Monday night saw the full Boston Borough Council meeting vote for a devolved Greater Lincolnshire “authority” with vastly increased powers and shedloads of money from the government.

Doubtless, Worst Street’s thinking is that this will be good for Boston because of the hundreds of millions it will generate for the new authority.

Our view remains unchanged – that as the smallest authority in the proposed group, Boston will remain marginalised by the big boys – just as it always has been.

As far as council leader Pete ‘Nipper’ Bedford is concerned, devolution is “the only game in town” – and as such merits a rubber stamp … and he rejects the notion that Boston will be shoved to one side.

"I know that some people have expressed concern that only certain areas, such as Lincoln, will benefit the most. But there will be ten equal partners in the new combined authority – each with the same value vote. Boston's vote will have the same value as Lincoln's. The elected mayor will also have a vote, but anything proposed will have to have support from a two thirds majority.

"I currently represent the smallest authority in the partnership and I am the chairman, answering the criticism that Boston might be muscled out.”

Err. Not quite. Being chairman now – when the group is powerless and insignificant – means that a Boston post holder is unlikely to emerge again for many more years.

Not only that – but Lincoln is no longer the big threat. Aside from Lincolnshire County Council, North and North East Lincolnshire Councils wil be players and they are much bigger than our present county hall operation.

And you may not be surprised to learn that the wishes of the taxpayers are already being brushed aside.

“A long and meticulous public consultation exercise” showed opinion to be against the idea of an expensive elected mayor for the new authority. Even ‘Nipper’ admitted that: “The only real sticking point was the requirement for a new combined authority to have an elected mayor. Some were concerned that this would be another needless level of bureaucracy that we can ill afford.”

However, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has said that opposition to an elected mayor is a deal breaker requiring a new map for the area to be drawn up with no guarantee that the existing funding promised would still be available.

Not for the first time, expect our local councils across the area to ignore public opinion, and bend the knee to the powers that be.

*** 

Former Labour councillor Paul Kenny will not be making himself popular after writing to DEFRA Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom, suggesting a public enquiry into the Boston Barrier scheme – rather than just rubber stamping it.

Mr Kenny – who was Mayor of Boston at the time of the 2013 floods – asks whether the barrage is in the right place and whether it is designed for cost purposes or to benefit the whole town.

He also asks: “Do we want to see people’s lives put at risk by using this proposed scheme? It is on a bend of the river and will narrow the channel considerably increasing the fluvial flow putting river users and fishermen’s lives potentially at risk,” and adds: “We know that other flood risk management schemes in York and Cumbria have failed. Who is to say that this scheme in Boston is not going to fail in its present proposed form?”

He also says that whilst he accepts that the proposed barrier will decrease the tidal flooding threat to parts of Boston, it is not entirely fit for purpose without the inclusion of a lock alongside.

“If the barrier plan submitted to you is installed without a sea lock alongside, it will threaten the standard of safe navigation currently in existence on the Haven …” Mr Kenny adds that “although tidal flooding is the priority, the barrier with lock alongside is necessary to provide continued safe navigation on the Haven, a freshwater relief channel in times of fluvial flooding.”

Although the plan for a lock has been dropped for now, Mr Kenny says that it represents Boston’s only substantial regeneration prospects in the foreseeable future, and the establishment of the proposed Fenland Waterways Link.

***

This will not go down well with Worst Street “leader” Pete ‘Nipper’ Bedford who told critics of the scheme to back off at the end of last year.

In a message to the hoi polloi in mid-December he declared “the last thing we need now is anything which puts at risk the construction of Boston's flood protection barrier in the quickest time possible …”

He said he had been “disturbed” to read that “some local unelected politicians” had gone into print to ask, at this late stage, for an in-depth public inquiry into the finer detail of the barrier project.

‘Nipper’ of course, is the master of the rubber stamp – but in this case he might be accused of being naively acquiescent to the opinions of so-called experts when many people with expertise of their own disagree.

One thing that we can say with some confidence is that it seems most unlikely that we will ever get the lock on which tourism benefits for the town depend – and that would be a major set-back to Boston’s long term prosperity.

***

Aside from his intervention concerning the flood barrier, Mr Kenny has been hyperactive on Twitter recently, calling for more action by Boston Borough Council on a variety of issues.

He also said: “I intend to make street lighting a big issue at next year’s county council elections. And then the people can vote against the Tories.”

The 2017 Lincolnshire County Council elections take place on 4^th May next year – just 203 days away.

***

Did you know that this week is the annual European Local Democracy Week with the theme “Living together in culturally diverse societies: respect, dialogue, interaction.”

We didn’t know either, because it was not until the week began on Monday that Boston Borough Council bothered to mention it.

In its continuing struggle for irrelevance, Worst Street invited primary schoolchildren to visit the council chamber, sit in the Mayor’s chair, see the Mayoral robes, and regalia and enter a competition to draw a picture of their favourite item. The youngsters will also get a tour of the borough council's CCTV suite; whilst “selected” students from Boston College attended a Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Boston Youth Council (what does that do?)  will also be meeting with Cabinet members and MP Matt Warman on Friday.

Perhaps someone would tell us just what this agenda has to do with the theme for the week?

***

Talking of the Mayor – last Monday’s full council meeting was quizzed about the financing of the role in the space allocated to members of the public for questions.

Local businessman Darron Abbott asked “After the recent article in the Boston Standard, are the council prepared to rise to my challenge of holding a public consultation into the finances of the council – in particular the budget for the Mayor and the charging of council staff to park in the municipal car parks.”

The so-called answer was provided by Councillor Aaron Spencer – Worst Street’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, who waffled: “All aspects of the council’s operations are currently under review within our transformation programme. A part of this is the office of the mayor as a small part of a larger project.

“The borough's car parks are also under review as part of this process. As we continue along the transformation programme we will as always consult with the public as part of being open and transparent.

"To reassure anyone in doubt this council, under this administration, has done more than any previous to deliver on the policy of openness and transparency. We promised to host cabinet question time where members of the public can come and meet BBC's cabinet members so we can hear their views. A promise in which we fulfilled. (Sic)

“I would like to thank Mr Abbott for his question and his continual interest in the council’s operations; it is very reassuring to see that a member of the public is trying to make a positive contribution. We will of course take his comments under advisement but in this case we are already doing what he suggested."

***

We wonder if – like us – you think that this failed spectacularly to answer the question, which proposed a stall in the Market Place where people could express their view.

It appears that Worst Street prefers its usual form of “consultation” – where questions are asked in a way that shapes the answers to the results favoured by the council.

And whilst the Cabinet Question Time began with promise – webcasting the event so that we could hear both the questions and answers – it has now been turned into  informal get together where the punters drift into Worst Street, ask their questions on a one-to-one basis and get a similar response.

Where is the openness and transparency in that?

***

The recent blog which discussed the appointment of Phil Drury as Boston Borough Council’s Chief Executive – rubber stamped by the “Chief Officer Employment Panel” without considering any outside candidates – struck a discordant note with a senior councillor who was also a member of the panel.

UKIP group leader Brian Rush told us he remembered questioning  the validity and effectiveness of what turned out to be a “one man show,” and wondering why there didn't seem to have been a list of other contenders.

“My expectation was that we would see a swirl of ambitious, career-minded civil servants, eager to grasp the opportunity and make their mark here in Boston ...

“Across the country, administrations such as ours were busily reorganising staffing levels … so the expectation must surely be, that we might have gotten some, upwardly mobile, young talent, or visionary senior officers who had become surplus to requirements!

“Talents and availability … Good heavens, gifts that some might think our administration desperately needed … a miracle …. eureka!

"No, it was none of these!”

Councillor Rush went on: “Naively, I had always believed  it was part of  'Interim’ Chief Executive, Richard Harbord’s brief, to replace himself so to speak … and  become a facilitator, charged with suggesting, seeking out, and attracting, qualified, quality and aspiring candidates, to fill a newly formed  ‘vacancy!’

“That, in my opinion would have made sense, rather than the pantomime that was in fact embarked upon.

“Like him or loathe him, one would assume, Mr Harbord, given his wealth of experience, and a pretty hefty salary (would have) a sound knowledge of Chief Executive Officer requirements, and historical attributes needed to do the job.

“Surely, given his contacts and experience, wouldn't this have made him the man to have found us highly skilled, respected, but very suitable candidates?

“Candidates, one might hope, that would arrive with ambition, and history, but most ideally without local and long standing connections. In effect a very new broom!

“Because most people know what new brooms do and, in my opinion, this is exactly what our council has needed for a very long time.

“Sad to say, if ever we needed it, then was the time, but now, if we cannot apply it to our Chief Executive, can we have to make darn sure we call an end to ‘Nipper?’” 

Councillor Rush concluded: “Whilst I have been assured that  the process adopted was entirely ‘legal,’ we will never know if it really was the best option for Boston … because no other option was put on offer;  in fact in my opinion, it may have been the worst.

“It really isn't very difficult, to be the winner of a one man race!"

*** 

Exactly what is going on with the Quadrant development in Wyberton?

We ask because a Lincoln-based branch of a national commercial property consultancy is currently offering sites for sale – including a food store, filling station, shops and houses.

The brochure  (view it here) talks of 37 acres of “prime residential land to be sold in parcels of four acres or more; seven high profile individual sites with excellent frontage to the A16 and the new distributor road including one designated for a hotel.”

We always thought that the whole kit and caboodle was down to Chestnut Homes.  So, is the company still involved, or has it washed its hands of anything other than the “community” football stadium … whose creation would by a happy co-incidence liberate Boston United’s current York Street site for possible development.

Certainly, the original Quadrant application claimed to be for a “single, composite development,”

***

Earlier mention of Worst Street’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Aaron Spencer, reminds us that he is among the nominees for the Local Government Information Unit “Young Councillor of the Year” award.

The LGiU is “an independent research and information organisation supported by councils and the local government trade unions,” and the councillor who wins this category will “be 30 or under when last elected and demonstrate a commitment to working for the community.”

Well, one out of two ain’t bad …

***

Apropos recognition, we also hear rumours that another senior figure within Worst Street’s crumbling walls might be in line for some award or another.

Worryingly, this comes at the time that the New Year’s Honours List is being drawn up – so we can only hope that what we’ve heard isn’t true!

***

Finally, we note that Worst Street is planning to get tough  –  again – by introducing a Public Spaces Protection Order giving authorised officers powers to deal "more effectively" with dog fouling and other forms of irresponsible dog ownership.

This includes the creation of an offence of failing to produce “an appropriate means to pick up dog faeces” if ordered so to do.

Quite how this might be enforced is anyone’s guess – especially as “an authorised officer of the authority” means an employee, partnership agency or contractor of Boston Borough Council who is authorised in writing by Boston Borough Council for the purposes of giving directions under the order … which surely does not give them search powers. Failure to produce a poo bag does not mean that the refuser does not have one –  but will Worst Street really criminalise someone who adopts an anti-jobsworth stance?

Meanwhile, the "clampdown" on drinking in unauthorised areas continues much as before –  as this recent Facebook posting (above) shows.

Even when drinkers pass out beneath the prohibition signs, they are left to slumber undisturbed.

Somehow, we doubt that dog owners will have much to fear when the new leglislation comes into force next year.

 You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com  Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

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

We are on Twitter – visit @eye_boston