Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland councils have formally signed off on plans to create a new partnership, the largest of its kind in the country.
After being approved in principle by the three authorities last month, each council had been considering the detailed business case for the formation of the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership over the last week.
Whilst each council will continue to be politically independent and be accountable to the communities they serve, the three councils will work collectively, supported by a shared management team and workforce.
This is in order to deliver on their aspirations for their communities and to tackle common challenges, the partners said.
The total population of the three council areas is 304,000, covering a geography of 1,112 square miles.
It will build on the foundations of the existing alliance between Boston and East Lindsey councils, as well as the experience of shared working arrangements that South Holland has gathered from its previous partnership with Breckland District Council.
The South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership will provide the authorities the opportunity to share a stronger voice at a local, regional and national level, as well as enabling savings of up to £42m to be achieved over the next ten years.
With a shared management team and workforce of almost 1,000 officers, the partnership will look at providing improved services to local communities with greater efficiency.
It will also work to identify and secure investment for growth and regeneration in strategic infrastructure across the partnership area.
The partnership will come into effect in September and in agreeing the proposals, the councils have also approved new appointments.
Current Chief Executive of Boston and East Lindsey councils, Rob Barlow, will become the Chief Executive/Head of Paid Service for the three councils.
Mark Stinson has also been appointed as Joint Monitoring Officer, with Christine Marshall to become the Joint Section 151 Officer, roles they had previously been working in for South Holland Council.
Commenting, Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Luke Hall said:
“Seeing Boston Borough, East Lindsey and South Holland district councils come together for the benefit of their communities and improve local services is a great example of how local government can be more efficient and deliver value for money for the taxpayer.”
Leader of Boston Borough Council, Councillor Paul Skinner added:
“I’m very pleased that our councils have now signed off on the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.
“This is a really exciting opportunity for our three areas and, through sharing our collective knowledge and collaborating closer than ever before, we’ll be able to deliver services for our residents and businesses with greater efficiency and innovation.”
