How Lincolnshire County Council summarised the Boston vote

Living proof that voters are a ballot short of a majority has come with the results of the Lincolnshire County Council elections.

We have argued for years that there is no place for voting along national party lines when it comes to running the day to day essential local services of Lincolnshire or Boston.

We have never felt that local elections should be political with a capital ‘P’  – we want our councillors to be people who have the interests of their local area at heart – and not slavishly to follow the diktats of a national party policy.

And it’s no real help to adopt the line “I vass only followink orders…” to excuse such actions.

And yet – despite moaning about the depth and number of cuts of the past four years … including the loss of street lighting, libraries, educational services, adult social care, cuts to the fire service and winter road maintenance, right the way down the list to grass cutting – the irate voters of Lincolnshire turned out, and like Oliver Twist … asked for more of the same unpalatable gruel.

We are sure that they will get it – a big bowlful.

What if candidates had stood on their policies to improve the area in which they live without a political branding, and then fought to deliver those promises? We are sure that anyone – whether Conservative, Labour, UKIP, Lib Dem or Green would want pretty much the same outcome for their district and their county.

And what’s next now that the elections are behind us? Stand by to expect a ballot to turn Lincolnshire from a county into a unitary authority.

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The face of Lincolnshire County Council changed dramatically after Thursday’s vote – which saw 35 new councillors elected and 35 returned.

• Conservatives now have 58 compared with 36 before the election.
• Labour had 12 but have lost six.
• Liberal Democrats are down from three to one.
• UKIP had nine - but now have zero.
• Lincolnshire Independents had seven and now have just one.
• Independents remain steady with four.
• Independents from Europe lost all three seats.

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Having urged people to get out and vote in last week’s blog, we found ourselves in something of a dilemma when county council election day dawned last Thursday.

Of the five candidates for our vote, two didn’t even bother to poke a leaflet through our letterbox – which made decision making a little easier.

So back to the remaining candidates.

Our Tory wannabe, Martin Griggs, was also our Boston Borough councillor – although until the day that his leaflet arrived, we would not have been able to name him.

He felt that he had the skills to deliver his “plan” and would ensure that important services would not be withdrawn.

Having said that, a look at his borough council track record between November last year and the beginning of this month showed nine attendances at meetings out of a possible 13 – which represents 69%. Not even a pass mark.

And there were no declarations of interest noted on his record for the same period. So much for promising “a strong voice.”

Without doubt, Labour’s Paul Kenny showed how to be a mayor during the floods, but since then has given every impression of having passed his sell-by date.  And his policies for a better Boston wish list on his “Let’s keep it local” platform were either already achieved or unachievable.

UKIP’s Sue Ransome told us that when elected four years ago, she promised to keep voters updated – and this leaflet appears to be that update.  Better late than never.

The list of achievements comprised some hedge cutting, a couple of new street signs, and the “mystery” of a “missing” light removed during remedial work but now “reinstated. ”

Despite attending all lessons at County Hall and Boston Borough Council, she also apparently made no declarations of interest in the records.

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So what to do?

The answer came in the Noble Form of Lord (Gary) Porter of Spalding – Leader of South Holland District Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association – who told a local newspaper that anybody not liking the candidate options in the County Council elections should spoil their ballot paper to register their dissatisfaction.

“This is not an inconsequential election,” he said. “… the council is responsible for delivering life-saving services and other services people care about.

“People need to take responsibility and say ‘I voted for these people’ or ‘I did not vote for them’, but not voting should not be an option.

“If you don’t like what is on offer then you need to express that opinion.

“Get out and spoil the paper. If the largest group at the poll were spoilt papers people who have not yet stood will see there’s a big untapped market place out there.”

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So we did – and were among 32 voters who felt the same across the borough, where the turnout was 30.85%.

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As we said before, probably the most interesting Boston contest was in the Coastal Division – held by borough councillor Peter Bedford for the past quarter of a century – and which elegantly proves our point about the sheep-like way that people vote.

Although for the past 25 years, Councillor Bedford topped the polls, he was then a Conservative!

But he recently split with his colleagues in blue for reasons unknown and stood as an independent.

In the Coastal Ward this turned out to be the political equivalent of contracting Ebola – and Bedford came third with 318 votes of the 2,583 total.

The winner was – yes, you’ve guessed it – a Tory.

Paul Skinner – despite his lacklustre performance as Boston Borough Council’s Town Centre portfolio holder – received 1,277 votes and 44.8% of the poll ahead of UKIP’s Felicity Ransome.

Independent Barrie Pierpoint was 4^th, followed by Labour’s Susan Walsh, whilst – lurking in the basement was “I am Mr Oswald Redvers (Ossy) Snell” a one-time Lib Dem turned independent with 224 votes – or 7.9% of the poll.

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In our other wards, Aaron Spencer – also Worst Street’s Chancellor of the Exchequer – took the newly named Boston North for the Tories. Fellow Tory Mike Brookes, Worst street’s Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for rubbish held Boston Rural. Despite a bad time for Independents generally, Councillor Alison Austin worked her old black magic in Boston South. Tory Paula Cooper is the new county councillor for Boston West. She is the other half of the Langrick Bubblecar Museum owning duo, and husband Mike Cooper is to be the new leader at Worst Street following Peter Bedford’s departure.

This means that Boston now has two councillors who live outside the district!

Finally Tory Martin Griggs completers the set in the newly named Skirbeck Division.

Among the results there is at least proof of the old adage "they also serve who only stand and watch."

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One thing that tickled us this time round was the Conservative use of mail merging in their leafleting campaign.

Page one of their hand-outs featured the candidate’s name and photo; the centre spread was the general pitch ...whilst on the back an appeal for support by county council leader Martin Hill saw the candidate’s name inserted.

And pursuing the idea that all voters are idiots, the leaflet concluded with a “personal” endorsement by Matt Warman, who is seeking re-election as Boston and Skegness MP.

There he sat – photographed alongside our candidate who was name-checked twice.

Mr Warman was quoted as saying: “…it’s vital to have the best possible team of councillors supporting my work so secure the best Brexit for Lincolnshire.”

At least he didn’t go so far as to say that the candidate alongside was the one he meant.

But pity the poor man – sitting at a desk whilst six wannabes plonk themselves down next to him for this desperate photo call so that he can herald them as the answer to a voter’s prayer.

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Speaking of Mr Warman we are slightly bemused by his strategy to date.

On Saturday, he invited the Tory faithful to his campaign launch and at the same time to grab a box of leaflets to hand out in their neighbourhood.

It seemed a bit haphazard to us – we would expect a battle plan to include a map of the constituency where canvassed area were checked off once visited so as to ensure the entire patch was covered.

And what was to stop anti-Tories from collecting a box of leaflets and dumping it in a hedge somewhere?  Don’t forget if your name is on a fly-tipped piece of litter then you will be the one who is fined!

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Still with Mr Warman’s campaign, an additional note directed supporters to his crowd funding appeal – which hopes to raise £5,000 “to help keep Boston and Skegness Conservative in the 2017 General Election.”

By yesterday lunchtime as we were putting this week’s Boston Eye to bed, the total stood at £410 from six supporters, of which we assume he is one – compared with £310 from five the previous day,  just 8% per-cent of the requirement.

Clearly the appeal worked ... just a little bit.

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We’ll be looking at the general election in more detail next week – the closing date for nominations is 11^th May – but after last week’s mention we were not surprised when Paul Kenny was again selected for Labour.

This year the party’s national executive took over the job from the locals because of the imminence of the election, and we were told that the announcement was expected last Tuesday.

That was nearly the case – the announcement was Tweeted by Mr Kenny’s agent Councillor Paul Gleeson, appropriately on May Day at 6-10pm.

What did surprise us though was the appearance of Mr Kenny as a candidate in Wednesday’s Boston sub-Standard which “confirmed” his appointment in its Wednesday morning edition.

We would have thought that the paper’s deadline on a bank holiday week was well past when the news was announced.
So did the paper make a lucky guess – or was the decision already made and perhaps leaked ahead of the expected deadline?

Either way – as we reported last week, there is still unhappiness in the Labour ranks about Mr Kenny as the choice for candidate, and we think that this may soon express itself.

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We hope that Lincolnshire County Council doesn’t mind us making use of some of the excellent graphics used to illustrate last week’s election.

Whilst it was “their” election, its significance went almost unremarked on the Worst Street website – which apparently still believes it is yet to happen – according to this website entry which was still in place yesterday

Mind you, living in the past seems to be a way of life for the web team in Worst Street.

Election  day saw the appearance of a story headlined: “Tribute planned to Boston's 'lost fishermen'"– a piece about Boston and South Holland Wood Carvers' plan to build an eight-foot high oak monument to fishermen who sailed from Boston at the outbreak of the First World War and were killed or taken prisoner.

It was accompanied by a photo of a glum looking Councillor Peter Bedford and the woodcarvers along with a quote from “Councillor Peter Bedford, Leader of Boston Borough Council.”

Hmmm.

Is anybody there? Knock once for yes, twice for no.

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In keeping with its policy that any old nonsense will do on the website so long as it has nothing to do with Boston – a policy perhaps inherited from its hopeless weekly newsletter – Worst Street has offered this bon mot …

The information is as pointless as it is incorrect.

However else you calculate the size of the May Fair, it is not by length – as it does not run in a linear fashion.

Area would be much better – and then instead of London buses, we could talk in terms of football pitches, or make comparisons with the size of the Isle of Wight.

It’s a pity that some people have nothing better to do. What's the adage? The devil finds work for idle hands!

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Now that BTAC-ky appears to have an open chequebook at its disposal, we hope that it won’t decide to use it willy-nilly.

A proposal to incorporate Woodville Road and Shelton’s Field into the borough’s CCTV system has produced a quote for “an alternative solution” costing £11,611 plus vat for Shelton’s Field and £15,710 for Woodville Road.

The solution uses 4G connectivity, and the cost includes two years of airtime. Woodville Road includes the cost of a six metre column, but the council would have to pay for connection to electricity supply and the installation of a concrete base, Annual maintenance would cost £129 per camera.

The CCTV control room software is not compatible with the solution proposed, and whilst other compatible software control solutions could be installed, the costs are unknown. The CCTV control system would also need to be connected to the internet in order to connect to the new cameras.

Given the way that Worst Street usually spends the largest sums for the worst result possible, we hope that this quote will swiftly be kicked into touch.

Especially as on the borough’s own figures when it upgraded the CCTV system: “Fibre optics are to be replaced with a wireless system reducing the cost of new cameras, together with their associated installation, running and maintenance costs, from £25,000 each to just £2,000.”

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Finally, quite a number of candidates in last week’s elections homed in on the county council's reductions in street lighting lighting and how awful it was.

Some years ago we were involved in a national radio oral history project, and were told by more than one Lincolnshire interviewee about village life back in the 1920s and 1930s.

A common thread in these accounts was that  social events such as dances, meetings and the like were held on the night of the full moon during the winter months – because the lunar lighting was the only source by which people could find their way around.

What would today’s complainers make of that, we wonder?

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