The recent debate over councillors and their allowances raise a number of questions – not least about value for money … what exactly what do our councillors do?

Now a partial answer has emerged after members of the Labour group published “annual reports” on their web page.
It follows a successful campaign that saw councillors’ attendances at meetings published – and showed that some of them never make an effort to attend.
On the website, Labour says: “It seems to us that councillors are extremely embarrassed to talk about what they do for their wards,  or they are embarrassed because they haven’t got a lot to report.
“We know when it comes to meetings that some councillors just sit there and don’t say anything, or put up their hands to vote because they have been told they must, or worse don’t turn up at all.
“In this day and age you, the electorate, have the right to an annual report from your local councillor. We know the conservative group on the council and other councillors from other groups are silent on this issue.
“We will keep campaigning over the next couple of years to see more information about your local councillors being readily available for all to read … We think it is important that you can see what your councillors are doing for you.”
In  his report, Labour group leader Councillor Paul Kenny covers a wide range of issues – including his frustration at seeing more and more off  licences being granted licences as there is no way to stop it.
He also provides and interesting insight to the workings of the Boston Town Area Committee … complaining  of an absence of structure and spending outside their remit – on projects which really should be funded by Boston Borough Council. “Hopefully in the coming year this committee will improve and we will move away from scenarios where councillors are voting as they walk out the door.”
Councillor Kenny’s deputy, Paul Gleeson, expresses his concerns at the lack of a real vision for Boston in the future.
“Whilst I recognise that the swingeing cuts the government are inflicting on local authorities means that an awful lot of effort has to be put into just keeping the most basic of services going, it is still imperative that we are working towards developing the Borough.
“For example there is no real work at all being carried out to improve economic development.
“The changes the government are proposing in local authority funding, where any growth in income will only be seen from new development, will mean that better located areas which have been up to now development averse will start to allow new development, this in turn will make it even harder to encourage businesses to move to Boston.
“The other concern is the lack of openness. As a council we should not be frightened of allowing the citizens of Boston from knowing what is happening, what the options are and the reasons behind the decisions we have taken. As councillors we should be open our interests, about what involvement we have with other organisations etc.
“An example of this is in declarations of interest. Under the new Localism Act a council can decide what interests have to be declared.  Boston Borough has interpreted the new legislation (in my view wrongly) so that they have the most limited declaration of interest. What are they frightened of?”
Similar issues are highlighted by Labour’s third councillor, Paul Goodale.
Of  BTAC, he says: “I think that the town would be better off with a Town Council rather than a committee that – although made up of town members – only the Conservative administration are deciding the way forward and how much we can spend at their group meetings …  which consist of mainly rural members.”
And on Boston’s future, he reports: “I raised concerns that there was no forward planning past 2015 – but was voted down by the other members.”
These reports paint an unflattering picture of Boston Borough Council behind closed doors – where attempts at constructive criticism are smothered by a smug ruling group.
From our knowledge of certain of the controlling group’s members, we understand why they are anxious to avoid reporting their activities across a year – although a blank piece of paper comes in handy from time to time if you want to draw up a shopping list.
The Labour group is right to demand more accountability – and we suspect that many other opposition councillors would be happy to follow suit, as we know how hard some of them work.
The leadership’s resistance to giving such basic information to the people who voted them into power is yet another example of their contempt – and shows that they care more for the trappings of power than the democratic use of it.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

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