Lincolnshire County Council is expecting local elections to continue as planned next May, despite rumours that Labour’s plans to re-organise local government could have an impact.
On Monday (December 16), Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner outlined plans to introduce a directly elected mayor in every region and invited all two-tier local authority areas, such as Lincolnshire, to restructure into unitary authorities with roughly 500,000 people in each.
According to Local Government Minister Jim McMahon, the changes could save the country £2 billion but there have been suggestions that this could mean elections in some areas will have to be delayed to avoid voters electing a council only to see it scrapped halfway through its term.
Conservative-controlled county councils that are likely to request the suspension of May’s local elections include Essex, Devon, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, and Lincolnshire.
However, Cllr Martin Hill (Conservative), leader of Lincolnshire County Council, has insisted the authority is still expecting elections to be held on May 1, when the county will also elect its first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire as part of its devolution deal.
Cllr Hill stated: “All councils in two-tier areas have been instructed by government to submit plans for unitary government next year. We will do so, but are expecting our elections to continue as planned.”
He emphasised that the devolution deal, which is expected to bring an additional £24 million per year to Greater Lincolnshire, puts the area “in a good position” to secure even more local powers and investment.
He added: “In terms of re-organisation, we are broadly supportive as it makes a lot of sense, will save a lot of money and be more efficient for people in Lincolnshire.
“Most of England now has unitary government that is working well. Having so many tiers of government creates unnecessary bureaucracy and cost.
“For example, it really makes no sense that one council collects all the bins and then pass the rubbish on to another council to dispose of it. These proposals will make change and reform quicker and easier.”
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