CABINET CALL: By South Holland District Council leader Coun Gary Porter
Progress on the Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal continues at pace and very soon you’ll be able to have your say on the proposals.
Last Thursday Boston Borough Council was the final authority to agree to the plans meaning that all 10 councils in the Greater Lincolnshire area are now on board with the scheme.
We’re now preparing for a public consultation due to take place between June 27 and August 8.
This will give you the opportunity to comment on the plans and very shortly we’ll announce how you can do this, so watch this space.
It will only be after the consultation period has been completed and we have analysed the results, that councils will take a formal decision – yes or no.
That will happen sometime in September, so when you consider that the proposals only got under way this year, you can see how quickly things have progressed.
As I have previously said, assuming that the deal goes ahead, then this is fantastic news for the people and businesses of South Holland.
That’s because we will be able to take decisions about how to spend government money for growth and prosperity - decisions that are presently made for us in London.
The new Combined Authority will have its own directly elected Mayor, who will lead a Cabinet made up of the Leaders of the ten Councils.
The deal could boost the area’s economy by £8bn, create 29,000 jobs and provide 100,000 new homes.
Greater Lincolnshire will additionally receive £15 million a year, for the next 30 years to support key infrastructure projects selected by the new Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority.
We will also take control of government money that pays for skills and further education, enabling us to better match training to the needs of employers.
We are committed to helping the South Holland economy to develop and thrive and that’s why I believe devolution will be a significant positive step.