Lincolnshire faces potential split into two councils under government reorganisation. Council leaders seek flexibility.
The split could happen in the middle of Lincolnshire. Hill wants some flexibility in the plan. The government wants to use existing districts. Some villages may end up in different council areas.
The Deputy Prime Minister wants big changes. She wants a mayor for each region. She also wants to end two-tier councils. Two-tier means county and district councils. Hill and other leaders wrote a letter.
They want to be part of the reorganization. They hope Lincolnshire gets two new councils. But Lincolnshire wasn’t chosen right away. One council changed its mind later on. North East Lincolnshire didn’t agree with the letter.
Their leader signed it without talking to everyone. Councils must submit plans soon, by March 21. If they don’t, the government will decide. The government will decide how to split Lincolnshire.
The government wants all areas to become unitary. These changes must happen soon. The government has specific rules for councils. They need at least 500,000 people.
Lincolnshire has 1.1 million residents total. This means it needs more than one council. So, they will likely create two councils. Grimsby alone wouldn’t meet the population requirement.
So, that won’t work as a solution. Lincolnshire should propose its own plan. Otherwise, government workers pick the outcome. Council leaders offered to delay the elections.
However, elections will happen in May anyway. The reorginization process might be delayed as a result.