Boston's disruption cost revealed
The financial burden on taxpayers following a significant disruption in Boston has been revealed. The disturbance - considered one of "the most disruptive incursions" in the town's history - was caused by a large group that Gathered at Tunnard Street Car Park on August 22. The Lincolnshire Police received numerous reports relating mostly to harassment and verbal abuse linked to the illegal encampment.
Closure of local businesses
Safety concerns prompted by the antisocial behaviour led to the cancellation of the Boston Market on August 23 and the temporary closure of various businesses in the town centre. With the added cost of the necessary cleanup, repairs, lost income, and legal expenses, Boston Borough Council reveals that addressing the incursion has cost £8,792.
Councillor Anne Dorrian, the Council leader, described the situation as "the largest and most disruptive incursion I can remember in Boston." The situation seriously affected the local community and business, as well as the Council itself, she added.
Council restrictions and regret
The Council Leader also spoke about how the situation escalated, leaving council workers unable to take action regarding car parking or littering law violations due to safety concerns. In a statement, she pointed out that while private bodies can retrospectively issue parking penalty charge notices (PCNs), public bodies are held to stricter standards due to existing legislation. She also explained that despite having registration numbers of all offending vehicles, PCNs could not be issued once the vehicles had departed.
On the matter of littering, CCTV failure meant the Council was unable to gather sufficient evidence. Councillor Dorrian expressed her regret regarding these issues.
Temporarily closed services
Beyond these troubles, public services, like the Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre and the Market, had to be temporarily closed due to security concerns following the disruptive behaviour. Councillor Dorrian stated that such decisions were made with safety in mind, both of the public and the council employees.
The incident, which lasted three days, resulted in the robust police response, necessitating the drawing in of police officers from neighbouring forces. Expressing gratitude toward the police and council officers for their immediate action, Councillor Dorrian also mentioned that the council was currently reviewing the incident to learn from it and implement preventive measures for future situations.