Greater Lincolnshire Mayor under fire for £74k plans for new offices
Greater Lincolnshire’s new mayoral authority has come under fire over plans to spend £74,000 on new offices.
Crowland councillor, Coun Bryan Alcock, has questioned why it is necessary at this early stage to spend a ‘substantial amount of money’ on premises for the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA).
He also asked when the public would start to see ‘something more tangible’ from the £24million annual investment fund which was promised as part of the original devolution deal.
Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns (Reform) swept to power earlier this year with promises to cut wasteful spending during her election campaign along with bringing an Elon Musk style DOGE (Department Of Government Efficiency taskforce) to the area.
Last month the mayor defended the proposed £147,000 increase to her office budget, which includes a £17,212 allowance for deputy mayor, Spalding councillor Ingrid Sheard.
The authority says it cannot remain in its temporary offices at County Hall in Lincoln as there is not enough room for growth and that much of the costs are a ‘one off’. A location for an alternative home has not been revealed.
Speaking at Thursday’s South Holland District Council meeting, Coun Alcock said: “I notice that the authority is undertaking some work and I was interested to know that we have got a substantial amount of money for rental of new premises which is hard to understand why at this stage we need new premises.
“The thing I would like to know is, I notice there are some feasibility studies going on but we are four months down the track. I wondered when the public would be aware of something more tangible that is a particular project being undertaken by the mayoral authority as it is a lot of money to spend each year.
“We are four months in and we only have eight months to go to get something underway and moving.”
The question was posed to council leader, Coun Nick Worth, who pointed out that the deputy mayor, Coun Sheard, was at the meeting who would know more with regards to the premises.
But Coun Worth, who holds a non-voting position at the GLCCA, said that the authority is at an early stage with sorting out constitutions and policies.
We approached the GLCCA for comment.
A spokesperson for the authority said: “The GLCCA would refer you to paragraph 4.8 of the budget report that went to the CCA meeting in September, which is available to view on the GLCCA website.
“This states: ‘The revised budget also allows for relocation of the GLCCA from its temporary accommodation in county offices and into accommodation that can house the authority staff and meet its wider operational requirements. The cost is based on market rate and may alter slightly depending on the final location chosen; however, ensuring value for money will be a key consideration, and in accordance with the constitution, the authority will be presented with options and consulted prior to taking on any lease. It is not possible to remain within the existing accommodation at county offices as there is insufficient room to support the planned growth of the organisation.’
“Further to this the authority is currently exploring options for its permanent base with no decision taken on location. It can however confirm that it will be a rented premises with some of the costs being ‘one-off’ for set up of the building.”