More tax, more bureaucracy? Here’s the “Con” that Conservatives are pushing in Lincolnshire right now. It sells Lincolnshire short and we are not buying it. In a classic case of the Emperor’s new clothes, this so-called “devolution deal” for Lincolnshire takes power away from people and guarantees nothing. Our MP’s could stop it now. Please write to them, to the Minister and to the Prime Minister.
The Devo Deal with a tax-raising Mayor is bad for Lincolnshire. It adds another layer of bureaucracy and extra costs, more tax to pay on our bills. The money should go to our councils as they are. There is £262m promised from the cancelled HS2. The new authority will take on responsibility from the County Council, such as the transport Plan, and answers directly to Government, and it is they who pay the piper. This takes power further away from residents, the opposite of genuine devolution. The money is not guaranteed – the new authority would still have to submit a bid, a business plan for the £24m to show a return in increased tax that the Government would get for their investment. That’s why their objectives may not be the same as ours. Money that should have come to services in Lincolnshire could be drawn into the Free Port and failed industries on the North and North-East areas. The amount is much less than the £360m we are currently spending on new roads and transport, supported by Central Government, based on submitted business plans. The motherhood and apple pie objectives are already in our Council plans, and it takes the budgets of our ten Councils to do them. The County Council alone, needs to spend £1,540 million next year, just to run our services. The new area is larger still, with power and money in very few hands, making it harder still to get your voice heard.
In every District of Lincolnshire, people voted against this new combined authority with a Mayor. Of people who voted one way or the other in Lincolnshire, 62% were against the new combined authority, including 45% were strongly against the plans.
The three upper tier Council leaders have already agreed to set up a new combined authority with themselves as the key decision-makers. Only the MP’s can stop it now. Please write to your MP, using the links below. Please copy to me so I can support you better. marianne.overton@biosearch.org.uk
So did people in your area vote for or against the proposed new Mayor?
Total respondents 3,952, a turnout of less than 1%, showing how hard it is to engage over such a large area.
