New authority officially formed

The new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, (GLCCA), is now an official body, following final communication from the Government.

The Leaders of Lincolnshire County Council and North and North East Lincolnshire unitary authorities have received an official letter from the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP

This confirms he has signed the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority Regulations 2025, which created the GLCCA and devolves functions to it.

In the correspondence, the Minister adds: “I would like to thank you and your officers for your hard work in enabling us to deliver this landmark agreement for the people of Greater Lincolnshire.”

Following this, the first meeting of the new authority’s board will be in early March, with the election for a Mayor going ahead as planned on Thursday, May 1.

Reacting to the news, Cllr Martin Hill OBE, the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council said: “There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point, and much more still to do. I firmly believe that decisions that affect local people should be taken locally, and the benefits of devolution mean that we will be in charge of our own future in Greater Lincolnshire. These issues are really important to residents’ everyday lives, when it comes to the housing available, how we all get about the county and the jobs and training that are available.

“We’ll also be able to deal more directly with government in representing the needs of our area, and have a clearer voice to attract more investment.”

The Government confirmed its support for the GLCCA in the autumn of last year, following a two-month public consultation last January and February.

The deal brings with it an investment package of £720m over 30 years with a one-off capital investment of £28.4m for priority schemes across the Greater Lincolnshire footprint. With it also comes an elected Mayor to chair the new authority and give the region a greater voice in Westminster.

Lincolnshire County Council elections will still go-ahead on May 1 despite some other authorities going through local government reorganisation being able to postpone the exercise for voters.

Picture shows Lincolnshire County Council leader Cllr Martin Hill is pictured (right) with Cllrs Rob Waltham (left) and Philip Jackson from North Lincoln and North East Lincolnshire Councils respectively.