Lincolnshire council leaders take fight for a fair funding deal to House of Commons

County council leader Coun Martin Hill will today (Wednesday) be joining Lincolnshire MPs in a meeting with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss getting a better funding deal for the area.
Coun Martin Hill - Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. EMN-171018-094637001Coun Martin Hill - Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. EMN-171018-094637001
Coun Martin Hill - Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. EMN-171018-094637001

Coun Hill and some Lincolnshire MPs - Sleaford’s Dr Caroline Johnson, as well as Matt Warman, John Hayes, Nick Boles and Victoria Atkins – will also be joined by Marcus Jones (Minister for Local Government) and other Lincolnshire council leaders.

The meeting will be an opportunity to discuss the difficulties councils are having in funding services because of increasing costs and demand, combined with declining government funding.

Coun Hill, said: “If councils here received the average funding for council areas in England, the region would benefit from £116million of extra funding for services, every year. This is a huge amount and would make an enormous difference to Lincolnshire residents and the services they value.

Dr Caroline Johnson. EMN-171101-174446001Dr Caroline Johnson. EMN-171101-174446001
Dr Caroline Johnson. EMN-171101-174446001

“I’m pleased that the Government has recognised this as a real issue that needs to be addressed, but time is running out with our budget shortfalls increasing every year. I’m looking forward to putting the case forward on behalf of Lincolnshire and other rural areas where the cost of providing services is significantly more expensive than for urban councils.”

The meeting has been arranged by Sleaford’s MP, Dr Johnson who added: “I am glad to have been able to secure this meeting with the responsible ministers to put forward the case for Lincolnshire. We live in a large rural county, and appropriate funding is necessary to ensure that our council can provide services like adult social care and road maintenance over a wide area. This is a matter of fairness, and I will continue doing whatever I can as a Lincolnshire MP to push for us to get the funding we deserve.”