The transferring or delegating powers from central government to local authorities could help the area get a better deal for its residents and businesses.

 Leader of the Council, Cllr. Jeff Summers explained Lincolnshire County Council is no longer pursuing a unitary authority. He explained talks had started with county, districts and the South Humber unitary authorities to explore other options. He said:

“We recognise there is a need for growth and investment in the district, but we cannot do this alone. We need to focus on what would benefit Greater Lincolnshire’s residents and businesses and build a collective voice and relationship across all councils.

“We need to work with each other to establish strong relationships and a collective ambition for devolution to be viable. I feel we are best placed to shape those decisions, but we need to act now and put forward our business case.”

The council will be asked to set aside £100,000 of its budget to work with partners to develop this as well as allocating officer and political resources. Chief Executive of West Lindsey District Council, Mrs. Manjeet Gill is calling on councillors to consider developing a shared vision and business case. She said:

“This is our opportunity to focus on getting the right ‘deal’ for Greater Lincolnshire in terms of health, policing and economic prosperity. We are already working closely together as part of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) for the benefit of residents and businesses and we need to expand on this further. Devolution would focus on further collaboration and collective leadership based on a credible business case.”

Local authorities are encouraged to develop local deals, following the success of the Greater Manchester Deal. Other areas are now following suit in Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Derbyshire. Councillors will be asked that the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive ‘prioritise’ this work at the Full Council meeting on Monday. 27th July at 7pm.

Exploring devolved powers will back the good work already started by the council’s economic development team to work with partners to help grow the economy and population of the district over the next twenty years. Ms Eve Fawcett-Moralee, newly appointed strategic lead for economic development and neighbourhoods at the council, can see how devolution can support the growth agenda. She said:

“Our partnership model is already helping us to unlock significant funding. For example: our Food Enterprise Zone, which will become a focal point for research and business development for the regional food and farming supply chain and the Greater Gainsborough Housing Zone to attract investors into the town.

“We need to continue to harness the expertise, commitment and resources of partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors to really focus on the delivery of our economic development and housing plans.

“We want to establish a West Lindsey Growth Partnership to work closely with the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and the GLLEP. Together we can engage with the wider business community and interest groups on the benefits to the area, through a new district wide stakeholder forum.”