Minutes

4        TO CONSIDER AND APPROVE A DEVOLUTION PROPOSAL FOR GREATER LINCOLNSHIRE AND COMMENCE CONSULTATION ACTIVITIES – The Head of Paid Service/Director: Outcomes submitted a report seeking approval of a proposed devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire, a draft proposal for the creation of a new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority to give effect to the devolution deal, and the carrying out of a public consultation on the Proposal in accordance with the arrangements proposed in paragraphs 2.26 to 2.30 of the report and in the Appendix C, and to inform a later decision whether Council should submit a formal proposal to the Secretary of State under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 for the creation of a Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County.

The report explained that Devolution provided an opportunity to seek the transfer of a range of powers and budgets from Government that could be targeted to local need, used to boost growth in the local economy and level up communities. It also provided the opportunity for some current local authority powers to be exercised on a wider footprint.

Across the country, devolution was moving important choices about local investment, infrastructure and training from Government to local decision makers.  Significant devolution arrangements already existed in core cities like Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham and more recently new devolution deals had been developed with neighbouring areas including Nottinghamshire, Norfolk, East Riding and Kingston upon Hull.

In December 2022 the three upper tier councils of Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council, agreed to engage with government officials to secure a level 3 devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire on the basis of the devolution prospectus Devolution Greater Lincolnshire: Growth | Energy | Food. The prospectus set out the Councils’ aspirations to achieve the greatest benefits of devolution for Greater Lincolnshire and options to enhance governance arrangements through the creation of a new organisation – a Combined County Authority, chaired by a directly elected Mayor.

Through extensive negotiations with government departments, the upper tier councils of Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council secured an ambitious £750 million devolution deal with government on 22 November 2023.

The Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal was attached as Appendix A to the report and the Leader of the Council was asked to approve the Deal by way of ratification to meet the government’s expectations. The draft of a proposal for proposed consultation was attached at Appendix B to the report.

The report set out details on a Proposal for a Combined County Authority and Devolution to Greater Lincolnshire, formalising how we work together – a combined county authority, and the process for devolution to Greater Lincolnshire.

As part of the statutory process, a formal consultation must have been undertaken on the devolution proposal. Subject to the necessary decisions being in place, it was intended that the activity would formally commence on 4 December 2023 for Lincolnshire County Council and North East Lincolnshire Council and for North Lincolnshire Council at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.