"Hands off Gosport” - Council formally rejects plans to merge councils and tells the government to leave it alone
The government has been told to “keep its hands off Gosport”, with the borough council formally rejecting its plan to reorganise councils across Hampshire.
Gosport Borough Council leader Cllr Peter Chegwyn has again delivered a tough message in a letter to the government opposing local government reorganisation.
"We firmly believe decisions made for Gosport are best made by elected and accountable Gosport councillors, of any party, not by those who don't live here or know the borough," Cllr Chegwyn said.
The letter outlines how rejecting reorganisation is backed by local people. It said that recent independent research showed 77 per cent of Gosport residents who responded agree that the borough should be left alone.
The government wants to reorganise councils across Hampshire to create much larger organisations responsible for all council services. The new councils would cover populations averaging around 500,000 each, more than five times the size of Gosport Borough Council.
Options put forward by some neighbouring councils propose that Gosport merges to form a new, bigger council with Portsmouth, Fareham and Havant, an option Gosport Borough Council also rejects. It said that only 15 per cent of Gosport resident responses said they felt Gosport should be merged in this way.
Cllr Chegwyn said: "As we have said all along, we reject local government reorganisation and the government should keep its hands off Gosport.
"We are against being part of a new 'greater Portsmouth' with Portsmouth, Fareham and Havant. 77% of people in the survey said Gosport should be left alone, that's an overwhelming consensus.
"Decisions about Gosport's future are best taken by elected and accountable Gosport councillors, of any party, not from those who don't live here or know the borough.
"There is no evidence that reorganisation will lead to better or more efficient services, and it certainly won't save the government, or residents, any money."
If local government reorganisation is imposed by the government however, Gosport Borough Council will be involved in future discussions to protect the best interests of residents and staff.
Cllr Chegwyn's letter was sent to the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government, The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP, to meet the government's deadline for submissions of September 26.
Portsmouth City Council has also rejected the government’s proposals and called for Portsmouth to be left as it is, with the council already being a unitary authority - a main aim of the reorganisation to get rid of the current two tiers which govern most areas.
However it has said that is this is not possible it favours merging with Havant, Fareham and Gosport - as well as the villages to the south of Buster Hill and the Newlands area of Waterlooville. Havant and Fareham borough councils have also both supported this option.