That was before the explosion on Wednesday night which killed five people and seriously injured a sixth - which it is said occurred at an industrial unit where illicit alcohol was being distilled.
They say that a week is a long time in politics – and now, councillors seem to talk about little else.
Inevitably there been some disharmony in all of this, and the purpose of this special blog is to try to put things into some sort of perspective.
Wednesday night’s incident has led to calls for action in two areas in particular – one on immigration to Boston in general, and the other to curb the burgeoning number of small shops selling alcohol, which is often bootlegged and illicit.
“Thorny issue”
“The Boston Labour Party believe that the numerous issues relating to housing, health, education, policing/crime, employment, transport, social integration/community development are having major effects on our town,” says Councillor Kenny.
He wants a multi-agency approach, involving council partners such as the county council, police, hospitals, primary care trusts, Boston College, the voluntary sector, housing association and privately rented housing sector and local employers.
“This scrutiny of all of these organisations and their services could address the following issues – social tension, better integration, better planning of and providing appropriate services; where necessary applying the right enforcement and understanding the changing face of Boston.”
This “changing face” is certainly obvious to anyone who has lived in Boston for any length of time.
It is commonplace these days to pass people on the streets, hear them talking, and realise that more of the conversations are in a language other than English.
NI registrations
Registrations in Boston for the past three years were: 2007/08 – 2,160; 2008/09 – 2,140; and 2009/10 - 2,170. Compare the figures for last year with East Lindsey with 300 - down from 640 - and the gulf is obvious. Only South Holland, where the figure has declined from 1,610 to 1,340 comes close – and that’s most likely due to proximity to Boston and the food production industry.
So many registrations for National Insurance begs the question of whether all these applicants are working.
The latest unemployment figures for Boston (reference 3) show little change, with 3.2% out of work. Based on one of the many and varied population estimates for the borough, this means that there about 40,000 in jobs – and the area has definitely not seen more than 6,000 new jobs created in the last three years.
Pressure on schools
Does this mean that the registrations are being made for family members rather than direct employees? And if so, it raises the issue of the strain that so many extra people place on local services such as health, education, housing benefits and the like.
Five years ago, Boston’s Haven High School hit the headlines when the headmaster drew attention to the vast number of immigrant families seeking to enrol.
"We were full in every year group, yet within the first few days of term literally 30 families arrived at the door,” he said. “All the schools were full, not only us, but it didn't alter the fact that these children needed to be in a school."
He said then that the school was struggling to cope with the new arrivals. "It has come to just about saturation point for us physically to be able to cope. Class sizes have grown considerably, I have had to put in additional teaching staff and I've had to turn an IT room into a classroom."
Who can guess what the situation is now?
One clue came earlier this week, when Fenside’s English Democrat Councillor Elliott Fountain said he had received many calls and requests from local families who had been told that their children could not attend Carlton Road school because it was full – and that they must choose between Fishtoft or Hawthorn Tree … both of them about three or four miles away, which would require a taxi at a cost to the taxpayer. “This goes to show without a doubt that all our public services are now so overwhelmed that it is the locals and the local children who are suffering unfairly because of the economic migrants. The truth of the matter is that two-thirds of the schools’ first language is not English, and the exam results and education are in dire straits. When Haven High takes over St Bede’s approximately 500 of the 1,100 pupils will be non English.”
How many live in Boston?
Last year, the organisation Global Visas, a leading immigration consultancy (reference 4) reported that Boston’s official population figure of 62,000 is said to be more like 75,000 because of inward migration from Europe.
And more recently, government figures last year disclosed that in Boston one in four of the town’s 72,000 population is foreign. A local survey revealed 30% are Polish, 28% Portuguese, 18% Lithuanian and 10% Latvian - with the rest made up of Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian and Moldovan (reference 5.)
Do you see what we mean about population figures? There isn’t even an accurate number available, so if it is wrongly assessed at a lower level than the true numbers, local public services suffer because they are not allocated enough money to cover the real cost.
Moving on now to the issues surrounding alcohol.
Boston Borough Council tried to put its finger in the dyke by publicising the fact that two Boston shops had their licences to sell alcohol revoked on Thursday after counterfeit vodka and alcohol which had not had duty paid on it was found.
Tip of the iceberg
There are claims that there have been a number of deaths in Boston directly linked to illegal alcohol, which often contains the chemical ingredient methanol, which at its most benign can cause blindness if consumed.
The number of shops opening that apply for licences to sell alcohol is mushrooming – and we wonder why there is a need to allow so many to operate, as it only makes the job of monitoring them more time-consuming and the threat to public heath greater.
In stark contrast, Boston’s planners once rejected an application for a milk bar in Dolphin Lane on the grounds that “the development is detrimental to the viability and vitality of the town centre.” Yet it appears there is no problem with allowing increasing numbers of small shops to retail alcohol – in a town, let’s not forget, that is apparently so obsessed with the demon drink, that it has imposed a DPPO - a designated public places order – outlawing drinking in public on a vast chunk of the central area.
“Bootleggers”
“The licensing authority have become a joke to these people,” he says, “and it’s easy to set up an illegal operation when they are getting licences thrown at them. In my ten years of being near our Eastern European friends I have never seen one buy or smoke an English cigarette. The plentiful supply of new cars, mini buses and coaches arriving with trailers on the back deliver these products to Asda car park with new arrivals on a daily basis. There are many houses operating selling bootleg products as well. Even when certain shops get found selling illegal products the authority does not shut them down and many just change their names and trade again straight away.”
He was responding to former Boston Borough Council Leader Richard Austin, who declared that “the most positive thing that we can do as members and as a council is to encourage our residents to report any suspicious activities relating to illegal alcohol or cigarettes to the police. This of course can be done anonymously.”
Aside from not being terribly “positive,” we feel that this view is reminiscent of the days so cherished by Sir John Major, who spoke of cricket matches on the village green, accompanied by warm beer” - and the policeman probably played by Deryck Guyler!
It may well work in Wyberton – but Boston is a different copper kettle of home cooked alcohol.
Several people came forward after Wednesday’s explosion to say that the operation was the town’s “worst kept secret” claiming to have known about it for a long time – so they are scarcely likely to call the police, are they?
Another point that has been made is that while premises have had their licences withdrawn – no prosecutions have taken place.
Councillor Fountain claims that a number of international “mafias” operate in Boston “including Afghanistan/Kurdish, Turkish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, Russian, Bulgarian, Portugese.”
If true, then this highlights another problem.
Most of Boston is a “no go” area for our local police – simply because they don’t go there! When did you last see anything much of a police presence in anything but the town centre? No wonder crime can flourish.
Inevitably, debate on all these issues will incur charges of racism – and we have to say that some of the discussion boards that we have read in recent days could support such charges.
However, most of the voices raised are inarticulate – which is scarcely surprising given the level of education in Boston today.
There will be some who may level charges of racism against Councillor Fountain – but others might say that his close working relationship with the migrant community over a decade makes him a man who knows whereof he speaks.
MP must catch up
It’s an easy and obvious thing to say, but “integrating” such a flood as Boston has seen in recent years is well-nigh impossible. It’s like trying to contain a tsunami in a bucket.
Boston’s MP Mark Simmonds has said that we must implement procedures and structures to ensure this tragic event and loss of life do not occur again. This is all very fine, but he appears to have missed the fact that there is a much wider issue here.
The last real mention of immigration that we could find from Mr Simmonds was in 2004 – seven years ago, when his newsletter reported: “Mark recognises the vital contribution that migrant workers make to the Boston and Skegness economy, and therefore understands the importance that all workers are legitimate, and not vulnerable to exploitation.” (reference 7.) The item concluded: "I will be urging the government to review their failing policy and implement a more effective
immigration system.” That was the Labour government, of course.
A lot of water has flowed beneath the bridge since then, and Mr Simmonds would be well advised to get up to speed on this crucial issue for Boston.
Meanwhile, all the old stories about Boston are re-emerging - in news sources as far away as New Zealand where a report says: "Police and local MP Mark Simmonds said that until the blast yesterday there was no indication that illegal liquor was being brewed in Boston, and there was no evidence to link the confiscated alcohol with that being made at the industrial unit." (reference 8)
Yesterday’s Daily Mail devoted two pages to the problems of bootleg liquor, and reminded us that: “In recent years, Boston has gained notoriety for simmering tensions between locals and a growing Eastern European migrant worker community” (reference 9.)
Although most councillors apparently believe that the issue of black market alcohol is one for the police, and not for them, there has nonetheless been no shortage of of the ruling party's great and good willing to go on radio and TV to wring their withers about the loss of life without apparently thinking ofthe potential victims of illegal alcohol.
“The bright ones leave”
And Councillor Fountain concludes: “I imagine this will fall upon deaf ears because many of you are not seeing what’s happening on a daily basis. Many of Boston's brightest people with good prospects are all leaving for new pastures to start new lives for them and their children because Boston is so bad. If Boston carries on as it is now it will be lost beyond recognition.”
We hope that the council’s ruling group will acknowledge the deep concern felt by so many people in Boston and act accordingly.
And if by any chance, Boston is fortunate to gain special funding, we hope that it will not be poured down the drain on some project that merely pays lip service to the concept of action.
You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.
References
1: Boston Labour Party
2: Local Economy Assessment
3: Unemployment figures
4: Global Visa
5: Daily Express
6: Independent
7: Mark Simmonds 2002 newsletter
8: New Zealand Herald
9: Daily Mail
1 comment:
Mark Simmonds MP for Boston & Skegness having rushed 'back to his home in Lincolnshire'(where?) according to his interview on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, on Thursday night made all the right soundbites for the camera.
Remember this one Mark?
"There is a necessity for economic migrants in Lincolnshire.
They are thrifty and hard working people"
Spoken in Skegness on 28th April 2005
But I guess there are not that many migrant workers living in the wealthy parts of Wandsworth.
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