August 2026 Minutes (EOM)
The Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of Deeping St James Parish Council held in the meeting room at The Institute 38 Church Street Deeping St James PE6 8HD on Tuesday 04 August 2026 at 7.00pm.
Present: Parish Councillors Bowell, Dilks (County and District), Fowler, Hosking, Neville, Nickerson, Shinkins-Hoppe, Smith, Stevens and Townsin.
The minutes were taken by the Parish Clerk.
27.45 To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Apologies had been received and were accepted from Councillors Gilbert, Halls and Rose
Councillor Burdock was not present.
27.46 To receive declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011 – being any interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interests.
None declared.
27.47 To consider what action, if any, Deeping St James Council should take following the Government announcing its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) for Greater Lincolnshire.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Welcome to Greater Lincolnshire | Greater Lincolnshire LGR Hub
Decision on Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire – Lincolnshire County Council
Decision on Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire | South Kesteven District Council
Councillor Dilks, South Kesteven District Council Ward Councillor for Deepings East provided a brief explanation of the LGR option which had been chosen for Lincolnshire by National Government from the four options put forward. This will see the creation of two new unitary authorities – a City of Lincoln unitary covering the city as well as some neighbouring wards in North Kesteven and West Lindsey; and another covering the rest of North Kesteven and West Lindsey South Kesteven South Holland East Lindsey and Boston Boroughs. The existing unitary councils of North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire will continue as they are.
All Parish Councillors present were encouraged to sign both the petitions started by the MP for Stamford and Rutland, Alicia Kearns, (Local Gov Re-Org Petition | Alicia Kearns MP) and the Leader of South Kesteven District Council, Councillor Ashley Baxter . They were also encouraged to write to the MP for South Holland and the Deepings, Sir John Hayes, and the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner requesting that the decision was reconsidered.
It was agreed that this reorganisation would lead to a democratic deficit and disenfranchise local communities. It would also lead to local communities having less control of where the revenue held and council tax collected would be spent. It was acknowledged that as this was a major change in local government residents should be offered the opportunity to understand what it meant and be made aware of how to make their opinions known.
It was agreed that Deeping St James Parish Council would support the South Kesteven District Ward Councillors when they called a public meeting. This could involve paying for advertising and the venue hire costs.
Councillor Dilks agreed that he would work with the other South Kesteven District Council Ward Councillors, and the MP's, Sir John Hayes and Alicia Kearns, to arrange a meeting during the first week in September 2026 and keep the Clerks of both Deeping St James Parish Council and Market Deeping Town Council informed.
Meeting finished at 7.55pm