Significant initial investment to help support safety and security in Boston has been announced, based on local people’s feedback and aspirations for the town.
Consultation carried out last year by Boston Town Board confirmed safety and security as a priority with people expressing their desire to ‘feel safe’ in the town. Within the survey which formed part of the consultation, 65% of respondents indicated that they would like to see the installation of new CCTV, amongst other measures.
This feedback will be reflected in the draft plan for Boston, which will be created with and belong to the town, and which will be supported by additional government funding that has been recently announced. With this funding expected from 2026/2027, the Board will be talking to residents and local businesses to develop the plan, including focusing further on what could be done to support safety and security.
More immediately, the Board has now identified and committed investment of around £150,000 to fund the installation of new and additional CCTV in Strait Bargate, Wide Bargate, and Market Place. The locations for the new cameras will be chosen following an independent survey and will increase the Council’s existing CCTV coverage and monitoring capacity in the town.
In addition, the Board has also announced funding to support Boston’s Community Safety Officers for the next year, which builds on and learns lessons from the previous Town Rangers scheme. The Community Safety Officers, who will be directly employed and managed by Boston Borough Council, will play a crucial role in engaging with people and businesses in the town to provide assurance around safety and security. The Council hopes to attract local people, ideally with a background in security or policing to these roles.
Jo Brigham, Chair 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.”
Councillor 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, the Board made the decision to also allocate funds to improve the appearance of the town centre after the consultation in 2024 revealed that people would like to see a ‘cleaner, tidier and smarter Boston’.
To support this, funding has been allocated to purchase new street cleaning equipment for Boston Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Services team to enable better access and more efficient cleaning of the historic town centre. 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.
Jo 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 ten 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 driving forward their own priorities.