Leader withdraws support of plans to cut councils

Councillor Philip Jackson said he should have consulted other councillors before supporting the local authority shake-up

A council leader admitted he should have consulted councillors before backing a plan to cut local authorities from 10 to two.

A letter was sent by North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) leader Philip Jackson, North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham and county council leader Martin Hill to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on 9 January.

It suggested merging Lincolnshire's county, district, borough and city councils, and the merger of the North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire authorities.

But Jackson said in a meeting on Wednesday that he would write to the government to say NELC did not endorse the letter's contents.

The letter to Rayner also requested consideration to postpone North East Lincolnshire's 2026 elections if reorganisation progressed.

Other political groups were not consulted before the letter was co-signed by Jackson, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Independent Group for North East Lincolnshire and Reform UK's councillor Oliver Freeston put forward a motion to see a rebuttal letter sent to government.

The motion also stated the holding of local elections next year in North East Lincolnshire was "a priority objective".

Labour councillor Kath Wheatley said: "For the leader to make a unilateral decision to offer our council up as a sacrificial lamb is wholly unacceptable and not democratic."

Jackson said: "I should have consulted with group leaders and given them an opportunity to talk to their groups."

He said the three council leaders that put together the letter had only a few days to respond to the government's initial call for reorganisation interest, but added that was "no excuse".

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