re feeling now that the Boston Standard publication has hit the streets. The only mention of “business” appears in the support advertising. The “editorial” is a lame review of the year‘s “news” which normally appears in the paper to help fill space over the Christmas and New Year holiday. It seems a long time since the Standard last pulled such a stunt. A favourite ploy used to be to persuade advertisers to “support” events such as Remembrance Day. Their ads would appear on a page festooned with poppies and an appropriate banner, while the paper would pocket the proceeds in the usual way.

Quiz time answer ... Did you guess?



If that’s Pescod Square’s idea of a festive figure of fun, then don’t expect too much if you venture out to the shopping centre this weekend. Or if you do, take a big stick!

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Let's merge these

lists of Boston achievers

The debate over Boston’s “Roll of Achievement” refuses to go away.
Despite claims that total spending would not exceed £500, latest estimates put the cost so far at more than £3,000.
And only last week Boston Borough Council took a half page advert in the Boston Target to promote the stunt – whatever that cost.
It’s not yet a month since this brainchild of council leader Richard Austin was launched, and so far it does not exactly seem to have set Boston alight – with just seven names in total.
Creating a roll of achievement has so far only served to highlight the incongruity that exists between it and other pre-existing ways that Bostonians living and dead are recognised.
For instance, the council already recognises the hard work put in by local people with an annual “Service to the Community awards” – although this is under review as a potential economy.
These awards are a good thing, and to lose them would be a reversal in community relations.
However, if rather less than £650 were spent on food and drink for an event where the scrolls given to nominees cost just £150, it might well be able to soldier on.
Perhaps the event could be sponsored, as the council seems to go to outside enterprise with its begging bowl much more often these days.
Then there is a section on the borough website entitled “Famous Bostonians.”
Unfortunately, this is divided into two sections – one for people “born in Boston” which has just six entries, and the other entitled “Boston Connections” - which has nine. You may as well add a third section -"people who have heard of Boston!"
Precisely how some of the nominees in “Famous Bostonians” differ much from those in the “Roll of Achievement,” is debatable .
In fact, some of those listed as “famous” tend to be of the variety usually referred to as legends in their own lunchtimes more than anything else.
Pishey Thompson, for example was probably famous as far as Mrs Pishey Thompson and the little Pishey Thompsons were concerned - but little known beyond that. Certainly, his diaries indicate a life devoted to unremitting tedium. And yes, we have read them!
Turning to the Roll of Achievement, the inclusion of such names as that of Alan Day - a second world war hero, local businessman and politician - extends the scope for adding names in a way that the addition of Ernest Bowser - who became prosperous through farming and knew a bit about drains - does not.
And if nothing else, it might help if the Roll of Achievement had some sort of structure – putting it in alphabetical order would be a good start. And the presentation is somewhat lacklustre at present.
We have already observed that - as an example - the name of Lynn Ellis should be on the roll but isn’t. And where are Len Medlock, Carmella Riddell, Geoff Moulder, Adrian Isaac, Martin Middlebrook and Dr Cyril Nyman – to name just a few from recent years alone?
With such confusion, it’s probably best to go back to basics.
The dictionary defines “famous” as “known to or recognized by many people; renowned.”
It declares “achievement” as “something that has been accomplished, especially by hard work, ability, or heroism.”
With those two definitions as starters, Boston Borough Council should merge its lists into a single roll of Bostonians whose lives have enhanced those of others by service or individual effort – or in some other way brought credit to the borough.
At the moment, we have two lists – one of not-very-famous people - and another of “achievers” … some of whom struggle to fill the definition.

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The plot thickens:

Council blamed as

cemetery plans hit dead end



The original 1855 cemetery area

Yet again comes evidence that Boston Borough Council says one thing and does another on matters involving the town’s heritage. Among the few jewels in the town’s crown is part of the cemetery. The grounds opened in 1855 have been on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest since 2003, and the surviving cemetery chapel was Grade II listed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in 2006.
The Boston Victorian Cemetery Trust had ambitious plans for this, but has now been forced to withdraw from a project which it hoped would turn the cemetery into a magnet for visitors and family history enthusiasts.
In a letter to Councillor Jim Blaylock, the cabinet and portfolio holder for Parks, Amenities and Rural Communities, and Phil Drury, “Strategic Director” and Deputy Chief Executive, the Trust expresses concern at "the lack of interest in the heritage and history the cemetery represents for Boston that the council and its officers seem to show.”
The Trust said that from the outset, its plans for the cemetery were based on the original 1855 site and the late Victorian extension - including the buildings still existing.
But despite several requests, information was not provided concerning tenancy of the gatehouse and the fact that the occupants most probably are now likely to have rights to the entire building – including the former superintendents office
“This was despite assurances that members of the local Family History Group had used this portion for a number of years which led us to believe we could incorporate this side of the building into plans for a Genealogy Centre as part of our financial sustainability programme,” says the BVCT – and after taking legal advice they were advised “not to touch the situation with a barge pole.”
“Throughout the negotiations we had the distinct impression that whilst we saw the project as the site and buildings as a whole, the council officers seemed only to concentrate on the surviving chapel and its restoration.
“Based on our proposal we had an assurance from the Architectural Heritage Fund that we had a good chance of funding provided the project was seen as a whole. “However we feel that the council was attempting to push the trust into restricting our plans to the chapel and taking on a commitment to do works that the council is obliged to carry out whilst retaining control over the grounds management as a wildlife reserve and the gatehouse as a potential 'sell off' property. This we were not prepared to accept.”
Earlier this year, the Trust organised an open day at the cemetery but say they would not like to repeat the exercise – “particularly given the aggressive stance of council officers with regard to health and safety issues …
“There is a lot of interest in the cemetery and its heritage and history from the people of Boston but there is an obstructive element amongst 'animal conservation' minded individuals within the council staff, and local groups that oppose further access to the site for the vast majority of members of the public.
“This is not in keeping with the way a local authority should manage its public assets.
Heritage Lincolnshire has asked the Trust to organise a Heritage Open Day next September but the letter says “given the current attitude and experience of dealings with the council we are not happy at attempting to help with this suggestion ...which we feel is a great pity and loss for the tourism of Boston.
It concludes: “We recently had to cancel well developed plans for a Herbert Ingram exhibition at the Assembly Rooms for much the same reasons.
“We feel that there is little commitment from council officials and members to promote the heritage and historic attractiveness of Boston as a place to visit and that 'wildlife groups' maintain a single-minded stranglehold on attempts to include the ordinary people in organising attractions in this town.”
Boston Eye says: What a shame that in these difficult times a dedicated group with different ideas who want to help make Boston more attractive are brushed off in such a cavalier fashion.

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Secret squirrels on BBI

are up to their old tricks!

Just a day after we raised an eyebrow at the continuing attempts by the Boston Bypass Independents to emerge as the heroes in the Boston flood defence debate, comes news of yet another stunt.
Earlier this year Lincolnshire County Council created the “Flood and Drainage Management Scrutiny Committee,” with a broad-ranging brief, including keeping an eye on local implementation of the Environment Agency-led national strategy for flood risk and coastal erosion.
The committee comprises eleven members of the council, plus seven other voting members – one from each of the county’s districts.
The first meeting of the new committee, whose brief is to undertake the scrutiny of new responsibilities the county will have under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, was scheduled for 26th November – a full ten weeks after its inception.
By all appearances, the district representatives were nominated and approved with the exception of North Kesteven - which was declared vacant ahead of the meeting, but filled on the day by a councillor acting as an observer.
Boston’s representative was listed as BBI member Gerry Clare, who represents North ward – but it now appears to have come as something of a surprise, as clearly, only a select few within Boston Borough Council knew of the nomination.
Certainly, those in the know did not include any of the fourteen strong opposition – and no doubt most of the rest of the BBI.
Councillor Clare – whose knowledge of flooding is not legendary – was apparently parachuted in as a member of the committee on the grounds that the invitation to the first meeting came with little warning.
However, he does not appear on the agenda as an “observer” like his NKDC colleague, but as a fully fledged member.
This, of course, is something that should not happen in an open, transparent and democratic council.
But then, we’re talking about Boston here, so it should not really be too surprising.
The normal way to go about appointments of this type is to seek nominations, and discuss them.
There is no reason why the appointee should be a member of the BBI, and we would have thought that it would have been preferable to give the job to someone who actually knows something about the subjects likely to be discussed – of whom there are several on the council – though not among the ruling group.
The County Council’s own rules for appointment are clear: “A co-opted member is … a member who has been duly nominated and appointed by a district council in Lincolnshire in accordance with this scheme.”
Incidentally, we are reminded that after the floods in Boston in 2008 the borough council took part in a meeting involving the Lincolnshire Emergency Planning Unit. Whilst it was attended by councillors and representatives from services involved in helping the public during and after the flooding, none of the three councillors covering Fishtoft Ward attended.
Fishtoft Ward was the most seriously affected area in the whole of Boston.
Councillor Clare is one of the representatives whose “patch” includes Fishtoft.
Yet again, the BBI has decided to ride roughshod over the rest of the council – this time making a secret appointment with no acknowledgement of the proper procedures.
And this is a party that boasts of its openness and devotion to democracy.
Humbug!

Footnote: Remember yesterday’s photo of the Association of Drainage Authorities’ (call me “ada “) website? Within a few hours of Boston Eye appearing, the item had been edited. You can compare it with yesterday’s photo by clicking on the photo below.

What a shame that ada wasn’t courteous enough to acknowledge that the meeting was organised by Boston’s MP, Mark Simmonds.

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Time to fight for flood barrier -

not for brownie points

We sincerely hope that Friday’s visit to Boston by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman was used as more than just an opportunity retrospectively to praise the recent Boston 200 flood exhibition and its creator, borough council and BBI leader Richard Austin.
But that’s certainly the impression we got from reading the report on the borough council’s website, where Councillor Austin received no fewer than five name checks and appeared in three of the four photographs, while Boston 200 received four mentions.
We were even told that Councillor Austin “accompanied” Ms Spelman “along with borough councillor and chairman of Lincolnshire County Council Peter Bedford” which sounds like an error in protocol to us, especially as Boston’s MP Mark Simmonds - at whose invitation Ms Spelman had come to Boston - was not only there, but went on to chair a meeting attended Ms Spelman, Lincolnshire County Council, Boston Borough Council, Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and the Internal Drainage Boards.
Agreed, the borough report mentions that Ms Spelman “heard and saw why the planned Boston Barrier scheme is so important.”
But we hope that more than just that was done in light of the news that the £50 million scheme could founder as a result of cuts.
Whilst the environment department has said funding over the next four years will be "just 8% less than our average yearly spend," Lord Smith, the chairman of the Environment Agency, recently told the Observer newspaper that flood defence spending will be "cut in cash terms by about 27% and that will happen immediately".
Worse still, he went on to add that: "There will be communities that would – if funding had remained in place as at present – be starting flood defence work in a year or two years' time that will now be delayed."
A line like that points the finger firmly at Boston’s barrier scheme.
The last time the Environment Agency staged one of its drop-in sessions to show the short listed sites for the proposed barrier in September, Boston Eye went along and asked specifically whether the scheme was under threat from proposed government cuts.
We were assured that this was categorically not the case.
But now, it seems, all that could change.
The need for a barrier was identified in 2007, with the construction timetable in three parts - an initial appraisal between 2009 and 2013, detailed design work from 2013 to 2015, and the construction phase taking two years, from 2015 to 2017.
Interestingly 2015 marks the end of the coalition parliament – which makes it even more convenient to kick Boston’s barrier into touch and leave it to a successor government to find the money.
Existing flood defences give Boston with a standard of protection equivalent to a one in 50 chance of flooding from a tidal surge in any year, and around 900 businesses and 10,000 homes are currently at risk from a tidal sugre.
The Boston Barrier would increase the standard of protection to a one in 300 chance, which would force the insurance underwriters to reconsider the area’s risk assessment, and bring affordable cover to many who current are either denied it or have to forego it.
We think that Boston 200 has had its day.
All it has served to do is highlight how dangerous and unattractive the area is as a place to live and invest.
All efforts now should be directed at getting the Boston Barrier built, not using it as a pawn in some political game to promote an indifferent exhibition of little interest that is now long past.
Note: Councillor Austin’s role in Friday’s meeting is even more gravely misstated on the website of the Association of Drainage Authorities – which publishes under the twee acronym “ada” and which goes on to report “the visit was organised by Cllr. Richard Austin, Leader of Boston Borough Council.” – see our photo below.

click on the picture above to enlarge it

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The week in words

The words most used in Boston Eye in the last seven days

Click on the photo to enlarge it

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Week ending 3rd December

Our Friday miscellany

of the week's

news and events

The beep goes on … We learn that despite what Councillor Brian Rush reported in our blog on Monday, there are no plans to trial “silent running” of Boston’s Into Town bus service. Oddly, the denial comes from the selfsame person who reportedly made the suggestion in the first place – but we suppose that’s what they call politics.
Will he, won’t he? … We enjoyed the tongue in cheek letter in the local papers from independent councillors John Storry and Richard Leggott denying any suggestion that BBI Councillor Ramonde Newell had applied to join their group. In fact, Councillor Newell was uncharacteristically boasting that the BBI has been accepted as members of the Independent Network – despite the fact that it meets almost none of its joining criteria. Mind you, anything is possible, and we reported rumours recently that Councillor Newell had flirted with the ruling Tory group on Lincolnshire County Council, having already abandoned the BBI badge for the Independent alliance.
Sum of the parts … Talking of Councillor Newell, we note that he is quoted yet again as saying  that Boston is “the largest town by population in the administrative county of Lincolnshire.” Last time he said this (at a Lincolnshire County Council meeting) he was roundly hooted down and reminded that Grantham holds that particular honour . To avoid doubt, according to South Kesteven District Council’s website, “The town has a population of approximately 40,000 (38,240 at the time of the last census in 2001)” while Boston’s site says “The area has a population of 53,700, half of which live in the town of Boston.” That would appear to put Boston’s population well below that of Grantham.
What a difference a day makes ... A story which failed to make the Boston Standard’s website on Wednesday was – rather strangely – the non appearance of the newsprint version of the paper. Newsagents told us that it was “was running a day late” and would therefore not be available until Thursday. But the last time we can recall an event like that was when the lorry carrying Boston’s papers ran off the road after the company imprudently closed its town based printing presse. Never mind, soon they will be selling so few that it will be possible to send them by post!
Drowned out by flood news … Boston Borough Council’s latest bulletin hit the webwaves claiming to be a “record breaker at 33 pages.” It is indeed a lot of pages, but not hard to achieve if you fill enough of them with the same stuff. For instance, seven pages were devoted to flood related issues in the wake of the Boston 200 exhibition. That’s more than 20% of the total. By any stretch this would appear to be overkill, and we think that is now high time that Boston 200 and Son of Boston 200 are allowed to sink silently beneath the waves.
Just made it … Reading ever onward, we were struck by the similar three-page overkill with the “Beautiful Boston” competition with three pages devoted to the search for calendar pictures. We are told that some of best photos were selected, and the bulletin goes on to display 17 pictures described as “entrants” in the competition – including four by the same photographer. We have to say that this is very disappointing. Just 17 entries for a contest that needs to find twelve “winners.” What would they have done if one ten entries had come in, we wonder?
Christmas comes early … We’re also grateful to the bulletin for giving us the smile of the week in the form of BBI leader Councillor Richard Austin apparently showing off an early Christmas gift.

Well, it looks like a Star Wars light sabre to us! What do you think?
Christmas comes early - 2 … Just days after we pointed out the case of the disappearing committee meetings, we note that December has already suffered its first casualty. A few days ago, six meetings were scheduled. Now there are only five. The casualty is the Planning Committee meeting on December 14th. At this rate there will soon be none left.
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Red faces, not berries

for Boston's Christmas

With a shudder not brought on the by chilly weather we learned that Boston Business Improvement District is said to be planning this year’s Boston Christmas business activities.
Starting tonight, we will see four consecutive Thursdays of late night shopping – with stores staying open until 8pm.
Aside from a performance by the cast of Cinderella and a tour of the town by the Singing Fishermen, it generally sounds to be the mixture as before.
Fortunately the disastrous skating rink has been dumped this year – which probably means that despite the claims of how successful it was, it was as bad as most people thought.
Providing entertainment for Christmas is always a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you don’t affair.
But our belief is that – aside from Lincoln’s now cancelled monster market – most people don’t travel far for events like this.
Almost all the towns in Lincolnshire come up with their own offer, which basically adds a little entertainment to the deadly chore of Christmas shopping.
We read the piece in Boston Borough Council’s bulletin which trumpeted the “switch-on” of Boston’s Christmas lights – and we disagree with the quote “you couldn’t buy better publicity.”
After initially being made to look daft on the wireless because Boston is apparently the only place in the county that doesn’t have a proper switching-on ceremony, a second piece sought to address this by doing the job over the air.
Somehow, the borough got the idea that this was a publicity coup, when in fact it just highlighted inadequacies, with Boston lending a helping hand.
To call the piece naff is an insult to naffness, and made Boston look dafter than it already did.
Earlier this year, Boston Eye reported that Christmas might be a gloomy affair this year because the council’s existing contract for Christmas lighting had expired and they wanted the BID to help bail them out. But a short time later the proposed Market Place refurbishments were used to kick the idea into touch.
The result is that once again we have the same old lights that we’ve had for years, so perhaps avoiding a switch-on ceremony might have been a better bet.
Meanwhile, we note with dismay, that the BID has still not been able to get a handle on shop opening hours.
Throughout the year, shops open on Sunday when it suits them – rather than for the same agreed hours.
The result it that someone visiting the town for an hour’s shopping before lunch and arriving at 10am, will find that some of the shops they wish to visit don’t open until 11-30am.
We would have hoped that by now the BID could have got local traders to work together on opening times – and we think that this is especially important in the run-up to Christmas.
But no. There is the same haphazard array of hours – made worse by the fact that the BID’s guide offers a key which includes …
“OPEN = open unsure of hours…
“OPEN? = may be open
“CLOSED? = may be closed.”
This guide is about as helpful as the BID’s infamous business directory.
We also note that the Co-Op is supposedly open from 6am to 10pm every Sunday, which must surely be a mistake.
So, come shopping to Boston.
The lights are dim, the BID is even dimmer.
But despite their efforts and the unflagging uselessness of Boston Borough Council – aka the BBI – we are sure that Bostonians will still manage to have a good time.

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Impartial?

We're not so sure

In the way that the BBI frequently grasp at straws, the Bostoninnies blog recently told us: “It is refreshing to be reminded from time to time that to impartial outsiders Boston has much to its credit. We therefore invite our readers to pursue the recent article on Boston in Lincolnshire Life which broadly concludes that things are, all things considered and given the national backdrop, going rather well in our little corner of this great nation.”
As is often the case with the Ninnies, the link to the feature no longer works – although in fairness we have to say that it seems mysteriously to have vanished from the Lincolnshire Life website entirely - but it was written by someone called Glynis Fox with photos by Mick Fox – a regular team when it comes to singing the praises of towns throughout the county.
Whilst we agree that it highlights some good things about Boston, this should come as no surprise, as Lincolnshire Life has never been known to feature a town and then rubbish it.
However, the thrust of the article caused us to raise an eyebrow.
It begins by saying: “Market town traders are being urged to throw more weight behind a business group which is determined to drive up Boston’s economic fortunes.
“Despite facing some objections this summer, Boston BID said it is ‘business as usual’ for the organisation which is keen to encourage the town’s independent traders and national shopkeepers to share their bright ideas for boosting local wealth.”
More than 600 words – around 40% of the feature – then lavish praise on the BID, including the disputed claim about the level of empty shops in the town, and gives the BID star billing on the Community Hub project – which is actually a government inspired and funded initiative which the BBI dumped on the BID to give it something to do and make it look good in the process (or to dodge the flak if it went wrong.)
The feature goes on to mention some of the town’s newer businesses, some of the older established ones, then returns to smarming around Boston BID by saying that “a good programme of events also plays an important role in attracting more visitors. And, with that in mind, Boston’s BID team is currently busy planning for the crowd-pulling Christmas Market on 12th December.”
There’s also a retrospective plug for Boston 200 and another pat on the back for the BBI with the recycling of the council handout on how the council has improved.
As we said at the start, we agree that Boston has much to be proud of.
But we cannot say that we find this feature as "impartial" as the BBI would like us to believe, given that it devotes most of its praise for the BBI backed BID, the BBI backed Boston 200 exhibition and the BBI run council.
A good start would be for someone to assure us that the writer is not the identically named Glynis Fox, who is the PR consultant for Lincoln BIG (the city's equivalent of Boston BID.) Then we might be inclined to reconsider.


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