The Government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Greater Lincolnshire.
The Government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Greater Lincolnshire which would see the creation of two new unitary authorities – a Lincoln City unitary and a Lincolnshire unitary.
A unitary council is a single local authority that is responsible for all local government services in an area. Subject to legislation being passed, these two new councils would eventually replace the current county and district councils.
The new unitary authorities would comprise:
- a Lincoln City unitary council (covering an extended area from the current city boundary incorporating some wards in the West Lindsey and North Kesteven districts)
- a Lincolnshire unitary council (covering the rest of the West Lindsey and North Kesteven districts as well as the remaining four district council areas)
- North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council (already unitaries) to remain as they are.
The exact names of the new councils are still to be decided.
There will be no imminent changes to council services, or day‑to‑day operations, as councils prepare for elections to shadow authorities in 2027, with new authorities expected to go live in April 2028.
Cllr Sean Matthews, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“The government has made a decision on what they think the best model is for Greater Lincolnshire. This will be a significant change and a long-term piece of work to implement, working with all councils to get the best outcomes for residents.
“However, I’d like to reassure our communities that in the meantime, whether it’s road repairs, caring for vulnerable children and adults, protecting communities in emergencies – maintaining the important services residents rely on will continue to be our priority.”
The Government intends to change all remaining two-tier local authority areas in England and replace county and district councils with new unitary authorities.
All councils in two-tier areas were invited to develop unitary proposals. Four proposals for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) for Greater Lincolnshire were submitted in November 2025, and the Government consulted on these in February 2026.
You can find out more about Local Government Reorganisation in Lincolnshire on the Greater Lincolnshire LGR hub website.
