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| 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 4th, 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 11th 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?
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
