Two further districts - North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire - are unitary authorities because they were previously districts of the controversial Humberside county from 1974.[2] In 1996, Humberside was abolished along with its county council.[3] However some services in those districts are still shared with the East Riding of Yorkshire ceremonial county, rather than the rest Lincolnshire.[4]
The Conservative Party comfortably controlled the County Council after the 2009 local election, in which they increased their majority to 43 seats. The Labour Party lost a total of 15 seats including seven in Lincoln, whilst the Liberal Democrats lost three. The Lincolnshire Independents gained a total of four seats, although one of their number moved to the Conservative group during 2010, increasing the number of Conservative seats to 61. The collective group of the Lincolnshire Independents, the Boston Bypass Party and other independent councillors formed the opposition for the four-year term.
2013 County Council elections
In the 2013 County Council election, the Conservatives lost their overall majority and formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and independents. The UK Independence Party made significant gains from the Conservatives, particularly around the town of Boston, due to opposition to Eastern European immigration.[5]
UKIP were initially the main opposition party with 16 councillors, but six members broke away to form a separate group, UKIP Lincolnshire.[6]
2017 County Council elections
The 2017 Lincolnshire County Council election took place on 4 May 2017 and saw a local landslide victory for the Conservatives, who won 58 out of the 70 seats. UKIP was left without a single seat. Labour lost four seats, reducing their number of seats to six, the Liberal Democrats were reduced to one seat, and the Lincolnshire Independents were also reduced to a single seat after losing eight seats. Four other independents were elected.[7]
2021 County Council elections
The 2021 Lincolnshire County Council election took place on 6 May 2021. It saw another landslide victory for the Conservatives, with them winning 54 seats. Independents won five seats, Labour lost two, bringing their total down to four, and the Liberal Democrats gained two in West Lindsey, raising their total to three. The newly formed South Holland Independents won three seats, whilst the Lincolnshire Independents held their sole representative on the council.[8]
The 1975 EC membership referendum was the first major referendum to be held in the county, and saw one of the largest majority votes in favour of continued membership of the then European Communities (which would later become the European Union) within non-metropolitan Lincolnshire and also Humberside, which then included northern parts of historic Lincolnshire. The referendum was held on 5 June 1975 with votes within the county being centrally counted under the provisions of the Referendum Act 1975 where voters were asked to decide on the question “Do you think that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (the Common Market)?” by voting for either “Yes” or “No”. The result was declared on the following day.
1975 United Kingdom European Communities(Common Market) membership referendum
Non-metropolitan Lincolnshire
Choice
Votes
%
Yes
180,603
74.75%
No
61,011
25.25%
Valid votes
241,614
99.82%
Invalid or blank votes
445
0.18%
Total votes
242,059
100.00%
Registered voters and turnout
370,518
63.70%
Referendum results (without spoiled ballots):
Yes:
180,603(74.7%)
No:
61,011 (25.3%)
▲
The result above only includes non-Metropolitan Lincolnshire as parts of historic northern Lincolnshire made up part of Humberside at the time.
The 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum was the first to be held in Lincolnshire since the 1975 EC membership referendum and was only the second time that the people of Lincolnshire have been asked to vote in a referendum. The referendum asked voters whether to replace the present "first-past-the-post" (simple plurality) system with the "alternative vote" (AV) method for electing MPs to the House of Commons in future general elections. The proposal to introduce AV was overwhelmingly rejected by voters with all eight counting areas within Lincolnshire returning significant "no" votes.
United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, 2011
Lincolnshire
Choice
Votes
%
No
232,034
75.19%
Yes
76,570
24.81%
Valid votes
308,604
99.49%
Invalid or blank votes
1,593
0.51%
Total votes
310,197
100.00%
Registered voters and turnout
722,210
40.17%
Referendum results (without spoiled ballots):
Yes:
76,570 (24.8%)
No:
232,034(75.2%)
▲
The result above includes all areas within historic Lincolnshire
The seven shire-districts and two unitary authorities in Lincolnshire were used as the voting areas.
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