Week ending 1st July

Our Friday miscellany

of the week's

news and events

Boston’s clamp-down culture takes pride of place on the front page of both our local “newspapers” – which are rapidly becoming little more than an extension of the Worst Street propaganda machine. Count the council stories if you don’t believe us. Both the Standard and Target lead on the “war” on litter louts – based on a triumphant account of a £75 fine for a driver spotted throwing a cigarette end from his car window. However, one swallow does not a summer make, as they say. We’ve never bothered to keep a tally, but if we had, we would probably have noted a bewildering amount of trumpeting from the council and the local police over the years about how they are going to “get tough” with litter louts, cyclists using the pedestrian areas and pavements, dog fouling, fly posters and tippers and other sundry ne’er do wells. The trouble is that this never happens. They make the noises, do nothing, let a few months go by then make the noises all over again. It really is the time for the powers that be to put their money where their mouth is. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Having said that, we wonder how much people really care. A petition calling for the council to bring back a dog warden – which was launched in April and expires in August – has so far attracted three signatures … and that includes the petitioner. More encouragingly, a second petition calling for a separate green waste collection has attracted 24 names. Despite that we hold out little hope of anything being done in either case. The council wants at least 10 signatures for a petition to become valid – so the dog warden plea looks doomed to fail. And we are sure it will be an easy task to kick the green waste petition into touch with what are still so few names. We have a feeling that – despite making it a plank of their election manifesto – the Tories are now less enthusiastic about doing much more on the green waste issue – for the rest of this year, at least.
Given all the external problems faced by people trying to get in and out of Boston over the past several months, we think that it might be nice to see some sort of goodwill gesture. We’re thinking in particular of parking in the town on a Sunday. On each of the past couple of weekends, we’ve seen a very zealous Meteor parking official busying himself with the issue of tickets. At least one case that we saw was for the relatively minor offence where a vehicle tax disc was displayed on the dashboard, rather than in the windscreen. Turn a blind eye? Leave a note to say be more careful next time? No. Out came the camera and the ticket book and kerchinng! A few more quid in someone’s kitty. But whose? The parking and machines belong to the borough but are “policed” by Meteor. More cash for the borough, then. Given the parking chaos due to start from July 11th when the Market Place refurbishment scheme begins – how about introducing free parking … just for Sunday? Enough revenue will be lost through the parking ban in the Market Place during the refurbishment period, so a few extra quid wouldn’t really hurt. And think of the PR benefits.
We’ve heard several criticisms over the years that some staff at Boston Borough Council prefer our feathered friends to people. Certainly, the only items on the borough’s internet what’s on pages for many months featured mostly RSPB events. Now the council has gone so far as to team up with the bird lovers’ charity to appeal to builders to create access for Swifts when they are renovating properties. A good idea, but surely not a priority on the pecking order – there are so many other things that the borough could be dealing with more swiftly than this one!
Meanwhile, our comments last week about the danger of the borough’s website becoming a showcase for the Tories generated a swift reaction – if you’ll excuse the pun! We felt that a plug for a local Conservative drop-in session should be extended to councillors from all parties. The council’s Communications Manager, Andrew Malkin, has responded by offering just such an opportunity to any councillors who wish to take it up. We hope that they will seize the chance to let their electorate know how to get in touch. Interestingly, the Bridging the Mismatch report which we mentioned yesterday said that it was felt that elected members and officers were either not visible or not available in the community. “There were requests for additional members’ surgeries in communities, and for officers to be more visible in community settings.” So far, Boston Borough Council now lists six of the 32 councillors as holding public sessions. It’s a start, but we’d like to see more.
After our posting concerning worries about the Market Place refurbishment, a regular reader carried out a snap survey in the form of casual conversations with various stall holders. He reports: “Most are obviously concerned about having to relocate and the potential for a negative impact on trade. Many said that they will give it a month or so and probably would not bother thereafter if their trade is adversely affected to any noticeable degree. All mentioned that they have been advised that the buses will NOT be running through town on market days. As far as the regular traders have been advised, there will be no stalls permitted anywhere on the present site after 11th July. I’m not sure about the validity of the last two items, but they appear to be the common perception.” So is this a thin end of the wedge which might show that the Into Town buses can stay on schedule without herding pedestrians like cattle and poisoning them with fumes?  Given what’s already been said by the Tory leadership, we somehow doubt it. Meanwhile, another reader commented on our question  asking why so few shopkeepers turned up for the market place meeting. “The feedback I got was ‘why bother? They do not listen, so why waste our time?’"
Still with the impact on the Market Place work on the local community, we congratulate BBI councillors Helen Staples and Alison Austin for suggesting using Pump Square for disabled parking. The present plan is to create temporary spaces on Bargate Green and Custom House Quay which are both something of a hike for the less than able bodied. We note that council officers are to meet both councillors to “discuss their ideas and the possibility of their implementation.” We hope that they don’t find any obstacles.
Our photo of the week award goes to this gem on the front page of the latest Boston Borough Council Bulletin – which shows Leisure Services portfolio holder Councillor Yvonne Gunter with the Hallaton Helmet – part of a treasure hoard on display at the town’s Guildhall. We’re seldom given to lyricism, but we have to admire the way the photographer’s flash has burnished the Medusan coils of the helmet as they encircle the wearer’s head.

Pardon….? You say she’s holding it? We thought she was wearing it? But the display next to her head says … Oh b****r!  (Any chance we can get this back from the printers …? Ed)
Last week we reported comments by one councillor to the effect that the Tories had voted en masse on a £10,000 garden feature in Central Park. One Conservative councillor has taken issue with the suggestion that this means that they are not  still independent thinkers. Find out more in Monday’s blog.

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