Lincolnshire leaders warn reorganisation could deter young people from politics

Leaders from South Kesteven, South Holland, and East Lindsey District Councils warned that the creation of larger unitary authorities in 2028 will reduce the number of councillors while increasing workloads, making it more difficult for those with young families and full-time jobs to stand as councillors.

Labour outlined plans to reshape local government in its Devolution White Paper in December, which would replace two-tier systems like Lincolnshire’s — comprising county and district councils — with new authorities covering populations of about 500,000 each.

Local authorities were invited to submit proposals on how Lincolnshire should be divided to the government by the end of March. Eight different suggestions were submitted, ranging from two to three separate unitaries across Greater Lincolnshire.

Councillor Ashley Baxter, Independent leader of South Kesteven District Council, explained that those who tend to get involved in local politics are often retired.

“When you look around council chambers across the country, most people are older than me,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“If democracy is to be representative, it needs to include people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Currently, most councillors in Lincolnshire are male, pale, frail, and stale.”

He pointed out that the new Reform UK-led Lincolnshire County Council is roughly 85% male, although these figures are believed to be better at district level, where around one-third of councillors in South Kesteven are women.

“Being a councillor is unfair to people who have a 9-5 job,” he added. “If you have a job and a young family, it is very difficult to find the hours to be a councillor.”

However, with the new unitary authorities expected to have fewer councillors representing larger numbers of residents, he expects workloads to become even heavier.

“Each councillor is going to be overwhelmed. It’s already difficult to keep on top of; it’s going to get more difficult after reorganisation and that is going to put people who have families and people who have traditional jobs off.”

South Kesteven District Council has been encouraging young people to get involved through its youth council, which allows individuals aged 13 to 19 to influence local policies and decisions.

South Kesteven’s Youth Council has agreed to focus on three key priorities: environment, entrepreneurship, and mental health.

Councillor Nick Worth, Conservative leader of South Holland District Council, agreed, stating: “It is a concern.

“You have got to assume the new unitary will be quite large and most of the meetings will be during the day, which cuts out anyone who has a full-time job.

“When you start a new administration, you can immediately take half the people out because they’re working or because they have other things to do.

“Inevitably, in a new unitary, a lot of the work happens during the day and that is a big stumbling block for people.”

According to Councillor Worth, a new youth council for South Holland is currently in the works, with hopes to have it running by September.

Councillor Craig Leyland, Conservative leader of East Lindsey District Council, said there has been a “slow disconnect between young people and politics” for some time.

“The extended size of any unitary means there will be more disconnect and more of a challenge,” he said.

On workloads, Councillor Leyland insisted that if work increases, policy around councillor allowances will need to be reviewed.

“It is hard work, you have to deal with many responsibilities; if that workload increases, it’s only right that how that is recompensed is looked at.”