Executive councillors confirmed for 2022

Councillors sat outside a building

Councillor Martin Hill’s speech on the achievements to date and significant challenges to come.

Speaking at the May 2022 Full Council, Councillor Martin Hill, Leader of the council, said: “Every year since 2005, I have been proud to review the council’s achievements over the previous 12 months at the AGM.

“And despite the battles of the last year, and significant challenges still to come, this review gives me no less pride. Why? Because we have been steadfastly delivering on our manifesto pledges despite the difficult circumstances that are affecting all of us.

“And not only that, but we have adapted and improved services and facilities too. The updates in the executive statement are from across the council and feature just some of the highlights of the last year.

“But we could have easily included double the number of projects and examples of our success in there, and that’s a testament to this council and its elected members.

“We have achieved so much, and our ambition remains high to do so much more.

“As a conservative-led administration, we are showing the value of good local services- supporting Lincolnshire residents and businesses post-Covid, as well as planning ahead. Along with our communities, we are seeing increasing costs for both our day-to-day spending and larger projects. With increasing demand for services and restricted government funding, we are very aware of the balance we must strike between helping those who need it most and staying afloat ourselves.

“When we set our budget in February, I gave more detail about the council’s plans for spending and raising income over the next year and beyond.

“I re-iterate today that we will continue our record of providing good services in a cost-effective way and investing ambitiously for the future. This is as important now as it ever has been, despite the challenges of the war in Ukraine, cost of living crisis and the long-term effects of the Covid pandemic.

“Launched at the beginning of 2020, the council’s Corporate Plan outlined what we want to achieve for our residents during this decade. And we are already making significant in-roads.

“Over the last year we have helped businesses to grow and diversify through our own grant schemes, as well as supporting them to access other available funding. We are making sure there is a wide range of learning, training and career options available to both school-leavers and adults.

“We’ve been leading the way on environmental issues. We held the county’s first climate summit, have significantly reduced our carbon emissions as a council and are now looking at how we can support the wider county to do the same.

“We’re helping children have the best start in life and go on to be well-adjusted adults. We have a great track record of providing outstanding children’s services in Lincolnshire, and our continued hard work has really positive impacts on the lives of Lincolnshire children and their families.

“A visit by Ofsted inspectors praised the council for ensuring families receive the right help at the right time, with a clear focus on the needs of the children. This has led to a strong focus on reducing risk faced by children and improving their chances in life.

“Ofsted also spoke positively about the tailored support provided to those children on the edge of entering care. This multidisciplinary team, including mental health services, education mentors and youth offending officers, focuses on restoring family relationships and working towards a positive future. This is a ringing endorsement for the hard-working staff who ensure children, young people and their families receive the services they need.

“Our continued investment in schools for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities has delivered a new school, alongside improvements at existing sites, creating additional places and better facilities.

“We have also earmarked £1.5m for the creation of two new children’s homes in the county, providing residential care for 12–18-year-olds with an emphasis on creating a domestic and homely environment for them.

“And our recent primary schools admissions process saw 99% of children offered a place at one of their preferred schools this year.

“The council will allocate more than £200m for the day-to-day care of adults in Lincolnshire, but, on top of this, we are also ready to invest a further £12m over the next few years on the development of extra care housing for older people and community support for adults with a disability.

“We know how important it is for residents of our county to be confident in our roads for connectivity and transport, so we are investing heavily in our highways network.

“Before next year’s budget, we will again be talking to government ministers about the importance of re-instating our road maintenance funding and ideally increasing it to improve the quality of our roads in the face of increasing costs.

“We firmly believe that having more local decision making and accountability is critical to help Lincolnshire thrive. In short, local knowledge and understanding helps us make sure public money is allocated and spent in the best way for our residents. That is why we are pursuing a devolution deal for the Greater Lincolnshire area. Following the Levelling Up white paper earlier in the year, and a visit from the Prime Minister encouraging us to go for devolution, our priority is to secure a deal as soon as we can.

“We already have a ten-point plan that we are talking to partners and businesses about through the Greater Lincolnshire LEP. The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership is currently engaging with businesses across the area about devolution with a series of events and an online survey. This will be used to refine our plans so we can submit a proposal to government later in the year.

“As the last year clearly shows, we have a strong track record of delivering well for our residents. Further money and powers from national government would truly be in trusted hands locally.

“It is a testament to this council that we have achieved so much, and our ambition remains high to do so much more.”

The council's Executive and the areas they are responsible for is as follows:

  • Councillor M J Hill OBE - Leader of Council, Resources, Communications and Commissioning
  • Councillor Mrs P A Bradwell OBE - Deputy Leader of Council, Children's Services, Community Safety and Procurement
  • Councillor Mrs W Bowkett - Adult Care and Public Health
  • Councillor R D Butroid - People Management, Legal and Corporate Property
  • Councillor L A Cawrey - Fire & Rescue and Cultural Services
  • Councillor C J Davie - Economic Development, Environment and Planning
  • Councillor R G Davies - Highways, Transport and IT
  • Councillor D McNally - Waste and Trading Standards
  • Councillor Mrs S Woolley - NHS Liaison, Community Engagement, Registration and Coroners

Read the AGM speech

Published: 20th May 2022