Harold Wilson was bang on the money when he declared that a week is a long time in politics.

No sooner had UKIP leader Paul Nuttall announced his intention to stand for the Boston and Skegness Westminster seat – thought by many because it would provide the most likely shoo-in given that the constituency produced the highest vote for Brexit in the country – than UKIP councillors in Lincolnshire were wiped from the face of the earth.

Closing day for nominations for the 8^th June election was last Thursday – and for once, Boston Borough Council displayed it promptly and with some prominence after almost ignoring the county council elections – and we have a  sextet of candidates to choose from. They are:

• Mike Gilbert – a former Conservative Boston Borough councillor and cabinet member who has set up his own political party named Blue Revolution which seeks to enable as many people as possible from as wide a variety of backgrounds as possible to stand for elections at every administrative level from Parish to Parliament so long as they endorse the party’s “core values” and five manifesto pledges.
• Paul Kenny – Labour’s “never say die” candidate, now fighting his fourth consecutive general election.
• Paul Nuttall – MEP for North West England, and leader of UKIP – although  he stood for the Conservatives in a council election in Sefton in 2004. Despite the rumpus over living in the constituency when he stood for Stoke on Trent in February, his address appears as “in the Congleton constituency.” He has been quoted as saying: "Will I be staying in the constituency? Probably at some point, yeah.”
• Victoria Percival is standing for the Green Party for the second consecutive election.
• Phil Smith is the candidate for the Liberal Democrats. He runs a business in Ashfield, Notts and took fourth place in the 2015 general election battle for Ashfield.
• Last but not least we have Matt Warman, who was elected as Conservative MP in 2015 replacing the not-much-missed Mark Simmonds is seeking re-election.

And before anyone starts moaning about Mr Warman being placed “last” – the list is in alphabetical order. We say that because the local Tories apparently started bitching at the Boston sub-Standard for putting the photo of Blue Revolution’s Mike Gilbert top in a list with Matt Warman second. Again, the parties were listed alphabetically. We note that the final list on the Bs-S draws attention to the fact – presumably to deflect any more whining.

Talking of Mr Warman, students of political funding may be interested to know that at the weekend, his Crowdfunder appeal for £5,000 “to keep Boston Conservative” stood at £710 from eight supporters  ... which must be very disappointing with so little time left to election day. 

Having said that we would have thought that someone who for the past two years has been paid the very thick end of £75,000 a year plus expenses might have planned ahead a little better and put some of his own dosh aside as a war chest for a rainy election day. 
As it is, Mr Warman set the crowdfunding ball rolling on 29^th April with a stonking £50 starter ... just 1% of the total needed. There are now less than three weeks to go to meet the target –  but who knows ... miracles have been known to happen!

***

Despite a 4,336 majority over UKIP in 2015 Boston and Skegness has more than once been described as marginal in the run up to 8^th June – including by Mr Warman’s former masters at the Daily Telegraph.

 

But the closest we came to parting company with the Tories was in 2001, when Mark Simmonds’s victory coincided with the second Labour landslide and he squeaked home with a majority of just 515 over Labour rival Elaine Bird.

Now that’s what we call marginal!

***

At least choice will be easier this time around – with only six candidates to choose from – instead of the horde that threw their chapeaux into the ring two years ago.

The extras last time comprised an Independent, a BNP, an Independence from Europe, and our then local equivalent of the Monster Raving Loonies … the Pilgrim Party.

We were going to say that our MP for more than thirty years between 1966 and 1997 – Sir Richard Body – would be turning in his grave at some of the recent candidates … but for the fact that the old gent  (pictured left) will be 90 years old on Thursday. We wish him many happy returns … but doubt that parliament will be among them!

*** 

Mr Nuttall’s arrival in Wainfleet just after the local elections prompted coverage in the Guardian to declare “Paul Nuttall struggles to galvanise UKIP in former stronghold” and quoted Boston Councillor Brian Rush “the incoming UKIP mayor” as “scathing – not just about Nuttall’s leadership but the direction of the party itself – quoting him thus: “I think there is no connection between the grassroots of the party and its leadership.

“Paul Nuttall, as far as I am concerned, was a bad choice as leader. He already failed to get elected in Stoke-on-Trent. His presence is not good.”

Councillor Rush told Boston Eye: “The call from the Guardian was unexpected, and as I think might be clear from my 'quote', was possibly not exactly what I thought I had stated, but hey ho, I am not going to worry too much about that.

“However the reporter seemed to me to be chasing an opinion on whether or not I thought UKIP had completed its mission, despite the catastrophic showing in Boston and nationally so to speak.

“I believe the first part of the question was partially answered, and the second part will most surely be addressed, by the outcome of the forthcoming General Election ...

“However, no matter what that outcome is, I am not very confident that it will be positive. UKIP must, at the very least, be applauded for getting us all thus far.

There is no doubt in my mind however that Farage was our sacred as well as our 'secret' weapon!

“No-one ever even came close to challenging his audacious performances, and not even battle hardened politicians could match his gift of singlehandedly standing up to the EU.

“No one will have cheered and thumped the air with more vigour than I every time his eloquent, fearless exposé of the expansionist ideals, of what were, and indeed still are, the financial basket cases of France, Italy and many others!

It is not for the likes of me, to pontificate about who or why it was that the election was lost.

“It is beyond question, that this 'election' was earned by, and belonged to, UKIP.

From the moment the result of the referendum was known, UKIP had won.

“But ... if there is a lesson to be learnt here, it is this.

UKIP, under Nigel Farage was an almost lone protesting voice in Europe. It was he who slammed shut the doors of the UK against the closed Euro-politics and flung open our own doors to the rest of the world both locally and nationally.

“It has given the common man, and woman, a tiny taste of democracy in action, and the two former main protagonists will never again dare to be so politically complacent.

“In truth of course, there is little, if anything, for UKIP councillors to do now ... and frankly most were elected because only they offered a way out of Europe.   

“So like it or not, the referendum victory in June may well have rung the final bell for UKIP and its councillors, but Nigel Farage has booked his place in British political history, and in my opinion should be honoured for that at least.”

***

We must agree that Nigel Farage has earned his place in the history books.

But so has councillor Rush.

When he is elected Boston Borough Council Mayor at tonight’s full council meeting, he may well become the first UKIP mayor in the country – and possibly the last!

***

Last week’s Boston Eye coverage of the County Council election results prompted more than one comment.

Regular reader Robin wrote in to say: “Thank you, I now know who my new Boston West councillor is and where to find her if required, at flipping Langrick.

“Out of the five candidates standing only one sent any leaflets and she was not the one.

“How do these buffoons expect us to vote for them without any information to make a choice? Perhaps by telepathy?

***

And former Independent councillor Carol Taylor e-mailed: “As usual NBE, spot on with this week’s blog.

“I understand exactly what you mean by people voting for political parties rather than an independent candidate. When I left the Blueys to become just that, I worked really hard to address my ward issues.

“But it meant nothing when in 2015 I was voted out in favour of two UKIP candidates.

“Whilst I was canvassing, one chap said "I'm going to vote for Neil Farangle" he meant Nigel Farage.

“I told him that this wasn't a general but a local election, and. he then replied: ‘mark my words, Neil will be prime minister this time tomorrow.’’

“In the 2017 elections I was bitterly disappointed to see Paul Skinner elected but I was glad to see Mike Brookes and Aaron Spencer get in – the former because of his experience and the fact he is a really nice bloke and the latter because I think Aaron improves with age and is a potential future parliamentary candidate.

“The sad thing was seeing Peter Bedford only get 300-plus votes.

“Whatever our opinions of him, he deserved more.

“Peter and I never got along, but he gave me many opportunities which I chose to relinquish in favour of independence – not like the Austins who are not Independent and agreed to vote with the blueys to keep chairmanships of committees  … just like Paul Gleeson, whose decision saddened me most of all.

“One thing I did learn as a councillor was just how disingenuous so many councillors were.”

***

Meanwhile, what ought to be a dilemma for our newly-returned Boston county councillors has presented itself at an early stage.

In a victory interview during the wee small hours of the Friday morning after the Lincolnshire County Council elections, leader Martin Hill was asked to identify his key targets for the coming four years in power.

Top of the list were health and social issues – immediately followed by “big ambitions” for new roads  ... specifically a “new coastal highway from Lincoln to Skegness.”

Excuse us?  The present and historic holiday pattern for visiting Skegness has been by holidaymakers coming from Derby, Leicester and Nottingham – using the more direct route via Grantham and Boston.

Whilst there has been congestion in recent times caused by traffic from these East Midlands cities coming through Lincoln, we attribute these to perhaps some strategic re-signposting to send it that way – perhaps with the idea that this will justify a “coastal highway.”

An equivalent highway via Boston would offer not only a more direct route, but would advance the case for a Boston bypass, and perhaps even put it on a priority list.

The County Hall case for not pursuing a bypass is that traffic that enters Boston does not emerge from the other side.

A situation which is seems our Lincoln masters are anxious to maintain.

Will this truly pose a dilemma for our new Boston councillors, when asked to back yet another road enhancement for Lincoln?

Will it hell – they’ll all fall in line and do down the borough they have been elected to represent, we are sure.

***

It was interesting to read that “simpler” parking rules have been introduced in the centre of Boston Market Place “helping motorists avoid an unnecessary ticket.”

Aside from the fact that an “unnecessary” ticket should not be issued, the changes will see enhanced waiting restrictions with a ban on loading between 9am and 4pm which bans parking completely – and wrongly headlined on the Boston off-Target website as “Parking spaces cut for disabled badge holders in Boston Market Place.”

Previously, blue badge holders had been able to park because they were exempt from the restrictions – and that led to other drivers parking nearby and being ticketed.

A parking enforcement person said: "We hope that the new restrictions will be easier for people, making it less likely that drivers find a parking ticket when returning to their cars.

"It will also help keep the centre of the Market Place clear for pedestrians, creating a more attractive space for shoppers and visitors while helping to ensure the town centre remains a vibrant and thriving area.”

Clownty Hall strikes again. The central market place no waiting rules were a bodged attempt further to define areas best used by pedestrians.

It is the latest in a long line of moves designed to paper over the cracks caused by numerous County Hall cock-ups when they carried out their so-called refurbishment and enhancement of the area.

It remains broken.

Will somebody please mend it?

***

At long last, the application to build a new style "Lidl for the future"supermarket near the Tesco and B&Q Store, on Westbridge Road, is to be decided by councillors.

It is on tomorrow’s planning committee agenda – with a recommendation that is approved – inevitably, of course “subject to conditions.”

Whilst it ticks all the right boxes, and is a classic candidate for the go-ahead, it is nonetheless on the agenda because “This application is considered by the Development Control Manager to have such public interest that it should be considered by Committee.”

Last time such a major issue came up for discussion was the Quadrant application – it was even webcast which let us see for ourselves just how hopeless some of the members of the planning committee were. Perhaps that's why they're not doing it again.

Like the Quadrant development, the Lidl site is geographically in Wyberton – and the last time that the company applied to develop site in Tawney Street it was a Wybertonian who tried to put a spanner in the works.

At the time Conservative Independent Councillor Alison Austin – who went on the chair the planning committee – famously declared:  “We do not have to do this. We should say what we would like done to our town as Boston deserves better."

Whilst the appeal was grudgingly approved, Lidl  decided not to press ahead with that particular site and went on to open stores across Lincoln in almost everywhere else other than Boston – the most recent being in North Hykeham, near Lincoln of all unlikely places – a town with a population of around 14,000.

At the time, there was a lot of waffle about maintaining what was laughingly called the ambience of an area dominated by a car showroom and workshop, the derelict Bedworld  store (itself a former car showroom) a view of the back wall of the Boston Shopping Park and Iceland’s delivery van car park and storage bay.

***

Whilst it is hard to imagine any reason to object to a supermarket being built in an area where similar premises abound, and which has lain derelict since its last use around 25 years ago, it might appear to bystanders that Worst Street desperately tried a last hurrah to find reasons to be miserable.

A “retail impact assessment” search was made high and low to determine what effect the new store might have on similar rival retailers in case it might have an adverse impact.

This covered Tesco, ASDA, ALDI, Oldrids, Marks and Spencer, the Co-Op,

Iceland, and The Food Warehouse … and was extended to include any likely effect in Kirton.

We wonder what the outcome might have been had one of these retailers whinged that a new Lidl would put a sizeable dent in its profits.

Would the store have been turned down to protect the profits of a possible rival?

It seems that way – and yet whenever people protest about the approval of yet another off-licence in an area where every other shop sold booze we were told that the only grounds for refusal were on licensing grounds – and that it was not the planners’ job to stand in the way of healthy commercial competition.’

***

Finally we note yet another attempt by the Worst Street propaganda squad to portray the town in a good light is begging for our photos of the recent May Fair – perhaps to spare them the trouble of “borrowing” photos from other websites and trying to obscure the fact! 

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

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.”

***

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

***

  

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.

***

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."

 ***

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.

***

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!

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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!

***

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.”

***

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?

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

To paraphrase Orson Welles: “Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats on Lincolnshire County Council and in the House of Commons.”

In the case of The Muppets, we think that this has already happened at County Hall – but the opportunity to bring about change comes up on Thursday with the quadrennial election to replace the entire council.

Just a reminder of the situation as it relates to Boston …:

• There are 32 candidates declared for the six seats up for grabs – one fewer than four years ago due to boundary changes.
• Four division names remain unchanged: Boston Coastal, Boston Rural, Boston South, and Boston West
• Boston East, Boston Fishtoft and Boston North West disappear as ward names.
• Boston North and Skirbeck are new names for the election.
• The Conservatives, Labour and UKIP are fighting every seat – the Greens five, Independents four (three in the same ward)  the Lib Dems three, and Lincolnshire Independents two.

More than ever, it is important not only that you vote on Thursday but that you think long and hard about whom you want to represent you.

The size of Lincolnshire County Council has reduced to 70 members from the present 77 – and there is serious talk about changing it from a county to a unitary authority.

This is said to be a big money saver – but it is also important in terms of influence,

Boston is already poorly represented at county level.

There are seven districts – but we will have six councillors … which gets us off to a disproportionate start, and makes it even more important that the councillors who represent us are of the utmost quality.

Sadly, this is not the case at present, and who knows how a unitary authority might be sliced – or stitched – up … as we know from bitter experience how badly Boston is treated by Lincoln.

***

The public at large are forever being chided for failing to exercise their democratic rights at election time – but sometimes the so-called politicians don’t make it any too easy.

Boston Eye’s division for Lincolnshire County Council is in Skirbeck – one of the new ones.

There are five candidates.

Only three of them had bothered to post election literature through the door by Bank Holiday Monday – and not one had rung the bell to make a pitch for votes.

Is it any wonder that people cannot be bothered to vote for politicians who cannot be bothered to take the trouble to ask them?

***

Lincolnshire Conservatives have produced a 25-page manifesto – which is a lot of reading unless you are very keen.

Unfortunately the only format that we can find it in online is unsearchable – so we cannot fast forward through it for references to Boston – though we are sure that there are unlikely to be many.

However, there is a way round this …

Lulu.com is a self-publishing service for wannabe authors – but at twelve and a half quid, we don’t somehow seeing this particular item becoming a bestseller.

Nor will we hold our breath waiting for the movie!

At least it’s a try – we could find no comparable manifesto from Lincolnshire Labour or UKIP.

***

On now to the general election …

The weekend news that UKIP head honcho Paul Nuttall has thrown his hat into the ring for the Boston and Skegness parliamentary seat will doubtless prove interesting if past form is anything to go by.

His bid for the Stoke-on-Trent by-election in February saw him challenged on all sorts of claims ranging from his accommodation arrangements in the constituency to his alleged loss of friends in the Hillsborough disaster.

Indeed, until shortly before his Boston bid was announced it had been reported that he had no plans to seek a seat at Westminster, and party bigwigs had to put his arm up his back to do so.

***

After his announcement, he pitched up in Boskeg to declare: “It is a great honour and a privilege to stand for UKIP in Boston and Skegness. The constituency voted overwhelmingly for Leave inspired in part by the massive betrayal of our fishing industry by successive Governments …

“… I will make it my mission to stand up for the people of Boston and Skegness and ensure there is no backsliding on Brexit.”

Mr Nuttall will be challenging Conservative MP Matt Warman, to whom UKIP’s 2015 candidate Robin Hunter-Clarke lost to by only 4,336 votes.

But there will be no wailing or gnashing of teeth from Mr RH-C who has declared for the Welsh seat of Pontypridd.

That’s possibly not the case though for local UKIP councillor Victoria Ayling, who days before the announcement of Mr Nuttall’s candidacy tweeted: “I have expressed an interest to fight the seat of Boston and Skegness. Watch this space!!”

Mr Nuttall has since said: “We have a great opportunity there. We've got councillors right across the constituency.

"It voted to leave the European Union by 70% to 30%.

"I think we've got a great chance of running an active campaign and the branch was very keen that I stood in that area."

Perhaps one of the more interesting spins-off will be for Matt Warman.

Given the previous controversies involving Mr Nuttall – plus the fact that he is a national political figure – more media pressure may well head Mr Warman’s way … something that won’t make his job as easy a ride as he might have hoped.

***

Meanwhile, today is expected to be the day that we will know the identity of the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate.

Unlike previous general elections, the Labour Party National Executive has taken the selection process away from local parties – and instead asked for would-be candidates to submit their applications for the NEC to choose.

However, we are told that after the 2015 election, Labour’s unsuccessful candidate Paul Kenny said he would not be having another crack at parliament, and indicated his preparedness to back Ben Cook in a future election.

Mr Cook is a 28 year-old single parent who works in Boston’s ASDA supermarket and is national chairman for the GMB union’s young members.

We can understand Mr Kenny’s reluctance to try for a fourth time to win Boston and Skegness for Labour.

He stood first after the 2001 general election which saw Labour’s Elaine Bird come within 515 votes of victory with 41.6% of the vote.

The 2005 election saw the Tory majority rise to almost 6,000, and Mr Kenny’s share for Labour dropping to 32%.

Two elections later, he polled just 16.5% of the vote – coming third behind UKIP.

Perhaps then, it was no surprise that local party members may have welcomed the chance to see Mr Cook take on the baton, and  they are now said to be upset – in some cases to the point of considering resignation after it emerged that Mr Kenny plans to bid for a fourth time lucky at the polls.

We asked Paul Gleeson, agent for both men at Thursday’s County Council elections and Labour’s group leader on Boston Borough Council, for a comment. He told Boston Eye:

A

t present I have no idea who the PPC will be, I don't even know if there are any more candidates other than Ben and Paul, applications could have been made from any party member across the country, they were made directly to the NEC and there was no involvement of the local party.

We have lots of new members locally, our membership has more than quadrupled since Jeremy Corbyn became leader and if you include registered supporters, our numbers have increased around 15-fold.  We have had another influx of new members since the election was called, with new people joining us every day.  I would guess the announcement that Nuttall is to stand in Boston, considering how toxic his campaign will be for the town, will bring in even more new members.

When our candidate is announced I am certain they will have the full support of all the members of the Constituency Party.

Initially, here was some unhappiness both locally and nationally, which I shared, that the NEC had excluded local parties from the longlisting/shortlisting process, however, after that initial concern most of us realised that the timescales involved meant the Party had no other viable option.

***

We allowed ourself a bit of a smile when we read that former UKIP candidate Robin Hunter-Clarke had resorted to crowd funding to raise money to help run his campaign.

By yesterday morning the appeal – accompanied by a short video – to “oust Labour MP, Owen Smith who voted against triggering Article 50, and wants a second referendum” had raised £251 of its £5,000 target.

But the smile soon vanished when we discovered that Matt Warman was doing the same thing – for no other reason than “to help keep Boston and Skegness Conservative in the 2017 General Election.”

His attempt to raise £5,000 had reached £160 by yesterday morning, as we were finishing off today’s blog.

We’re sure that the Tories would like to retain the seat that they have held since but have to raise an EYE-brow at not only asking supporters to vote, but also to pay for the privilege.

***

We are pleased to learn that Christmas will hopefully be marked more tangibly this year that it was last, when Boston Borough Council’s feeble stab at festivity drew widespread criticism.

We are told that a couple of enterprising members of the Christmas committee made up of members of the public have been in talks with Johnsons Garden Centre who have offered to provide lighting for the Bargate roundabout for up to eight trees along with a gazebo to house a nativity scene with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus in a similar form to the existing silhouettes on the roundabout.

What a splendid idea – and let’s hope Worst Street doesn’t rain on the parade as usual.

We also hear that the news has inspired other businesses, with Cammacks leading the idea of a local Bargate traders’ group.

Progress at last.

***

Talking of Bargate roundabout – whilst we like the new sheep and shepherd tableau, can we hope that someone will level the piles of soil left from their “planting” – as it rather detracts from the ambience.

***

A while ago, we disclosed a secret letter from Boston Borough Council to local newspaper editors asking them to adopt a good news policy towards the council and the town.

Certainly, if a recent story on the Lincolnshire Live website (the Boston Target in disguise) the plea went unheeded.

The site makes regular use of what are called  “stock” photos – sometimes with hilarious effect, such as when a picture suggested that shellfish were caught off Boston using a rod and line, and a section of the town’s riverside was depicted by a shot of the Amazon jungle.

But the recent effort pictured above must surely be a deliberate attempt to portray the town in the worst possible light.

To us, the photo is both offensive and unnecessary – and we wonder how the Target will follow up if it decides to mention the offence of urination.

***

Finally, we note repeated mentions of the May Fair on the Worst Street website but none of the market.

In previous years, space has been found for at least a token presence for the stallholders who turn up in all weathers but are ousted in the name of fun for one week a year.

Now, though, this appears to have changed as the somewhat ambiguous item on the Worst Street website explains.

Is this the thin end of a wedge?

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No blog today - it's bank holiday.

Back tomorrow at 0500