Council elections go ahead as authority confirmed

Council elections in Lincolnshire will go ahead this year, the government has announced.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) was among 16 local councils that asked to delay elections in light of the government's devolution agenda.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told MPs the area's elections would not be postponed and will take place on 1 May.

The announcement comes as the new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) was confirmed as an official body.

The government plans to scrap the county's two-tier system and replace it with a unitary authority.

"Councillors of all types, including district councillors, tell me the two-tier system isn't working," Rayner said.

She added: "New unitary structures will be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks."

Councillor Louise Gittins, chair of the Local Government Association, said the announcement would "remove the uncertainty for local areas affected".

Last month, Leader of LCC, Martin Hill OBE, said it may not be a "sensible use of taxpayer money" if the government decided to proceed with the local elections this year.

However, Rayner said the bar for postponing elections was "very high" and she had only agreed to half the requests from councils. LCC was not among them.

On Wednesday, the government announcement legislation had come into force establishing the GLCCA which will take on powers over transport, adult education and housing.

A directly elected mayor will oversee the newly devolved functions, with mayoral elections taking place in May.

The transfer of power includes an investment package of £720m over 30 years with a one-off capital investment of £28.4m to invest in the county.

Hill said: "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."

The first meeting of the new authority's board is due to take place in early March.

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