FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
1. What is being proposed?
A Greater Lincolnshire for All is proposing to replace the current system of ten local councils in Greater Lincolnshire with two new unitary councils – one for Northern Lincolnshire and one for Southern Lincolnshire. Each would be responsible for all local services in their area, including education, housing, social care, planning and waste.
2. Why is this change being considered now?
This change follows a Government invitation for so-called ‘two-tier areas’ that currently have district and county councils to put forward proposals for local government reform. Ministers have made clear they want to see simpler, more efficient and sustainable local government structures that are better able to support devolution, deliver value for money, and improve services for residents. Greater Lincolnshire’s current system is complex, with multiple overlapping councils – and now is the right time to create a clearer, more sustainable model.
3. What’s wrong with the current system?
At present, services are delivered by a mix of county, district, borough, city, and unitary councils, depending on where you live. This creates:
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Confusion for residents about which council is responsible for what
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Duplication of services and back-office functions
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Higher costs and inconsistent service delivery
4. What are the benefits of having two unitary councils?
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Clear accountability – one principle council, responsible for all the services it delivers
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Better services – aligned decision-making, local delivery, and smarter investment
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Stronger voice – equal representation in devolution arrangements
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Financial sustainability – reduced overheads and better value for money
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Local identity – new councils that reflect natural communities and real geographies
5. What would the two new councils look like?
Northern Lincolnshire Council:
Lincoln, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and West Lindsey.
Southern Lincolnshire Council:
Boston Borough, South Holland, South Kesteven, North Kesteven and East Lindsey.
Each would serve around 500,000–600,000 residents – a scale proven to work well in other parts of the country that have moved to ‘unitary’ local government.
6. Will local services change?
Yes – for the better. Services like social care and housing will be joined up, easier to access, and designed around local needs. The two new Councils will improve quality and consistency across Greater Lincolnshire, including on crucial services such as those to vulnerable adults and children.
7. Will this mean fewer councillors or less local democracy?
The proposal will create stronger governance and local democracy:
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Elected councillors representing manageable local areas
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Streamlining the number of Councillors but strengthening their roles meaning they can represent your needs across every Council service
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Local area committees and stronger town and parish engagement
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Greater visibility, accountability and responsiveness
8. How will you protect local identity and community voice?
This proposal is rooted in Greater Lincolnshire’s identity as a “place of places.” The new councils are designed to reflect natural geographies and economic relationships. Community voice will be strengthened through:
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Local delivery hubs
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Close working with parish councils
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Dedicated engagement structures
9. What will this mean for town and parish councils?
We are fortunate to have over 600 town and parish councils across Greater Lincolnshire that are at the heart of our communities. There is an opportunity to strengthen and enhance their role, and over the coming months we will be engaging the Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils and individual parish and town councils to explore what this could look like. Strong local governance is crucial to ensure that any new local government structure remains close to the people it serves.
10. Is this just about saving money?
No – this is about doing things better. While savings from removing duplication and overheads are expected, the main aim is to:
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Improve services
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Simplify governance
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Strengthen representation
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Unlock investment and growth
11. What will happen to council workforces?
Our workforce are vital to delivering excellent local services. There will be a period of transition, and staff will transfer to the new councils under TUPE arrangements. The aim is to retain talent, reduce duplication, and invest in a strong, future-ready workforce.
12. What is the timeframe for these changes?
A Greater Lincolnshire for All was submitted by the Government’s deadline of November 28, 2025. Government will then make a decision during 2026 on the best model and approach for Greater Lincolnshire, which will include a statutory consultation. It will then take some time for the changes to take place, but we expect the new councils to start operating from 2028.
13. How can I have my say?
Getting the views and opinions of residents, communities and business is crucial. Visit the dedicated page on How to Get Involved.
14. Are there alternative proposals to A Greater Lincolnshire for All?
There are alternative proposals that other councils in the county put forward. But all councils in Greater Lincolnshire are working together to ensure local services remain strong during change.
15. Will I pay more Council Tax?
There may well be alternative proposals that other councils in the county put forward. But all councils in Greater Lincolnshire are working together to ensure local services remain strong during change. In both the new proposed northern and southern council areas, we would be bringing together a number of existing local authorities - this means that we would need to equalise the amount of Council Tax paid in each area. We are currently looking at what this would mean in each area but this would be managed in an incremental way over 7 years.
16. How will this change the council services I use?
We are continuing to deliver services as usual. Until any new councils are established the services that you use will not change. Any changes will not happen before 2028.
Part of what we want to do is to look at how we can improve local services such as joining up services that are currently being delivered by county and district councils whilst making it easier and simpler to access them such as having one point of contact and one telephone number for all council services within a local areas.
17. What will it mean for the other public services I use - NHS, schools, and police?
Reorganisation gives us the opportunity to think about how we can best work with other public sector partners such as the police and NHS.
There is an opportunity to have a much closer relationship and to join up services such as health and adult social care. We have engaged with all public services across Greater Lincolnshire to seek their views and thoughts on how this could work.
18. How will my area benefit from becoming part of a
bigger area?
Joining up services in a unitary council will lead to less duplication, integrated services and better value for money.
19. What will this mean for local businesses and jobs?
It will streamline and simplify those services that businesses use. Having two councils across Greater Lincolnshire will mean that we will have far greater ability to attract new jobs, investment and compete both nationally and internationally.
20. Will I still have access to council offices?
“Yes. We would/will review the best location for a council presence in your local area as part of looking at maximising savings. At present there is duplication where the district and county have presence in the same area, and this does not make sense.
Other facilities such as libraries and leisure facilities will also provide physical contact points for accessing local services.
21. What will happen to my local councillor?
There are currently over 400 councillors across the existing ten local authorities in Greater Lincolnshire.
The expected numbers of councillors in any new council will need to be considered in the final proposal. From other places that have been through reorganisation, the number of councillors will be reduced.
However, we want to ensure that we achieve numbers that are best suited to the needs of our communities and reflect the particular circumstances that they face.
22. What will happen to my local town/parish council?
Town and parish councils are not directly affected by the Government’s proposed reorganisation of local government.
However, there is an opportunity to enhance and strengthen their role in what’s called area governance that will sit under the new unitary councils. Town and parish councils, if they wanted to, could take on new responsibilities and powers.
We are actively engaging town and parishes now to discuss their role moving forward.
23. How will decisions be made about local government
reorganisation?
It will be for the government to decide on what the new structure for local government across Greater Lincolnshire looks like. This will be based on the criteria that the government published earlier this year that set out a number of areas and factors that it believes should be used.
Before it makes any decision, the government will hold a formal consultation on options received. This is likely to happen in early 2026.
24. What will happen to council assets and liabilities
across Greater Lincolnshire?
All assets and liabilities would be pooled across the two new authorities.
25. How much money will be saved?
In developing our proposal for Government, we have been asked to identify how much could be saved. Our proposal delivers the greatest financial benefits, with payback in year 4 and a 10 year saving of £220m, which is £68m to £178m more than alternative options. Across the board our new model will deliver the greatest level of savings and the fastest period of pay back.
26. Will there be reductions in council staffing across
Greater Lincolnshire?
At present, there are ten councils operating across Greater Lincolnshire. By moving to 2 future councils this would clearly mean that we would need less staff particularly in management and back-office roles.
One of our pledges is to ensure that staff delivering frontline services continue in their roles. We will be discussing this further with our staff, and also with the unions over the coming months.
If you have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.