A veteran independent Worst Street councillor appears to be challenging the removal of charges in all Boston Borough Council owned car parks until the end of the year.

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The proposal appeared in a letter to MP Matt Warman from the council’s deputy leader Nigel Welton – and was seen my many as a “bribe” to win support for the alliance with East Lindsey District Council.

It was subsequently announced with almost immediate effect the day after an extraordinary meeting of the council approved the alliance by just one vote – a volte face just days after town centre portfolio holder Chelcei [sic] Sharman, had reintroduced charges on the most unconvincing of pretexts.

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Councillor Welton wrote to the MP: “Providing free parking is just one aspect of helping the town recover and thrive going forward … if the strategic alliance is passed … it would deliver savings which would allow us to provide free temporary parking ... not just for a few weeks but for the rest of the year until 1st January 2021.”

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However, Bostonian Independent group member Anne Dorrian (pictured, right) has raised some major questions – and claims that “ …This whole initiative of offering free car parking and the way in which it was implemented runs entirely contrary to the Finance Procedure Rules in our Constitution and this is an extremely serious matter – in fact, it is one of the most serious situations that I can imagine … “

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In a series of e-mails seen by Boston Eye, Ms Dorrian demands a sight of copies of all correspondence with regard to the decision – including emails, memos, letters and ’phone and text messages – “and all council and other reports which were considered as part of the decision-making process.”

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She goes on: “It would also be useful to know when Cabinet examined this proposal, which portfolio holders were involved in that process, and in particular, which chief officers commented on the decision prior to implementation.

“Please also indicate where the funding for this initiative is coming from. Obviously, such funding cannot possibly be found in any ‘savings’ as a result of the proposed Strategic Alliance, as there are no ‘savings’ in year 1.”

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In response, Ms Dorrian was told: “The decision was made as an Officer delegated decision and published on our website (26^th June), in it we have stated the authority for the decision, which is as follows:

“In accordance with the Corporate Charging Policy fees and charges can be amended based on business need, subject to agreement by the respective Portfolio Holder, Corporate Management Team member, Head of Service and the Section 151 Officer (or Deputy Section 151 Officer) in exceptional circumstances and reported to Cabinet retrospectively.”

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Both Boston Eye and Ms Dorrian were bamboozled by this, as there is no sign of the statement mentioned.

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Ms Dorrian also asked whether the portfolio holders for Finance and the Town Centre approved the decision, and that the Section 151 officer – the council’s senior financial administration officer – analysed the figures and agreed with the initiative.  She also wants to know which Chief Executive gave approval.

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“In addition, I would like you to answer two very important points: please provide evidence of the ‘need’ for this decision to be made, i.e. to give away upwards of £500,000 worth of funding from our cash-strapped council, together with any and all documentary evidence that supports that claim; and secondly, please indicate how this free car parking is going to be paid for. The medium-term financial strategy was passed by Council on 3^rd March 2020 and this was not costed in it …

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“ … This whole initiative of offering free car parking and the way in which it was implemented runs entirely contrary to the Finance Procedure Rules in our Constitution and this is an extremely serious matter – in fact, it is one of the most serious situations that I can imagine – and it is certainly one which both you and Cllr Welton are wholly accountable for.”

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Quite where all this is going is anyone’s guess.

Is Ms Dorrian trying to get the free parking rescinded?

She talks of a “cash-strapped” council – yet at the meeting debating the alliance with East Lindsey District Council, one proposal to delay things for at least six months declared that Worst Street was chock-full of reserves totalling £20 million.

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Meanwhile we await the outcome of the threat of a judicial review over the alliance with Manby, made by opposition councillors at Worst Street.

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Surely, there can’t be much else left to stir up – or can there?

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