Levelling up: Lincolnshire devolution deal 'urgently needed'

Council leaders in Lincolnshire are seeking urgent talks with ministers after missing out on an invite to bid for a devolution deal.

It comes as the government announced its levelling up strategy on Wednesday.

The plan includes offering every part of England the chance of a devolution deal to secure more regional powers.

Leader of Lincolnshire County Council Martin Hill said he was "surprised" the region had not been included in the first round of talks.

The strategy, unveiled by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, includes the creation of more elected leaders - like those in Birmingham or Manchester - and aims to improve services such as education, broadband and transport.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Lincolnshire was not among the first tranche of places where the government hopes to agree deals by the autumn.

Mr Hill welcomed the government's recognition that local leaders were best placed to control and target funding for their areas, but said a devolution deal was urgently needed for the region.

"To make a success of levelling up in the north, including the Humber Freeport, the government really needs to agree a devolution deal for Lincolnshire.

"Lincolnshire has huge potential and this is a chance to address historical underfunding of our area," he said.

Mr Hill said councils across Greater Lincolnshire had added "a lot more detail" to their "ambitious" plan since being initially invited to start expressing an interest in the devolution process two years ago.

"We are urgently seeking discussions with ministers to progress this as soon as we can," he added.

Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, and Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, echoed Mr Hill's views.

The leader of South Kesteven District Council, which covers areas including Grantham and Bourne, told a meeting last week he continued to reject the idea of a "one size fits all" combined-authority.

However, Kelham Cooke said the council needed to be a part of the devolution process to avoid changes being forced upon it.

Independent councillor Phil Dilks suggested any money "dangled as a carrot to persuade minds in favour of that plan" would be "mostly diverted" to other areas.

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