Task & Finish

group wastes time

so BID can have more

What involves five meetings and 14 people – plus a further eleven at various points along the way - to produce an “action plan” that could have been drawn up probably no more than half-an-hour?
The answer is - the Task and Finish Group set up by Boston Borough Council to investigate the running of the Boston Improvement District and determine whether or not it was doing its job properly.
Regular readers will recall that there were many complaints by business owners forced into membership of Boston BID. Not only that, but they were powerless to change things because of a so-called “golden vote” that gave Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce (which really, like so many organisations with “Lincolnshire” in the title, is a Lincoln-centric organisation) the power to run the show because it outvoted the combined votes of all the members.
Boston BID is a snail in the market garden of business. It moves slowly, eats more than its weight over time, and produces nothing worth selling.
Despite the best efforts of the people at the helm, we eventually reached the point where criticism of the BID became so overwhelming that the Task and Finish Group was set up.
However, to call its findings disappointing would be an exaggeration.
The BID has already been on the go for 18 months with little to show for it.
Its five main aims are: to create an impression that makes people feel safe and secure in the town; to make it clean and attractive; to improve the perception and image of the town centre and bring “PRIDE” (doubtless an acronym that has not been explained) back to the local community; to improve accessibility and be “parking friendly”; be a voice for business support, to promote a strong and active network amongst the business community and to represent them on local issues; and to deliver matched funding.
You may be struggling to find much by way of examples from this list of what has been achieved to date – the BID’s main claim is the employment of the Town Rangers … but they have many critics, and their value for money is uncertain.
You might think that the BID has been given time enough – but the Task and Finish group is minded to be lenient, and give them even more.
The group makes five recommendations.
To improve communications – the BID has been given six months to achieve this.
Reviewing the costs of a BID manager – currently £30,000 a year of the £125,000 the BID demands of its members. One idea is to share the post with another organisation. Again, the timescale for this is six months.
Opening BID board meetings to members with a slot for them to ask questions and make. This should be done immediately … steady the Buffs.
Recruiting volunteers from partnerships including UPW and NSL (more unexplained acronyms) to provide support in cleaning town areas and maintaining green areas. Another six month job, this.
And finally …. that a report on the progress of the BID be bought back to the committee in spring next year, to allow members to monitor the recommendations tendered by the group.
What it boils down to is – as Paul Daniels might say – “not a lot.”
After three months of meetings, a handful of lightweight recommendations have been made which allow the BID to trundle complacently on exacting money from unwilling donors and dragging them through the courts if they refuse to pay.
Where is the Task?
Where is the Finish?
But the time the matter is next discussed, the BID will be half way through its five-year term, and we are almost certain that the great and the good will then decide that it’s not worth doing anything else and just let it sail serenely and pointlessly on.

Footnote: The BID logo, above, is produced by a design company called "Grey Coffee." How apposite to appoint an organisation with such an insipid sounding name!

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