The South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership has exceeded its multi-million savings and efficiency target five years ahead of schedule.
When Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council formed the largest Partnership of its kind in the country in 2021, the approved business case set out a 10-year ambition to identify £42m in efficiency savings.
As the fifth anniversary approaches later in October 2026, the Partnership – born on Lincolnshire Day – has now exceeded the business case target it set, having surpassed £47m in identified savings and efficiencies.
The latest significant saving comes following the appointment of a single leisure contractor, Parkwood Leisure, covering the operation of council-owned leisure facilities in Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland.
Other efficiencies have been realised through a shared workforce across the three councils, including Chief Executive and wider Management Team. Better value for money has also been achieved through procurement; buying in equipment and awarding contracts to support council services across three councils. A single approach to ICT infrastructure and systems has also saved significant sums of money.
The Partnership has also introduced joint strategies and service reviews to ensure efficiencies and aligning procedures across the organisation.
By working closely together with a combined voice and reputation, the Partnership has attracted £277m in external funding to the region to deliver new projects such as leisure centres, colleges and town centre improvements.
Cllr Dale Broughton, Leader of Boston Borough Council; Cllr Craig Leyland, Leader of East Lindsey District Council and Cllr Nick Worth, Leader of South Holland District Council jointly said: “We are immensely proud of our Partnership and what it has enabled us to achieve for our communities. We continue to work hard to deliver major schemes and bring investment into the sub-region that supports growth, regeneration and communities in significant levels that alone we would not be able to achieve.
“With Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire being proposed by the Government, the formation and the savings achieved through the Partnership show we have a proven track record of bringing councils together and achieving better value for money. The joint proposal from Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland, A Greater Lincolnshire for All, if accepted by Government will build on the success of the Partnership through bringing services together to form a simpler more effective model of local government.
“We firmly believe our councils have taken sharing further than many other Councils and are an example of how true and deep collaboration can deliver maximum benefit for residents.”
