North East Lincolnshire Council ward boundaries review 'paused'

Wingate Parade in The Willows, pictured in November - it is located in Freshney Ward, which the Conservative-leading council had controversially recommended for removal
-Credit:Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive


A review of North East Lincolnshire Council ward boundaries has been paused amid suggestions of reducing the number of councils in Lincolnshire.

A ward boundaries review is due in North East Lincolnshire, and an initial consultation was held by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) last year. This saw the minority Conservative administration, backed by the Liberal Democrats, controversially recommend Freshney Ward's abolition.

The LGBCE's second consultation phase, on actual ward boundary proposals, was to start on February 4. But instead a notice has appeared on its website, stating: "In light of the Government's White Paper on English Devolution, we have decided not to start the next stage of this review. The timetable for this electoral review is under further consideration and this page will be updated when we launch the next stage of consultation."

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The Government's White Paper called for the reorganisation of local government in England, including the abolition of two-tier council areas - where there are district and county councils. It prompted the recent letter by North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire County Council leaders, all Conservative, expressing interest in reforming Lincolnshire's local government set-up. They expressed a preference in the letter to reorganise from ten councils across the county to two.

Read More: Special full council meeting sought by opposition councillors over Lincolnshire 'two councils' suggestion

Grimsby Live understands there will be a government announcement of progression of council reorganisation expressions of interest in the foreseeable future. An LGBCE spokesperson said: "The English Devolution White Paper may have implications across our review programme throughout the country. We will consider any further information that we receive before we start the public consultation in North East Lincolnshire."

The letter suggesting reducing the number of Lincolnshire councils from ten to two has prompted significant political backlash from opposition political groups locally. North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson (Waltham Ward) has said government criteria for reorganisations requires new councils to number about 500,000 people. Devolution Minister Jim McMahon has also said councils will be required to reorganise.

The pause of the ward boundary review follows on from the letter's request that the Government consider scrapping 2026 local elections in North East Lincolnshire. This is provided plans to reorganise the county's number of councils progress.

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