District Councillor's Report

District Councillors Report Osbournby March 2026

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Update

The Government continues with its seven-week consultation on the Local Government Reorganisation bids that it has asked for from the remaining two tier county areas in England (including Lincolnshire). 

You can find the Government’s webpage with its consultation questions here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-government-reorganisation-in-lincolnshire-north-lincolnshire-and-north-east-lincolnshire

The consultation is open until 11.59pm on Thursday, 26 March, 2026. 

Residents of North Kesteven can find in their forthcoming NewsNK a summary overview of the four proposals impacting most on the district area. The full detail can be found in the proposals accessed via www.greaterlincolnshireLGRhub.org and at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/LGR

Council Tax

A Council Tax increase of between 7p and 10p a week for most householders has been agreed on the District Council’s share of the bill. 

In setting the Council’s budget for the year from April, the Full Council of District Councillors agreed a 2.96% increase in NKDC's element of the overall bill. 

For three quarters of homes - in bands A to C - this will give a total annual charge of between £133.44 and £177.92 for the coming year. That's an annual increase of between £3.84 and £5.12 a year, for these households, depending on banding.

Read the full press release here.

Food waste recycling: caddy deliveries begin

The deliveries have begun with residents whose usual collection day is a Monday. The team is working hard on the caddy rollout, with new colleagues having recently joined NKDC involved in packing, loading and delivering the caddies to residents' doorsteps.

It will take a few weeks to deliver the caddies to every address in North Kesteven, so please bear with us as we undertake this huge project. You can find more information about caddy delivery on our food waste recycling page. Also keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

Once your caddies arrive, residents are reminded not to start using them until the week before the collections start on March 30:

• March 23: start using your caddies
• Week commencing March 30: first food waste collection, on your usual bin day

We want everyone to know about the deliveries starting, so please share this information with residents in your wards.

Some lucky residents will also find something extra in their food waste caddy when it’s delivered. We’ve hidden lucky orange tickets in a random selection of caddies, and if you find one then you’ll win one of 35 fantastic prizes donated by local businesses.

Be on the lookout for fake bank notes

Lincolnshire Police have recently been made aware of an increase in counterfeit bank notes in circulation.

The notes have been used to pay for fuel, fast food and used in supermarkets for groceries.  

Mainly twenty pound notes are the ones being used.

Some key things to look out for include: 

Hologram image change - tilt the note from side to side and check the words change between the value of the note and pounds 

See through window - check the foil is gold on the front of £5 and £10 notes, gold and blue on the front of £20 and silver on the back of all notes 

You can get more info from the Bank of England website on how to check bank notes.

Sleaford Westholme By-Election

An election to fill the vacancy for the Sleaford Westholme Ward of North Kesteven District Council has now been called, following the death of Councillor Ann Mear. 

The election is contested; a poll will take place on Thursday, 12 March, 2026 between 7am and 10pm.  

The Statement of Persons Nominated will be published later today.  

More information on the by-election can be found on the following link: https://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/council-news/2026/02/district-council-election-sleaford-0

Digital Hubs

NKDC run six digital hubs across the district, where residents can receive FREE help using their devices and getting online safely. We recognise that people are increasingly being asked to utilise services online, but we still have lots of residents who aren’t able to confidently use the internet. 

Trained staff and dedicated volunteers are on hand to offer friendly, welcoming, and non-judgemental support to anyone who would like some digital help. Additionally, the Digital Hubs in partnership with the National Databank, can offer free SIM-cards preloaded with data to those experiencing data poverty. Details of the hub opening times and locations are:  

Further information can be found on the website: https://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/your-community/digital-hubs