Lincolnshire residents urged to have their say on council reorganisation
With proposals to merge eight councils into one across the Lincolnshire county area, events are being held to speak with residents and answer questions about what this could mean for them.
The government has invited proposals for ‘local government reorganisation’ across Lincolnshire, aiming to replace the current two-tier system of governance.
‘Your Lincolnshire’, put forward by the county council, would see it and seven district councils replaced by one big local authority handling all services including waste, highways and planning.
They are holding events across the county to explain why their plan should be supported — but many towns are not on the schedule.The county council says it is holding one event in each of the seven districts. That also means no events in Skegness, Holbeach, Long Sutton, Crowland, Market Rasen or Mablethorpe, Stamford, Bourne or the Deepings. Only one event — at Lincoln Castle — is at the weekend.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire County Council said: “Our face to face events complement the information available online and we’re holding one in each district plus an additional event at Lincoln Castle for people who prefer to attend at a weekend.
“We’re speaking to lots of different stakeholders but if any groups want to talk to us and get a deeper understanding of our proposal to make local government more simple and straight-forward, we’re happy to arrange a time to meet with them.”
Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council have separately said they would like to create a Southern Lincolnshire Council and a Northern Lincolnshire Council, but this will not be discussed at the events.
Coun Rob Gibson, deputy leader of Lincolnshire County Council and executive member for local government reorganisation, said: “With the government making it clear that they want to abolish ‘two-tier’ council systems, we’ve come up with a proposal that keeps vital support services together and delivers the best value for taxpayers’ money.
“And, with the ambitious timescale the government has set out, including shadow elections for the new council expected to take place in 2027, our proposal could feasibly be delivered in that short space of time and minimise the disruption.
“The county council already provides local services in every single town and village across Lincolnshire – from children’s centres and social care visits, to fire stations and road maintenance – and these could be combined with district council functions to create a single point of contact for residents.
“We’d be sure to continue working with our fantastic town and parish councils across the county too, so they can play their part in making decisions for their communities.”
The county council is holding public engagement events at:
Boston Library – September 3 2025 (10am – 2pm)
Sleaford Library – September 9 2025 (10am- 2pm)
Louth Library – September 11 2025 (10am – 2pm)
Grantham Library – September 15 2025 (9:30am – 12:30pm)
Gainsborough Library – September 19 2025 (2pm – 5pm)
Lincoln Castle – September 20 2025 (11am – 2pm)
Lincoln Library – September 23 2025 (11am – 3pm)
Spalding Library – September 24 2025 (10am – 2pm)
Residents can find out more about the proposal and take part in the online survey by visiting www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/yourlincolnshire