Jeff Summers

Why have the 12 months flown by so quickly? That’s easy, because we have been so busy. Added to the task of delivering excellent services (assessed by national data number crunchers) we have been busy addressing how we will save/generate a further £2.5 million by 2020-21 due to the reduction in government funding.

Please don’t let this spoil your festive cheer. It’s all in hand. We have a plan!

We’re building a crematorium in a beautiful rural location. Somewhere to bury my bones when the Gainsborough regeneration programme is completed. It’s a great design with a dedication area and water feature.

The planning application is now being considered which should give us the go ahead in the new year.

Since 2014, we’ve taken a commercial approach to the way we operate.

Within the 105 service strands in West Lindsey we have identified 19 which we can offer as a chargeable service to the private sector or other local authorities.

By investing in property both in and outside the district, whilst continuing to find efficiencies, we will continue to strengthen our financial position.

Gainsborough and the district is a beautiful place to live. Our regeneration proposals for Gainsborough are a real challenge.

There are more obstacles than free rides, many of the obstacles you cannot see but they are real. Thankfully our regeneration team are tenacious and have agreed to continue working through Christmas. (I’m sending them a picture of our roast turkey on Christmas day. Just to keep their spirits up.)

Our leisure offer is presently out to tender which hopefully will see the establishment of a new dry leisure facility for Market Rasen.

As we all know, this is a rapidly changing world, you must not let the moss grow. (First it blocks the drains, second you have to recognise and understand your environment.)

That is why we are presently operating without a CEO. Our last CEO has moved to pastures new and I can only thank her for everything she brought and delivered for West Lindsey. My sincere thanks Manjeet.

We will decide early in the new year whether to reappoint or continue with a three director management team.

The lack of government funding has now forced us to charge for green waste collections. We have resisted this over the last four years, affirming, we only charge when we have to.

In the last Autumn Statement it was so obvious that the government is pumping money into devolved authorities.

A stark reminder, government has the whip hand. If you don’t dance to their tune, you don’t get an invite to the ball!

Devolution for Lincolnshire would have been very positive.

Leading up to Christmas has been great. First a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 56 bed Travelodge hotel along with a joint venture with Dransfield Properties Ltd to regenerate shops along Market Street and North Street.

The following week a new Lidl store opened providing one hundred more car parking spaces.

Finally, I’d like to wish every one a very happy and prosperous new year from West Lindsey.

New Year’s resolutions

Personal: I will eat less, exercise more, become fitter and leaner in an attempt to keep up with my wife! Spend more time revelling in our beautiful countryside bird watching, walking, cycling and visiting new places. Whilst enjoying all above I will pursue a dynamic agenda of business for the council.

Professional: We will continue to provide the best services across the council that our budgeted resources are capable of delivering while ensuring we fully address the physical and social needs of all residents. We will continue to enhance the physical, financial and social benefits for all constantly pushing for improvements in health, education and work opportunities.

Last year the 10 councils of Lincolnshire attempted to get a devolution deal for the county. This was an offer from government to devolve powers from centre, to local areas with funding to allow local people to have a greater say in their future.

The main aspects of our bid were economic development, housing, health and social care, infrastructure, skills and further education. All critical components for a growing economy.

The deal consisted of £15 million per year for the next 30 years. All we had to do was employ a mayor!

Sadly, two of the 10 councils voted against the proposal, therefore the bid failed, leaving eight very annoyed and frustrated councils asking what two years’ work had been for.

The government are not considering any further bids until they have fully established the agreements already made. If any further devolvement of governance occurs in the future it may be very different to this time around.

Approximately six weeks after the failed bid we began to see on Twitter by two senior cabinet county councillors suggesting we should have one single unitary authority for Lincolnshire. Next to appear on all forms of media was the leader of Lincolnshire County Council advocating the same.

A few days later they realised one unitary was not possible so they opted for two, now it’s two or three.

The justification for the proposal of a single unitary authority was the saving of £130 million over five years.

Why would you propose such a scheme which would cost millions of pounds to establish, freeze all regenerative activity for two years, create mass redundancies across the county whilst cutting services to communities?

How could this make sense after refusing £450 million in the devo deal two months ago, which was new money to the county?

A referendum to be held at the same time as county council elections was the next proposal.

District councils run elections in the county and immediately asked the question is it legal. Districts took legal advice from a QC who pointed out 12 reasons why we should not do it.

Apart from the legalities, a county council election has to be conducted in a separate room with different staff. Therefore, there was the small item of £500,000 extra cost.

The last proposal is to hold a poll in the Autumn.

If such a poll takes place, then a coherent transfer of information to the electorate must take place. Not a sham as was the case with devolution.

I also feel it would be nice to have meaningful constructive dialogue with Lincolnshire County Council, rather than learning about their thoughts through social media which was the case with the referendum.

For the time being my council (West Lindsey) will be pursuing further opportunities of sharing systems, services and costs with our neighbouring partners.

Strengthening our relationships and continuing to develop structures which we feel will deliver the inward investment the county so urgently needs.