LGR is a national process that looks at how councils are structured in a local area.

In places with a county council and separate district/borough councils (a “two-tier” system), the government wants to instead create single-tier unitary councils that run most local services in one organisation.

The aim of LGR is to reorganise councils so that they have clearer accountability, better joined-up services, and long-term financial sustainability.

In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. Devolution is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect. 

Local government reorganisation is the process in which the structure and responsibilities of local authorities are reconfigured. In the context of the English Devolution White Paper, the Government have set out plans to move away from the current two-tier system of district and county councils.  

In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight a new website has been created which outlines more about the Combined County Authority - which will be led by a mayor from May 2028. You can also follow the Combined County Authority on Linkedin.

A unitary authority is a single council that runs all local services in an area. 

Across Hampshire, there is currently a two-tier system of government, where some services are delivered by Hampshire County Council and some are delivered by your district or borough council. A unitary authority delivers all these services in a single council.

The final decision about the make-up of new councils is made by the Government.

Following the release of its English Devolution White Paper, On 5 February 2025, the Government wrote to all councils in Hampshire to formally invite proposals for forming new, larger unitary councils within the Hampshire and Solent region instead of the current structure of a county council alongside districts and borough Councils. The Government asked for new councils to have populations of around 500,000 - and each new unitary council would offer all services that are currently provided across the district council and the county council.  

For now, nothing changes in the way you receive services. Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council will continue to provide everything they do today. Our priority is making sure residents, businesses and communities continue to get the support they need without interruption.   

You’ll still be able to use the same council offices, community spaces and online services. Everything will stay open and work just as it does now.   

Following the government's announcement withdrawing its March 2026 decision, this is currently unknown

No decision on names have been made.

Local Parish councils are not directly affected by LGR.

The goal of reorganisation is to transition services to the new councils smoothly and with minimal disruption for residents .

Day to day, you shouldn’t notice any immediate changes – your bins will be collected as normal for example, and any social care services will continue as normal too.  

As the new councils are created,  they’ll gradually start to join up how they work and the systems they use – these changes can take several months or years - it won't be overnight - and any change will be introduced carefully. A date for the new councils is currently unknown and will be dependent on the outcome of the government's review. 

The Government would like to remove the 'two tier' system of local government, where for example you have service provided by both Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council. Their preferred model is for council services to be provided from a single unitary authority in a local area. Following the government's announcement to withdraw their March 2026 decision, we do not know how many councils there will be across Hampshire and the Solent, and we are waiting for the outcome of their review. 

No decisions have yet been made on where new councils will be based 

No decision has been made on this - these decisions would be taken by the new councils.