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West Lindsey | |
|---|---|
District | |
    
| |
 Shown within theceremonial county ofLincolnshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Ceremonial county | Lincolnshire |
| Admin. HQ | Gainsborough |
| Government | |
| • MPs: | Edward Leigh |
| Area | |
• Total | 446 sq mi (1,156 km2) |
| • Rank | 22nd |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 99,208 |
| • Rank | Ranked 252nd |
| • Density | 222.3/sq mi (85.82/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 32UH (ONS) E07000142 (GSS) |
West Lindsey is alocal government district inLincolnshire, England. Its council is based inGainsborough, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns ofCaistor andMarket Rasen, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The east of the district includes part of theLincolnshire Wolds, a designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts areNorth Lincolnshire,North East Lincolnshire,East Lindsey,North Kesteven,Lincoln,Newark and Sherwood andBassetlaw.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering five former districts which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was named West Lindsey, reflecting its position withinLindsey, one of the three historicParts of Lincolnshire, which had been anadministrative county between 1889 and 1974.[3]
West Lindsey District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Vacant since 7 July 2025 | |
Head of paid service (interim) | Bill Cullen since 2025[5] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 36 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Guildhall, Marshall's Yard, Gainsborough, DN21 2NA | |
| Website | |
| www | |
West Lindsey District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byLincolnshire County Council. The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6][7]
The council has been underno overall control since 2021. Following the2023 election theLiberal Democrats had exactly half the seats on the council, and managed to form an administration with the support of one of the independent councillors.[8]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[9][10]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1979 | |
| No overall control | 1979–1987 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1987–1988 | |
| No overall control | 1988–1996 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1996–1998 | |
| No overall control | 1998–2004 | |
| Conservative | 2004–2006 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2006–2008 | |
| Conservative | 2008–2021 | |
| No overall control | 2021–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2004 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Theobald[11][12] | Conservative | 28 Jun 2004 | 2009 | |
| Adam Duguid[13] | Conservative | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Burt Keimach[14][15] | Conservative | 2010 | 20 May 2013 | |
| Jeff Summers[16][17] | Conservative | 20 May 2013 | 20 May 2019 | |
| Giles McNeill[18][19][20] | Conservative | 20 May 2019 | 2 Nov 2020 | |
| Owen Bierley[21][22] | Conservative | 2 Nov 2020 | May 2023 | |
| Trevor Young[23][24] | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2023 | 7 Jul 2025 | |
Following the2023 election,[25] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[26]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 16 | |
| Conservative | 13 | |
| Lincolnshire Independent | 2 | |
| Independent | 5 | |
| Total | 36 | |
One of the five independent councillors sits with the Liberal Democrats as the "Liberal Democrat Administration Group", which forms the council's administration. Another independent councillor sits with the Conservatives as the "Opposition Group", and the other three independents form the "Consensus Independent" group.[27] The next election is due in 2027.[26]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 36councillors representing 20wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[28]
In the 2016 EU referendum, West Lindsey voted 61.8% leave (33,847 votes) to 38.2% remain (20,906 votes).[29]
The council is based at the Guildhall in Marshall's Yard in Gainsborough, which is a modern office building within a retail development.[30] The council moved there in 2008 from its former headquarters, also called the Guildhall, on Caskgate Street in Gainsborough. The old Guildhall had been built in 1966 for the former Gainsborough Urban District Council, one of the council's predecessors. It has since been demolished.[31]
West Lindsey bordersNorth Lincolnshire andNorth East Lincolnshire to the north,East Lindsey to the east,North Kesteven and the city of Lincoln to the south, and the county ofNottinghamshire to the west.
The boundary of the district in the west borders theRiver Trent, and meets Nottinghamshire (Bassetlaw) andNorth Lincolnshire atEast Stockwith, close toWildsworth. On the other side of the Trent isGunthorpe, Lincolnshire. It deviates from the Trent, to the east along theRiver Eau atScotter, where it meetsMessingham in North Lincolnshire. The boundary deviates southwards nearScotton, then atNorthorpe follows the B1205 eastwards, crossing the A15 atWaddingham. It follows the Sallowrow Drain to the OldRiver Ancholme atSouth Kelsey, which it follows northwards. AtNorth Kelsey, it deviates from the Old River Ancholme, following the North Kelsey Beck eastwards. This crosses the B1434 then the Newark-Grimsby railway line, where atSearby cum Owmby it follows a drain parallel to the railway line northwards, and atBigby it follows Kettleby Beck westwards across the railway line back to the Old River Ancholme, which it follows for almost a mile towardsBrigg. The Bigby parish is the northern part of West Lindsey that skirts the southern edge of Brigg, crossing the A1084 and therailway line.
Also in Bigby, it crosses the Scunthorpe-Grimsby line, then three railway lines together atWrawby Junction. North of Bigby village it crosses the western escarpment of the northernLincolnshire Wolds, then skirts the southern and eastern perimeter ofHumberside Airport. It crosses the A18 andB1210, then the B1211. The furthest north section of the district, and of the county, is where it meets a short section of theA180, where a few hundred metres west of theA160 interchange it meetsNorth East Lincolnshire. It follows the New Beck Drain south-east across the B1210, and atRiby, the A1173 and A18. AtSwallow it crosses theA46. It follows the Waithe Beck atThorganby. AtSwinhope it meetsEast Lindsey, next to Scallows Hall (in East Lindsey), and crosses the B1203, then again atKirmond le Mire. It meets the B1225High Street atTealby, and for around two miles southwards is the district boundary, crossing theA631 atNorth Willingham. AtSixhills it deviates westwards from the B1225, next to the formerRAF Ludford Magna (in East Lindsey). AtHolton cum Beckering it crosses the B1202, then theA158 atGoltho, where it skirts the western edge ofWragby (in East Lindsey). It passes southwards inBardney through Chamber's Farm Wood (mostly in East Lindsey); Chamber's Farm itself is in West Lindsey. It skirts the southern edge of the formerRAF Bardney, and crosses the B1190 nearTupholme Abbey (in East Lindsey). East ofSouthrey (also in Bardney parish) it meets theRiver Witham andNorth Kesteven. It follows the River Witham westwards untilGreetwell where it meets the City of Lincoln, deviates northwards, crossing the Lincoln - Market Rasen railway line. It follows the outskirts of Lincoln, crossing the B1182 (former A46) at Nettleham. It crosses the A15 north of the Riseholme roundabout, and follows a short section of theA57, then crosses it, near Bishop Bridge. A few hundred metres west it meets theFoss Dyke, which from there a mile north-west is the boundary withNorth Kesteven. AtSaxilby with Ingleby it deviates westwards from the Foss Dyke, and atBroadholme (former Nottinghamshire until 1989) at the B1190 (Tom Otters Lane), it meets Nottinghamshire (Newark and Sherwood). It follows a half-mile section of Ox Pasture Drain north to the A57, which it briefly follows westwards untilKettlethorpe (A156 junction). It crosses the A1133 atNewton on Trent, and under a mile westwards it meets theRiver Trent andBassetlaw, a mile north of the formerHigh Marnham Power Station.
It coversGainsborough,Market Rasen,Sudbrooke,Fiskerton,Reepham,Cherry Willingham,Nettleham,Welton,Caistor, andKeelby.
The whole district is divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Caistor, Market Rasen and Gainsborough have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Many of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[32]
The district, similar to North andSouth Kesteven, has a mixture of comprehensive schools in the south-east of the district and selective schools in Gainsborough (Queen Elizabeth's High School, The Gainsborough Academy) and Caistor. Both grammar schools are in the top ten forA level results in the East Midlands, withCaistor Grammar School getting the best results in this region consistently year on year. It also gets some of the best results in England. These schools offer a standard of state education from ages 11–16 not available in the regions of Lincolnshire directly north of the district (formerLindsey before 1974). Pupils from outside of the district may travel to be educated in Gainsborough fromScunthorpe (12–15 miles via theA159), and (in greater number) to Caistor fromGrimsby andCleethorpes (10–12 miles via theA46). The situation is reversed in thesixth form, with Lincolnshire pupils studying at theJohn Leggott College in Scunthorpe and theFranklin College, Grimsby. The best comprehensive in this district (and the county) is theWilliam Farr School in Welton, which gets A level results similar to agrammar school.
Large parts of the district can be accessed from theM180, to the north of the region. TheA1500 (Tillbridge Lane) andA631 are the main east–west routes, and avoid busy town centres. The A631, further west, allows passage (throughBassetlaw) toDoncaster Sheffield Airport in the nearbyMetropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The north–south route is theA15, officially the straightest road in the UK, following theRoman roadErmine Street.
In terms of television, West Lindsey is served byBBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire andITV Yorkshire (East) broadcasting from theBelmont transmitter which situated nearMarket Rasen.[33] However, western parts of the district such asGainsborough can also receiveBBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire (West) from theEmley Moor TV transmitter nearHuddersfield inWest Yorkshire.[34]
Radio stations for the area are:[35]
TheLincolnshire Echo is the regional newspaper covering West Lindsey.[36] Publications with a focus on a particular area within the district include theGainsborough Standard and theMarket Rasen Mail.[37][38]
Attractions to the district include theLincolnshire Wolds. TheLincolnshire Show is held in the district at theLincolnshire Showground, south of the formerRAF Scampton, which was previously the home for theRed Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 77,700 | — |
| 1991 | 76,500 | −0.16% |
| 2001 | 79,513 | +0.39% |
| 2011 | 89,250 | +1.16% |
| 2015 | 92,812 | +0.98% |
| 2021 | 95,200 | +0.42% |
The district has seen steady population growth since 2001, with Gainsborough and the villages north of Lincoln particular points of growth. The population of the district now stands at 95,200 as of 2021.[39]
The district ranked 161 out of 326 local authorities for amounts of deprivation. Part of the Gainsborough South West ward is in the top 5% for deprived areas (Super Output Area) in the country.[40] Gainsborough East and Gainsborough South West wards have the highest levels of unemployment, although the region as a whole has a below-average rate.
16% of employment is in manufacturing, and 6% in agriculture. There are around 3,220 businesses. There are few council houses and house prices are lower than the regional average.
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