Leaders 'split' over plan to shake-up Lincolnshire

Six separate proposals have been submitted to the government to help reshape councils across Lincolnshire.

In February, the government asked all authorities to put forward options to reform the system and create larger, single-tier organisations.

After months of talks, political leaders in Lincolnshire remain split on the way forward with claims of authorities being "splintered into competing groups".

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said: "Reorganisation will improve public services in Lincolnshire and ensure every penny of taxpayers' money is well spent."

The current system has seven district councils across Lincolnshire delivering services such as waste collection and planning.

On top of that, Lincolnshire Council Council is responsible for larger countywide services, such as social care, and wider decision making.

The new structure could see the formation of up to four councils covering Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Each proposal submitted has varying ideas on where boundaries would be drawn.

Some councils have joined forces with neighbouring authorities to put together their bids. Others have just submitted their own.

Ashley Baxter, the leader of South Kesteven District Council, said there had been feeling that it was a "competitive process" which has ended with "different, competing proposals".

"There's been a lot of trying to save one's own skin and maintaining the status quo," he added.

West Lindsey District Council opted out of submitting a proposal, its leader Jackie Brockway also described tension between authorities.

She said: "They [local councils] are trying to protect their council areas and their residents by putting forward what's the best for themselves."

The councils in North and North East Lincolnshire have submitted proposals to keep their unitary authority status.

Richard Wright, the leader of North Kesteven District Council, denied his authority was in competition with others.

He said: "The one thing we didn't want was for residents to see that this was in any way an unseemly argument or competition and some authorities have chosen different ways of going about that."

Commenting on the perceived rivalries, the deputy leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Rob Gibson, accepted arguments were "going to happen" because of the nature of the project.

He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "We're going to lose the district councils and the people running them are going to lose their positions."

Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council have been working in partnership since 2021 and developed their proposal together.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the authorities said they were "very proud" of their ideas.

"We look forward to working with government and local partners to make these changes the very best they can be," they added.

The next phase of the project will see the government publish its preferred option for Lincolnshire in early 2026, followed by a public consultation.

It is anticipated that elections for the new council or councils would be held in May 2027.

The MHCLG added: "We continue to work with councils in Lincolnshire on these plans so we can unlock growth, speed up building and ensure local people get better support."

• North Kesteven and South Kesteven have proposed four authorities. Their plan would see them combine with South Holland to form one council with a further two covering North and North East Lincolnshire. A fourth council would see a merger between Lincoln, Boston, East Lindsey and West Lindsey.

• The joint plan put forward by Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland would see the creation of two unitary councils covering the north and south of the county. One would see North and North East Lincolnshire combine with West Lindsey and the City of Lincoln. The other would cover North Kesteven, South Kesteven, Boston, South Holland, and East Lindsey.

• The City of Lincoln Council has put forward a proposal for four authorities which would see it take in parts of what are now West Lindsey and North Kesteven districts. A separate Rural Lincolnshire Council would cover the rest of the county with North and North East Lincolnshire remaining separate entities.

• Lincolnshire County Council has voted to have a single council covering the county with separate authorities in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

• North East Lincolnshire Council has both proposed keeping their existing boundaries. They would also convert Lincolnshire County Council and the district councils into a single unitary authority.

• North Lincolnshire Council has put forward the same plan proposed by North East Lincolnshire.

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