Week ending 15th April

Our Friday miscellany

of the week's

news and events

It seems that the BBI is extending its policy of secrecy to include not only its meetings - and as we disclosed last week, its councillors – but now aspects of some candidates in the forthcoming elections. A long-time resident of Witham Ward, where two newcomers are standing, noted that there were no photographs on their leaflets, and wanted to see if he could recognise them as local people. “I phoned the number given, and Councillor Alison Austin answered. She explained that her husband was their leader and said I could direct any queries through him. He came on the phone to answer my concerns that it seemed we were in for the ‘same old, same old,’ after the lack of seeing the two current BBI members in the ward. He admitted they hadn’t been that visible, but had worked jolly hard for the council. So I asked why I couldn’t speak to either new candidate, or see a picture. He did state that they don't live in the ward (it's surely a very useful thing to live among who you should be representing) but as they were family people rather than very busy businessmen that they would be more active in the role. He said that there might be another leaflet out at some stage with contact details of my prospective representatives, so I will look forward to getting the chance to see if they are worthy of my vote!”
A recent visitor to the town’s tourist information centre came away almost empty handed, but with a sheaf of apologies and some helpful long distance diy ‘phone numbers to call after a quest to find a holiday somewhere other than within fifty miles of Boston. The apologies were for the fact that the function of the TIC had been severely reduced by cuts and redundancies – but the bottom line is that it makes a mockery of the whole service. Visit the Spalding TIC, for example, and you can walk away with information on visiting anywhere in Britain. We’ve found the same to be true on our travels around the country. Boston seems to be the only TIC where information on offer is for such a small area. Not only that, but its opening hours coincide with those of the Guildhall – Wednesday to Saturday, between 10-30am and 3-30pm. Is someone pulling our leg?
Having said that, Boston will scarcely be worth visiting for many months ahead. The news that the Market Place regeneration will start later than planned and take longer to complete than first thought, means Bostonians must brace themselves for months of chaos. The work will now start in July and might not end until February next year. Then in June 2012, consultations will start on replacing the footbridge over the River Haven. We hope that this consultation is a little more exhaustive than was the case with the Market Place. Although the County Council declared itself “thrilled” with the response, the fact is that only 406 people completed a survey offering their views. Of those only ten per-cent were from businesses – who will be the first to moan when they find that something is not to their liking. The bottom line is that a sketch of the Market Place appeared about of the blue, and in the next breath was declared to be everyone’s dream solution. Time will tell.
We wonder whether the highly expensive and wasteful Placecheck scheme is really worth the effort. A reader writes to tell us: “At a recent Placecheck Area 5 initial meeting there were only five people attending - not counting the three members of the scheme's enforcer 'team'.) One of these was the local Tory councillor and two more from just around the corner from the councillor’s home. Not a single person from the vast number of residents of migrant persuasion in the area nor from local businesses (Area 5 covers West Street and at least five pubs and eight restaurants not counting the take-aways.) Despite vociferous assurances from Ms Exely of Placecheck, many of those not attending were not aware of having received a leaflet or seeing a poster in the area. When this issue and the lack of any language translation facilities was raised by a local resident he was sarcastically talked down and he walked out in disgust. Where is the 'Big Society/Localisation/Democracy’ ideals in this scheme which, as the very few residents attending were told, has £10,000 to give out (for litter bins according to a lady from Haven Bank who seemed also to have complaints about Witham Country Park...a totally different Placecheck area)
Our series on the candidates seeking your vote on May 5th provoked a variety of replies. Several readers wanted to read the Labour manifesto in full, and if you are among them, you can find the details by clicking here.
The latest stunt from Lincolnshire Police in these straitened times – issuing health and safety instructions to staff on how to make a packed lunch – has led to an apology from Chief Constable Richard Crompton. Judging from the number of times we see Boston patrol cars parked outside local sandwich shops while the occupants stock up, we don’t think that there is any risk of self inflicted food poisoning being a problem for our gallant (if slightly overfed) boys and girls in blue!
Last week we offered our congratulations for some robust sentencing by a Boston judge - meted out to persistent offenders who continue ignore the law. Having read this week’s local “newspapers” we think that someone also needs to clamp down on the preposterous “mitigation” being offered by some of our local solicitors. Mitigation is supposed to persuade the court that there are circumstances that reduce an offence’s severity. In our book, driving whilst knowingly over the limit because a relative wants you to pick up a takeaway does not fall into that category – and anyone who considers it a reasonable excuse should consider going on a refresher course.
By an ironic coincidence, immediately below a letter from a local branch of the Royal British Legion, headed “Our armed forces need your help more than ever” in the Boston Standard, is another appeal from  one of our local heroes. This one, headed “Military personnel deserve a discount like students,” demands that military “personal” should get a discount such as that offered to students as “a welcome display of thanks in recognition of the sacrifices they make.” The writer declares himself frustrated that offers of discounts to the military are few and far between compared with those to students. “Added to this is the fact that the airmen and women of RAF Coningsby actually have been awarded the freedom of the town of Boston!” he rants. “You would think that this would go hand in hand.” A very little research unearths hundreds of discounts available to the armed forces in almost every High Street shop – it’s just that they don’t display the fact in the window. And the “freedom” awarded to RAF Coningsby is a civic and ceremonial one – with no financial benefit. Appropriately, the writer is a “petty” officer – more than that, a “chief” petty one! The salary for such a job ranges from £36,953 to £42,043 depending on skill and length of service. We are sure there are many people in Boston who are much lower paid and more deserving of discounts before we consider this chap’s request.
Finally, everyone remembers the old joke about the Liberal Democrat Party holding their annual conference in a ‘phone box – but we wonder whether it might be truer that we thought. The following appears at the foot of every page of Labour’s local manifesto (click on the image to enlarge it.)

It must be crowded in there!


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