MP warns extended Lincoln council could mean rural areas miss out on investment
An MP has warned that an expanded Lincoln council could mean that rural parts of the county miss out on investment opportunities.
Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice (Reform UK) feels there is a risk of ‘imbalance’ following the Government’s decision to create a bigger Lincoln council and merge the rest of the county into one authority.
Mr Tice, who is also the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “The key issue is obviously Lincoln is the big wealthy city and the danger is that it takes up too much of the cream.”
When it comes to a shakeup for the local government scene, the Boston and Skegness MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he would have preferred an option put forward by the Reform-led Lincolnshire County Council. This would have created one single council for the whole of Lincolnshire, with North and North East Lincolnshire Council remaining as separate unitary authorities.
He added: “I just felt it would be easier to implement, more comprehensive and I just think there’s more efficiency that would come out of our solution than this one.
“There’s a greater risk of imbalance in this one.”
He added: “I think for most part, it is horses for courses. But we’ve got a situation of a real mix and match.
“Because in too many areas you’ve got different councils trying to organise different lampposts on the same street or different manholes on the same street and, from the customers’ point of view, the system has become inefficient as opposed to efficient.”
Mr Tice believes it’s vital to ensure the changes – the biggest for a generation – are handled properly.
He added: “If it’s done well with good people, it can work. But if it’s done badly with the wrong people, then it could end up being worse than the system they’re trying to replace.”
Mr Tice said that Reform is planning for the shadow elections for the new authorities in May next year as it bids to get as many members as possible and build on its performance in previous local and general elections in Lincolnshire, one of its key strongholds.
Councillor Marianne Overton, an Independent County Councillor and North Kesteven District Councillor based in the Cliff Villages, has commented: “The whole of my county division down to the A17 goes under Lincoln’s power. That is 12 wards from NKDC and seven from West Lindsey.
“How will urban-centric councillors view decisions on planning or services offered?”