MP says he is ‘actively engaged’ with his area despite having just four meetings with council leader
An MP says he is ‘actively engaged with local governance’ — despite official records showing that he has had just four meetings with council leaders in a year.
Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice met with the leaders of Boston Borough Council on just four occasions last year, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by this publication.
Richard Tice and fiance Isabel Oakeshott
Boston Borough Council was asked for the dates and reasons for meetings between Mr Tice and the leader of the council, Coun Dale Broughton and his predecessor Coun Anne Dorrian, between January 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026.
The last meeting recorded was at Remembrance Sunday in November with two of the others taking place in Westminster at internal drainage board events.
Deputy leader of Reform UK Mr Tice — who has come under national scrutiny over claims that four shell companies he ran did not pay tax between 2020 and 2022 —has denied not having a close relationship with the council.
Mr Tice said in response to our request: “I would urge an end to the waste of taxpayers’ money on unproductive gotcha style Freedom of Information requests.
“I am actively engaged with local governance, regularly attending Boston Town Board meetings, delivering substantive presentations to senior council leadership, and maintaining ongoing dialogue through community events as well as direct conversations via phone, physical and virtual meetings.”
One of the main roles of a free press in a democratic society is to hold people in public office to account and we consider ours to have been a legitimate request.
The first meeting recorded took place on February 10, 2025, took place in London and focused on the Local Government Reorganisation and the Internal Drainage Board.
No reason was recorded for the second meeting on August 27, 2025.
The third meeting, which was an internal drainage board event took place in London on September 2, 2025.
The final meeting was the Remembrance Sunday commemorations in November.
A spokesperson for Boston Borough Council said: “Like all our partners and stakeholders, we have a working relationship with the constituency MP and meet only when matters require support or awareness.”
