The grass is not only

greener in Boston –

the river is bluer as well!

  

We end the week with news of two members of our local great and good – MP Matt Warman, and Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones.

Mr Warman hit the headlines in the Boston off-Target with his fulsome praise for the latest Boston Borough Council stunt to improve the town’s fortunes.

In exchange for a ten per-cent off price concession, businesses will get a free advert in a new brochure “to shout about the best the area has to offer.”

Mr Warman declared this idea to be a “fantastic initiative” by Boston Borough Council – presumably not realising that it’s been done at least once before when the hapless and hopeless Business “Improvement” District unsuccessfully tried a similar stunt.

"There's a bright future for Boston that's plain for anyone who sees the real town beyond the naysayers,” he added … before banging on about promoting our heritage to get more visitors.

Whilst we are sure that he ranks us among the “naysayers,” it is also true that Mr Warman is a "yaysayer" – one note samba for good news.

Everywhere he goes, and everything he sees is always “incredible” or “marvellous” – which we have to say after a while wears a little thin.

The need for Worst Street’s latest cunning plan has come about because successive Boston Borough Councils have let the place run down – the debasement of the Assembly Rooms is an extreme example.

Now that the horse has bolted, Worst Street is trying to close the stable door – with Mr Warman helping to push.

A couple of asides that made us smile …

• The off-Target photo (above) depicts an unfeasibly Bahamian blue River Witham – so in the interests of accuracy, we have inserted a photo showing what the real colour of the water is …
• Meanwhile, Oldrids is offering free refreshments to coach drivers to encourage them to stay longer. What could sound more like a throwback to days when servants were sent to the back entrance for a crust of stale bread!   

*** 

On now to our new Police and Crime Commissioner.

When Marc Jones was campaigning, he made it clear he wanted to appoint a deputy – who has turned out to be his good political mate Stuart Tweedale, as no other candidates appear to have been in the running.

The only hurdle between this ambition and its achievement was the Police and Crime Panel – one of whose jobs is to vet the suitability of such appointments. The committee weighed  the PCC's fellow Tory Lincolnshire County Councillor Tweedale in the balance and found him wanting…

“The Panel recognised that the candidate has a range of experience, knowledge and skills but at the hearing did not demonstrate how he could transfer these to the role of the Deputy PCC …" it reported.

“… the candidate did not demonstrate an understanding of the principle of personal independence required to undertake the role as described by the PCC …”

Plenty more fish in the sea, you might think – especially as the proposed £18,000  a year cannot demand much by way of commitment.

Not so.

Wet-behind-the-ears PCC Jones told the experienced committee members to stick their heads up a bear’s bum because it was only due to“restrictions within the legislation” that they failed to bend their knee to his wishes – and went ahead with the appointment.

As least trust-me Marc’s predecessor waited until his feet were beneath the table before cocking it up.

But Jones is flying his true (Blue) colours from the outset.

We await “regrettable” cuts to the police budget....