Full council in North East Lincolnshire approves Greater Lincolnshire devolution proposal

Members of North East Lincolnshire Council voted to accept the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal and that it be put out to residents for their views and comments for an eight-week formal consultation period.

Providing the Full Councils at the other two lead authorities - Lincolnshire County Council and North Lincolnshire Council - vote in the same way tomorrow and Monday, that consultation will begin straight away. This will see the 1.1-million people living across the greater county encouraged to have their say on the Proposal.

North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, who has led the devolution process with his counterparts in Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, said: “Tonight’s decision here at Full Council is another important step in our journey towards devolution, which is set to drive forward the right decisions and growth for the people of North East Lincolnshire and the greater county.”

As reported, the agreed Proposal was announced in the Government’s autumn statement – followed by a ceremonial signing by the Leaders of the three lead authorities and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Jacob Young.

The Proposal sets out a devolution deal that moves important choices about local investment, infrastructure, and training from Government to local decision makers.

The report to Full Council said: “Councils in Greater Lincolnshire have been working collaboratively to secure devolution for our area, to deliver the leadership required to address unique long-term challenges across Greater Lincolnshire, maximise the area’s opportunities to deliver future prosperity and to ensure that Greater Lincolnshire’s residents and businesses do not miss out or fall behind other areas.”

The Proposal outlines the benefits to Greater Lincolnshire that devolution will bring, which include:

-A Mayoral Investment Fund of £24m per annum for 30 years to invest in infrastructure and skills development totalling £720m.

-A one off £28.4m capital investment in Greater Lincolnshire’s priorities. £2m capacity funding over three years.

-£1m skills for job funding.

-Local control over the Adult Education Budget from 2026.

-A consolidated, multi-year transport fund, providing increased financial certainty. Providing the consultation goes ahead as planned, it will run until the end of January 2024. There will then be more formal meetings to assess the consultation results and put a recommendation to the Government.

The result of that, if all is favourable, will see a Mayoral Combined County Authority, (MCCA) formed with the election for a Mayor in May 2025.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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