Lincolnshire County Council has officially requested to take over the responsibilities of all district councils in its area including South Holland.
As part of the proposed reorganisation of local government, authorities are being asked to put forward proposals for new unitary councils overseeing around 500,000 people.
They will take on the roles of both the county council and the district councils from 2028.
‘Option One’ for Lincolnshire County Council is basically for it to remain and for it to take on the roles like waste collection and car parks currently carried out by the likes of South Holland District Council.
“This option provides greatest scope for benefit and lowest costs due to its conterminously with existing upper tier boundaries and the avoidance of any need to disaggregate services,” the county council’s own report states.
“The creation of two new Unitary Authorities aligned to existing boundaries and partnerships will drive significant savings and service improvements. “
It’s stated ‘Option Two’ is for a north south split, with South Holland District Council, Boston and both North and South Kesteven.
The county council say this option is also backed by both North and North East Lincolnshire, which together wouldn’t make up enough of the population to meet the criteria for option one.
The option also splits up the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership and the report goes out of its way to try and dissuade the councils involved becoming a unitary authority for this area.
South Holland District Council, Boston Borough Council and East Lindsey District Council formed the partnership so it could share staff and be a unitary if the opportunity came up.
It, possibly with the addition of another council to make the population up to 500,000 is almost certain to be those councils’ preferred option for the new authority.
The county council reports says that the partnership is a ‘discounted option’ claiming it would ‘require three councils that fall below the target population threshold’.
It continues it would cause ‘significant disaggregation costs, reduced opportunities for efficiencies, with a longer pay back time on investment whilst resulting in significant disruption to the delivery of high performing public services’.
Those behind the South and East Lincolnshire Local Councils Partnership will highlight sharing staff has already saved £42m according to SHDC’s portfolio holder for finance, Coun Paul Redgate and creating a unitary authority would be much less costly due to the way the councils are already working together.
