Government approves major shakeup for Greater Lincolnshire which will bring new mayor and extra powers

The Government has officially approved a devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire, paving the way for a major shake-up of the area's political scene.

Elections set for May 2025 will now see a regional mayor appointed for the area and a mayoral combined authority, consisting of representatives from various councils and other public bodies, will also be established to take on more powers from Westminster.

The deal, which promises to bring an additional £24 million per year investment fund and other cash to the area, received support from Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council, and North East Lincolnshire Council roughly six months ago, but was placed on hold due to the General Election in July.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced the deal will be getting to go ahead. She said: “From day one we have been focused on rebalancing the power between Westminster and our communities, and that’s why today we’re pushing ahead with an agreement to give greater power to everyone in Greater Lincolnshire."

She added: “This agreement will ensure local people will have a seat at the table as we drive forward our plans to deliver economic growth, and unleash the potential of towns and cities which have been neglected for far too long.

“Today marks the start of Greater Lincolnshire’s devolution journey, and we are committed to work hand-in-hand with local leaders to making a real difference to people’s lives.”

Critics have raised fears that areas such as Spalding, Stamford and Grantham in the south of the county will miss out, with a greater voice for places such as Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Grimsby.

Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill (Conservative) described it as "great news".

He stated: "I’m pleased we are able to move forward with devolution to deliver growth in Greater Lincolnshire. We have always been clear that strengthening local decision-making with the needs and wants of our communities in mind, will give the best results for residents and businesses.

“Having a combined authority will give us the ability to liaise directly with the government about what is best for our residents, and we’ll be able to achieve our ambitious plans more quickly. The decision reflects our strong partnership work with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire councils, and the hard work we have all put in to making sure it’s the right deal for our area.”

The leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Philip Jackson (Conservative), added: “I am sure I share the sentiments of my two colleagues, the leaders of Lincolnshire County Council and North Lincolnshire Council, when I say this is the best possible news we could have hoped for. Months and months of dedicated hard work and effort has been put into creating a vision for Greater Lincolnshire that will offer a cohesive approach - allowing this region to grow and prosper.

“Our deal was supported by the last government with millions of pounds of funding agreed to be devolved down to our new Mayoral Combined County Authority to ensure we would be able to truly invest in our key priority areas, which will underpin our positive way forward.”

North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham also commented: “Our £720m deal was supported by thousands of residents and has been on the table for years and negotiated earlier this year. At last, we can get to work on seizing this monumental opportunity – bringing better paid jobs to the area, boosting skills, expanding local infrastructure and enhancing our environment across Lincolnshire."

Although, there is no clear timeline yet for when nominees will be shortlisted, potential candidates are said to include Mayor of Stamford Kelham Cooke (Conservative), Coun Hill, Coun Waltham, former Lincoln MP Karen Lee (Labour), leader of the Lincolnshire Independents Marianne Overton and former Liberal Democrat MP candidate for Louth & Horncastle Ross Pepper.

In the same move, the government has also approved agreements for a regional mayor in Hull & East Yorkshire and for establishing combined county authorities in Devon & Torbay and Lancashire.

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