A special full council meeting will be live-streamed, after the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) supported the idea of reducing the number of local authorities in Lincolnshire from ten to two.
In January, Conservative Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of NELC, signed a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner ‘expressing interest’ in reducing the number of councils in the county from ten to two without consulting other political groups on the council.
The proposal has faced widespread criticism from other parties in the borough.
The North East Lincolnshire Labour Party described the move as ‘undemocratic’, while the local Liberal Democrats launched a petition opposing the creation of a ‘mega-council.’ Councillors from the local Reform and Independent groups called for a special full council meeting which has now been granted to address the proposal and contents of the letter, which can be read in full here:


If the reorganisation goes ahead, it could result in the dissolution of Lincolnshire’s district councils, a merger of North East Lincolnshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council, and the potential postponement or cancellation of the 2026 local election. The local elections scheduled for May 2025 will proceed as planned.
North East Lincolnshire Council have now confirmed that the special full council meeting will be held at 7PM on Wednesday 19 February, and that it will be live-streamed.
Part of the Gi Grimsby News team since 2020.