Agenda and draft minutes

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point and may also make them at any point during the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made at this point in the meeting.

The Chief Executive introduced the report by outlining the background to the ongoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process across Greater Lincolnshire,  reminding Members that, on 5 February, the Minister for English Devolution had issued formal invitation for proposals for new local government structures. This invitation had triggered the statutory consultation process.

Six submissions for Greater Lincolnshire had been made in total, representing four distinct geographical models for potential unitary arrangements. These proposals were now subject to Government consultation, which required all consultee authorities to respond to a prescribed set of questions for each proposal.

The Chief Executive highlighted that, in November 2025, Council resolved not to submit its own proposal but had agreed to contribute fully to the consultation.

Members had also approved assessment criteria to evaluate the proposals, covering service delivery, financial sustainability, representation, and alignment with local geography. Officers had since undertaken a detailed evaluation using these criteria, forming the basis of the recommended response.

Members were reminded that Appendix 2 was deemed exempt and that any detailed discussion of its content would require the meeting to move into closed session.

Members engaged in a wide?ranging discussion reflecting differing perspectives on the potential impacts of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) on West Lindsey and its communities.

In response to a question Officers re-iterated the direction of travel in respect of asset transfers and confirmed the early discussions had commenced with Gainsborough Town Council.

Several Councillors expressed concern about the compressed timescales imposed by Government, noting that the seven?week consultation period was significantly shorter than other major national consultations, such as the recent 13?week National Planning Policy Framework review. Members felt that the speed of the process limited the ability of councils, residents and town/parish councils to fully engage with the technical detail.

A number of Members raised issues relating to planning policy and decision?making, cautioning that re-organisation taking place alongside national reforms to planning policy could leave future authorities vulnerable. It was suggested that if a new unitary body were created before updated local plans were in place, planning decisions could be taken out of local control, increasing the risk of undesirable or speculative development.

The Leader, reflecting on West Lindsey’s position and it having not submitted a bid, proposed the following additional recommendation, which was duly seconded.

““that Council delegate authority to the Leader of Council in consultation with the Chief Executive to write to Government in relation to LGR in Greater Lincolnshire, expanding on the following points:

1.     Setting out why WDLC didn’t submit a final proposal, recognising the political instability in the Council during a key period of the process.

2.     Concerns around the extent that any of the proposals have regards to the best interests of West Lindsey residents.

3.     Raise the issues around the complexity of public service coverage and geography of Greater Lincolnshire.

4.     Request the opportunity to meet with Ministers to discuss these concerns further prior to any decision being made.

Members then debated the amendment and reflected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.