Huge 'super council' shake-up for Hampshire sees options outlined - with villages set to merge with Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport
A collective of 12 councils has unveiled their case for the major shake-up of local authorities in the region.
The proposal to government would see the 14 mainland authorities in Hampshire merged to form four larger entities, with the Isle of Wight retaining its standalone council.
While the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will have the final say on the outcome of local government reorganisation (LGR), existing councils have been asked to submit their preference for how the new authorities should be shaped.
This comes as part of a national programme by the Labour government to replace the current mixed two-tier system with unitary authorities delivering all council services.
The proposal announced today, titled ‘Close enough to be local, big enough to stay strong’, comes from joint work by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Eastleigh Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council, Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Isle of Wight Council, New Forest District Council, Portsmouth City Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Southampton City Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Winchester City Council.
These councils are putting forward three different options for the four new unitary councils for mainland Hampshire, with each authority area arranged around the hubs of Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester.
In all three options Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth are joined, with a third option which also adds Clanfield, Horndean, Rowlands Castle and Newlands, also known as the Berewood estate in Waterlooville, into the same new council area.
This is because those in the villages south of Butser tend to use services in the Havant and Waterlooville area. It would also ensure that Waterlooville is not split across two council areas, with the Newlands area being physically part of Waterlooville but currently within the Winchester council boundary as a result of a historic oddity.
Under this option, other villages currently in the Winchester boundary such as Denmead and Swanwick would stay with the rest of Winchester after the option to include them in a South East council was dropped.
The three options put forward are as follows:
- North Hampshire: Basingstoke and Deane, Hart, Rushmoor. Mid Hampshire: East Hampshire, New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester. South West Hampshire: Eastleigh and Southampton. South East Hampshire: Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth.
- North Hampshire: Basingstoke and Deane, Hart, Rushmoor. Mid Hampshire: East Hampshire, Test Valley, Winchester. South West Hampshire: Eastleigh, New Forest, Southampton. South East Hampshire: Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth.
- North Hampshire: Basingstoke and Deane, Hart, Rushmoor. Mid Hampshire: Most of East Hampshire, New Forest, Test Valley and Winchester. South West Hampshire: Eastleigh, Southampton, Totton and Eling, Marchwood, Hythe and Dibden, and Fawley sections of New Forest, and Valley Park, Nursling and Rownhams, and Chilworth sections of Test Valley. South East Hampshire: Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Clanfield, Horndean and Rowlands Castle sections of East Hampshire, and Newlands section of Winchester.
Each of the 12 councils will put its name to one of the three options. This is set to be considered alongside formally backing the overall proposal document at respective council meetings in advance of the government submission deadline of Friday, September 26.
In a joint statement, the dozen local authorities said: “Unlike other proposals, we believe our approach means the best of both worlds: councils that are big enough to deliver major services and be financially sustainable, but local enough to understand communities so they can tailor services more closely to their needs.
“This is a comprehensive and evidence-based proposal that offers a bold vision for the future of local government in our region, ensuring every voice is heard and every service delivers real value.
“Covering the population of around two million people in mainland Hampshire, four new unitary councils would provide the scale of efficiency the government wants whilst still being connected to the communities they serve.
“The Isle of Wight’s continued independence is essential, given its unique geography and infrastructure needs. However, the proposal ensures integration and collaboration where beneficial, enabling shared innovation and transformation across the region.”
Their 208-page proposal document states at least £63.9million of annual net recurring savings would be delivered, with the options reaching a breakeven point even between 2.2 and 3.1 years.
However, the current forecasted gross budget gap totalling £178million for all existing councils by 2028/29 was not included in the breakeven analysis.
The cost of reorganisation is likely to be covered through a mixture of reserves and capital receipts, the proposal document says. An indicative assessment on councillor numbers could see the current number of 650 drop to around 390 following the mergers.
Hampshire County Council and East Hampshire District Council have stated their preference is for three mainland unitary authorities and the Isle of Wight remaining a standalone council.
Gosport Borough Council has stated its opposition to LGR and not taken part in any collaborative working following an initial joint submission by all 15 local authorities to government in March.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said that although the city council would prefer to stay as it is, the options are the best ones if a change if forced on it.
He said: "Our position remains that Portsmouth should be left out of local government reorganisation, because we already have a single council that is financially stable and delivers strong local services to residents. This is backed by Portsmouth residents who took our recent survey, with 82 per cent agreeing that Portsmouth should be left alone.
"If the government does force change upon us, Portsmouth agrees with the vast majority of Hampshire councils that the best option for reorganisation is not to have less than four mainland unitary councils. This would create councils that are of sufficient size under the government's criteria to deliver major services for the nearly two million Hampshire residents and be financially sustainable, while still being local enough to understand their communities.
"In this scenario, Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant and Fareham would be likely to join together under one new, larger council. Our survey showed that if the government did force Portsmouth to remain part of the reorganisation process, 61 per cent of those who expressed a preference would support this option over any other."