AN INDEPENDENT watchdog has branded Boston Borough Council's efforts to regenerate the area and create new jobs as having poor prospects for improvement.

The Audit Commission gave the authority's regeneration service a 'fair', one star rating noting it is helping to promote the town centre as a shopping location with more shoppers and fewer empty shops as well as starting to tackle traffic problems.

But inspectors painted a bleak picture of future improvement highlighting a number of weaknesses including little progress in attracting higher skilled and higher paid jobs, projects such as refurbishment of the Market Square taking a long time to deliver and unclear plans for future regeneration.

Inspectors also criticised the poor promotion of cultural attractions along with the fact that the council "cannot demonstrate that it is providing value for money for all its regeneration work."

For full story and the council's reaction see this week's Boston Target.