Special election issue

We hope you found last week's election headlines helpful – now for the meat on the bones and some interesting snippets that we’ve come across. 

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First, an explanation.

Last week we pointed out that 26 of the 74 candidates seeking election – almost half – are refusing to say where they live.

This is the first time that such an option has been possible after the introduction of the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) (Amendment) (England) Rules 2018, which removes the requirement for candidates to have their home address published on the ballot paper and statement of persons nominated at principal area elections.

It comes into force for all principal area elections held in England on or after 2^nd May.

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Where candidates choose to use this new right, the council area in which they live is published instead. The change follows the Committee for Standards in Public Life review of intimidation in public life and brings the law for these contests into line with that for Westminster elections where, due to concerns over personal safety the law was changed a few years back.

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All well and good – and when we briefly joined a Twitter discussion on the issue, Councillor Paul Gleeson told us: “I've always had my contact details in the public domain and always will. However, I've had my car vandalised and until I had my phone line shielded would regularly receive threatening and abusive phone calls. So in a week when a plot to murder an MP was revealed I understand why.”

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We can understand that as well – but there are aspects which still concern us.

Westminster MPs must surely run a far greater risk of attracting the unwanted attentions of the lunatic fringe than local councillors, and we suspect the incidence of problem voters is mostly confined to over-persistence rather than anything else.

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Over the years, we have encountered a number of councillors who have sought to perform from the wings rather than the stage – giving Worst Street as their address and a mobile phone as their contact number.

This is the next worst thing to not bothering at all in our book – and it is noteworthy that over time, we have noticed that such cavalier councillors also tend to have poor attendance records.

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So – to recap – there 74 candidates are contesting the 30 seats in the 15 wards up for grabs.

26 are Conservative, 22 Labour, 14 Independent, 4 UKIP, 4 Blue Revolution 3 ‘others’ and 1 Liberal Democrat.

Of the ‘others’ two have declared no political position, and so are presumably counted as independent, and one is from the Veterans and Peoples Party … “a new vibrant, radical, open and transparent political party, founded by UK Armed Forces and Emergency Services Veterans.”

Of the 26 refusing to say where they live – all but one confine their information to “address in the Borough of Boston” whilst another owns to an address in South Holland.

Ten of these represent Labour, 9 Conservative, 1 UKIP, 1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Blue Revolution and three others. And one standing in distant Staniland Ward declares a South Holland address.

In one ward –  Swineshead and Holland Fen –  none of the three candidates say where they live.

And in Fenside six of the seven candidates are likewise coy – whilst the seventh lives in Wyberton.

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So, on to the individual wards, and items of interest.

Going down the list alphabetically, we see that former Tory grandee and council leader Peter Bedford is standing as an Independent in Coastal Ward, which he has represented for more than a quarter of a century.

He quit the party after a change of leadership and previously stood as an Independent in the 2017 county council elections where – despite such dedicated political service – he lost out to … a Conservative.

This proves the point that we have made time and time again – service counts for nothing if a scarecrow in a blue suit is put up as a candidate in some wards despite the incumbent party policy of charging more for less and making cuts at every opportunity.

Councillor Felicity Ransome – who currently represents the seat for UKIP – is also seeking re-election.

There are four other candidates for the two seats; two Tories, one Labour and an Independent.

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In Fenside Ward (two seats) we find one-time UKIP/BiG councillor turned Tory Anton Dani seeking re-election – and if successful, he will be the next Mayor.

A name on the list familiar to regular readers will be Tiggs (Patricia) Keywood-Wainwright – a UKIP Boston borough councillor between 2011-2015 and a Lincolnshire county councillor from 2013-2017 – and now standing as an Independent.

There are also two Labour candidates, one Lib-Dem and one Blue Revolution.

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Fishtoft Ward (three seats) sees a bid to become a councillor once again by octogenarian Ossy Snell, who has been a parish councillor for more than 30 years, served on Boston Borough Council for 16 years and Lincolnshire County Council for four years. Although he is a member of the Lib-Dems, he is standing as an Independent.

The three Tory holders are seeking re-election and Labour if also fielding a candidate.

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Five Villages Ward (two seats) has four candidates. Tory Leader Michael Cooper and his Deputy Aaron Spencer are seeking re-election. The other two candidates are Labour’s Ewa Thorley and Joseph Reid for the Veterans and People’s Party.

Councillor Cooper is one of three candidates who does not live in the borough, but in East Lindsey.

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Kirton and Frampton Ward (three seats) will have entirely new faces after 2^nd May.

Tourism and culture cabinet member Claire Rylott is not seeking re-election – and neither is her Tory sidekick Colin Brotherton, a former mayor who has represented the ward since 2011. The third councillor to stand aside is UKIP’s James Edwards.

Step up five contestants – Conservatives Nigel Welton and Shaun Blackman, Labour’s Mick Gall and Patrick Glennon and Independent Peter Watson. Councillor Welton is portfolio holder for the town centre, and is currently a Fenside councillor, where he was elected for Labour but defected to the Tories at the end of 2017. Doubtless he is hoping that his chosen ward will prove a safer Tory berth. He is another contender who doesn’t live in the borough.

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To Old Leake and Wrangle (two seats) now. Both incumbents are seeking re-election. They are professional councillor Tom Ashton for the Conservatives, and Barrie Pierpoint standing as an Independent.

We call Councillor Ashton a pro, since, according the Boston and Skegness Conservatives website, he has been the East Lindsey District Councillor for Sibsey and Stickney since 2015.

He was elected to the Lincolnshire County Council Tattershall Castle ward in 2017, and along with these jobs is also chairman of the Boston and Skegness Conservative Association.

Oh, and he’s a parish councillor as well.

In fact in 2015, we noted that his enthusiasm to serve was so great that as well as standing in Sibsey and Stickney for a seat in East Lindsey,  he campaigned alongside former Boston Borough Council leader Peter Bedford in Worst Street’s Coastal Ward as well – losing to a UKIP candidate.

Councillor Pierpoint is at present leader of the Bostonian Independents Group but is unable to say so on the ballot form, as the party name was deregistered at the start of the year.  The same goes for several other candidates – despite a big plan by BiG and a casual partnership with the Blue Revolution party, which has four candidates for next month’s elections.

Also contesting Old Leake and Wrangle is another former Conservative councillor – Frank Pickett, who served between 2011-2015, and Labour’s Christopher Dorrington.

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On now to Skirbeck (three seats.) Just one sitting tenant is seeking re-election – Labour veteran Paul Gleeson who has spent a doubtless uncomfortable time as an Independent for committee chairmanship reasons after becoming the sole proprietor of the Worst Street Labour group. On the defection of Nigel Welton (see above.)

Councillor Martin Griggs, the portfolio holder for housing, property and community

is standing down in Skirbeck but popping up seeking election in another ward (see Trinity further down the page) as is BiG’s Stephen Ball who may not be much missed having been absent from meetings for 80% of the time.

Skirbeck has the most candidates of any ward – three Tories, three Labour, two Independents and a Blue Revolution.

Two names from the past that you might recognise among them are Paul Kenny – another Labour veteran and parliamentary candidate for Boston who has contested general elections since 2005 – and Anne Dorrian.

Ms Dorrian was a political chameleon during her time in Worst Street starting out with the Boston Bypass Independents back in 2007, then forming the splinter Better Boston Group. More recently, she has stood as an independent at both the local and county elections.

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Now to St Thomas’ Ward.

The incumbent of this single seat ward seeking re-election is another political veteran – Alison Austin, a founder member of the Boston Bypass Independents who morphed into a Boston District Independent to lose the dreaded B word before becoming simply Independent.

She is being challenged by another Independent, Darron Abbott, and Labour’s Maglione Mauro.

Mr Abbott will be well-known to readers of Boston Eye as a persistent critic of Boston Borough Council, and someone who as also had a few run-ins with Mrs Austin. Given the new issues of where candidates live, Mr Abbott says he can claim to be the only candidate who lives in the ward.

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Staniland Ward (two seats) is being contested by one of the two incumbents. One-time BBI/Better Boston Group/Independent/UKIP/BiG councillor Brian Rush represents BiG at the ballot box but as with Councillor Pierpoint is listed as Independent due to party de-registration.

Tory Councillor Ben Evans, Vice-Chairman of BTAC, is not standing.

Other candidates are: Conservatives Deborah Evans and Martin Howard, with Ben Cook and Pam Kenny for Labour.

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Station Ward (one seat) is being defended by UKIP incumbent Sue Ransome, who is up against Blue Revolution founder and former Tory councillor Mike Gilbert, with Paul Goodale for Labour and Gerry Roffey for the Tories.

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Swineshead and Holland Fen (two seats) is another ward that will see all new members.

Veteran Tory Michael Brookes – overlooked when the joint deputy leadership at Worst Street merged into a single post – is standing down ... as is UKIP’s Elizabeth Ransome.

Councillor Brookes is a long serving politician and remains a county councillor – a role that he has held since 2009.

Two Tory candidates and one Labour are also contesting the seat.

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Trinity Ward (two seats) has one incumbent – Tory Councillor Yvonne Stevens – seeking re-election. Her present Tory colleague Doctor Gordon Gregory is doing the decent thing after an appalling attendance record which at its worst – between April and October last year saw him attend just one out of 14 meetings – an absentee rate of 93%. His attendance to date since then marks him absent 86% of the time.

As we mentioned earlier, Conservative Martin Griggs – currently cabinet member for housing, property and community – is hoping to move from Skirbeck to this currently safe Tory ward. He is also county councillor for the Skirbeck division. Other contestants are Labour’s Andrew Finch

and William Lawrence and Independent Andrea Keal.

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Things look interesting in West Ward (one seat.) The current incumbent last time we looked was a former mayor and one-time Tory cabinet member Stephen Woodliffe. But now Worst Street lists him as unaligned and he is seeking re-election as an Independent.

Some disharmony in the blue camp, perhaps?

Other candidates are: Labour’s Andy Cook, Gavin Lee for the Blue Revolution, and Conservative Paula Cooper – other half of leader Michael and another candidate with an address outside the borough she is seeking to represent. She is presently a county councillor for Boston West.

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Witham Ward (two seats) has UKIP incumbent Viven Edge seeking re-election against two candidates each from the Tories and Labour and one Independent.

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And finally, Wyberton Ward (two seats) sees both incumbents – Independent Richard Austin and Conservative David Brown seeking re-election.

Also standing is Independent Tracey Abbott – the other half of St Thomas Ward candidate Darron who is challenging Mr Austin's wife Alison, along with Labour’s Malcolm Limbert and UKIP veteran Don Ransome – who has still to taste success at local and county level even though his wife and daughters have all held office.

Having said that the good news for some of the contenders is that they have won uncontested places on Wyberton Parish Council ahead of the elections.

Mr Austin, Mrs Abbott, Don Ransome and his wife Sue were all elected unopposed along with a fifth member, Rachel Lauberts.

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That’s it for this week.

Betwixt and between the names are some interesting stories which we hope will give you food for thought – and perhaps even inform your decision when you vote.

And please – do vote ... it's no use moaning about what your council is up to if you let others do the choosing. 

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There’s no blog next week because it is Easter. We’ll be back on Monday 29^th – just days away from a new Boston Borough Council.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com

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