CCTV in Boston to get £150,000 upgrade - money also for Community Safety Officers and improvements to the town centre's appearance

Boston Town Board has allocated about £150,000 for new and additional CCTV equipment in Strait Bargate, Wide Bargate, and Market Place.

The board is charged with overseeing the investment in Boston of millions of pounds in Government funding.

This spend forms part of its response to a public consultation it ran last year to help develop plans for the money.

The consultation identified safety and security as a priority area. In a survey that formed part of the consultation, for instance, 65 per cent of respondents indicated that they would like to see the installation of new CCTV, among other measures.

In addition to the CCTV spend, the board has also pledged funding for Community Safety Officers.

These will be directly employed and managed by Boston Borough Council and will ‘play a crucial role in engaging with people and businesses in the town to provide assurance around safety and security’, a spokesman for the board said. The role ‘builds on and learns lessons from’ the previous Community Rangers initiative, they added.

These are two steps being taken by the board in the short-term as it develops a longer-term plan. With some of the funding not expected until the 2026/27 financial year, more consultation work will take place, it says.

Jo Brigham, chairman of Boston Town Board, said: “Last year, we heard clearly from the public how important safety and security in Boston is to them.

“We know from the feedback that there is an appetite for more CCTV, adding to what is already in place in the town, as well as other activities that can tackle anti-social behaviour and help people to enjoy Boston safely and securely.

“We did not want to wait for the new funding to get started so we have made the decision to invest in new CCTV and the Community Safety Officers in recognition of the feedback that has been shared with us. We know that there is more to be done, but this is a positive step forward and we will be working with the community to agree and bring further improvements.”

Coun Anne Dorrian, Leader, Boston Borough Council said: “It is so important to our wellbeing and happiness that we feel safe and secure in the places that we live, work or visit. That is why I am delighted that we have been able to secure this vital funding to improve CCTV coverage and support the great work of our Community Safety Officers across the borough of Boston.

“Safety is a key priority we hear from our residents again and again and is an area where we will continue to work with the Town Board, Lincolnshire Police and other partners to continually review and make improvements. Our Community Safety Officers are crucial to this, as they provide a visible, reassuring presence and are able to engage with our residents and businesses, whilst supporting the police at the same time.”

In addition to safety and security, the board has made the decision to also allocate funds to improve the appearance of the town centre, after the consultation revealed that people would like to see a ‘cleaner, tidier and smarter Boston’, it said.

To support this, funding has been pledged to purchase new street cleaning equipment for the council’s Neighbourhood Services team.

Investment has also been agreed to support a programme of additional public realm works within the town centre boundary such as deep cleaning, gutter clearance or new greening initiatives.

Miss Brigham added: “We understand how important it is that Boston town centre is an attractive, appealing place where people want to spend time.

“A key aspect of this is cleaning and improving the public realm and so we are pleased to also allocate funding to support this work.

“We are grateful to everyone who has shared their views with us, and over the coming months and years, we will be collaborating with the community further so that together we can shape a plan for how new funding coming into Boston can make a difference.”

The announcement of the investment by Boston Town Board comes shortly after the Government confirmed details of the further funding that will be coming into the town.

Through the Plan for Neighbourhoods Boston will receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next 10 years.

The funding details follow the Government’s confirmation in the October budget that the previously announced Long Term Plan for towns funding would be retained and reformed into a new regeneration programme.

The Plan for Neighbourhoods focuses on three goals – thriving places, stronger communities, and taking back control – with areas overseeing their own priorities.