First meeting held for new authority

The first meeting of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority has been held in what was described as a "historic moment" for the area.

The meeting was held on Thursday at Lincoln Cathedral's Chapter House, bringing together leaders from Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council, after nearly a decade of negotiations.

The new authority, which will be led by a mayor following the 1 May election, was created after the government formally approved the devolution deal in September.

The deal promises an additional £24m per year for the next 30 years and the transfer of more powers from Westminster, enabling greater local decision-making.

Leaders from East Lindsey District Council, City of Lincoln Council, North Kesteven District Council and South Holland District Council also attended the meeting along with Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner.

One of the combined authority's first decisions was to appoint Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, as chairman.

He described the day as a "historic moment" for Lincolnshire, particularly as the new authority will be one of the first rural county combined authorities in the country.

"It keeps Lincolnshire together," he said.

"There was always a risk that we could be carved off and become part of somewhere else. For example, North and North East Lincolnshire used to be part of the North East, and the rest of us used to be part of the East Midlands.

"Lincolnshire is big enough, strong enough and good enough to stand alone so, nationally, we will be recognised as one distinct entity of the United Kingdom."

Councillor Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said there would be connectivity benefits from having the new authority and that the area would start to see a "revolution" around skills funding.

"This is an opportunity to prove that we are going to make a difference with this money," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Most residents that I speak to understand that devolution has made a difference in other areas, they can see a marked difference."

Councillor Phillip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "We've got an additional £24m a year coming to the county over the next 30 years, which will enable us to develop various projects.

"We'll have much more strategic overview on things such as transport, and we'll be able to direct the developments in the area much more to what local people want rather than decisions being made in Westminster."

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