UNITARY AUTHORITY: Lincolnshire Conservatives

'Here in Lincolnshire we currently have eight councils, one county council and seven district councils.
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Politics

“We are proposing to ask the public whether these should all be replaced by a unitary system, so that there will only be one such council in an area.

“The substantial savings from eliminating waste and duplication by running a simpler system could be used to improve local public services and protect them from future cuts.

“It would also enable Town and Parish councils and local communities to take up more powers and responsibilities so that more decisions could be taken at grass root level.

“This unitary system is now experienced by the majority of the country’s population and has been adopted by other county areas such as Wiltshire, Durham and Cornwall with great success.

“Having better co-ordination between services like Planning, Waste, Transport and Housing is the best way to improve services and unlock Lincolnshire’s potential for economic growth.

“The same applies in Health, Children’s and Adult services which are facing substantial challenges now and in the future.

“Changing the status quo is often challenging but the current system is one we can no longer afford and is complicated and wasteful.

“It is our view that we should take the opportunity to save over £30 million pounds a year (£8000 per day) and create a simpler and more effective system for delivering local services.

“The detailed proposals will need to be worked on by a broad range of partners and stakeholders including an independent advisory group from other public service and business organisations; central government; parishes and town councils, and – most importantly – the people who live here.

“However, at this stage, we need to gauge the public appetite for this type of transformation hence a referendum in May to ask the people of Lincolnshire what they think.”

• Click here to find out why plans for a Lincolnshire ‘Super Council’ are in chaos.