Lincolnshire leader marks 20 years in charge - and talks about the future

Coun Martin Hill (Con) became leader in March 2005 and hoped to provide stability to what, at the time, was a turbulent council.

He has remained in charge for 20 years as governments have come and gone – along with eight Prime Ministers – and hasn’t ruled out staying until the authority is replaced in 2028.

Looking back at his time in office, Coun Hill told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The culture had real difficulties when I became leader.

“We brought in a new management team and a new chief executive. I’m proud of how we’ve turned that around, delivered highly-rated services, and still have one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.

“I got into politics at the parish council level in 1987 in Folkingham, the village where I lived and farmed, to improve local services.

“I didn’t expect I would still be here all this time later.”

One of the most common criticisms levelled at the county council today is the state of the roads.

Coun Hill says he’s disappointed he’s not convinced the government of any party to increase how much money Lincolnshire receives during his tenure.

He said: “We have always struggled to get a fair share of funding from the government. The formula for Lincolnshire is very poor, and we’ve not been able to get that changed.

“We have to constantly top up what we get from the government, and have made £400m of efficiency savings since 2010 to protect the highways budget.

“The roads have improved, but not as much as we would have liked.”

The entire county council will be up for election in May, with some polls predicting Reform will perform strongly enough to threaten Conservative’s control.

Coun Hill said: “Reform is coming in as a protest party – we’re not seeing policies from them.

“The election will be a challenge. But if people want to keep good services going, they need to keep that in mind when they cast their vote.”

Lincolnshire County Council will cease to exist in the council shake-up – expected to be 2028 – but Coun Hill hasn’t said whether he will still be in charge at the time.

“Staying on as leader isn’t my decision – it will be down to the electorate and my Conservative colleagues.

“I’ve been doing the job for a long time, and I’m happy to do what my colleagues want me to do.”