New figures give the lie to the cauli-cutting myth

In recent weeks we have been critical of our local “politicians” for their willingness to classify Boston as an area where the only place for people to work is in the fields and packhouses.
On a recent radio phone-in, our local MP Mark Simmonds was asked about the lack of jobs for local people, and responded: “I can meet some young people in Boston who say ‘Mark, when are you going to get all these migrants out of our town, and I say to them, ‘Well, when you’re prepared to go into the fields or the packhouses.”
Similarly, Boston Borough Council leader Peter Bedford – in another radio interview – offered this verdict on jobs: “It’s the fact that our population have got to get used to the fact of starting to apply for such jobs (in the packhouses) again.”
Obviously, there are always people who for various reasons qualify only for jobs such as these – but we suspect that they are in a minority, and not what the great and the good of Boston would have us believe.
To suggest – as Mr Simmonds and Councillor Bedford have done – that the alternative to the fields and packhouses is the dole queue, is unfair … and derogatory of the people they claim to represent.
That is why it is interesting to see the latest break down of who-does-what in the county from the Lincolnshire Research Observatory.
It has produced sets of figures for 2010 showing – as a percentage of all employees – the proportion of people working within each broad industrial group.
Sources for the figures include the Office for National Statistics and DEFRA.
They show that far from being a society of cauli-cutters as our masters claim, we are very much a white-collar community.
The biggest employment area by far is public administration, education and health – which accounts for 26.6% of the borough’s workers.
This is followed by banking, finance and insurance, with 22.5% – and then
distribution, hotels and restaurants at 22.1%.
It is only then that we see then entry of agriculture and fishing  – at a comparatively meagre 5.7%.
After that, the list comprises: transport and communications 5.3%, “other services” 2.6%, construction 2.3% and energy and water at just 1%.
What this tells us is that despite the poor quality of education locally, Bostonians are achieving against the odds.
For this they should be credited, not categorised – and wrongly categorised at that.
What we need now is for our politicians to get to work for once, and make a case for better quality jobs to come to Boston, plus more by way of educational opportunities to help our citizens develop new skills
The borough needs new investment by modern industry, and with more financial support for broadband services promised, efforts should be made to ensure that we get our fair share of whatever is going.
Quality broadband will do much to reduce the impediments that have held Boston back for so long – in particular, the remoteness of the district and the poor road infrastructure.
What we are asking for is commitment and effort from those who hitherto have sat back and accepted the status quo.
We need imaginative and far-sighted leadership.
But where to find it is the next problem to solve.

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