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Hampshire County Council
has been accepted onto the Government's fast-track Devolution Priority
Programme (DPP) – marking a significant milestone in the journey towards
devolution for Hampshire and the wider area.
Earlier this month Hampshire County Council, together with Southampton and
Portsmouth City Councils and Isle of Wight Council put in a ‘Hampshire and
the Solent’ devolution bid to central Government which seeks to bring power
and money from Westminster and provide greater local control over vital areas
such as education, transport, and health services for Hampshire
residents – giving people more power to shape the things that are
important to them and provide robust local accountability.
As part of devolution, a Mayor would be elected in the spring of 2026 to head
up a new Combined Authority across the wider region of Hampshire County
Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City
Council, in line with the Authorities’ expression of interest submitted to
the Deputy Prime Minister last summer. As well as promoting the interests of
the wider region to central Government, the Mayor would work together with
local council leaders, to make decisions about how to allocate regional
funding. Greater collaboration across boundaries would be particularly
effective in areas such as transport, skills and employment support, housing
and planning, and tackling climate change.
Hampshire County Council Leader, Cllr Nick Adams-King said: "This is
exciting news for Hampshire. Devolution represents the biggest change to
local government in a generation and to be accepted onto Government's
Devolution Priority Programme as a fast-track to delivering devolution for
the area is a fantastic opportunity for Hampshire to self-determine and shape
devolution proposals in the best interests of our residents and communities.
“We are one of a select few local authorities nationally to join this
fast-track programme, highlighting the substantial devolution opportunities
recognised by the Government for our area. This selection also includes our
upper-tier partners, Isle of Wight Council, and Southampton and Portsmouth
City Councils and with a combined population of over two million residents,
90,000 businesses, and an economy generating around £80 billion annually,
Hampshire and the Solent region are pivotal to the UK's economic landscape.”
Benefits of Devolution
Devolution will transfer
greater powers and flexibilities from Westminster to Hampshire and the Solent
region, accompanied by additional funding and investment. This shift will
enable local authorities to make crucial decisions closer to where residents
live and work, driving economic growth, innovation, and productivity.
"This will enable us to deliver the best possible future for our
citizens and businesses, enhancing people’s quality of life and leading the
way in the UK’s economic recovery over the coming years," added Cllr
Adams-King. “In collaboration with our upper-tier partners, we have
already begun to outline the opportunities that devolution presents:
sustainable economic growth, reduced inequalities, and maximised net zero
ambitions. We are committed to working in partnership across Local
Government, businesses, education and the wider landscape of public sector
partners to explore devolution’s potential for our area.”
The Government plans to consult with Hampshire residents very soon to gather
people’s input and feedback on the prospect of devolution for the area.
Local Government
Reorganisation
Additionally, the
Secretary of State has confirmed today that Hampshire will be formally
invited to submit proposals for local government reorganisation.
The reorganisation aims
to replace the current two-tier council system with new unitary (all-purpose)
councils, simplifying how councils are organised and run.
Postponement of May’s
Election
Due to selection for the
Devolution Priority Programme, the Government has also determined that the
County Council's elections, originally scheduled for May this year, should be
postponed for 12 months as an essential step to enable the Council to give
necessary focus to preparing for devolution and local government
reorganisation, and allow for a Mayor to be elected in 2026 so the benefits
of devolution to local communities can be delivered as swiftly as possible.
Any by-elections, if required during this period, would continue to go ahead
as normal. Reorganisation would then be expected to be in place by either
April 2027 or April 2028.
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