BUSINESS and council leaders in Lincolnshire are looking north in an effort to encourage economic development.

Proposals for a Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership were submitted yesterday by Lincolnshire County Council and businesses.

If approved, this would see Lincolnshire working more closely with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire instead of the East Midlands.

Conservative county council leader Martin Hill said: "At this stage we recognise the south Humberside authorities prefer to work together in their own LEP.

"But we do not envisage the LEPs as having rigid boundaries and we will always work with our neighbouring partnerships.

"Along with the council, business leaders could also see merit in joining with Rutland and Peterborough.

"We participated in useful discussion with those authorities."