Our Friday miscellany
of the week's
news and events
Letters to the editor are the lifeblood of local newspapers, and reflect the interest that people have in the place where they live. However, in recent weeks, the letters pages have become little more than a campaign arena for our local political parties. The Boston Target in particular seems to have a particularly soft spot for the Boston Bypass Independents - publishing no fewer than seven letters from their councillors in just four issues. The two which appear this week – one from the regrettably irrepressible Councillor Ramonde Newell and the other from former BNP activist turned BBI candidate Spencer Pearson – are both nothing more than blatant electioneering. We really think that our local press should exercise more by way of discretion.
Talking of local newspapers – if you have your Boston Standard delivered and pay at the weekend, prepare for a shock. An unannounced price rise, which also went unmentioned in the paper, now means that you will be paying 50p a week – up from 45 pence. It’s the third cover price change in a year– last February it rose from 42p to 45p. Co-incidentally, the latest 12.5 per-cent rise is almost exactly the same as the fall in circulation published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations earlier this week. Whilst more than 95% of weekly papers lost circulation in the second-half of last year, only 53 of the 383 ABC registered titles suffered double-digit losses – in the Standard’s case, one of the highest at 12.6%. Put into perspective, the Standard readership has fallen from 11,305 in 2008, to 10,017 a year ago, then 9,412 – and is now 8,756. By a further co-incidence, this week also saw the announcement by the Standard’s owners – Johnston Press – of the appointment of a group editor for several of its weeklies in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. We have to say that somehow we doubt that even two editors can save the Standard from what looks like terminal decline.
On Wednesday we speculated about what sort of turnout there might be for that night's meeting for people who are thinking of standing as councillors - and now we know. The affair was very well attended – but mostly by councillors and people already declared as candidates. One BBI member was busy taking notes, and bizarrely visitors were then asked to fill in a form to request a nomination pack - which included a box for the ward they were intending to stand in. By a rough count there were around fifteen people hovering over two or three wannabees. It sounds more as if the intention was to scare these people off, rather than to encourage them into the fold. Perhaps it was.
Earlier this week we commented on Councillor Ramonde Newell’s plea for people from a broader walk of life to consider becoming councillors – which also posed an interesting conundrum. “A young or part-time worker can be as important as a landowner, a millionaire, a property developer, a farm or a banker,” he wrote. Now we know who the landowner, the property developer, and farmer on the council are, but can someone tell us who the millionaire and the banker are? In this day and age, they’re probably one and the same!
We are told that there is no truth in rumours that refurbishment of the Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre is to be kicked into touch. Apparently, bids from contractors have been received "but no final decisions have yet been made" says Deputy Chief executive Phil Drury. However, his comment comes in the context of the £2 million scheme being listed among those requiring an "affordable business case." Hands on hearts now - can you really see Boston Borough Council finding that sort of money in this day and age? If for any reason Mr Drury is mistaken, the refurbishment will join a long list of projects that never were. Twenty years ago plans for a £5 million leisure complex on the site of the former Haven Cinema site were being drawn up by developers to include to cinemas, a ten-pin bowling alley, sport and health facilities, "upmarket" bingo, plus bars and restaurants. More recently, Boston College trumpeted a move to West Street, as part of the Merchants Quay project, then, when that fell through, the college was to undergo a major redevelopment on its existing site - but that fell through as well And what about the smaller shopping "malls" proposed for West Street and Red Lion Street? And weren't there plans for more shops opposite the ASDA supermarket... and a second floor for Marks and Spencer .... the list goes on an on. But then, if you live in Boston, you have to learn to live with disappointment
Many people are getting exercised about parking problems at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital. A quick look at the figures makes the nature of the difficulties obvious. The Pilgrim has 418 car parking spaces for patients and visitors, and more than 500 beds. It’s always going to be the case that that there will not be enough parking place, and, of course, many visitors who flout the “no more than two visitors to a bed” rule make the situation far worse. Issuing tickets to people who are forced to park on Spilsby Road won’t change a thing – they park there because there is nowhere else. We were recently told that Boston has a surplus of parking spaces. Why doesn’t the council set up a park and ride scheme from its nearest car park to the hospital. It would ease congestion and make money for the cash strapped council to boot.
Another traffic issue that has been exercising people is the proposed improvement to the Spilsby Road/Freiston Road/Willoughby Road junction – in particular the plan for an experimental one-way system along Willoughby Road. Willoughby Road is used solely by neighbourhood traffic, and since the days when it was used by horse drawn vehicles, local people have operated their own sensible and courteous traffic system which has seldom seen any problems arise. Co-incidentally, it is forty years ago this week that members of Boston Borough Council discussed a recommendation not to make Willoughby Road one way . Guess what? They agreed that it would be impractical, and voted to take no action. It wasn’t broken then. It doesn’t need mending now.
The inherent danger of the extended metaphor is admirably demonstrated in this cutting from the current issue of the Boston Standard.
Finally, We note that the former Past Times shop in Boston has become yet another hairdresser. One thing puzzles us. With so many hairdressers and beauty salons around the town, why are most of the people we see walking the streets so scruffy and ugly?
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
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