Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Authority is officially established - three months before mayoral elections

The Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority has now been officially formed - three months away from the election of the first county mayor.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon, has officially given the green light for this new layer of local government to be established after signing the relevant regulations.

This authority will meet for the first time in March - despite elections for its leader taking place in May 1 - and its formation is part of a devolution deal which promises an additional £24 million investment fund to the area each year. The agreement also includes the introduction of a mayor.

The official formation of this new authority has been welcomed by Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council along with his counterparts at the North and North East Lincolnshire unitary authorities, Coun Philip Jackson and Coun Rob Waltham. The latter is the Conservative mayoral candidate.

Other candidates which have announced their intention to stand in the mayoral election are: Andrea Jenkyns (Reform) and Jason Stockwood (Labour).

Coun Hill said: “There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point, and much more still to do. I firmly believe that decisions that affect local people should be taken locally, and the benefits of devolution mean that we will be in charge of our own future in Greater Lincolnshire.

“These issues are really important to residents’ everyday lives, when it comes to the housing available, how we all get about the county and the jobs and training that are available.

“We’ll also be able to deal more directly with government in representing the needs of our area, and have a clearer voice to attract more investment.”

Coun Jackson, who is the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, says this is the ‘highlight’ of his political career which has spanned three decades.

He went onto say: “We now move forward with a combined county authority that can work to effect real and positive change for all our residents. We expect to see this new authority make a significant difference in key areas, such as business growth, skills and improving our housing, our infrastructure and public transport – and this is just the start.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the creation of the GLCCA and bringing the very best deal here to benefit our communities.”.

Coun Waltham added: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take control of our own future - ensuring that investment is directed where it will have the greatest impact and that every penny is spent delivering tangible benefits for local people.”

The first meeting of the combined authority will take place at March 6 at the Chapter House in Lincoln Cathedral - which has hosted Parliament on three occasions in the past - and will be open to the public. It starts at 3.30pm.

The leaders of all three councils will be attending along with their deputies and the four non-constituent members.

Officials say that procedural issues such as treasury management and HR policies will be discussed during the first meeting.

A website for the mayoral authority will be launched in the coming days which will host papers for this meeting. They will also be found on the websites of the three councils.

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