Don't duck these risky issues...!

On the surface, Boston appears to be a pretty calm sort of a place – aside from a few obvious ripples, that is.
But yesterday’s meeting of the borough council’s Audit Committee heard a different story, with a whole host of potential risks lurking to trap the unwary.
The risks are listed every three months, and whilst some of them never change or go away, it’s rather worrying to know that things could apparently go pear-shaped at any time.
Top of the list, on a purpose built “scoring mechanism” of impact is a “critical” risk which involves prolonged interruption to core services; loss of life and multiple casualties, major financial losses , statutory intervention, plus national media interest seriously affecting public opinion.
The risk levels then descend through “major,” to “minor,” ending up with “negligible.”
Fortunately for Boston, our level of risk is fairly prosaic – although we would be interested to know whether last year’s deadly explosion at an illegal distillery in the town featured on any such lists – and if so what lessons were learned and what has been done since.
The main risks faced by the council are financial - and include a new entry in the form of the impact of welfare reform on demand for council services.
Overall, they paint a bleak picture.
Among the sixteen risks listed are - reduced funding from central government; changes to legislation in key areas such as benefits and planning which affect the council’s finances; a worsening of the pension fund deficit; loss of matched funding support from project partners; additional bad debts as a result of economic circumstances; the current uncertainty in the financial markets and potential meltdown within the Euro and banking sector which threatens the security of council investments.
On top of all that a council review of arrangements for civil parking enforcement with Lincolnshire County Council - could see more than £200,000 in parking ticket profits lost.
The Audit Committee has also noticed a high number of more serious risks which - although largely outside the control of the council – have been noted by the cabinet.
These include existing community and cohesion strategies which are subject to a Task and Finish group analysis, and one that never seems to go away – the issue of flood risk in Boston.
On this, the standard line is still being trotted out …. “Working in partnership with Environment Agency and Lincolnshire County Council on development policy in association and in parallel with LDF (Local Development Framework.) Supporting the work of the Boston Barrier project group. Ongoing regular meetings and discussions with EA and LCC. Construction of the Boston Barrier. Development of LDF.”
It really is high time that more was done about this.
The perceived risk of flooding in Boston and all that this entails by way of cramping economic expansion, limiting housing development and pricing people out of the insurance market, needs to move out of the talking shop phase and become something more constructive.

Boston Borough Council needs to try harder.
There’s a phrase for all this: “Gliding swanlike and serene on the surface, paddling furiously below…”

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