Members considered the interim Local Government
Reorganisation (LGR) Proposal for South
Kesteven.
Following a vote, Council Procedure Rule 11.5 was suspended
to allow the Leader of the Council more time to introduce the
item.
The following points were highlighted during the
presentation:
The first letter on the subject of LGR from
Government was received by the Council on 16 December 2024,
followed by a second letter on 5 February 2025. The subject was
initially discussed at Full Council on 27 February
2025.
The deadline for interim LGR proposals was 21
March 2025, with a final deadline for proposals of 28 November
2025. There were no definitive dates yet on when a shadow authority
and first meeting of any new organisation would be held, but it was assumed this
would take place in 2027, with a first meeting in 2028.
Additional internal consultation took place with
members through two separate member briefings held on 10 March, and
discussions at Cabinet. Three staff briefings would take place in
the coming weeks.
External consultation took place with Baroness
Taylor, Lincolnshire District Leaders and Chief Executives, Greater
Lincolnshire Leaders and Chief Executives, the District Councils
Network, local MPs, and neighbouring
local councils.
The core criteria for LGR set by Government
included a target population threshold of 500,000, cohesive
geography, and a sustainable long-term system settlement to
withstand financial shocks with preferably no boundary changes.
Whilst the Council may not be in support of devolution, their
proposal must support devolution.
The population threshold of 500,000 was a flexible
target – submissions that included a lower number would be
considered.
Several models of reorganisation had been rejected. These included a
model based on a ‘Greater Lincoln’ (population level
too low), models involving geographic incoherence (such as a
coastal ribbon running from the River Humber down to South
Kesteven), a merger with Peterborough City area, models involving
splitting other counties (such as the inclusion of Melton or
Newark) and most models requiring boundary changes (with the
exception of Rutland County Council).
Alternatives included the option favoured by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC). This
would keep the LCC boundaries in tact
and North and North East Lincolnshire Councils would merge. Another
option would be an east/west split in terms of geography, with
North and North East Lincolnshire remaining in place in the north
of the county. The final alternative was a
‘north/south’ unitary model.
Optimal solution is ‘Unitary 1’ which
included South Holland District Council (SHDC), Rutland County
Council (RCC) and both North and South Kesteven District Councils.
The solution had other advantages such as reasonable travel time
around the district, and a uniform demographic. Unitary 1 included
market towns with rural hinterland. The proposal did not include a
city, but did include Lincolnshire’s largest town, Grantham,
which was on a mainline railway.
Population numbers for the proposal ‘Unitary
1’ were roughly 400,000.
There was not scheduled to be any feedback on the
submitted proposal from Government until November, although there
may be further advice in the intervening period. ...
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