The town is one of 57 settlements nationwide to be given a slice of £3 million from the Department of Communities and Local Government to tackle the rise in the number of empty shops.

The towns and cities were chosen because they were thought to be most affected by the recession and the sum was split equally among them.

Members of Boston Borough Council's decision-making cabinet approved a series of short, medium, and long term measures of how to spend their share, some £52,631.58, on Wesdesday.

Among these is a pilot scheme to create a community hub and leisure/creative activities centre, with a number of organisations already keen to get involved.

These include: Lincolnshire Arc, Boston Community Transport, Community Policing, Home Start, Age Concern, Boston Mayflower, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, and Boston BID. A tourist information point has also been mooted.

Two shops, the former sites of Sketchley's and Card Fair, in Strait Bargate have been selected as potential sites for the community hub.
Members heard that the current landlords would be paid a peppercorn rate, in the region of £1 per year per shop, for the site.

Coun Jim Blaylock said: "We are improving the town and not putting it in someone else's pocket," he said. "It's a win-win situation. You do not get many of them and this is one of them."

The short term measure proposed is using graphics to decorate empty shop windows in the town centre (of which there are in excess of 25); while the long term measure is to establish a grant scheme to offer new retailers funding towards business rates for their first year following start up.

The work is due to begin April 20.