Chance to give feedback on council shake-up plan

Lincoln and the rest of the county could soon be part of a new local authority set-up

A series of events will allow residents to have their say on proposals for a new council structure in Lincolnshire.

But with only one event per district, many people will have to travel if they want to attend.

As part of a shake-up of local government, Lincolnshire County Council wants to create a single authority to run all the services currently delivered by the county and seven district councils.

Billed as Your Lincolnshire, it would see the abolition of councils in Boston, East Lindsey, Lincoln, North Kesteven, South Holland, South Kesteven and West Lindsey.

Rob Gibson, deputy leader of the county council, said: "With the government making it clear that they want to abolish 'two-tier' council systems, we've come up with a proposal that keeps vital support services together and delivers the best value for taxpayers' money."

He added: "The county council already provides local services in every single town and village across Lincolnshire… and these could be combined with district council functions to create a single point of contact for residents."

The one-stop-per-district roadshow means there will be no public events in Bourne, Crowland, the Deepings, Holbeach, Long Sutton, Mablethorpe, Market Rasen, Skegness or Stamford, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But a county council spokesperson said: "If any groups want to talk to us and get a deeper understanding of our proposal to make local government more simple and straightforward, we're happy to arrange a time to meet with them."

The council will be holding events throughout September, giving people the chance to discuss its plan.

They will be at:

• Boston Library – 3 September (10:00-14:00 BST)

• Sleaford Library – 9 September (10:00-14:00 BST)

• Louth Library – 11 September (10:00-14:00 BST)

• Grantham Library – 15 September (09:30-12:30 BST)

• Gainsborough Library – 19 September (14:00-17:00 BST)

• Lincoln Castle – 20 September (11:00-14:00 BST)

• Lincoln Library – 23 September (11:00-15:00 BST)

• Spalding Library – 24 September (10:00-14:00 BST)

A rival proposal on the table, known as A Greater Lincolnshire For All, would see the current unitary councils of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire replaced with a single authority that would also include Lincoln and West Lindsey.

The remaining council areas – Boston, East Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Holland and South Kesteven – would form a second unitary council area.

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