Thursday 4 October 2012


Events of the past few days have proved too much for local businessman Darron Abbott – a former director of Boston Business Improvement District and candidate at last year’s Boston Borough Council.
In an e-mail that spells out all his frustrations, Mr Abbot - whose family connections with Boston go back more than 600 years  - writes:

Dear Boston Eye
“What a morning already, Councillors Leggott's letter published on the Blog and then various councillors on Radio Lincolnshire discussing the long awaited report on immigration.
“The only two Councillors that emerge from the last few weeks with any credit are Councillor Brian Rush for following his convictions and resigning his post as a councillor, and Councillor Gloria Smith for speaking out against the sale of the Assembly Rooms during the secret meeting on the 24th September.
“On the subject of the sale of Assembly Rooms, Councillor Leggott bemoans his lot that all is still secret and that the opposition councillors have had no say in the matter.
“Well even if they had been involved I do not believe the outcome would have been any different - just the fact that all of them would have been sworn to secrecy sooner.
“It is obvious that once again the officers of the council are playing their silly little control games over the Clueless 32.
“What makes me very annoyed about the Conservative group is my memory of one of the planning meetings in the run up to the 2011 elections, Ruth Street (who is heavily involved with all things Conservative in Boston) asked the now leaders if ‘they would take control of power away from the officers?’
“The reply was an emphatic yes, the whole council would become more open and accountable.
“Perhaps someone would like to explain the change in policy?
“Why the secrecy over the sale of the Assembly Rooms?
“Most have a good idea who the prospective purchaser is; we have a more than good idea of what it is going to be used for, and from the letters sent to the businesses that operate on the ground floor that the deal will be completed on 1st November.
“If the opposition councillors all feel so strongly about the secrecy, why do not all 12 produce a joint statement disclosing the information?
“Would the Chief Executive then issue misconduct charges against all of them?
“He has already carried out one investigation, but could not pin the leak on to any one councillor and had to close the case.
“Think of the publicity that the dismissal of the whole opposition would get for actually standing up for what they believe in.
“Who am I kidding?
“It will never happen.  The whole lot of the 32 Councillors are too frightened of losing their allowances and their badge of importance.
“Now - on to the immigration report.
“What a total waste of time.
“I loved Councillor Paul Kenny's proclamation that our MP will be taking the report to No.10, I do not dispute this but, our MP will no doubt bring the report back from No. 10 in his unopened brief case.
“Councillor Mike Gilbert claimed the immigrants do not automatically qualify for benefits, they have to be looking for work.
“What he means here is they have to have registered for a national insurance number, well that probably explains the queue at the benefits agency.
“I know that when someone applies for a National Insurance number, they are given details of what benefits they may be entitled to and how to apply.
“We are going to now have a zero tolerance to street drinking. How can this happen? Peter Hunn and his anti-social behaviour team have been stressing for years that this cannot be done under the DPPO that we have in Boston, and I have heard councillors also repeating the official line.
“What has suddenly changed? Other local authorities and police forces have used their DPPO's to effect.
“But that is probably due to the fact that they are out on the streets rather than sleeping in their cars in lay-bys near Heckington or using the van to pick up some new doors from a local DIY store.
“Councillor Gilbert also claimed there is no evidence to suggest an increase in crime or anti-social behaviour.
“Perhaps this is because much of what goes on in this town is not made public or in fact has become such a normal part of life here in Boston it is no longer noticed as being out of the ordinary.
“I am afraid that our councillors and very well paid officers have very soon got to wake up and stop playing silly little games and get on with sorting out MY town before it is too late.
“They all claim to be well educated (you notice I used the word "claim") so I am sure they will have heard about Nero and his fiddle.

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Our former blog is archived at: http://bostoneyelincolnshire.blogspot.com

 

2 comments:

  1. With the greatest respect because i know Darren a little i would like to comment on his post.
    First of all i don't consider myself clueless and neither do i consider many of my fellow other Councillors clueless(from all parties), he says that the only 2 Councillors to show any conviction are Mr Brian Rush who as stood down (no longer able to help the Town) and Gloria Smith for defying her masters and has probably been told off in the nicest possible way . And it seems to me that Darren is calling us all frightened and goading us to go against our oath of secrecy , not very clever if you ask me because rightly so then all the opposition could be struck off !! yes in a blaze of publicity but never the less legally all struck off .
    Forgive me if i am wrong but Darren run as a Conservative and therefor must consider the boys in blue his associates and friends, he as been bitter since not winning and i can remember on the evening of the election him moaning, to me it seems like he is still moaning and don't stop moaning, this some would call passion, but i don't believe he needs call all Councillors clueless,uneducated and frightened and to goad them to act against their oath. Three things that i can absolute promise i am not ! and many others he also knows are not. Just be more careful with your words good friend, apology accepted. Yours sincerely Elliott

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  2. What a load of useless drivel this (no doubt) massively expensive report is. The people of this town have repeatedly been told that there is no problem with street drinking/urination etc etc even though it is happening outside our homes, even though benches have been removed, even though many people no longer feel safe.
    They also keep telling us that its not migrants. It's funny because if this offensive behaviour was in the main being committed by locals why when you dare to venture out do they seem to be speaking a different language i.e. not English?
    We here 'stories' about people contacting the police about migrant behaviour and being called rascist, similarly the council. I apologise to both parties if this claim is unfounded but think that most 'locals' would concur that it seems quite believable.
    I myself used to work in a local factory, needless to say I no longer do as I was cheaply replaced as have many others been. We then hear that we are too lazy to employ........strange how for the decade plus I did my job there were never any complaints. And yes we always had a certain level of SEASONAL migrant labour but locals were the permanent workers doing a fine job.
    Before anyone reading this automatically thinks 'rascist' I can assure you I am not. I still have migrant friends that I worked with, I have very nice migrant neighbours all be it a HMO (now that is another problem in many cases that the council seem to be in denial about), and I am friends with migrant parents from my child's school.
    This doesn't however change the FACT that this once lovely place to live and work is becoming more and more alien to its local population as we are told we must integrate........ What I wonder should the migrants be doing then....

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