New West Lindsey council leader aims to make politics more open

Coun Trevor Young was announced as the new head of the council at its annual general meeting, taking the reins from Conservative predecessor Coun Owen Bierley.

When asked about how the Liberal Democrats’ approach would differ from the previous Tory leadership, the representative for Gainsborough South West emphasised the importance of making local politics more accessible.

He said: “I think the most important thing is we want to be more open, honest and a lot more engaging with the public.

“In terms of our policies moving forward, we want to start engaging with the public more and take more of a common-sense approach.”

To encourage increased engagement, Coun Young plans to revise policies governing public participation at council meetings, allowing audience members to ask relevant questions when appropriate.

He said: “We want to encourage people to come to the council, ask questions and engage with us and we’ll do that in an open and transparent way. That might open us up at times to difficult situations, but I think we should do it.”

In addition to their commitment to public engagement, the party have also pledged to continue the fight against plans to house up to 2,000 asylum seekers at RAF Scampton.

Coun Young said: “A massive amount of work is going on from across a number of different authorities around Scampton.

“The council is doing an excellent job and we are going to fully support officers in terms of making sure we hold government to account on this decision.”

After failing to secure an urgent injunction from the High Court, the council is now seeking a full judicial review against the Home Office.

Optimistic about the future, Coun Bierley hoped the council can continue its collaborative efforts under its new leadership.

The Caistor & Yarborough member said: “The only way we can tackle some of the issues we face and improve our communities for the likes of our residents is through collaboration.”

Coun Lesley Rollings was elected deputy leader, with Coun Stephen Bunney named chairman and Coun Matthew Boles vice-chairman.