So many people are credited with making the above quote that we’re not even going to try to attribute it to any individual – but it’s very obviously true.

A good example has appeared on the Worst Street website – beneath the headline ‘Relief as anti-social behaviour reaches an end.’

WorstWeb reports that a family at Frampton Place is celebrating an end to daily incidents of anti-social behaviour outside their home after a piece of land next to it was cleared.

The plot contained overgrown trees which camouflaged fly-tipping, drug taking, litter dumping and “social gatherings.”

The report says the area was cleaned up “thanks to teams at Boston Borough Council, Lincolnshire County Council and Staniland Ward Councillor Brian Rush.”

***

So, what are the two sides to the story?

The first is that it reminds us that the Worst Street approach to anti-social behaviour involving any form of foliage is one of slash and burn. Hack down the trees that give the miscreants cover – something that we have seen all around the town … sadly in places such as Central Park, where large areas of plantings have simply been uprooted to deny their use as outdoor lavatories, ‘shooting’ galleries or overnight accommodation.

This is the worst kind of response – because it lets the bad guys win.

Instead of properly supervising and managing the problem areas, Worst Street and its acolytes take the easy way out and destroy the problem with chainsaws.

This land must have been owned either by Worst Street or Clownty Hall – so why was the problem allowed to continue for as long as it did?

***

The other side of the story is that it demonstrates the lack of engagement by councillors as a whole.

With the exception of Councillor Rush, we can recall no other such report appearing on WorstWeb since the 2015 local elections.

One reason why it is so important that we are kept informed of the help that our councillors give to their ward members is to show that they are there for a purpose; that the role has worth and that councillors are not just a rubber-stamping, aloof band who think themselves a cut about the rest and draw generous expenses for doing very little … or nothing at all in some cases.

***

Ironically – given Worst Street’s total disinterest in promoting National Democracy Week – it is now urging us to register to vote.

Locals are being warned not to “lose their voice on matters that affect them” by completing their annual canvass form and returning it as soon as possible. 

“With Borough and Parish Council elections taking place in the Boston Borough area in May 2019, this is an important opportunity for residents to make sure they can take part,” the council dribbles.

Why the enthusiasm for this, when National Democracy Week was allowed to pass unnoticed?

Could it be that Worst Street can fine you if you fail to complete the form to appear on  the electoral roll?

Perish the thought.  

***

Perhaps the impending elections – May isn’t really that far away – might have had something to do with the fact that fifteen questions were asked by councillors of their cabinet colleagues at the last full council  meeting.

As usual, one had to attend the meeting to know, as these items – plus any questions from the public – were not listed on the agenda … even though they have to be submitted well enough in advance for this to be done, and appeared in the past with no apparent problem.

***

Then there was the aim and nature of the questions …

Of the fifteen, seven were posed by Councillor Jonathan Noble – a one-time UKIP deputy leader at Worst Street, who stood as the Kippers’ choice for Louth at the 2017 general election and subsequently became a born-again Conservative.

Councillor Brian Rush posed four questions, with Councillors Barrie Pierpoint and Anton Dani – his fellow members of the newly-formed Bostonian Independents Group – equal with two each.

Our reader who sent the details to us declared them to be questions and ‘non-questions’ – and it’s easy to see why. He also reckoned that they would have taken at least an hour properly to be dealt with

Councillor Noble’s questions were the night’s nons … of a variety aimed at giving the interrogatees a platform to boast of their achievements – and hence targeted at the appropriate portfolio holders asking …

“What steps are being taken by the council to improve the appearance of the town centre?”

“What events have the council staged or will stage this year to promote Boston as an attractive tourist destination?”

“How effective have the two 3GS workers been in reducing dog fouling and littering?”

“What have been the material benefits of employing three BTAC workers?”

“How much money came into the council's coffers in the last financial year as a result of charging for the garden waste bin service?”

“How many toilet facilities in the town centre are now available for the general public and tourists?”

“What steps are the council taking to reduce the incidence of fly tipping in the Borough?”

***

We think by now that you get the drift – a smarm offensive by Mr Noble to allow his under-pressure colleagues to brag about their so-called ‘achievements.’

We’ve seen the same brown-nosing in parliament where a set-piece question paves the way for a minister from the Prime Minister downwards to wave the party flag.

***

By contrast, Councillor Rush’s questions were distinctly different – asking about local health services: “I am trying to ascertain whether the Boston Borough Conservative group are going to stand together with the distraught Mothers of Boston, in resistance, or support your MP Matt Warman, and ULHT's re-location to Lincoln of the Children's Ward?”

Or on issues of planning: “The BiG group would like to congratulate the Planning Committee for giving planning permission to the new Shopping Centre Development on Red Lion Street Car Park. (I have to admit that despite some serious reservations, I did vote for it, more out of hope than excitement.)

“However did we not once before, have full plans accepted, for a similar development on the Bus Stop Car park, would this not have been a more attractive, if regurgitated proposition than Red Lion Street and was it not considered?”

We can answer that one …

A huge development was planned for the bus terminus and West Street area named Merchants Key – which failed after Debenhams, which would have been the ‘key’ store on which to hang the project backed out.

And incidentally – given some reservations over the viability of any more development – we see that the Mint supermarket on Boston Shopping Park off Horncastle Road, which opened just over a year ago appears to have stopped trading.

***

But back to the council question marathon.

Councillor Pierpoint asked if  “the proposed and agreed £20 million loan agreed by the full council recently, has been secured and if so on what basis and terms?"
Given the farce over the mysterious £1 million loan which is costing us £100,000 every year until armageddon  the question was well made.

More pointedly, he asked council leader Michael Cooper: “Throughout our constitution, we see that this council claims to subscribe to the principles of fairness, openness and transparency. Such principles are considered by a free and fair society to be the vital building blocks of democratic society.

“If we are to believe that, how then can we claim to also be an advocate, of inclusivity, whilst blatantly operating an elitist Cabinet System?"

***

Councillor Dani raised the question:  "Lately we have noticed an instability of officers in the planning department, do you think that will affect the credibility of the Boston Borough Council in their decisions?”

He also asked: "Am I right in my estimation that Lincolnshire County Council demands about 60% of this Borough's council tax?

“Why is this and how much of that is reinvested in Boston?"

Perhaps the evening saw the creation of a new collective noun – we have a bloat of hippos, a murder of ravens … and now we can add an instability of planning officers!

***

Make a note in your diary – although these questions were asked at the full council meeting of 9^th July – we won’t get to read the answers until the agenda is issued for the next full council meeting … on 24^th September.

This is yet another example of a council that tries to keep its business as remote as possible from the people who elected it and who fund it.

***

But Worst Street is not alone in this – there is serious aiding and abetting on the part of our so-called local newspapers as well.

The meeting where all the questions were asked also passed a vote of no confidence in the bosses of the trust which runs Pilgrim Hospital and called on Worst Street’s leader and chief executive to raise their concerns with the Government and MP Matt Warman.
No mention was made of any of the questions.

Afterwards a news release from the Bostonian Independent Group – which dismissively appeared as a reader’s letter in one paper – said that all councillors agreed that Mr Warman hadn’t done enough, and were far from happy that he supported the trust board’s ‘lacklustre’ strategy for future development of the Pilgrim Hospital “which the majority of people in Boston is against. It reduces services, not maintains them.”

BiG also criticised Tory Councillor Tom Ashton, for being the only councillor to support Mr Warman.

It said that Councillor Ashton is a councillor in two authorities – Boston Borough and East Lindsey District – and also a Lincolnshire county councillor “claiming around £20,000 in allowances” and asking: “How can a councillor serve three wards of residents in different areas and be effective?”

A spokesperson for BiG said: “Boston councillors now have to unite to put pressure on Matt Warman, the Government, and the new Health Secretary to come up with more funding, more investment, more resources, more doctors, more nurses, and give more for the people of Boston – a decent, proper and deserved health service at the Pilgrim Hospital.”

Why is our local press so scared of publishing any criticism of the Conservatives?

It should be unbiased and unafraid – yet we fear that it is not.

***

The Boston Sausage Festival was damned with faint praise on WorstWeb – being declared a success on the basis of a handful of Facebook comments – one of which simply read “MMmm sausages” ... and a photo which showed how sparse attendance was  ...  while local ‘newspaper’  pictures showed some splendid support for the event thanks to a number of Worst Street officers!

At the 11^th hour, the event was rechristened – to change it from a beer and sausage festival to a music festival at which you could buy a pint and a sausage!

That struck a Hmmm alert for us – which by all accounts was well justified.

On the day, readers tweeted us at what should have been the peak time – as the under-18 yoof attendees were being given the bum’s rush ahead of their favourite bands striking up – to ask why Worst Street “waited until the last minute to promote it?  Same with the Viking thing? This is so sad.”

One of our reader’s best guesses was that attendance was around 300 –  borne out by the fact that tickets were still available at the last minute for the ‘early bird’ price of £3.50 …  which was a charge made for the first 500 tickets sold only.

Another reader questioned what Worst Street did to promote the event – and the answer appears to be … not much.

Well, it did send the poor devil pictured on the right on a tour of the town purportedly dressed as a sausage.

The costume was actually a hot dog, which is made using a frankfurter –  not the sort of sausage that Boston is famed for. 
It also bore a close resemblance to the famous Rolling Stones Mick Jagger ‘tongue’ logo.

***

Still, there’s nothing bad about confidence  …

… although we felt that  the Worst Street weakly bulletin and WorstWeb had overstepped the mark and entered the realm of presumption, rather than hopeful anticipation.

***

With an unerring ability for stating the obvious, the glacially slow-moving Task and Finish group looking at the future of Boston Market has come up with yet another report.

It summarises the “Key Headline” outcomes from consultation with the public and comes up with these devastatingly unsurprising results…

• The Market looked tired and rundown.
• The council need to promote the market better. 
• Years ago buses packed the bus station in the summer and the market was full.
• The Market Place with empty shops was run down and too big for the market.
• New canopies were needed to brighten the stalls and make them all the same as in other markets in the country.
• The council needed to bring the Farmers' Market back and promote it better.
• New products were needed on the market – a lot of what was sold was cheap ... and quality goods were needed to encourage people.

And finally …

Pedestrianise the market. Stop the buses

Many people have been saying the self-same things since Noah was a lad – and the issue of buses herding people aside as they spread noise, oil and fumes around Strait Bargate  was discussed with the operator last October and a possible solution was put forward.

Since then … guess what?

Nothing.

***

The Task and Finish group began life as something called Prosperous Boston, and held its first meeting in September 2015.

The conclusion of the latest phase declares: “The markets review produced quality consultation responses which confirmed support for the continuation of Boston’s markets from both members of the public including students and from the many businesses in and around the town.

“Furthermore the responses provided options on a number of new ways of facilitating the markets in taking them forward and improving their offer.”

So now what?

***

 Please remember that we are publishing  fortnightly during the holiday/silly season, which means that our next blog will appear on Monday 6^th August.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com   

E– mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

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

We are on Twitter – visit @eye_boston

The mess which caused the cancellation of Boston Borough Council’s Corporate and Community scrutiny committee on 21st June because not enough councillors could be bothered to attend has been revealed on the Worst Street website.

As you can see, it shows that only one committee member took to trouble to send a substitute in his stead – Councillor Richard Austin, whose old adversary and former leader Peter Bedford stepped into the breach.

Cry, God for the Boston Corporate and Community scrutiny committee, Dicky and Saint Pete.

Of the rump, seven of the eleven members sent apologies – and their failure to attend not only caused the cancellation of the meeting, but presumably generated costs for the attendance of three officers … two of them earning more than £50,000 a year.

***

What we would like to know is how soon it is before a meeting that apologies have to be submitted

If a reasonable time is allowed – and so long as a shoal of members avoid simultaneously succumbing to an attack of the trots  on the night – there should still enough time to call off a meeting and spare participants and lot of inconvenience.

What we suspect is that until the meeting starts and apologies are called for no-one has a clue about who is – or isn’t attending.

If so, this is a sloppy piece of administration – but something that would not be surprising given the chaotic spaghetti that calls itself Boston Borough Council.

***

Mind you, sloppiness appears to be endemic in the borough – as a regular reader wrote to tell us.

“In studying the latest BBC Parish Council Newsletter I was struck by the fact that two of the meetings advertised therein did not have the correct day to match the date printed,” he told us.

The meetings concerned were for the Full Council and a Planning Committee meeting.

“One has to ask, given the recent record of councillor attendance at other Borough meetings, whether similar mistakes have been prevalent in the past.

“If this is so, then it would seem training for officers is needed;  if not the case, then a course for councillors to remind them of their duties, in line with their election promises, would probably be a good idea even if we are in the last year of the present elected term.

“Some quick attention to this problem is needed if we are to remove all confusion in councillors' minds as to the date of Christmas this year.”

***

A local Facebook page – Boston the people – is going to war on the shabby state of the town and its some of its historic buildings … and appears to have won the support of one whom taxpayers might expect not to be able to spare the time.

***

A photo album called Stop the Rot on Boston’s Historical Buildings was accompanied by the message: “I took the bull by the horns armed with my camera and have wrote (sic) to the council over the weekend sending them my albums, along with my concerns and suggestions.

“I have made three albums of our town, which I will post to this site separately. For for (sic) some reason the links to them don't work.

“The first one is focused on the state of the Assembly Rooms.

“The second is a visual survey of weeds and state of some buildings.

“The third is The best of Boston.

“I've received a rapid and positive response from them (the council - Ed) first thing this morning as follows …”

***

The reply – addressed in first name terms and purportedly from the borough’s Chief Executive – read:

“Thank you for your email, thoughts, comments, enforcement suggestions and attachments.

“You have raised a number of issues and suggestions and I hope that you will allow me some time to properly consider before proving (sic) a more substantive response.

“In the meantime I have passed a copy to colleagues to see if there is something we can do in the short-term using our street cleansing, staff, the BTAC operatives and/or the Fly-Swat team.

“Regards, Phil

“Phil Drury

“Chief Executive”

***

Our past experience shows that Mr Drury is no slouch when it comes to replying to e-mails – although we have not previously noted such a rapid response.

Perhaps now that he has a deputy instead of being a one-man band he has more time on his hands.

However, the idea of a £95,000 a year panjandrum showing an interest in the minutiae  of weeding the gutters brings with it a concern that there is nothing much more important to do.

It is also something of a worry that it has taken all these years for the message to get across – that once you leave the town centre or the Boston in Bloom judging route, the town is a weed and litter strewn tip.

***

And neatly combining the shabby state of the town and the Bloomers’ judging route, we must ask why the town bridge is in such a state.

As we crossed it the other day, we noted the disgraceful condition of the pavement and the urgent need for some serious re-painting. The bridge has been a foreground to the view of Boston Stump taken by thousands of photographers over the years – and its condition suggests that it will definitely not be seen by the judging panel this time around … or it would glisten blindingly in the sun.

***

Talking of Chief Executives – a couple of Mr Drury’s predecessors continue to find their way into the headlines … but not for the best of reasons.

Mark James, Boston’s Chief Executive between 1995 and 2002 has been a regular in Private Eye’s Rotten Boroughs feature – but is closely followed by his successor Nicola Bulbeck who followed Mr James into office in 2002, and subsequently swapped Boston for the delights of the Devonshire countryside.

Her tenure proved controversial – even after she left Teignbridge Council … having previously been given a 12% pay rise which took her total pay package to just under £142,000.

Nice work if you can get it.

***

Old news is better than no news at all, we suppose, and some praise for policing in Boston took a couple of weeks to reach the locals – and then via a highly circuitous route.

The story – listing the top five local authorities for crime detection – first appeared in the Sunday Times on 17^th June.

It was picked up by the intrepid news hounds at – of all unlikely places – Boston Borough Council, almost a fortnight later, then by BBC Radio Lincolnshire … finally becoming the lead story on the Boston sub-Standard three and a half weeks after it first appeared.

Ironically, as far as we can tell, Lincolnshire Police have made no mention of the report.

***

Whilst the figures are good news, they ought not to – as they inevitably were – be used to support an argument that the perception of crime is much higher than the reality.

Perception is important – and having lived in Boston for many years we, and others we know, feel less comfortable on the streets that we did ten or twenty years ago.

And whilst it is true that a 4% detection rate in bottom-of-the-list Rushcliffe is truly shameful, Boston’s 20.1% rate means that the odds are comfortably in favour of criminals getting off scot free.

***

As we are sure you know last week was National Democracy Week.

And if you didn’t, we are not surprised – because although local authorities and many 

other organisations up and down the country staged events, talks and fun activities to mark the 90^th anniversary of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act which gave women the same voting rights as men – Worst Street did not appear to be among them.

I

Our next door neighbours in South Holland were far less indifferent … running a market day stall manned by councillors and members of the SHDC democratic services team.

There were also exhibitions and other initiatives across the week.

Councillor Malcolm Chandler, Deputy Leader of South Holland District Council, said: "National Democracy Week is a fantastic new initiative and it is great to see South Holland District Council taking a major part in helping share the powerful and positive messages attached to it.

"Democracy and all that is attached to it is so imperative to our way of life in this country and it is so important that the right to vote is exercised.

“Just one vote can make all the difference, and that is why encouraging participation and engagement is such a key objective for myself, other councillors and council staff.”

What a shame it’s not the case on Boston.

***

Meanwhile South Kesteven District Council was busy supporting a Teenage Market which was held at the weekend.

  

Regular readers will remember that a similar idea was floated for Boston – and after two years of fannying around it was declared that the idea had no support here. Why is it that Grantham can manage it and other places such as Lincoln, Sleaford and Stamford have all held similar markets in the past?

There are no prizes for guessing the answer.

***

Talking of events, the weekend saw something called Lost … and found Vikings – which apart from suffering on the first day due to the England World Cup quarter final game against Sweden … a country with strong historical associations with the Vikings … was also peculiarly presented on the borough  website.

Whist entry to the Central Park event was free but with some small charges, there was also a warning that “some scenes may not be suitable for young children unaccompanied.”

As ever, nothing is simple and straightforward when Boston Borough Council has a finger in the pie.

***

Our remarks last week about the Worst Street sausage and beer festival which is being held in Central Park on Saturday drew a rebuke from one of our readers, who e-mailed to say: “I usually agree with you on your slant on West Street, but I feel I must criticise your comments on the beer and sausage in the park event. 

“I personally have been involved with helping to provide an expert judge, in fact two. “They are husband and wife, both retired, and have a great knowledge of what they are looking for in a good sausage.

“They are Lincolnshire ex-butchers, so should be most suitable.

“They will be looking for a variety of factors, not just the finished product and taste, but how it is prepared, uncooked state , presented and cooked etc. (I only go on taste, I add). So please, don’t hit them on this!

“After all we should be proud of our Boston, Lincolnshire Sausage. 

“What you should be hitting, is the fact that so few of our local butchers did not feel they were worthy of entering!”

***

In our own defence, we have to say that last week’s piece did not have a go at the judging for the best sausage competition – but at the poor way that ticket sales were organised and the rigid rules and regulations being imposed.

And we also know of at least one big award-winning farm shop that was contacted after the council was told it had not been approached and received the message: “Hello, we are holding a sausage and beer festival on Saturday 14^th July in Central Park, Boston. If this is something you would like to get involved with, please contact me.”

No mention of a competition of any kind.

***

Although we have criticised Worst Street many times for  using its website as  a sole means of passing on information, we now think that this might be because the powers that be don’t know what they’re doing.

A recent website feature on garden waste collection concluded

Apparently it hasn’t occurred to anyone that if you’re not online, you won’t be able to read about alternative ways to get in touch.

***

Finally, as things wind down for the summer and the silly season and holiday period take hold, Boston Eye will be reducing the frequency of publication from weekly to fortnightly for the next couple of months.

Our next edition will appear on Monday 23^rd July.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com   

E– mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

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

We are on Twitter – visit @eye_boston

Stay-away councillors force

meeting cancellation …

NO QUORUM

NO FORUM

By now, there is surely no-one who doubts the potential perils facing Boston’s local NHS services – which is why it is so disappointing that a meeting of Boston Borough Council’s Corporate and Community scrutiny committee had to be cancelled on 21^st June because not enough councillors could be bothered to attend.
No, not disappointing.

Pathetic.

***

The meeting was due to discuss an “update” on a Worst Street task and finish group looking at the Lincolnshire sustainability and transformation plan –  STP – which the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust claims will help ensure health and care services in Lincolnshire are developed around the needs of the local population so they are fit for the future.

Also on the agenda was a review of the council’s private sector housing policy framework – another important local issue given the numbers of houses in multiple occupation in the borough.

***

The task and finish group was set up in spring last year to consider how to develop a consultation response to the STP taking into account the views of local people and organisations – and the agenda item of 21^st June was so that members could “note the update and consider the future direction to be taken by the STP Task and Finish Group in the light of the delays in publishing proposals for public consultation, particularly those relating to acute hospital services.”

***

As we said at the outset, the precarious nature of health services in Boston makes the need for the maximum discussion and debate inestimable.

The committee has eleven members – Chairman Councillor Paul Gleeson, Vice Chairman Councillor Colin Brotherton and Councillors Michael Brookes, Tom Ashton, Richard Austin, Anton Dani, Jonathan Noble, Elizabeth Ransome, Sue Ransome, Judith Skinner and Stephen Woodliffe.

The quorum for the meeting is five members in attendance – which means that at least seven failed to turn up.

***

The lack of discussion prompted an angry reaction from local protesters fighting to retain services at Pilgrim Hospital.  

A member of the SoS Pilgrim - Call To Action group on Facebook  said…

“Thanks to those that bothered to turn up for their own Boston Borough Council Community Scrutiny Meeting last night!” wrote one angry member.

“To those elected councillors that didn't, you should be ashamed!

“Good job we are fighting for the people of our county!”

Committee chairman Councillor Paul Gleeson told Boston Eye: “It was disappointing that not enough members attended last week's Corporate and Community committee meeting.

“It’s the first time I know of a meeting being inquorate since I have been on the council.”

That’s seven years.

“Contrary to some reports we were not due to directly discuss health issues, we were looking at the future direction of the Task and Finish group set up last year to investigate the wider impact of the Lincolnshire NHS STP on Boston.

“After some good initial meetings, with the continual delays in the public consultation on the STP, our enquiry had stalled. 

“We now appear to have an STP by stealth and I had hoped we could look at widening our enquiry and getting more public involvement in our meetings.  We will discuss this at our next meeting.

“It was also a pity there was no scrutiny of the other item on the agenda – the introduction of licensing for HMOs.”

***

It could be argued that for a meeting to be called off for lack of a quorum for the first time in at least seven years was an example of a fierce historic dedication by councillors.

But it is also something that need not have happened if those involved had been better organised.

In just over 300 days – around 42 weeks – all 30 council seats in Worst Street will be up for election, and many of the councillors currently in office will be making all sorts of promises to get re-elected.

It’s something worth remembering in light of  the above debacle.

***

Still with diary dates – it’s less than six months to the New Year, which means that whatever is going to happen vis-à-vis Christmas lights in Boston will have been done and dusted.

It was two months ago that we last mentioned Christmas lights – when Worst Street was looking for “expressions of interest” from individuals, community groups and businesses and set a deadline of 14^th  May.

It’s a long-dead deadline by now – and regular readers will recall that this year, Worst Street didn’t want to put all its eggs in one basket … and defined six areas to be lit by individual and different groups.

***

Since then there has been uproar from the electricians involved in last year’s project, demanding that they should have exclusive ownership of the project.

They claim to “hold” more than £15,000 worth of lights, and questioned why other bidders for the task should have to start from scratch and buy lights for a second time.

This has begged the question of who owns the lights – rather than who “holds” them.

Last year’s venture was funded principally by a BTAC-ky grant of £10,000 in match funding if the volunteer groups raised a similar amount in donations and sponsorship – and that any remaining assets reverted to Boston Borough Council once the project ended.

***

It was thought that this issue would have been resolved by now – at the BTAC-ky meeting scheduled for Wednesday 27^th June.

But the meeting was brought forward at the last minute and held on the 20^th – with no mention of Christmas.

We assume that everything now waits for another month and the 25^th July meeting.

***

But this has not deterred “The Electricians” as they now appear to style themselves pressing ahead with fund raising …

We just wish Worst Street would sort this mess out as soon as possible – otherwise Boston will become the lighting laughing stock is was  just a couple of years ago.

***

Over the years – and with complete justification – we have accused the powers that be in Worst Street of lacking the nous to organise a booze-up in a brewery.

Now they seem to be sowing the seeds for potential fiasco with a Sausage and Beer Festival in Central Park on 14^th July.

The council website urges us to: “Sit back and listen to music whilst enjoying a pint from Lincolnshire Brewing Company and locally sourced sausages from Boston.

“There will also be the judging of the best sausage from Boston, 1pm - 6pm (that’s a long time to judge a sausage - Ed) sponsored by Duncan and Toplis.

“You will be able to sample a selection of cooked sausages from local butchers.”

***

So far, so good – although we understand that the invitation to have your sausage judged by a firm of accountants and tax advisers has not been extended beyond the town centre … angering sausage makers from local towns and villages.

Then there is the quirky – to say the least – arrangement for selling tickets.

A stash of 500 was on sale for the “early bird” price of £3.50 – after which they went up to £5 … a hike of more than 40%.

But if – like many people, you prefer to see what the weather is like on the day, then  – if there is the space available – admission will cost you a stonking £10 – more than 280% of the early bird offer.

Who thought that one up, we wonder?
To make matters worse, Worst Street tweeted last week that tickets were still available – a month after the event first appeared on the council website – “for just £3.50.”
Which means that the first 500 ticktes have yet to be sold.

***

Because Worst Street looks the other way at drinking in the park when there’s money to be made, there is also an avalanche of rules and regulation tacked on to mar what might otherwise be a pleasant afternoon out.

“Families - Under 18yrs are free but must be accompanied by an adult to gain access into the event, they must not drink and will not be served.

“All under 18yrs must leave by 6pm. There will be a kid’s corner to keep little ones entertained.

“Your bags will be searched on entry to the event; no alcohol will be permitted into this event. No pets allowed; no weapons.

“You may be refused service at the bartender’s discretion.

“You will need to bring a valid ID as proof of age to gain access to this event.”

Apart from that, have fun!

***

Earlier, we mentioned the disinterest among councillors that caused a meeting to be cancelled.

At the recent Lincolnshire Show an annual tradition for years has been a chance to meet your local county councillor.

Well, bad luck if you were visiting in the hope of finding the Boston Brigade all present and correct over the two day event

 

Boston has six county councillors – five of whom are “double-hatted” in that they “serve” at West Street as well.

Of these six – only three made it to the Lincolnshire Showground … the same percentage that caused the Corporate and Community scrutiny committee to fall flat on its face.

***

Worst Street’s planning committee has been flinging developments  around willy-nilly recently – approving up to 200 new homes on a site south of Wainfleet Road   hard on the heels of approval for 61 new riverside homes at the old Haven Wharf Warehouse site.

There is also to be a new shopping development that will involve demolition of 36 Strait Bargate and 2 Wide Bargate, the refurbishment and extension of 4 Wide Bargate and building 16 shops, including a cafe and restaurants, and 15 apartments with car parking.

The site is currently the NCP car park on Red Lion Street.

Permission was given subject to an agreement to deliver affordable housing and a minimum of 12 units to be shops

  

There was the usual gung-ho response about revitalising the area and welcoming small shops to the town, and only Councillor Stephen Woodliffe sounded a voice of dissent urging councillors to err on the side of caution.

He cited the state of high streets across the nation, and added concerns that gambling businesses might move in – adding that the council was not thinking about the current decline in high streets nationally.

“Shopping itself is changing rapidly and I don’t think new shops small or large are the way forward,” he said.

Needless to say, his message was pooh-poohed.

***

It makes a change for us not to have to disagree with the decision – because one of our regular readers was quicker off the mark.

“The fact that majority of our councillors seem to think this to be a wonderful idea, only serves to show just how out of touch with reality they really are,” he wrote.

“Have they not visited the town centre of late and seen for themselves the number of empty shops, many of which have blighted the central business district landscape for some time now?

“This proposed project, should it ever go ahead, is destined to become yet another white elephant and another testimony to the inadequacy, incompetence and 'Walter Mitty like' personae of the majority of Boston's serving councillors.

“I can only think that they view any kind of new development – no matter how foolhardy and destined to failure the venture is likely to prove – as implying progress and proof of their ‘unceasing efforts’ to promote the town.

“A struggling new shopping complex will only serve as a further indication of Boston's now obvious descent to 'backwater status'.

“Not to mention the fact that this proposed 'shopping village' will be positioned right opposite the much lauded Waterfall Mall, which I would hardly describe as being the memorable shopping experience that was promised.

“Councillor Stephen Woodliffe is absolutely correct (somewhat uncharacteristically it has to be said) in his assessment, and was right to express his reservations about this mind numbing folly.”

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