SKyline - Summer 2016

SUMMER 2016

THE MAGAZINE FOR

SOUTH KESTEVEN COUNCIL TENANTS

your council working for you

GARDEN HELP AT HAND Full story page 5

Page 3

More new homes on the way

Pages 14-15

Gravity Fields goes live!

Have your say on the allocations policy

by Housing Business Manager Lisa Barker

W

elcome to the summer issue of Skyline.

Over the coming months we will be making some very important changes to how we manage our Housing Register and allocate our homes. We have been busy reviewing and updating our Housing Allocations Policy to make sure that, for example, we give priority to households which are under occupying their home.

We are currently consulting on the proposed changes to the allocations policy and your views are welcomed. Please see our website for more details and to provide us with any feedback. You can go to it directly at www.southkesteven. gov.uk/allocationspolicy

Over the last few months, government has been debating the Housing and Planning Bill 2016 which became the Housing and Planning Act in May this year. It introduces a range of measures that will have a significant impact on housing law and will impact on some of our tenants as well as the way we manage and deliver our services. A couple of examples of some major changes introduced include: • Tenants who earn more than £60,000 will have to pay more rent • If a tenant leaves one of our expensive properties we will have to sell that property and pay a levy to Government • The introduction of fixed term tenancies for new

Grantham: Council Offices, St Peter’s Hill, Grantham NG31 6PZ Stamford: 1 Maiden Lane, Stamford, PE9 2AZ Bourne: South Kesteven Community Point, Abbey Road, Bourne PE10 9EF

Skyline is produced by tenants and SKDC working in partnership. It is delivered to all council tenants in the district.

This magazine is printed on paper produced from well-managed forests.

To get in touch with us use one of the methods below or contact one of our offices:

Housing Business Manager Lisa Barker

Please contact us if you or someone you know would like to receive this magazine in a different format including audio tape, cd, large print or Braille.

@ skylinesubmissions@southkesteven.gov.uk www.southkesteven.gov.uk/getsocial

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council tenancies We will be looking at how the Act is likely to affect existing and new tenants and will provide more information in future editions. For more details see page 6

Market Deeping: Deepings Community Centre, Douglas Road, Market Deeping PE6 8PA

How to contact us 01476 40 60 80

Cover shot: The council operates a grass and hedge cutting service for tenants who are unable to maintain their gardens Full story page 5.

Groundbreaking – new homes for Earlesfield Lane

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he next phase of our ambitious council housing programme is underway with work starting on Earlesfield Lane in Grantham.

Soon the site will be home to four one bedroom flats with associated parking and access.

Work is being carried out by Mansfield based building firm Robert Woodhead.

Kyle Howard, Trainee Project Coordinator for Robert Woodhead, said: “This development is going to dramatically improve this area, not only for the residents here but also for the wildlife around the beck that runs parallel with the site.

“We have been looking at this project for around nine months and there has been a lot to consider, but we are pleased to be on site and getting on with the job.”

Our Executive Member for Housing, Cllr Linda Wootten, said: “This is a great site and will be ideal for the type of property that we are adding to the area.

This is not the first time that we have worked with Robert Woodhead and we hope that the strong working relationship we developed during the last phase of house building will deliver properties that are fit for our tenants for years to come.”

These four homes are part of the second phase of council house building which will see the council build another 27 council homes in the district.

In addition to the Earlesfield Lane properties there will also be 18 affordable homes built on

Trent Road in Grantham which will be a mixture of houses and apartments. And a further five bungalows are planned on land at Westry Close in Barrowby village in conjunction with parking improvements in the area.

Cllr Wootten added: “The mix of property types will suit tenants of all ages and some will meet the specific needs of people with disabilities.

“As well as providing much needed homes in our district, our plans to build will generate construction jobs and secure many more with suppliers, through the purchase of materials and services.”

This work follows on from the completion of a £3m first phase of council house building which finished in the summer.

This provided 33 new homes in Grantham and Stamford.

The properties are being built on council owned land which has been cleared of former buildings.

High energy performance is a key factor, providing affordable warmth for residents, and the new homes will meet the key provisions of the ‘Lifetime Homes’ standards; suitable for tenants of all ages and with ease of access for those with a disability or requiring wheelchair access.

BREAKING GROUND: Cllr Frances Cartwright, who was our Executive Member for Housing when the photograph was taken, is pictured on the Earlesfield Lane site with project co-ordinator Kyle Howard (right) and site manager Andy Evans.

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Always keep your gas safety check appointment

Y

ou always need to allow gas workers onto your premises to check appliances.

Keeping appointments with the council’s contractors, Liberty Gas, to allow their staff into your property so gas appliances can be regularly checked means your home and family can be kept safe from any potential dangers.

Denied access to properties costs us as a council an estimated £80,000 a year and that’s despite letters and text messages notifying tenants of the appointment weeks in advance.

Year on year this cost equates to 30 kitchen upgrades, 53 bathroom upgrades, 30 full heating upgrades to properties or 24 full rewires of homes.

That’s why it’s a legal requirement that we inspect premises and where necessary we will force entry if we need to.

Our Business Manager for Responsive Housing Repairs Chris Pegge said: “We appreciate many people have busy lives but it’s very important that tenants make a note and keep appointments and give access to Liberty Gas staff on our behalf.

“This allows operatives to make the necessary gas checks to keep properties safe and give you and your family peace of mind that your gas appliances are safe.

“Unfortunately we have required court action to access some properties so tenants must be aware we require entry to a property at the time and date stated on the letter or text message.”

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Tenants wishing to change their appointment time can do so by calling SKDC on 033 0333 8393.

Be wary of asbestos W e are reminding tenants to dispose of potentially harmful asbestos correctly.

If you want to carry out improvements to your home, you should be aware that this may result in disturbance to materials containing asbestos.

Before you carry out any work please contact us to obtain consent. This will enable us to check our records and advise on the presence of any asbestoscontaining materials which we hold information about and which may be disturbed by the proposed work.

SKDC’s Executive Manager for Property, Neil Cucksey, said: “Carrying out work on asbestos-containing materials without knowledge, expertise and personal protection can put people’s health at risk.

“By contacting us we will be able to advise you on the controls that you will need to put in place

to reduce exposure to you, your family and the person carrying out the work.”

For more information on how to dismantle items correctly, visit the health and safety executive’s website www.hse.gov.uk If you are worried about any damaged asbestos material, don’t try to deal with it yourself. Contact our Repairs Department on (01476) 406080.

Or if you would like more information in relation to asbestos in your home please contact either Luke Davies on (01476) 406387 or Phil Broad on (01476) 406552 or email asbestos@southkesteven.gov.uk.

To obtain permission to carry out work to your home please contact either Adele Foster on (01476) 406506 or email a.foster@southkesteven.gov.uk or Stuart Sheardown on (01476) 406169 or email s.sheardown@southkesteven.gov.uk

Help at hand in the garden

O

ur grounds maintenance contractors are busy maintaining the grass areas, shrub beds, trees and hedgerows.

If you are a tenant who needs help with garden maintenance or just want to know when the contractors will be working on the areas of public open space near where you live, you can check online by visiting http://southkesteven.glendalelocal.co.uk/ For tenants who are unable to maintain their gardens because of their age, medical condition, ongoing poor health and who are unable to call on neighbours, relatives or friends, we may be able to help with grass and hedge cutting.

Our Assisted Garden Maintenance Scheme has been designed to help people with genuine need of help with garden maintenance.

HELPING HAND: Tenant Karen Jessop looks on as our grounds maintenance contractors carry out work on her garden.

To find out more and how to apply visit www.southkesteven.gov.uk/assistedgardenmaintenance

Improvements to car parking and fencing M ore than £100,000 has been invested in parking schemes aimed at improving areas where high volumes of cars posed a danger.

Improvements were made on Stubbs Close in Dyke, Churchill Road in Stamford and Westry Close in Barrowby.

The work included re-surfacing

communal residents’ parking areas and re-surfacing of land owned by the Council and providing fencing to improve their appearance.

SKDC’s Executive Member for Housing, Cllr Linda Wootten, said: “Investment was aimed at areas where excessive roadside parking

posed a hazard to pedestrians and other road users and where off-road parking could be provided to alleviate this.

“The three areas we improved were highlighted by the Highways Department at Lincolnshire County Council as being particularly dangerous.”

BETTER PARKING: The improvements at Churchill Road in Stamford (left) and at Stubbs Close in Dyke (right).

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New support Crackdown on Single Person Discount charity for C vulnerable people A

new charity dedicated to helping vulnerable people is already working successfully with SKDC to stop people falling through the net.

P3 Charity, whose title stands for ‘People, Potential and Possibilities’, has opened an office on St Catherine’s Road in Grantham.

It’s now the preferred partner for Lincolnshire County Council with its range of services from debt management to employment and training.

South Kesteven is the latest district in Lincolnshire to benefit and the council’s housing teams have already referred a number of people to the charity At the core of their work is improving the quality of people’s lives by promoting independence and encouraging people to build on existing strengths.

That might be helping a tenant maintain their tenancy, maximising benefits they are eligible to, staying independent, signposting to other agencies and volunteering opportunities.

The charity offers a range of support through one-to-one appointments, community drop in sessions and telephone support.

The phone line is free on 0808 2810 280 or look online 222. p3charity.org

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ouncils in Lincolnshire have recovered £611,000 of public money from people who have continued to receive single person council tax discount - either claiming it in error or fraudulently when they are not entitled.

Following a campaign last year by the Lincolnshire Counter Fraud Partnership to encourage people to come forward if their circumstances had changed, a review was carried out of more than 100,000 households to see if people claiming the 25% single person discount were genuinely living on their own.

More than 2,220 discounts were taken away and individuals have had to pay back any discount that they were not entitled to.

Enforcement action has been taken against 543 people as they have either failed to respond or have provided mis-leading

information.

Pete Moore, Head of Finance and Public Protection at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This type of exercise is part of our fraud prevention measures which all Lincolnshire councils take very seriously.

We do investigate and take appropriate action against people claiming council tax discount and exemptions that they are not entitled to. “£611,000 is a significant amount of money that is successfully being reclaimed - we will not tolerate those who potentially seek to defraud local taxpayers.”

To report someone incorrectly claiming council tax discount, or to report any type of fraud involving a Lincolnshire council, contact the confidential reporting line – Freephone 0800 0853716

Allocations Policy W e welcome your views on changes and additions to South Kesteven District Council’s Allocation Policy.

The policy aims to address numerous legislative changes and new good practice guidelines.

The main principles behind the changes are to: • Reduce the amount of time that social housing is empty • Make best use of the social housing stock in the district • Contribute towards sustainable communities • Enable social mobility • Acknowledge behaviours by reducing priority for those who have a history of anti-social behaviour or non payment of rent.

Lisa Barker, SKDC’s business manager for Housing said: “Our goal is to ensure that the process the council uses to assess, prioritise and offer social housing is open and transparent for both our customers and our partner agencies. We welcome the views of anyone with an interest in this issue as the consultation focuses on the proposed additions and amendments to the current allocations policy.”

Share your views online at: https://www.surveymonkey. co.uk/r/SKDC-allocationspolicy You can also email us at allocationsconsultations@ southkesteven.gov.uk. The consultation closes on 23 August 2016.

Have you got contents insurance on your home?

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re you aware of the implications of not having home insurance if you’re the unfortunate victim of a burglary at your home?

Crime is relatively low here in the district but insuring the items in your home is essential should the worst happen and a break-in occurs.

Fortunately there’s help at hand with affordable insurance through our approved partner insurers, Crystal Insurance.

Crucially their insurance is tailored around a pay-asyou-go system with no yearly commitment, no excess to pay and no minimum home security requirements.

You can: • Pay fortnightly or monthly by cash, monthly by direct debit or annually • Arrange premiums from as little as £1.52 a fortnight for tenants aged under 60 and £1.17 a fortnight for tenants aged 60 and over It covers theft, water damage,

fire, flood and other household risks, damage to internal decoration and even accidental damage to fixed glass in doors and windows for which you are responsible as part of your tenancy agreement.

Personal possessions and accidental damage are available for an additional premium.

To arrange cover visit www.crystal-insurance.co.uk or call 0345 450 7286 for more information.

Keep your info up-to-date

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e are currently updating information we hold on file for all tenants who live in sheltered housing.

Please let us know if you have a change to your personal circumstances such as health conditions, keyholders for your property or any change in your contact details.

We ask that you advise one of the sheltered housing team so that they can pass this information on to the control centre in Lincoln. This means we can get the right sort of help for you in the event of an emergency.

Please call Nicky Beasley on (01476) 406530, Sue Robinson on (01476) 406529, Melanie Williams on (01476) 406528 or Valerie Baxter on (01476) 406065.

Planning investment where it is most needed

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condition survey of our housing stock is currently underway to find out about any work that is needed in future years as part of our planned maintenance and improvement project.

The survey information is important as it helps us to invest in areas of greatest need and prioritise improvement works to ensure homes are maintained to a modern standard.

If our surveyor needs to visit your home please help us by

ensuring that you are home at the time of the appointment. If you are unable to be present to allow access, please contact us to arrange a more convenient date and time using the details below.

Please call Amy Packham on 01476 401098 or email a.packham@southkesteven.gov.uk or John Smart on 01476 406172 or email j.smart@southkesteven.gov.uk

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9

Rent is your priority payment – it’s no pay, no stay!

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ent arrears mount up when you don’t pay all or some of your rent on time.

The council appreciates this could be due to changes in your circumstances particularly a loss of hours or your job, a problem with your housing benefit claim or a relationship breakdown.

It is important that you tackle the problem that is causing the arrears as soon as possible by seeking advice on your options.

Most of the time it is possible to sort out the problem and pay off any existing arrears, but you must act quickly.

The longer your financial problems continue, the higher the rent arrears will build up making it harder for you to pay off.

There were 25 evictions for rent arrears from our properties in 2015/16 and the council wants to do everything possible to ensure you don’t place yourself in difficulties where eviction from your property is the only option if you have not paid.

It’s equally important to pay on time so that those on Universal Credit receive their payments when they should.

Lisa Barker, SKDC’s Business Manager for Housing, said: “Rent

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arrears have been on the increase all over the country and South Kesteven is no different. Our message is get in touch, it’s never too late, but the earlier you talk to us the better.”

As with all social landlords we are reducing rents by one per cent a year, for the next four years, on the vast majority of our properties, in line with Government policy.

But every tenant has a responsibility to pay their rent – it’s a priority payment.

If you don’t you could lose your home! The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to set up a direct debit with your bank.

The first thing you should do is talk to us by contacting the Rent Team at SKDC on 01476 40 60 80, or visit our offices in Grantham, Stamford, Bourne or Market Deeping or email us at rents@southkesteven.gov.uk We can help by: • Understanding your circumstances and making an arrangement • Setting up a direct debit for you • Telling you of other agencies that may be able to help you What will happen if you ignore your rent arrears? What will happen if you don’t pay your rent?

If your arrears continue to build, we may apply to the court for possession of your property.

Sometimes, rent arrears arise as a result of issues with housing benefit or other entitlements which affect your housing benefit. The benefits team might need more information to deal with your claim or can advise you of the steps that need to be taken to resolve the issue.

They may be able to help you to maximise your benefit entitlement or advise you of additional benefits you may be able to claim.

Don’t let it get worse, when we can help you.

• If you don’t pay your rent, you could lose your home • Remember, your rent is due weekly Money advice is available from: Citizen’s Advice Bureau drop-in sessions: Guildhall Arts Centre, St Peter’s Hill, Grantham, NG31 6PZ (Mon/Tues/Thurs 9.30am-1.30pm) 39 High Street, Stamford, PE9 2BB (Mon 9.30am-3pm/Tues and Fri 9.30am-1.30pm) Alternatively telephone: 0844 499199 The National Debt Line at http://www.nationaldebtline.org/ Stepchange at http://www.stepchange.org/ Lincolnshire Credit Union – a financial co-operative offering starter accounts to help people with priority payments. http://www. lincscreditunion.org.uk/index. html or telephone or telephone 01522 873550 or email enquires@lincscreditunion.org.uk

Always check identification of those who call at your home Y

ou should always check the identification of anyone who calls at your home to ensure your personal safety and belongings are not put at risk.

Doorstep scammers can be pushy and persuasive and it can be easy to fall victim. It’s especially important to be vigilant and aware if you live on your own.

Whenever you answer the door remember to lock, stop, chain and check.

Lock: secure all your other outer doors as the person at the door may intend to distract you while an accomplice gets in through a back door Stop: think about whether you’re expecting anyone Chain: put the door chain on or look through the window or spyhole to see who’s there Check: ask for an identity card and examine it carefully - you can always tell the caller to come back another time when someone will be with you.

You can also put a ‘no cold callers’ sign up on your door.

You can also set up a password with your utility companies so you know that they are genuine if they send someone round.

In order to arrange this, you may need to ask your supplier to put you on their Priority Services Register, which gives access to extra services if you are of pensionable age, are registered disabled, have a hearing or visual impairment, or have long-term ill health.

Finally, remember call the police non-emergency number 101 if you’re not in immediate danger but want to report an incident.

Social housing fraud – why does it matter?

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cross the UK it is estimated that 98,000 housing association and council homes are unlawfully occupied at any one time with social housing fraud estimated to cost the public purse £900m – that’s money which could be better used on front line services.

Most people wait their turn to be allocated a home housing cheats don’t wait, they deny honest people a home.

When it happens, valuable housing spaces are being used up depriving families and vulnerable people on the waiting list. It’s not fair.

Tenancy fraud is wide ranging and happens when a council

or housing association home is occupied by someone who should not live there or they have obtained their tenancy fraudulently either by unlawful subletting, obtaining a home by deception or wrongly claiming succession after someone dies.

SKDC has a zero tolerance to fraud and when tenancy fraud is uncovered further action may be taken. Tenancy fraud is a criminal offence and carries a penalty of six months / two years or a fine.

If you suspect someone is a housing cheat, let us know by contacting us on 0800 183 0279. It could make a real difference.

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Reducing the cost of heating your homes

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ork continued in 2015-16 on improving the energy efficiency of our tenant’s homes.

This work contributes towards reducing the cost of heating homes by reducing heat loss through the external fabric of the building.

SKDC’s Executive Member for Housing, Cllr Linda Wootten, said: “Last year we completed energy improvement work to 697 properties. We installed 320 new boilers, added external wall insulation to 116 houses, insulated 229 lofts, fitted six heat pumps and put cavity wall insulation into 26 buildings.

“We have had feedback from tenants that the work we have done at these properties has significantly reduced energy bills, in addition to making them warmer and more environmentally sound.

We have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and this will also help us to do that, feeding into our priority to make South Kesteven cleaner, greener and healthier.”

The council was successful in securing grant funding towards the cost of the work to enable more residents to benefit from energy improvements to their homes.

Further energy related work programmes will be continuing in 2016-17.

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Change to a smart meter for more accurate energy bills A national programme to switch households to smart meters has begun – so as a tenant you receive more accurate energy bills.

By 2020 the government wants energy suppliers to install smart meters in every home in England, Wales and Scotland to help give you more control over your energy use, help you understand your bills and allow you to see what the energy you use is costing you.

There are more than 26 million homes for the energy suppliers to get to as part of measures to

upgrade the country’s energy supply and tackle climate change.

Smart meters are not compulsory but there’s nothing to lose by having more accurate billing and ways in which to monitor your usage so you don’t waste high volumes of gas and electricity that can increase the cost of your bills.

If you are having a smart meter installed, always ask to see identification from anyone who arrives at your home claiming to be from an energy firm or saying they have an appointment to install a meter.

For more information visit www.smartenergygb.org

CCTV continues to deter fly-tippers

C

CTV cameras are continuing to deter flytippers at litter hotspots in South Kesteven.

Further cameras on the Grantham Canal between Earlesfield Lane and Swingbridge Road and on Green Lane in Welby continue to deter and reduce volumes of fly-tipping.

Cameras at a lay-by on the A52 near Swaton also resulted in a fly-tipping prosecution last year.

But the council wants residents to continue to feedback information on flytipping and littering, wherever it is in the district, by reporting it online at www.southkesteven.gov.uk Appropriately signed mobile cameras are also in operation in other locations in the district so fly-tippers face an increasing risk of being caught and receiving a heavy fine.

SKDC’s Executive Member for Environment Cllr Nick Craft said: “We monitor locations across the district, noting car registration plates and we will always consider prosecution of anyone we identify who dumps waste anywhere in the district.

“Every household and business has a responsibility to dispose of rubbish in the correct manner and a legal duty of care to ensure waste from activities such as building work is correctly disposed of.

“We thank those residents who report businesses to us who do not provide the necessary documentation when they employ them.”

Residents can check if a business is a registered waste collector online at

https://environment.data.gov. uk/public-register/view/index For scrap metal collectors, householders need to ask to see documentation that is issued by the council.

Householders are also reminded of the authority’s bulk item collection service when disposing of bigger waste items, with collection available for £12 per item.

ON CAMERA: This equipment is helping to deter fly-tippers.

Fire Safety F

ire safety in the home is very important and investment is being made on an ongoing basis to ensure that tenants are protected from the risk of fire.

We are currently carrying out a testing and upgrading programme for smoke detectors across the district. If your home currently does not have smoke detectors fitted you should contact Adele Foster on (01476) 406506 or email her at a.foster@southkesteven.gov.uk and we will arrange for one to be installed.

13

GRAVITY

Gravity Fields Festival 2016 goes live T

ickets are on sale and the website is live for SKDC’s third Gravity Fields Festival (21-25 September) with a very special theme.

Our five day festival of science, arts, heritage, music, drama and outdoor spectacular in and around Grantham takes the theme of ‘Genius’ to celebrate Newton’s legacy and the 350th anniversary of his Year of Wonders in 1666.

It commemorates the year Newton spent at his Lincolnshire birthplace at Woolsthorpe Manor to escape the plague in Cambridge, and his extraordinary burst of scientific creativity on light, mathematics and gravitational forces.

Now, 350 years on, the plague hits Woolsthorpe again! History is re-written for schools and

adults sessions as actors and plague doctors convey the impact of the bubonic nightmare if it had reached Lincolnshire!

A special Sunday event by acclaimed Newton expert and festival patron Rob Iliffe adds the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London as a social commentary on Newton’s Year of Wonders - the middle instalment of a three week commemoration by The Royal Society of its most illustrious President.

It’s part of a packed programme ranging from TV zoologist Dr Sasha Norris and cutting edge baroque band Red Priest to circus performers and the genius engineers of WW2, courtesy of Cambridge scientist Dr Hugh Hunt.

Aerial spectacular comes courtesy of Ockham’s Razor, an AntiGrav box turns people’s worlds upside down and top Spanish creative company Ponten Pie invites its audience into a unique ‘shed’ for a lifechanging experience!

Explore the science of Doctor Who and hear news from CERN’s High Energy Frontier from physicist and festival co-curator Dr Harry Cliff from Cambridge University.

Join TV science presenter Dallas Campbell for a special

www.gravityfields.co.uk 14

hosted evening and what will a microlight find as a result of recording audio in the ether above Woolsthorpe Manor?

Royal Society President and Nobel Prize winner Sir Venki Ramakrishnan is among world class speakers on subjects from nature to nanotechnology and the pinhole camera technique

used by Newton as he studied the refraction of light.

Arts Council funding delivers a stunning ‘Ingenius’ Saturday finale with circus artists, street performers, puppeteers and magicians evoking the era of alchemists, fire, flame and stars and Newton’s time at the Royal Mint.

Capping the outdoor show is Pangottic’s animated giant Heath Robinson contraption the greatest machine never to be invented!

A full education programme includes a Ministry of Science blockbuster show at Grantham’s 1,000-seater Meres stadium.

15

Greater Lincolnshire Devolution – have your say

P

eople in Greater Lincolnshire are being asked for their views on the creation of a Mayoral Combined Authority with a Directly Elected Mayor for the area.

The consultation is now live and will close on August 8 at 5pm.

Ten local authorities, from the Humber to the Wash, have joined together to explore devolving some powers, responsibilities and funding from Government to Greater Lincolnshire. This could mean more decisions on public services would be made locally, rather than nationally.

If all ten councils sign up to this, some changes would happen.

A ‘Mayoral Combined Authority’ would be established. The Authority would be made up of elected councillors from the ten councils and a representative from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership. The Authority would be chaired by the Directly Elected Mayor, chosen by Greater Lincolnshire residents.

The Combined Authority would not replace existing councils or affect the services they already provide. It would only be responsible for the new powers and funding devolved from central Government, which could include transport, housing, skills training and flood risk management.

Under the deal an additional £450 million over the next 30 years (£15 million per year) would be provided for investment in housing and infrastructure.The consultation also seeks views from the community on whether, if a Mayoral Combined Authority was established, they would want to see the role of Mayor combined with that of Police and

Crime Commissioner if it reduced administrative costs.

We want your views on the Scheme for the establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority for Greater Lincolnshire. Visit www. lincolnshire.gov.uk/greaterlincs to have your say or pick up a consultation form and read the supporting information at your local Council Access Point or library.

Frequently Asked Questions, along with other useful information, are

available online.

The consultation form can also be returned without a stamp by sending it to FREEPOST RTACAUAA-SSZS, Public Health, County Offices, Lincolnshire County Council, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL. The consultation closes on August 8 at 5pm. Responses will be reviewed by each council before the issue is considered again later this year.

Devolution for Greater Lincolnshire – have your say Ten local authorities, from the Humber to the Wash, have joined together to gain more power, responsibility and funding from Government. This devolution deal is worth £450m over 30 years and would result in improved transport, infrastructure, skills and training in Greater Lincolnshire.

A new body would be created to manage the powers devolved from Government and would include councillors from each partner council, chaired by a mayor directly elected by residents.

We want YOUR views on this proposed Mayoral Combined Authority.

Visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/greaterlincs

or pick up a consultation form at your local library or Council Access Point to have your say. Please take time to read the supporting information.