Historic moment for Lincolnshire as devolution deal moves forward

In a historic moment, the ‘Statutory Instrument’ which is required to form the new devolved Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority (GLCCA) has been laid in Parliament.

This piece of Parliamentary process follows written consent being sent from Lincolnshire County Council and North and North East Lincolnshire unitary authorities to Government.

This will mean the forming of the new devolved authority can go ahead with a first meeting of a the new GLCCA expected to take place early in the new year. That will come before the first ever Mayoral elections across Greater Lincolnshire in May 2025. The process for candidates to stand to be the new Mayor are currently being worked through with more news on deadlines to stand and timetables due soon.

In a joint statement welcoming this latest news, authority leaders, Coun Martin Hill (Lincolnshire), Coun Philip Jackson (North East Lincolnshire), and Coun Rob Waltham (North Lincolnshire), said: “As we move into this final Parliamentary process, we look forward to the new year and a 2025 that brings with it a new dawn for us all here in Greater Lincolnshire.

“The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority will give local decision makers the chance to shape our area’s future – building a stronger and more prosperous region for generations to come. With this will come better lifestyles of residents and wider opportunities for businesses.”

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner also commented: “This is another milestone in our ambition for Greater Lincolnshire to take back control and unleash the fantastic potential of this region.

“I look forward to working hand-in-hand with local leaders as we work to transfer more power out of Westminster and back into our communities, including through the upcoming English Devolution White Paper.”

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As reported, with the introduction of devolution and the GLCCA comes a total investment pot coming directly into Greater Lincolnshire of £720-million over the next 30 years. This includes an annual £24m Mayoral Investment Fund to invest in priority areas including jobs and skills; housing and highways, transport, business and infrastructure, and innovation and trade.

There is also an initial capital funding pot of £28m including brownfield funding for individual schemes across Greater Lincolnshire.

In North East Lincolnshire this will support the phase one development of a Grimsby Town Centre Transport Hub while in Lincolnshire a number of projects are already underway including road improvements to Old Roman Bank near Sandilands and drainage improvements at Kirkby on Bain.

Upcoming projects include roundabout works at Nettleham and streetworks in Grantham, a business grant programme within the UK Food Valley in South Lincolnshire and a grant to Sleaford Moor Business Park for the next phase of this low carbon business park.

In North Lincolnshire this will be used to unlock land in Scunthorpe, Brigg, and Barton-upon-Humber, enabling more homes to be built for older residents.