South Kesteven, West Lindsey and Boston leaders accuse Labour and Conservatives of striking a deal to exclude them from mayoral authority

Three Lincolnshire council leaders claim a ‘Faustian’ deal was struck between the Labour and Conservative parties to exclude others from the mayoral authority.

Independents and Liberal Democrats say the arrangement will empower Conservatives, despite their losses in recent elections.

The Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority will have a board of political leaders, with four seats to be shared amongst leaders.

At a meeting in December, these were given to Lincoln’s Labour leader and the three Conservative leaders of East Lindsey, North Kesteven and South Holland.

The leaders who missed out were Councillor Anne Dorian (Boston Independents), Ashley Baxter (Independent – South Kesteven) and Trevor Young (Liberal Democrat – West Lindsey).

All three had successfully overthrown Conservative administrations in the most recent 2023 elections.

They have now sent a letter to Lincoln’s Labour leader Councillor Naomi Tweddle, saying they were “sincerely disappointed” in her actions.

She has denied there was a political deal, saying the board will represent the full geography of Lincolnshire.

The letter says: “As leaders, we met with you on more than one occasion to discuss the composition of the new committee, and we took great care to express the importance of having fair representation on this new board.

“We were dismayed then, to discover that you had secretly agreed a ‘deal’ with three Conservative Leaders to ensure that the four non-constituent seats were given to the same three and yourself.

“Quite frankly, we believe that they took advantage of your inexperience and naivety, and having struck this Faustian bargain, you are responsible for propelling and prolonging Tory governance in this county, in spite of the clear wishes of Lincolnshire residents.”

The remaining seats on the board will be given to the Conservative-controlled upper-tier authorities – Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council.

The new combined county authority will come into effect after the first mayor is elected on May 1, and promises to devolve significant powers from Westminster, with a budget of £24m per year.

Coun Tweddle said: “Lincolnshire’s district councils are in an imperfect situation regarding membership of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority.

“There are not enough seats at the table to guarantee one to each district council. However, those at the table will be representing all of the county’s seven districts, not just themselves. This is why collaboration between members is key to ensuring we secure the best possible results for the residents of the whole county.

“Representatives of all the county’s district councils worked tirelessly to gain four non-constituent seats on the combined authority and my vote was a strategic vote, not a political one. It was done to ensure the county’s key economic areas of city, coast, countryside and market towns were all fairly represented, and I am pleased that this will be the case at the creation of the authority later this year.

“It is important the non-constituent members cover these key economic areas to provide identity and reflect the needs of the people living and working there. It is essential the interests of these locations are represented, and the current make-up of the authority will ensure this.”