Have your say: Greater Lincolnshire Devolution

Greater Lincolnshire Devolution: a joint letter of thanks from:

Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader North East Lincolnshire Council

Cllr Martin Hill OBE, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council

Cllr Rob Waltham CBE, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council

Great news and a thank you for your support last year and during the first half of 2024 as we progressed our plans for Greater Lincolnshire Devolution. 

You may well have heard this morning, that Greater Lincolnshire devolution has the support of the new Government, and it will now progress through its final political stage. 

This will see the forming of a Combined County Authority (CCA) ahead of the Mayoral election next May – when we will have our first Greater Lincolnshire MCCA, (Mayoral Combined County Authority).

This news follows successful meetings in recent weeks with Jim McMahon, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.  In a letter to us this week, the Minister spoke of the hard work that has been done here, giving him great confidence in what we are about to achieve.

His words were: “Thank you for all your hard work to get to this point. The establishment of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority will be a significant step in realising that ambition for your region, giving you as local leaders the power to make decisions that benefit your communities, boosting economic growth and driving reform, which is at the forefront of the government’s agenda.”

There is no doubt that the work we have done has been supported by yourselves – we could not have done it alone.  Thank you and we now look forward to the future.

We received more than 4,000 responses. Thank you for taking part.

The consultation analysis and findings are presented in the report (in the important links section).

All three councils have now voted to proceed with a devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire.

The Secretary of State will now consider the final proposal, and if approved, will instigate secondary legislation.

Find out more about devolution in Lincolnshire at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution 

If you have any questions, please contact engagement@lincolnshire.gov.uk 

Across the country, devolution is moving important choices about local investment, infrastructure and training from government to local decision makers.

Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council have secured a devolution deal with government worth over £750 million which, if progressed, means money and power can move from government to decision-makers in Greater Lincolnshire.

To seek this level of powers, money, and a say in how we spend it, local councils must produce a draft proposal and consult with you on it. The proposal sets out to government how devolution could work in Greater Lincolnshire including the creation of an independent body called a mayoral combined county authority.

The Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal (the proposal), can be seen, in full at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution.

We are now seeking views before deciding whether to submit the proposal to government either in its current form or in an amended form. Whilst this consultation document summarises the proposal, you should read the proposal in full before answering the questions.

The proposal explains how we believe, if adopted, using powers and deciding how to spend money locally would improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the people who live or work in our area through:

• improved local transport and roads
• improving training to ensure local people can take advantage of the new jobs
• help improve the environment and achieve net zero
• the provision of good quality housing
• boosting the economy by supporting local businesses to create new, high paid, high skilled jobs; and,
• enhanced digital services, like broadband

This initial proposal means:

• £24 million per annum for 30 years - worth £720m to level-up the whole of Greater Lincolnshire
• a stronger role in setting and delivering Greater Lincolnshire’s priorities
• control over a range of powers and budgets currently administered by government
• additional powers to tackle challenges and make the most of our economic potential so everyone who lives and works here benefits
• one off £28.4m capital investment in Greater Lincolnshire’s priorities.
• a new mayor to give Greater Lincolnshire a louder voice, more influence, and a higher profile, locally, nationally and globally
• a combined county authority providing greater transparency and capacity to use key growth levers such as transport, skills, economic development and regeneration

The proposal would not mean removing or merging local councils. Each council would continue to exist and would still be responsible for most public services in the area. There will be no transfer of district and borough powers as part of the draft proposal.

What do you think?

This consultation is an opportunity for everyone in the area to have their say about the devolution proposal. It is open to people who live or work in Greater Lincolnshire, businesses, community and voluntary groups, and other organisations in the area.

At the end of the consultation all three councils will consider your views before deciding whether to agree our final proposal for submission to government. Following submission of the final proposal it will be considered by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. If the secretary of state is happy, laws are put in place so that the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority can be set up and start work with the election for a mayor in May 2025.