The leader of Lincolnshire County Council is confident that the devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire will proceed as planned, with the combined mayoral authority expected to be established from October.
In March, LCC, along North and North East Lincolnshire councils, formally voted in favour of the deal, which promises to bring an additional £24 million per year to Lincolnshire.
It has now advanced to central government, which will either proceed with establishing the combined authority or decide if further consultation is necessary — as the eight-week consultation attracted responses from just 4,000 residents.
The county council expects to hear back from the Secretary of State around late spring or early summer.
Following the LCC Executive meeting on Wednesday, Leader Martin Hill (Conservative) noted that the council is already in the planning stage, expressing confidence that the deal will proceed as expected.
He said: “We have sent our formal letter back to government and I am pretty confident now that we will get approval.”
Coun Hill continued: “By October, we need to have certain things set up in terms of the organisation ready for the election of the Lincolnshire mayor in May 2025.
“We are pretty confident now that it will happen. What we’re hearing is that it looks pretty positive in terms of it proceeding.”
Before an election can take place, representatives will be selected to sit on the combined authority, with four seats allocated to the seven district councils across Lincolnshire. Another seat will be designated for either the Lincolnshire or the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner.
