Eastleigh's View
Eastleigh Borough Council's preferred option is Option 1A.
In March 2026 the Government published its decision on how local councils in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton will be reorganised.
The Government intends to implement Option 1A, creating five unitary councils with targeted boundary changes around Southampton & Portsmouth. This is the place-based model we have supported: services close to communities, with councils large enough to be sustainable.
Eastleigh Borough Council supported Option 1A, along with Fareham, Hart, Havant, Portsmouth, Rushmoor and Southampton Councils.
Option 1A proposes creating four new unitary councils on the mainland plus the Isle of Wight, but makes targeted boundary changes around Southampton Water and south-east Hampshire:
The council supported this option because it:
- Option 1A links places that already feel part of the same everyday area – from Southampton and Eastleigh out to Totton, Marchwood, Hythe, Fawley, Chandler’s Ford and Valley Park. Many people in these communities already travel into Southampton and Eastleigh for work, shopping, leisure, education and health services.
- The new boundaries follow clear “lines on the ground” that people recognise – such as the M27 and Southampton Water – instead of sticking to older district lines drawn in the 1970s.
- This reduces the risk of semi-urban and coastal communities being managed as if they were rural, and instead groups them with places that share similar challenges and priorities – like transport, regeneration and housing growth.
- The Government wants new councils to be around 500,000 people. Option 1A gets closest to this on the mainland, creating four councils that are all of a similar, sensible size – large enough to be efficient, but not so large that local voices are lost.
- Because the populations are more even, the new councils each have a stronger and more balanced tax base to fund local services and cope with financial shocks, rather than having one or two very big councils dominating the rest.
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Southampton already have experience of running unitary council services such as education, highways and social care. Option 1A builds on that experience by extending their footprints sensibly, rather than creating very large “super councils” that would feel distant from residents.
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More equal council sizes also matter for the future mayoral combined authority covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, making sure no single council can dominate decisions about funding, investment and services for the wider area.
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Over 90% of patients in the proposed Waterside and lower Test Valley areas already use University Hospital Southampton. Bringing these areas into the same council as the city supports more joined-up planning for health, social care and transport.
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Option 1A brings together the Port of Southampton, the Solent Freeport sites in Southampton, Eastleigh and the New Forest, and Southampton Airport within a single South West council – making it easier to co-ordinate investment, infrastructure and jobs around these nationally important assets.
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Building on existing economic relationships, this “coastal powerhouse” approach is designed to unlock economic and housing growth, remove barriers caused by split responsibilities, and create clearer accountability for major ports, airports and transport networks.
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Option 1A has the smallest gap between the largest and smallest mainland councils, creating a much more even spread of population than Options 1 or 2.
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Option 1A produces the most balanced council tax base across the new councils, with the lowest variance in both the total tax base and council tax per head – helping to keep council tax fairer and more similar across the area.
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Business rates funding per person is also more even in Option 1A than in the other options, which means every council has a mix of homes and businesses strong enough to support services and invest in local priorities.
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This balance matters for resilience: it reduces the risk of one council being over-dependent on a single sector or area, and allows all councils to share in the benefits of future growth.
- Option 1A keeps the Isle of Wight as its own island council, recognising that it has unique geography, identity and service needs – and that many services would simply need to be duplicated if they were run from the mainland.
- It also keeps the North Hampshire unitary (Basingstoke and Deane, Hart and Rushmoor) exactly the same as in all the other options, reflecting the strong economic links along the M3 corridor towards London and the distinct role North Hampshire plays in the wider economy.
How was this option developed?
As part of a group of 11 of 15 Hampshire councils, we have been working together to understand the views of our residents, businesses and other organisations alongside analysing information about the services we deliver and the areas we cover.
This has helped to shape the option that we have submitted to government. Our proposal, ‘Close enough to be local, big enough to stay strong’ shows the detailed evidence that has informed our shared vision for the future of local government.
All 11 councils in the group support five new councils with an average population size of 500,000. There would be four new councils on the mainland based around the economic hubs of Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester with the Isle of Wight remaining a unitary council.
This keeps decisions close to communities, ensures services will be tailored to local needs including those in rural areas and protects local identity and relationships with businesses, the NHS, police, schools, town and parish councils and voluntary groups.
Each council would have the scale to run complex services well, enable economic growth, invest for the long term and be financially resilient - removing duplication and unlocking at least £63.9m a year in recurring savings.
While Eastleigh Borough Council supports Option 1A, there are two other configurations in the five-council structure that other councils have recommended as their preferred options. More information on these can be viewed for Option 1 here and Option 2 here.
In addition, Hampshire County Council and East Hants District Council are recommending an alternative four-council structure.