Borough of Boston
Non-metropolitan district and borough
Shown within the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire
Shown within the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Administrative countyLincolnshire
Admin. HQBoston
Government
 • TypeBoston Borough Council
 • MP:Matt Warman
Area
 • Total141 sq mi (364 km2)
 • Rank97th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total64,637
 • RankRanked 285th
 • Density460/sq mi (180/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code32UB (ONS)
E07000136 (GSS)
Ethnicity98.4% White

The Borough of Boston is a local government district with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Boston. The borough also includes numerous villages in the surrounding rural area.

The borough borders South Holland to the south, North Kesteven to the west, and East Lindsey to the north. To the east, it has a coast onto the Wash.

History

The town of Boston had been incorporated as an ancient borough in 1545.[1] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836.[2]

The modern borough was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by merging the municipal borough of Boston with Boston Rural District.[3] The new district was named Boston after its only town.[4] Boston's borough status passed to the enlarged district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Boston's series of mayors dating back to 1545.[5] The borough covers the northern part of Holland, one of the three traditional Parts of Lincolnshire. Holland had been an administrative county between 1889 and 1974.

In 2020 the council agreed to share its management and other staff with neighbouring East Lindsey District Council.[6] South Holland District Council joined the partnership in 2021, which is now described as the "South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership".[7]

Governance

Boston Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
David Brown,
Conservative
since 22 May 2023[8]
Anne Dorrian,
Boston Independent
since 22 May 2023
Robert Barlow[lower-alpha 1]
since 1 July 2020[6]
Structure
Seats30 councillors
Political groups
Administration (18)
  Boston Ind. (18)
Other parties (12)
  Conservative (5)
  Independent (5)
  Blue Revolution (1)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, PE21 8QR
Website
www.boston.gov.uk
Wyberton, one of the many villages in the borough

Boston Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lincolnshire County Council. Much of the borough is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9][10]

Political control

Since the 2023 election the council has been under the control of local party the Boston Independents.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[11][12]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–2007
Boston Bypass Independents2007–2011
Conservative2011–2015
No overall control2015–2019
Conservative2019–2020
No overall control2020–2023
Boston Independent2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Boston. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2006 have been:[13]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Joyce Dobson Conservative2006
Mary Wright Conservative18 May 20066 May 2007
Richard Austin Boston Bypass Independents24 May 200725 May 2011
Peter Bedford Conservative25 May 201115 May 2017
Michael Cooper Conservative15 May 201715 Jul 2019
Aaron Spencer Conservative15 Jul 201920 Jan 2020
Paul Skinner Conservative3 Feb 20207 May 2023
Anne Dorrian Boston Independent22 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[14]

Party Councillors
Boston Independent18
Conservative5
Independent5
Blue Revolution1
Liberal Democrats1
Total30

The Liberal Democrat, the Blue Revolution councillor and three of the independent councillors sit together as the "20-20 Independent Group". The next election is due in 2027.[15]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 30 councillors representing 15 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[16]

The wards are:

  • Coastal
  • Fenside
  • Fishtoft
  • Five Villages
  • Kirton and Frampton
  • Old Leake and Wrangle
  • Skirbeck
  • St Thomas'
  • Staniland
  • Station
  • Swineshead and Holland Fen
  • Trinity
  • West
  • Witham
  • Wyberton

Premises

The council is based at the Municipal Buildings on West Street in Boston.[17] The building was built in 1902 for the old borough council to the designs of architect James Rowell.[18]

Parishes

Kirton, one of the many villages of the borough

Much of the borough is covered by civil parishes, the exception being the pre-1974 municipal borough of Boston, which is an unparished area. The parishes are:[19]

2016 EU referendum

On 23 June 2016 the Borough of Boston voted in the UK-wide Referendum on membership of the European Union (EU) under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015. In a turnout of 77%, over 75% voted to leave the EU, the highest leave majority of the 382 UK voting areas.[20] The local MP Matt Warman, a Conservative, had campaigned for a "Remain" vote.[21]

United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
Borough of Boston
Choice Votes  %
Leave the European Union 22,97475.56%
Remain a member of the European Union 7,43024.44%
Valid votes 30,40499.96%
Invalid or blank votes 120.04%
Total votes 30,416100.00%
Registered voters and turnout 39,96377.27%
Borough of Boston referendum result (without spoiled ballots):
Leave:
22,974 (75.6%)		 Remain:
7,430 (24.4%)
▲
Swineshead, one of the many villages of the borough

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Boston.

Individuals

Military Units

Arms

Coat of arms of Borough of Boston
Crest
On a wreath of the colours a demi-lion Or holding between the forepaws a woolsack Proper charged with a ram couchant Or.
Escutcheon
Or on a chevron Azure three coronets each composed of crosses paty and fleurs-de-lys Or on a chief Sable a garb between two pairs of windmill sails also Or.
Supporters
On either side a mermaid Proper crined and finned Or upon a compartment of waves barry wavy Azure and Argent.
Motto
Serve With Amnity[28]

References

  1. ↑ Joint chief executive of Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council
  1. ↑ Wright, Neil. "Boston's Royal Charter, 1545". Boston Story. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Municipal Corporations Act 1835
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 17 November 2023
  4. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Council minutes, 25 June 2020". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Council minutes, 22 May 2023". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  10. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Boston". BBC News Online. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  13. ↑ "Council minutes". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  15. ↑ "Your councillors". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Boston (Electoral Changes) Order 2013", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2013/66, retrieved 23 November 2023
  17. ↑ "Contacting the council". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Building record MLI98391 - Municipal Offices, West Street, Boston". Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer. Lincolnshire County Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Parish council contact details". Boston Borough Council. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "BBC News, 24 June 2016: England's most pro and anti-EU boroughs". BBC News. 10 September 2020.
  21. ↑ Goodenough, Tom (10 September 2020). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  22. ↑ "Prof Van-Tam to be given freedom of Boston". BBC News. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "Professor Jonathan Van-Tam to be honoured with Freedom of Boston Borough". My Boston UK. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  24. ↑ Whitelam, Paul (21 March 2022). "Jonathan Van-Tam deeply humbled and shocked to receive freedom of Boston accolade". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  25. ↑ "Jonathan Van-Tam granted freedom of Boston in ceremony". BBC News Lincolnshire. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "David Medlock granted Freedom of Boston Borough at ceremony". Lincolnshire Today. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "RAF website: Freedom of Boston Parade. Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  28. ↑ "East Midlands Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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