Town's tax rise approved amid 'challenging' times
Councillors approved a proposed budget on Monday, after leader Anne Dorrian described it as "extremely challenging" due to rising costs.
A Band D home will pay £223.65 per year, a rise of £7.56.
Lincolnshire County Council and the police and crime commissioner have also approved increases, meaning a Band D home is set to pay about £2,167 in total council tax, before the addition of parish council levies.
Presenting the borough council's report, Councillor Sandeep Ghosh said the challenges were "driven not by worldwide events, as we have previously seen, but by government and policy changes".
"This means we are receiving significantly less government support than in previous years with the removal of the rural services delivery grant," he added.
Ghosh referred to internal drainage board levies as an "ever-increasing pressure" and noted a rise of £102,000 for 2025-26.
The total bill for the levies would rise to £2,927,050, a 45% increase since 2021-22, he said.
Meanwhile, the portion of the bill dedicated to the Boston Town Area Committee will rise by 72p to £81.09 a year for a Band D home, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Lincolnshire County Council approved a 2.99% rise in its portion of council tax, which will rise to £1,625.85 per year for a Band D property, while the police precept will rise to £318.15.
Last month, borough councillors voted to increase council tax support in order to "ease the financial burden" on struggling families.
Dorrian said the move would "lift approximately 400 families out of poverty".
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Councils warn flood drainage costs could mean cuts
County council tax bill rise confirmed
Council tax support 'will help 400 families'
Boston Borough Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Former woollen mills could be turned into flats
Two derelict Bradford mills could be converted into flats if new residential plans are approved. A planning application has been submitted to redevelop two mill buildings on Bolton Hall Road, together known as Victor Works. If approved by Bradford Council, 30 flats would be created in the former woollen mills. A smaller building on the same site would also be converted into two homes, under plans submitted by Mahmood Holdings Ltd. The company has promised "significant investment" in the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The buildings are part of the New Bolton Woods area, which has been earmarked for more than 3,000 new homes by 2030. It is part of Bradford Council's plans to make the Canal Road Corridor (CRC) between Bradford and Shipley one of the city's main development areas. Many of the homes in the area are planned for New Bolton Woods and the former Bolton Woods Quarry sites, although others would be built on smaller brownfield sites in the area. "The proposed development will see a significant investment to convert the former mills to apartments and the former out-building into two dwellings," the planning application said. The new mill would have a mix of 24 two-bed flats and six one-bed flats. A 35-space car park would also be created within the site. Referencing the Canal Road Corridor development, the application said: "A portfolio of eight sites have been identified as the preferred set of site options for the CRC to meet the housing requirement. "The council will be supportive of additional proposals for new homes on additional small sites, particularly those that provide a redevelopment opportunity to bring forward land which has been previously used. "Support will also be provided to developers who wish to develop larger sites and/or buildings for new homes not currently identified." The developer contacted 150 homes nearby about the plans earlier this year, and the application included some of the feedback, with one resident questioning who the flats would be aimed at. "The demographic would be for buyers or renters. It has not been decided at this point," it said in response. Others raised concerns about parking and the developers argued residents would be provided with adequate on-site spaces. A decision on the application is expected later this summer. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, and catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Bradford Council
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Housing scheme submitted after three refusals
A builder has put forward plans for five new houses, despite having three previous applications and an appeal rejected. John Sawdon wants to build four three-bedroom terraced homes and a bungalow on the site at 12 Carlton Road in Filey. His previous scheme, which was refused last spring, proposed seven dwellings, which Filey Town Council said would have resulted in "poor amenity for the residents". The project would also see the demolition of a builder's yard and electrical depot, which currently occupy the site. No date has been set for a decision to be made on the fresh proposal. Newly submitted plans for the development near Filey town centre state the "spacious terraced houses" would have "adequate external space and modern grouping design". The application also states the buildings would be constructed of brick "to reflect the locale". Last year, planning officers expressed concerns about a proposed large area for car parking, which they said would "create an environment dominated by vehicles". According to the updated proposal, all 12 parking spaces would be located on-site "so there would be no increase in existing or current traffic movements". The Highway Authority has already reviewed the updated scheme and has recommended "the existing access track be tarmacked, as with the proposed parking area, to provide a clear and suitable access route to the site". According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service a condition has also been proposed, stating that none of the properties can be occupied "until the related parking facilities have been constructed in accordance with the details approved". The proposal is currently pending consideration by North Yorkshire Council. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. New plans for £22m green technology hub submitted Town expansion approved despite fears for cemetery Planning Inspectorate North Yorkshire Council Local Democracy Reporting Service Filey Town Council
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
BBC Rolls Out AI Summaries And Style Tool In Newsroom Test
AI's role in journalism and news The BBC is taking a major move to bring generative AI into its newsroom. This week the company announced that its AI-generated 'At a Glance' summary box and a Style Assist editor, will move into live production. This gradual rollout is meant to help journalists, not replace them, according to the BBC. Rhodri Talfan Davies, the BBC's executive sponsor for generative AI, described the pilots as 'about making our journalism more accessible.' He added that 'any wider rollout will depend entirely on the results of these tests and ongoing engagement with editorial teams.' Why AI Matters Now After testing a dozen internal AI prototypes, the BBC focused on two tasks: producing quick bullet-point explainers and refitting Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) stories to the BBC's tone. These aim to match what readers want and ease workload backlogs. 'Short, scannable bullet-point summaries have proven popular with readers – particularly younger audiences – as a quick way to grasp the main points of a story,' said Davies. 'We're going to look at whether adding an AI-assisted bullet point summary box on selected articles helps us engage readers and make complex stories more accessible.' Over the past 18 months, BBC teams tested around a dozen AI tools behind closed doors. Data from those tests showed two clear pain points: producing bullet-point explainers as quick summaries for TikTok-era readers and reformatting hundreds of LDRS stories into BBC style each day. The new pilots tackle both issues. With the At a Glance Summaries tool, journalists select a prompt template, and the in-house language model writes three to five bullet points. The reporter then edits and approves them. Each summary includes a clear on-page disclosure noting that it was 'AI-assisted and journalist-edited.' Style Assist works on incoming LDRS stories. The AI rewrites them in BBC tone, flags legal issues, and spots missing attributions. Editors always have the final say. 'In line with our AI principles, nothing is published without being checked first by a BBC journalist,' Davies emphasized. 'The AI tool has no role in creating the original story – which has been researched and written by our LDRS partners.' Over the six-week pilot, the BBC will measure engagement from summary boxes, time saved styling LDRS stories,and the error rate after editor review. If results match expectations, the BBC could roll these tools out to more desks and story types. Building on Past Experience The BBC isn't new to AI. Since early 2023, it's used it to transcribe live football action, create subtitles on BBC Sounds, and translate for global also published its AI approach. The three rules that guide its use of AI: reporters call the shots, label any AI help, and make sure it adds value, not just speed. These match the European Broadcasting Union's draft ethics code for public media. The BBC's steps mirror a broader industry trend. This past Friday, Reuters named veteran editor Rob Lang as its first dedicated Newsroom AI Editor, charged with turning 'innovative AI ideas into valuable editorial solutions.' Lang will oversee prompt-engineering standards, integrating tools such as Lynx Insight for data-driven story leads and the use of its Fact Genie tool for summarization. The Associated Press has been using automated earnings reports since 2014 and is currently piloting AI-based headline writers trained on its style book. The New York Times recently disclosed that its new personalized audio app relies on an in-house LLM to stitch host reads with journalist-narrated articles. The common thread? AI can assist with tasks like formatting or summaries, but it does not make the final editorial call. Potential Pitfalls These tools aren't perfect. In BBC trials, Style Assist sometimes muddled attributions, so editors slowed down to fact-check more. Misinformation risk is real. Recent coverage on Forbes warns that overuse of AI in newsrooms could lead to bland, unoriginal content that erodes trust. There's also knotty legal issues if AI trains on private data without clear rights. Why the Risk is Worth It There are three reasons that drive the BBC's decision to experiment more broadly with genAI content. The first is that reader habits are shifting. Young people scroll very quickly. Summaries might keep them around. Second, is the issue of budget cuts. The BBC's funding, adjusted for inflation, is down 21% since 2010, so efficiency matters. AI offers an attractive solution. Finally, there is global momentum on the use of AI. Newsrooms worldwide are racing on AI. Standing still carries risk. Looking Ahead Success here could mean national news, sports, and explainer teams get the tools next. The BBC might refine Style Assist for in-depth features or impartiality checks. It could even share its prompt recipes so smaller outlets benefit. AI won't write headlines for the BBC yet. But it's already rewriting stories behind the scenes, tweaking tone, checking for legal clarity, and speeding up a world where audiences are wary and attention spans are short, the BBC is choosing a model where AI runs quietly in the background, and journalists stay in charge
