Purpose

To consider the proposed response on behalf of South Kesteven District Council to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) invitation for representations regarding the Structural Changes Order for Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1. 1.    Approve the proposed responses to the MHCLG invitation for representations on the contents of the Structural Changes Order, as set out at Appendix B of this report, and instruct the Chief Executive to submit the responses on behalf of the Council prior to the deadline of 16 June 2026.

1. Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make minor inconsequential amendments to the content of the response between now and 16 June 2026.

Reasons for the decision

The Government had invited the Council to make representations on the detailed contents of the Structural Change Order (SCO). These representations would inform the considerations of the Secretary of State and thus represented an opportunity for the Council to attempt to ensure that the SCO was properly tailored to the particular circumstances of Greater Lincolnshire.

Other options considered

The Council was under no explicit legal obligation to submit a response. However, the Council understood that representations would inform the Secretary of State’s considerations on the detailed contents of the Structural Change Order. Therefore, if the Council does not submit a response, it would lose an opportunity to potentially influence the government on key elements of the future transitional and electoral arrangements.