Government announces changes to local councils
The Government has 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.
Option 1A will see Eastleigh & Southampton come together with the parishes of Chilworth, Fawley, Hythe and Dibden, Marchwood, Nursling and Rownhams, Totton and Eling, and Valley Park to create a new South West Hampshire unitary authority:
It is great news that the government has decided to move forward with our preferred option to restructure the councils across Hampshire.
Our priority in this local government reorganisation has been to do what is right for the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We want to ensure that their communities are well represented, their vital local services are protected and can face the challenges of the future and their councils are financially resilient and represent good value for money.
We believe that our proposals for four new unitary councils created around the major economic centres of Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester and Basingstoke, with the Isle of Wight staying an independent island unitary council, are the best solution for the people and businesses we serve.
This is a major change for our area: the biggest shake up of local government in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for over 50 years. We know we now must work together to make the most of this opportunity to shape more responsive services, boost our local economy and give our residents a say in decisions that affect their daily lives.
Now we will work positively and constructively with all the councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to make the transition as smooth as possible for the people we all serve.
With the same spirit of collaboration and engagement that we have approached this whole process from the start, we will now move forward at pace with the programme of work to create these new unitary authorities.
This announcement 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 unitary council will be big enough 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, the proposals aim to pay back the cost of reorganisation in around three years.
Together we engaged with key partners and residents to help shape the proposals for new unitary councils that we put forward. Most MPs across the area publicly supported our solution. It is good that the government has listened to all these important voices, and the majority of our residents.