The county council’s proposal for the reorganisation of eight Lincolnshire councils, recommends one unitary authority for the county area to make things simpler, smarter, and more joined-up.
The ‘Your Lincolnshire’ proposal will go through the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Board on Thursday 20 November before being taken to Full Council on Friday 21 November.
The final proposal will be submitted to government before the deadline of 28 November.
Cllr Rob Gibson, Deputy Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“We believe this plan makes the most sense for Lincolnshire because many services, like children’s services, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, and highways, already work well across the whole county. Splitting them up would obviously have a detrimental impact on these services.
“Compared to the other proposals (like having two or more Unitary councils), the ‘Your Lincolnshire’ proposal is expected to be less disruptive and more cost-effective. Costs to reorganise councils could be offset in just a year.”
Annual efficiencies included in the proposal are £3.78million from senior leadership savings and £1.8million from councillor allowances.
What you told us
Over the past few months, the council has been talking to residents, staff, businesses, and community groups.
Here’s what people liked most:
- Better value for money
- More joined-up services
- Easier to understand who’s responsible
And here’s what people were worried about:
- A bigger council might feel too remote
- Will the savings really happen?
- Could services be disrupted?
Cllr Gibson continued:
“We held events, ran an online survey, gathered feedback and 59% of you thought Lincolnshire has too many councillors so we’re addressing that in the proposal.
“We’ve also listened to concerns about one council feeling remote, we are proposing Neighbourhood Area Committees across the county that have proved successful in other areas of the country. These committees help preserve local identity, give residents a way to raise concerns more directly and make sure local decisions are informed by local knowledge.
“It’s really important to us that residents don’t see a loss in service, short-term or long-term, either through disruption to services, or through dividing up services that work well already. Our ‘Your Lincolnshire’ proposal is very clear on this and it’s why we believe it makes the most sense for out residents, businesses and communities.”
Background information
Earlier this year, the government asked areas like Lincolnshire, which currently has both county and district councils, to rethink how local services are delivered and create ‘unitary’ councils that do it all.
Lincolnshire County Council came up with the ‘Your Lincolnshire’ plan. It’s a vision for a single council that would replace the seven district councils and the county council. One organisation delivering everything from pothole repairs to planning applications.
Bringing everything under one council could mean:
- Less confusion about who does what
- Quicker decisions
- Better value for money
- Fewer layers of bureaucracy
Next steps
The deadline to submit proposals is 28 November. After that, the government will take a closer look and launch a formal public consultation. A final decision is expected by summer 2026, and if all goes ahead, elections in 2027 could kick-start the new council structure.