Delight as Greater Lincolnshire devolution gets the go-ahead

DEVOLUTION for Greater Lincolnshire is to go-ahead, following successful meetings between local authority leaders and the new Government.

In a joint announcement, delighted leaders of the three lead authorities - North East and North Lincolnshire unitary councils, and Lincolnshire County Council, have confirmed the future of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA).

Earlier this month a Greater Lincolnshire delegation visited Westminster to meet Jim McMahon, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Following those successful talks, the Deal will now progress through its final legislative stage to allow the forming of the GLCCA ahead of the Mayoral election next May.

The Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson (above at Grimsby's Alexandra Dock, which is set for housing with support from initial devolution funding), said:

“I am sure I share the sentiments of my two colleagues, the Leaders of Lincolnshire County Council and North Lincolnshire Council, when I say this is the best possible news we could have hoped for. Months and months of dedicated hard work and effort has been put into creating a vision for Greater Lincolnshire that will offer a cohesive approach - allowing this region to grow and prosper.

“Our deal was supported by the last Government with millions of pounds of funding agreed to be devolved down to our new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority to ensure we would be able to truly invest in our key priority areas, which will underpin our positive way forward.

“I am therefore delighted that Greater Lincolnshire devolution continues to have the support of the country’s new Government and I now look forward to continuing our journey towards more local control with funding and powers handed to those who are closer to the communities they serve. We have a chance to make a real difference.”

Lincolnshire County Council’s Leader, Cllr Martin Hill OBE, continued:

“This is great news and I’m pleased we are able to move forward with devolution to deliver growth in Greater Lincolnshire. We have always been clear that strengthening local decision-making where we consider the needs and wants of our communities, will give the best results for residents and businesses.

“It’s clear that having a Mayoral Combined Authority will give us the ability to liaise directly with the government about what is best for our residents and be able to achieve our ambitious plans more quickly. The decision to take this forward reflects our strong partnership work with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire councils, and the hard work we have all put in to making sure it’s the right deal for our area.”

Cllr Rob Waltham MBE, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said:

“I am pleased that the devolution deal has been approved for Greater Lincolnshire and the generational change this will deliver for local people.

“Our £720m deal was supported by thousands of residents and has been on the table for years and negotiated earlier this year. At last, we can get to work on seizing this monumental opportunity – bringing better paid jobs to the area, boosting skills, expanding local infrastructure and enhancing our environment across Lincolnshire.

“We will continue to strengthen ties across our great historic county - I am incredibly proud to have been born, educated and lived and worked in Lincolnshire for most of my life and to have 10 generations of my family living throughout Lincolnshire.  We are a great county full of inspirational people who deserve the best opportunities for them and their families as we seek to level up Lincolnshire to deliver a better quality of life for local residents."

A letter from Mr McMahon to the three Leaders, states: “Thank you for all your hard work to get to this point. The establishment of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority will be a significant step in realising that ambition for your region, giving you as local leaders the power to make decisions that benefit your communities, boosting economic growth and driving reform, which is at the forefront of the government’s agenda.”

In his letter, the Minister recognises the work that is being done to grow relationships between Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Riding which has also had its devolution deal accepted.

“I know you will work to deepen and grow these arrangements,” he added.

The financial Deal remains the same as finalised between our three lead authorities and the previous Government with a total investment fund of three-quarters of a billion pounds over the next 30 years.

This includes an annual £24m Mayoral Investment Fund to invest in priority areas of jobs and skills; housing & highways, transport, the environment and nature, net zero, digital improvements, 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, along with the new housing scheme for the town’s Alexandra Dock.