Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events

This time last week, the  corporate peer challenge,  which saw Boston Borough Council given the once over by professionals from four outside district councils and the Local Government Association to examine how efficiently it was working, had just ended. It was reportedly the final recommendation of the improvement board to look at the council’s best practice, partnership working, successes and failures – “warts and all." We asked at the time whether the findings of the visitors would be made known to us, the taxpayers – and as time goes by, we think we know the answer. Was it so very warty, then?
After questions to the police the other week, next Wednesday’s Task and Finish Group looking at the social impact of population change on Boston - a long-winded way of saying the issues raised by inward migration – will be hearing from employers, and relevant representatives. Because the borough council only releases agenda details five working days ahead of a meeting, it is again impossible for the public to ask questions, because there is insufficient time left to pose one under the rules. However, if it’s any help, the next but one meeting – which will see questions about education – is on 26th April, so there is plenty of time. You’ll find more details by clicking here
Last week’s item on the “vegetable bowling” championship planned for Boston Borough Council’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations prompted a letter to the Boston Standard from Independent Councillor Carol Taylor.

Sadly, the newspaper was swamped by four letters, and therefore unable to find any space. But in the interests of openness, here’s what Councillor Taylor had to say: “I drove to work today along the A52 past the fields which were very busy with workers picking various produce from the land. This is so that we can have the privilege of being able to enjoy fresh vegetables on our dinner plates whenever we choose. To see this produce thrown around a field for the sake of enjoyment is wasteful and insensitive. We still have families who are unable to feed themselves to a standard that most of us enjoy every day, and there is still a third world famine. Whilst people of the Third World may not eat the western world’s food, this display of wastefulness is just not acceptable. I wonder what our Sovereign Queen Elizabeth would think - and even more so, what would Sir Bob Geldof think? The Jubilee celebrations in the Park will be a great success, so do they really have to do this? ‘These cabbages are only going to rot anyway,’ I hear you say - but if they are, then why not give them to those who can ill afford such fresh pickings from our land. I am not being a killjoy, but please remember if you are one of those throwing these vegetables around THINK! - is this really why the land workers work so hard for us to do this? THINK! - about those less fortunate who are unable to enjoy such fresh food. If you can do this with little thought to others and the sheer wastefulness then you can enjoy your bowling match.”Talking of the Jubilee celebrations, we wonder whether Boston Borough Council is being a little over-enthusiastic in its hyping of the event. “YOU... by royal appointment” screeched one recent headline, and another story promised “a right royal knees-up.” We are also told that the organisers hope there will be a “Last Night of the Proms type of atmosphere” - but having been to that event  some years ago, we think that their hopes may be over optomistic. The organisers are the Boston Town Area Committee, who have persuaded themselves that this is a “town only” event to justify hurling £5,000 at it from their budget. They have also allocated a further £10,000 to the Victorian garden fountain that is to be turned on to mark an Elizabethan jubilee. The fountain is being switched on by Boston’s Mayor – we assume the next one - and the council's portfolio holder for leisure services, parks, open spaces and cemeteries, Councillor Yvonne Gunter. Does it really need two? We can understand the Mayor doing the honours – that’s what Mayors are for. But although not one penny appears to have come from the borough’s leisure services budget, we have to ask why the portfolio holder is tagging along when, if anything, the job should belong to the Chairman of BTAC.
Can you blame us if we seem confused by Boston Borough Council’s approach to car parking? First there was the uproar over charging disabled blue badge holders. Now we read that plans are afoot to introduce residents’ parking schemes in congested streets that would see people paying to park outside their houses - having previously done so free of charge. Introducing such schemes could cost between £30,000 and £50,000 a time – but this “would be offset by income from selling residents permits.” And where do the drivers park who have been evicted from these congested areas? Presumably in whatever nearby car parks are available – at season ticket rates. And again, what about disabled people? The whole idea of the recent parking shake-up was to raise money. Now we hear that it could cost almost as much to set up one residents’ parking scheme as will be raised from chargeing blue badge holders. Not only that, but there is also talk of bringing all car parks up to a similar standard – at a cost of £400,000. None of this makes any sense at all. But one thing seems certain – that we will see ever spiralling charges, and increasing number of residents’ schemes.
Talking of spending … we hear that graffiti in Boston is being removed, thanks to a new machine. It has been paid for by Lincolnshire Police (why?) and will be operated by Boston Borough Council’s

Community Safety Team. There is also a “cut price” service available for owners of private property which has been daubed. So far, so good. But visitors to the Boston Business Improvement District website have been aware for some time that: “Boston BID has purchased equipment to enable us to remove some of the graffiti that is adorning buildings in the BID area. Whilst the council do not have a formal schedule as to when they will remove graffiti,  they are not responsible for removing graffiti on private property. Therefore if any BID member would like us to attempt to remove graffiti on their premises please contact the BID manager for more details.” So now we apparently have two graffiti removal machines. And even though there is a lot of graffiti around the place, we wonder whether that is one machine too much. Which reminds us … whatever happened to the £7,000 chewing gum removal machine that the council bought four years ago? After being trotted out for a couple of photocalls at the time it seems since to have disappeared without trace.
Still on issues relating to value for money, we wonder how cost effective the latest borough council scheme to get us fit and keep us active is likely to prove. The council has blagged £65,000 from NHS Lincolnshire for the provision of two "trim trails" – whatever they might be – new outdoor gym

equipment at Central Park and Woodville Road Playing Field and a financial contribution towards buying land  at Boston Woods to extend the joint path/cycleway. Equipment available now includes a cross-trainer, a rower, sit-up benches, balance beams, monkey bars and hurdles. Call us cynical if you will, but we can’t really see much of this stuff having any real health benefits. And we also thought that the NHS was supposed to be hard up.
Despite local protests by 19 residents and a petition from the Main Ridge East Steering Group, plans by Mayflower Housing to convert a house in the neighbourhood into a women’s refuge, are being recommended for approval. The steering group was particularly concerned at the possible impact of a refuge on a neighbourhood play area on which it has spent a lot of time and money improving – as they fear that there may be incidents involving the seven children it’s reckoned might  be housed there if their absent fathers try to contact them. But not to worry. The recommendation to councillors says: “In the absence of any evidence to substantiate local residents’ fears of undesirable incidents or behaviour that may or may not arise as a result of this use, the proposal to change the use to hostel accommodation can be similar in nature and characteristics to a residential dwelling. The proposed use is unlikely to substantially harm the amenities of other nearby land users or residents, or the general character of the area and therefore should be permitted.” So there!
Meanwhile, as part of Boston’s unceasing drive onwards and upwards, another plan being recommended for approval is one to turn offices behind the borough’s West Street offices into a centre for the treatment and rehabilitation of users of drugs and alcohol - despite a petition signed by 31 people. This time, the reasons are that the proposal can be an acceptable use and that it is really little different from a doctors’ surgery in the area. Looking at this and the item above, we wonder how many people are required to object to such proposals in their neighbourhood before someone sits up and takes notice.

We had to smile at the neat way Lincolnshire County Council has tried to cover up its tardiness in mending the roads in our part of the world. As any fule kno, potholes appear during the winter when prolonged periods of snow and ice cause the surface to break up. Now, County Hall has submitted a joint application to the Department for Transport requesting millions of pounds to repair “drought damaged” roads. According to Highways Portfolio holder Councillor William Webb, “the persistent drought means that soils shrinks under the roads from lack of moisture … and road surfaces become uneven as cracks appear.” Surely, there’s no possibility that some of this “drought” damage is in fact unrepaired “winter” potholes that have simply not yet been fixed? Is there?
We were taken to task by one of the members of the new South East Lincolnshire Planning Authority for suggesting on Wednesday that trying to second guess what we will need in twenty years time is something of a pointless exercise. South Holland District Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones wrote to say: “My, my, aren't we the positive upbeat community activists these days! People often like to accuse me of being a glass half empty AND broken kind of guy, but this piece makes me look like the CEO of Think Positive Inc. Having torn up the three council approach of using the old guard of existing politicians, I would very much like to hear what you would do? Having compared your approach of, don't bother to plan because it all changes anyway, with the original draft of the recently published National Planning Policy Framework, I wonder if the author might not be a developer, or at least somebody with some potential housing land to off-load. Whether we do it together, with the involvement of LCC, or separately, with LCC making comment on our individual draft plans, a local plan is going to happen and it's going to happen soon. You can get involved and make a contribution, or you can sit on the sidelines sniping and criticising - the choice is yours.” The e-mail closed with a quotation - "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 together with the exhortation, “Speak nicely to people. Life is better that way.” Hmmm. We prefer: “Speak softly and carry a big stick".
Finally, if - as Boston’s MP Mark Simmonds suggests in this week’s Boston Target – the National Health Service is a national religion, could this explain why is seems to be in constant decline? We’re not sure that we approve of his cunning plan to ensure its survival - which is to give it our “whole-hearted support.” Is he suggesting that we break a limb or develop an illness or two to give the service a bit of a boost? We do hope not.

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