The regional paper for North Lincolnshire has been praised for its work to highlight the options available for the future of local government in the area.

A poll to decide how the district council should be run resulted in more than 7,000 responses – something the council believes is wholly down to debate in the pages of the Scunthorpe Telegraph.

North Lincolnshire Council leader coun Nic Dakin said: “The Telegraph has given tremendous coverage throughout the seven-week consultation period. We couldn’t have asked for more.

“Like the council, the Telegraph has simply informed and urged local people – its readers – to take part, ask questions and express a view.

“Without the Telegraph, there can be no doubt that we would have found it impossible to get nearly 7,000 responses.”

Coun Dakin said some experts had predicted the council would attract no more than 1,000 responses because of the perceptions of local government.

But the lively work by the Telegraph in raising awareness of the issues involved proved the “do nothing” brigade wrong.

Coun Dakin said: “Telegraph readers care passionately about Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire. Because they have let us know what they want we can press ahead with a system of local government that will stand the test of time.”

Sweeping changes are to be made to how the council is run after seven weeks of consultation which resulted in six out of 10 respondents asking for a council leader and a cabinet system as the method they would like to see used in local decision-making. It will replace the 100-year-old committee system.

The changes will be formally agreed by the council next month and the new system should be implemented by May.

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