Greater Lincolnshire could be split into two mega-councils
The ten councils in Greater Lincolnshire could be merged into two mega-councils under suggestions the authorities have put forwards. This would replace Lincolnshire County Council, the seven lower-tier councils, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council.
The government is aiming to merge all councils into larger, single-tier authorities as part of a major shake-up to streamline services and save money. The leaders of the three councils involved wrote to the government last week to express an interest in the reorganisation.
The suggestion would be for the whole area to form two single-tier councils which would deliver all services for residents, although this isn't a formal proposal. This could potentially see a north-south divide to split up the vast geographic area, which stretches from the River Humber down to Stamford.
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Some authorities which are on the fast-track for reorganisation have asked that their elections in May are postponed until reorganisation has taken place. Lincolnshire County Council hasn't done this, despite media reports suggesting otherwise, but leaders say they would be 'open' to the possibility if the government felt it was needed.
Leader Councillor Martin Hill said: “The government is asking councils to come forward that want to be part of the priority programme for local government reorganisation and devolution. The request is aimed at those areas that do not have a strategic authority or that need reorganisation to enable devolution.
“Greater Lincolnshire’s devolution deal is already confirmed with the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority due to be formed imminently.
“Although we do not meet the criteria for the priority programme, we don’t feel our devolution deal should be a barrier to seeking reorganisation, in fact we are well placed to fast track reorganisation for Greater Lincolnshire.
“Giving residents the chance to democratically elect representatives for their local area is an important part of how councils are run.
"However, if the government decided to proceed now with LGR in Lincolnshire, it may not be a sensible use of taxpayer money to run county council elections this May. This is a government decision.”
Any new authorities which aren't being fast-tracked are expected to be created between April 2027 and April 2028. A spokesperson for the county council said leaders are "keen to work with officials to progress opportunities" and "our early adoption of devolution should not delay us achieving more efficient arrangements for local government".
All 70 county council seats will be up for grabs on May 1 if no changes are made. The first devolved mayor of Greater Lincolnshire - whose role will be unaffected by the local government shuffle - will also be elected on that date.
The government says a national council shake-up would streamline services, save up to £2 billion, and would empower local leaders to make more decisions The "upper-tier" Lincolnshire County Council currently manages the roads, education and social services.
Meanwhile, the seven district and borough councils deal with local issues such as bin collections, housing and planning. North and North East Lincolnshire Council are unitary authorities which act as both upper and lower tier councils for their areas.
Local political leaders have been divided on the proposal. City of Lincoln's leader Naomi Tweddle (Lab) said she didn't want to see "vast, remote authority with a weak link to local areas", and urged for smaller authority sizes.
However Conservative leader Tom Dyer said the two-tier system "is outdated and unnecessarily complicates local democracy".