The creation of a new Greater Lincolnshire layer of government headed by an elected mayor has been confirmed.
The government has given the go-ahead for the long mooted ‘devolution deal’ to take place.
It will include the setting up of a Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority to be headed by a major to be elected by a public vote scheduled for May 2025.
It’s something that Lincolnshire County Council has been pushing for alongside the North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire Unitary Councils.
Earlier this month a Greater Lincolnshire delegation visited Westminster to meet Jim McMahon, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss taking devolution forward.
The deal will now progress through its final parliamentary stage.
The finances remains the same as finalised between the three lead authorities and the previous government with a total investment fund of £720m over the next 30 years.
This will be for priority areas of jobs and skills, housing and highways, transport, the environment and nature, net zero, digital improvements, and innovation and trade.
An initial £28m has been agreed, £20m of which will go towards five projects, one of which is what Lincolnshire County Council say will be a ‘UK Food Valley business grant programme’.
The leader of the county council, Martin Hill, said: “This is great news and I’m pleased we are able to move forward with devolution to deliver growth in Greater Lincolnshire.
“We have always been clear that strengthening local decision-making with the needs and wants of our communities in mind, will give the best results for residents and businesses.
“Having a combined authority will give us the ability to liaise directly with the government about what is best for our residents, and we’ll be able to achieve our ambitious plans more quickly.
“The decision reflects our strong partnership work with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire councils, and the hard work we have all put in to making sure it’s the right deal for our area.”
The county council held a public consultation and decided to progress with the plans despite nearly half (49 per cent) saying they disagreed with the governance proposals compared to 39 per cent who agreed.
A letter from Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution to the three Leaders, states: “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.”
