October 24, 2016 4.30 pm This story is over 89 months old

Devolution in tatters as South Kesteven District Council votes against deal

Prospects of a Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal appear to have been killed off as South Kesteven District Council has voted to reject the settlement. Councillors voted by 28 to 17 to reject the deal, with two abstentions at a meeting on Monday, October 24. As previously reported, the deal was originally plunged into doubt when Lincolnshire…
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Prospects of a Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal appear to have been killed off as South Kesteven District Council has voted to reject the settlement.

Councillors voted by 28 to 17 to reject the deal, with two abstentions at a meeting on Monday, October 24.

As previously reported, the deal was originally plunged into doubt when Lincolnshire county councillors decisively rejected the settlement, which would have seen the government hand over £15 million a year, for the next 30 years to a newly created combined authority.

Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill admitted last week that prospects of a deal were highly unlikely following the vote, with other council leaders describing the vote as “a major setback”.

The disappointment was not confined simply to council leaders, with MPs such as Karl McCartney and Matt Warman both urging Lincolnshire to not throw the deal away.

South Holland District Council will be the final authority to vote on the deal on October 26.

All 10 councils have to agree to the settlement.

Key points of the Lincolnshire devolution proposal include:

  • A new combined authority would receive £15 million a year, for the next 30 years, for infrastructure projects
  • Funding and responsibilities would include transport, housing, skills training and flood risk management
  • A directly elected mayor would lead the combined authority, with elections potentially taking place in 2017
  • All the councils would continue to exist in their current form

Check out our all-you-need-to-know guide on devolution here.