A new Lincolnshire “super-council” could bring 29,000 jobs, 100,000 new homes and boost the area’s economy by £8billion, it has been claimed.
South Holland District Council will be one of ten local authorities in Greater Lincolnshire which will form a combined authority after a devolution deal was agreed with the Government.
Although they will continue to exist in their current form, the ten councils which cover an area from the Humber to The Wash, will come together to exercise new powers and allocate funding – £15million per year for the next 30 years – in areas including transport, housing, skills training and flood risk management.
Further commitments are also agreed on health and social care, as well as court and prison services.
Coun Gary Porter, leader of South Holland District Council, welcomed the news last Wednesday, saying: “I’m delighted with today’s announcement.
“This deal is fantastic for the people and businesses of South Holland.
“The hard work starts here but crucially, the decisions on how central government budget will be used to drive growth and prosperity will in future, be decided locally.”
The move means Lincolnshire, like other areas with devolved powers such as Sheffield and Manchester, will also have its own directly elected mayor.
The ten local authorities involved are South Kesteven, North Lincolnshire, West Lindsey, South Holland, City of Lincoln, East Lindsey, Boston, North Kesteven, North-East Lincolnshire Council and Lincolnshire County Council, plus Lincolnshire Enterprise Partnership.
The deal has the support of public bodies, including the police.
Lincolnshire County Council leader Coun Martin Hill said it means the county is “on the road” to greater local freedom.
He said: “In Greater Lincolnshire we will have more control of our own future, rather than letting Whitehall decide what’s best for us.”
Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commission Alan Hardwick said the devolution agreement offers a “real opportunity” to boost investment in the area and deliver improved public services, but added it was “disappointing” that existing structures of local government would remain, creating an additional layer of bureaucracy.
He said: “The true transformation and leadership we require can only come through fundamental change to the existing council structures.
“However, the spirit of the agreement, in terms of the outcomes it aims to achieve, is one I wholeheartedly support.
“A directly elected mayor, with powers currently held by both Government and existing local authorities, can and will deliver a real visionary future for the county and place it firmly in the vanguard.”
Farmers need to be heard
An organisation which represents the interests of landowners has called for the needs of the rural economy to be represented in the devolution deal.
CLA East is calling for farmers, landowners and rural businesses to be represented in the governance of the devolved authority in order to ensure investment is effectively directed into rural areas.
Regional director Ben Underwood said: “In the coming months of discussion and consultation, the needs of rural businesses and rural communities must be a central consideration. They are the heartbeat that sustains the countryside.
“The potential of every penny offered through direct investment into our rural economy must be targeted for maximum benefit.”
