Devolution and local government reorganisation

The Government's consultation on establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority in Hampshire and The Solent

The Government is seeking views, from interested parties, on the benefits of establishing a Mayoral Combined authority in the Hampshire and Solent area.

This is a Government led consultation – they have asked the council to share the details with local stakeholders where possible.

The closing date for the consultation is 13 April 2025.

In December the Government announced a major programme of reform for local government including two related but separate initiatives:

  1.  Transferring powers and funding from Whitehall to local areas by creating regional Strategic Authorities with an elected Mayor, covering populations of over 1.5 million in all areas of England that do not already have them.

  2. Ending two-tier county and district council arrangements by reorganising local government to create new unitary local authorities with populations of at least 500,000.

Devolution

Devolution is where powers that currently sit with the national government are given to a local area so local decision makers can have more of a say in what happens in their area. It is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect. The Government is keen to do this through something called Strategic Authorities.

 Devolution could mean:

  • Better co-ordination of transport across the whole region
  • Better support for skills development for our residents because money will be spent locally rather than by national government
  • More strategic control over planning and housing
  • A stronger voice for our region with central Government

Devolution would see a Strategic Authority created covering the whole of Hampshire and The Solent, but local councils would still exist and be members of it. Separately to devolution, the Government is keen on Local Government Reorganisation, but that is a separate issue.

The Isle of Wight Council would still have the responsibility for setting local priorities and delivering them and the services you will be familiar with. Our elected councillors would remain accountable to the Island electorate. This would be similar to existing arrangements across the country such as Manchester where Andy Burnham is the Mayor of the Manchester Combined Authority and all the councils in that area still having council Leaders.

Hampshire and the Solent devolution bid

On 6 February 2025, the Government announced that Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils and Isle of Wight Council had been successful in their joint bid for inclusion on the Government's fast-track Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).

A regional Mayor will be elected to head up a new Strategic Authority across the wider region. The mayor will be responsible for driving local economic growth, strategic planning and infrastructure, strategic transport, and other areas. Their powers and funding will be transferred from government departments.

Elections for a mayor are expected to be held in May 2026.

To enable our region to progress devolution to the most ambitious timeframes, the Government has confirmed that local elections for the Isle of Wight Council will be postponed until May 2026. They were due to take place in May 2025.

Town, parish, and community council elections are still planned to go ahead this year.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government would like all areas of England that currently have two-tier councils to have one single unitary council instead covering populations of more than 500,000 each

For some areas of the country, this will mean that district and borough councils are likely to disappear and be integrated into new unitary authorities.

However, the Government has also indicated there may be exceptions and they may allow smaller councils, such as the Isle of Wight which is already a unitary authority, to exist in exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

The Invitation from the Minister to the local authorities in Hampshire and the Solent area inviting proposals for local government reorganisation can be read here

The draft ‘Hampshire and the Solent Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) – Interim Plan‘ agreed upon by all 15 authorities in the Hampshire and Solent area (including the Isle of Wight) has now been published.

This interim plan outlines guiding principles, such as financial sustainability, a clear sense of place and identity, and community feedback.

It also seeks an early indication from government that the Isle of Wight will be allowed to remain a separate unitary authority.

Full Council will consider the report on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, before it is presented to the Cabinet for a decision on Thursday 20 March 2025. The Cabinet report is available to view online.

If agreed, the interim report will be submitted to the government on 21 March 2025, with further work continuing over the coming months to develop final proposals.

The final proposal for local government reorganisation in Hampshire and the Solent area will be developed and considered by Full Council later this year, including local community and stakeholder engagement.

More information

If you wish to know more, further information including helpful videos and FAQs, is available on the Local Government Association website.

In this section