It’s encouraging to hear that – at long last – a local business has  applied for some of the £650,000 grant aid monies available to improve buildings in and around Boston town centre. We say “at long last” because the scheme was announced almost a month ahead of last year’s December 1^st launch. . At the time, Boston Borough Council warned: “Owners of eligible properties can make application now, and do not have to wait until the official launch. And they are being urged to get in quick – the money is limited and will be allocated on a first come-first served basis.” At the time, English Heritage – which is funding the scheme  – said that £120,000 was available for the first year. We don’t know how much this grant has swallowed up but with less than three months to the end of the first year, we hope that others will get a move on. The council has issued reminders at various points across the year, but we think it needs to bang the drum a little louder. The Market Place area is currently being let down by the scruffy state of many of its businesses, and it would be a shame to see this money go to waste.
We note that an election has been called for Thursday 18^th October  following the resignation of Frampton and Holme Ward councillor Brian Rush from Boston Borough Council. Who will stand, we wonder? Last time neither the Conservatives nor Labour bothered to put up candidates, but we would expect the Tories at least to have a go this time around. Hopefully, a strong independent candidate will come forward to try to carry on the good work of Brian Rush, who was sadly driven to resignation by the undemocratic way that the Tories run the shop.
Speaking of which, we have yet another e-mail on this subject favouring a “rainbow” cabinet rather than a one party bandwagon. It comes from Councillor Alison Austin, who writes: “I recall that between 2007 – 2011 members appointed to outside organisations came from right across the council, the best person for the job being put forward for the role rather than just one of the ruling group. For example, over that four-year period I represented Boston Borough Council on a number of environmental bodies, serving on one of them with Councillor Richard Leggott and on the other with Councillor Peter Bedford.  There was no attempt to keep “jobs for the boys (or girls)” in those types of situation.  Drainage Board representation was allocated to those with appropriate expertise, be it farming or financial.  Now those places have been given to the blue brigade or their pals from former days of so-called glory.  These are just a couple of examples. Some of us have got used to being side-lined over the past 18 months, but it is frustrating to witness the blinkered mind-set of a so-called experienced leadership that cannot see the benefit to the borough of using the best person for the job. I’ve always advocated a rainbow cabinet and similar allocation to outside bodies. Regretfully the losers are the people of Boston. Let’s have some colour in the council, not just a faded shade of blue.”
Earlier in the week we heard from Councillor Richard Austin on the same subject – something which prompted a somewhat cynical comment from a borough council insider, who told us: “A certain councillor had a good laugh at Councillor Austin's contribution to democracy debate.  This is because Richard Austin's capacity to recall is well known, in council circles, to be in direct ratio to the embarrassment contained in the facts.”
Boston Business “Improvement” District – which is famous for hiding whatever small light it has under a bushel at every opportunity  –  has come up with yet a new way of making information about what’s happening in the town hard to find. This year, the BID is organising the Boston Christmas Market  –  and there is a brief mention of this on its website. There is no link, however, to another website called Weebly (how twee) which is where the main details of the event are hosted. Disappointingly, too, there is no mention of Boston’s market on the Christmas Markets.Com website, which lists most of the bigger markets in the UK.  We had hoped to find one this year – as we mentioned a similar absence last year. But that’s the BID for you.
 Talking of which, the BID has an arthritic finger in the pie known as Boston in Bloom.
And as we approached last week’s Boston Community Showcase, we noted the flowerbeds on either side of the road leading to the main entrance to Central Park. They used to form one of the old Boston in Bloom features - sponsored by local businesses. Now they are sadly neglected and more of an eyesore than a feature. Given that they are in one of  the busiest parts of town – and are a gateway to the park – couldn’t a little more effort be put into making them more attractive?
Or is it that the powers-that-be fear that any plantings would be vandalised before they had a chance to blossom?  The latest acts of vandalism in Central Park prompted the laughable heading on Boston Borough Council’s website: “Central Park vandals - we're watching you and will see you again... in court.”  We somehow think this is unlikely, as the council has only now closed the gate – long after the horse has bolted – by announcing the installation of “hidden high-tech camera … to record trouble makers 24 hours a day. And those caught on camera will be prosecuted.”  So what has taken the council so long? The last notable case of vandalism was three months ago when the  Councillor Yvonne Gunter Jubilee Fountain was damaged and removed. But this sort of thing has been going on for months and it is a daily routine for staff to arrive at work “to discover evidence of the previous evening's excesses - empty cans and bottles of alcohol strewn about the park.” The council's principal community safety officer laments the fact that this goes on when there are not  "staff or any figures of authority there to keep watch” and implores the public to keep a lookout and call the police if they see something. Yet again, the Worst Street position is one of talk, not action. Surely, if drunken louts are trashing the park after hours, a simple answer would be to change a rota or two so that the park could be manned. We are fed up with a department that is supposed to wage war on anti-social behaviour simply applauding the removal of amenity seating, or asking the public to do their job for them – even though that might put them at risk.
After last week’s mention of the missing parish council election result in Boston Eye,  the details of the Wyberton count have at last appeared on the borough website – three weeks later. The voting was: Simon Wilkinson 234 (54.4%), Henry Mattiti 87 (20.2%), Paul Skinner 57 (13.2%), and John Jenkinson 52 (12.0%.)  Two candidates referred to themselves as independent and the other two declared no affiliation whatever. And, we’re told, three of them a zero level campaign – which is perhaps why the winner was so far ahead. Whilst the borough eventually got around to issuing the result, there is still no sign of an easy to find and follow links to it monthly disclosure of spending over £500 – which used to appear on the home page headed “transparency.” A change of policy on openness, perhaps?
The debate over the attendance – or often the lack of it – by council members at meetings, has produced an interesting response. Several people have suggested that going to the meetings is less important that being busy in one’s ward. It’s a fine argument – not least because there is no way of knowing how active councillors are in the areas that they represent. Some councils require members to produce an annual report which would include a summary of  ward activity – and we think that it would be useful here in Boston. We know, for example, of some councillors whose attendance is exemplary, but who are pitiful when it comes to ward matters.
On similar lines, we hear that a look at the attendance of Tory councillors at the outside organisations that they appointed themselves would be less than impressive.  Apparently, some of those who have high attendance ratings in the council chamber are noticeably absent from meetings of other organisations. There is also a question mark about how many of the boys and girls in blue ever speak at meetings - whether of the council or elsewhere?
We hear that Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire is appealing against the decision by Boston Borough Council’s Planning Committee to turn the front room of his house into a wedding chapel - with facilities to celebrate the nuptials in his back garden. The appeal will take the form of written evidence and was lodged at the end of August. An inspector will now review the paperwork, visit the site and come to a decision. The reasons for refusal were quite unambiguous. “… lack of adequate on-site parking, turning and manoeuvring areas under the control of the applicant, and the potential scale of the use proposed would detract from the safety and amenities of users of the highway, the character of the Conservation Area and the general and residential amenities of the area.” If that wasn’t enough, the committee comprised a majority of the Joint Deputy leader’s Tory peers. We think that Councillor Singleton-McGuire’s appeal  says much about the regard in which he holds his fellow councillors and his attitude towards a decision that has not gone his own way.
Finally, a fly on the wall tells us of an observation by one of the Boston Borough Council’s “VIP party” at last Sunday’s Community Showcase. During a visit to the council stand promoting healthy walks and  allotments, one of them  turned to a council officer manning the display and was heard to comment that there appeared to be no photo that included her. A serious oversight – and one for which heads will doubtless roll, we are sure!

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