To consider approval of a proposal to establish a District Joint Committee for the purposes of devolution and participation of non-constituent local authorities at the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority.

The Leader of the Council presented a report that considered a proposal to establish a District Joint Committee for the purpose of devolution and participation on non-constituent local authorities at the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority (GLMCCA).  Participation in the District Joint Committee would ensure that the identities and interests of local communities in the East Lindsey District were fully represented.

During his introduction, the Leader of the Council advised Members that the purpose of the ‘Joint Committee’ was to establish a collaborative platform for coordination among the non-constituent authorities and be a mechanism through which their interests were represented on the GLMCCA.  The District Joint Committee would seek to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in the delivery of services and policies within the GLMCCA and promote the shared interests of the district authorities for the benefit of Greater Lincolnshire.  It was proposed that the District Joint Committee should nominate four non-constituent members to participate in the GLMCCA and its committees.

The full background to the report was set out at Paragraph 1, page 72 of the Agenda refers.

Following which the recommendations were duly Proposed and Seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

·       A Member supported district councils having a seat around the table however did not consider that 4 places would be sufficient and was concerned that money would not be distributed equitably.

·       A Member added that his full support went to the Leader of the Council to get a fair share of the money made available to support coastal communities.

·       A Member agreed with the way forward and highlighted the need for district councils to have a voice.

·       A Member queried the value of the new working group and whether this would safeguard the Council and all the other constituent organisations against the threat that the new mayoral combined authority presented to residents.  He hoped it would succeed in preventing local councils becoming anything more than cash strapped agencies of central government.  He was further concerned that the Council’s local knowledge and expertise in balancing demands of food, nature, homes and infrastructure would be swept aside and that local planning officers and committees would be disempowered.

In response, the Leader of the Council thanked Members for the overall support and highlighted that this was new territory for the Council to approach with caution.  He added that the Council had always made the argument about its place and would continue to do so.  He considered that the willingness of other councils to be part of the District Joint Network and how the Council worked with four places on the mayoral combined authority would be important.

The Leader of the Council added that the Council had been engaged in this process since 2016 in terms of devolution discussions.  With regards to centralisation, the government White Paper had not yet been published and there were rumours of a potential local government reorganisation.  Whatever happened, it was crucial to get the scale right.  The ability to deliver locally at a district council level and talking about the experiences of a partnership at the scale the Council operated at enabled good granular detail and understanding of all the issues faced and the Council had proven that it delivered well at that scale.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the establishment of a District Joint Committee of the Lincolnshire District/Borough Authorities for the purposes of devolution and participation at the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority be approved.

2.     That approval be granted for the Leader of the Council to represent East Lindsey District Council at the District Joint Committee;

3.     That the attached proposed Terms of Reference (Appendix A) and Standing Orders (Appendix 1) for the District Joint Committee be approved.

4.     That delegated authority be given to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Monitoring Officer to approve amendments to the Terms of Reference, noting that such amendments shall require the approval of all members of the District Joint Committee.