“Where fear is, happiness is not” – Seneca, Roman philosopher.

We wonder what it is about authority which makes it use fear as a driving force.
Recently, Boston Borough Council’s publicity machine used the threat of £70 fines for improper parking, and action by the planners if someone puts up security shutters without permission – to give just two examples.
In May last year it also relaunched its “name and shame” campaign jointly with the Boston Standard, but that one apparently died at birth, as we heard nothing  more of it.
Now – some may say appropriately – flooding is the buzzword.
“Be prepared for flooding” pleads one story on the borough council website.
“Stormy weather: building business resilience” cries another, plugging a free half-day workshop for companies concerned about the impact of severe weather on their operations and supply chains.
Yet a third story cautions: “Don't get into deep water” and warns about the potential dangers of “ignoring a road closed sign and driving through a muddy puddle …” an item of information repeated from the county council website.
If that’s not enough, a fourth item asks: “Are you experiencing flooding or do you want to report potential flooding?”
County Hall takes up the baton and runs with it in the latest issue of County News reminding us of the devastating Lincolnshire floods of sixty years ago in which 42 people died.
And  leader Martin Hill tells us that he will be speaking at the launch of the East Coast Co-ordination  Network,  which he hopes  will be an opportunity for agencies with responsibilities during flooding incidents, “to get together and share vital information” – something that we hope they would be doing already.
Cumulatively, this paints a depressing portrait.
But, as has already been noted, Boston – which is purportedly the worst flood risk area in Britain – escaped relatively unscathed in the recent catastrophic weather.
This is because of the sterling service done by our local drainage boards, which have been credited with sparing us from major flooding.
Whilst it would be wrong to be complacent about the risks, we think that it is possible to develop too negative a position on the issue.
The time for many of the seminars aimed at making people more aware of flooding and how to cope with it are better staged during the drier months when action can be taken – rather than waiting until the waters are lapping at the doorstep.
A crucial factor in all of this is the proposed Boston flood barrier, which will protect Boston from sea flooding, reduce the risk of tidal flooding in from 2% in any one year to 0.3%, and protect about 10,000 homes and 900 businesses in the area.
Initial reports claimed that the barrier could be in operation by 2014, but the last we heard, the Environment Agency said that construction is planned to take place between spring 2016 and spring 2018.
It’s now a year since the Environment Agency made a  survey of the ground below the bed of the Haven as part of the “on-going work” towards a proposed multi-million flood barrier for the town – and  what has happened since then  is anyone’s guess.
But given the current fractured financial climate nothing can be regarded as definite.
The quoted cost of £50 million is big money for an organisation, and the Environment Agency must be under considerable pressure to invest in areas that others deem under a greater threat than Boston.
Lincolnshire County Council has promised £11 million towards unlocking the tourism potential created by the installation of a flood barrier which could unlock between £230m, and £500m in benefits to the community.
But County Hall remains under pressure to cut its budget – so who knows how secure that money is?
Amidst all of this, the government is waiting for the Association of British Insurers to deliver “constructive proposals” about the future of flood insurance, and replace the current deal, which ends in July.
After that, it may become even more expensive or difficult – or impossible – for local people to obtain insurance cover in the event of flooding that the powers that be seem to believe is becoming ever more remote.
We need some organisation and clarification … and hopefully some sort of action – please.
 

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