Members of North Kesteven District Council have overwhelmingly backed what they felt was the best possible proposal for alternative council structures for Lincolnshire under the Government’s move to restructure local government.
By a majority vote of 29 to 1, with 2 abstentions, they agreed on Tuesday March 18 to submit a proposal for reorganising the 10 Greater Lincolnshire councils into a structure of three unitary councils, which would bring the areas of North Kesteven, South Kesteven, South Holland and Rutland together as one.
The joint North and South Kesteven proposal suggests a second council area built on the footprint of the current West Lindsey, East Lindsey, Lincoln and Boston council areas and a third that unites the North and North East Lincolnshire council areas.
This is in response to an invitation from Government to put forward suggestions of new council structures under the biggest local government reform since the current system took effect in 1974, intended to replace the current system of counties and districts with fewer unitary authorities to complement the newly devolved Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority.
Described as just the starting point, the agreed interim proposal will be submitted ahead of the deadline on Friday March 21 – along with all other proposals from the other Greater Lincolnshire councils on how they see future councils shaping up – for what has been termed a ‘temperature check’ by Local Government Minister Jim McMahon.
The next phase in the process will be to submit final worked-up proposals by November 28, before when there will be ongoing discussions, explorations and engagement. Government, which is looking for collaboration and working with others, will ultimately determine final outcomes.
Members agreed that whilst this wasn’t a process that they would have chosen, it was essential to participate meaningfully to ensure best outcomes for residents, businesses and service delivery.
They felt that the submission was balanced, well thought out, responded directly to all the criteria set by Government for achieving its aims, that it looked to achieve the best outcome for North Kesteven and wider communities and would advance the councils’ aspirations for local people. They also praised the clarity of the proposal, the quality of the data which had driven its formation, the ways in which its principles are anchored in place, economic and spatial logic and geography and most importantly that it maintained strong democratic connectivity at community level.
The proposal can be read in detail on the Council's webpage here.