Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
Our Place, Our Future
Have your say on the future of local councils across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
The UK Government has asked all councils across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to put forward proposals for new, larger, councils to cover the area (replacing the current 15 councils, including Winchester City Council.)
The new unitary councils would deliver all the services which are currently split between the city (or borough / district) council and Hampshire County Council.
A group of 12 of the 15 councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, including Winchester City Council, are working together to develop proposals for new councils that will provide all services in the future.
We want to make sure these changes reflect real people, places and priorities - so tell us what matters to you!
Have your say
Find out more at our drop-in information events
- Monday 7 July – Meadowside Leisure Centre, Whiteley 4pm – 7pm
- Thursday 10 July – Alresford Market, SO24 9AG 9-1pm
- Monday 14 July – Wickham Square (next to the Village Bakery) 3-6pm
- Tuesday 15 July – South Wonston Sports and Recreation Pavilion 3-6PM
- Monday 21 July – Colden Common Community Centre next to the Co-op 3-6pm
- Wednesday 23 July – All Saint’s Church Hall, Denmead 4-7pm
- Thursday 24 July – Winchester High Street, nr St Maurice’s Covert 9am-2pm
The options
We’re working with 11 other councils and considering options to replace the current 15 councils with four new councils on the mainland, keeping the Isle of Wight as a separate council as it currently is. We believe this allow for councils that are big enough to deliver services well, but local enough to understand our communities and their needs. Any bigger than this and you risk creating councils which are too remote.
Option One
- Council 1: Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor
- Council 2: New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester, East Hampshire
- Council 3: Eastleigh, Southampton
- Council 4: Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport, Fareham
- Council 5: Isle of Wight
Option Two
- Council 1: Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor
- Council 2: Test Valley, Winchester, East Hampshire
- Council 3: New Forest, Eastleigh, Southampton
- Council 4: Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport, Fareham
- Council 5: Isle of Wight
Option Three
Based on Option One, this option also outlines a possibility of the southern parishes of Denmead, Newlands, Boarhunt, Southwick & Widley, Wickham & Knowle and Whiteley in the district, joining a new council to the South East (based around Portsmouth) rather than a new council in Mid Hampshire (based around Winchester.)
Parishes potentially affected by boundary changes under option three:
- New Forest: Totton & Eiling, Marchwood, Hythe & Dibden and Fawley
- Test Valley: Nursling & Rownhams, Chilworth, Valley Park and North Baddesley
- Winchester: Denmead, Newlands, Boarhunt, Southwick and Widley, Wickham & Knowle and Whiteley
- East Hampshire: Horndean, Clanfield and Rowlands Castle
We want to make sure that these changes reflect real people, places and priorities. So please use the survey to tell us what matters to you.
We're working with Thinks Insight and Strategy and plusfour market research to gather views of residents across the district in the form of an online workshop - You may be contacted or see adverts to take part alongside this letter of authority (pdf, 124kb). Please do register your interest if you would like to be involved
In December, the Government announced a major programme of reform for local government, including two related but separate initiatives:
- Devolving powers and funding from Whitehall to local areas by establishing regional Mayoral Strategic Authorities with populations of 1.5 million or more in all areas of England which don’t already have them.
- Creating new unitary local authorities with populations of at least 500,000 that will replace the current two-tier structure of a County Council working with Districts and Borough Councils.
The County Council and the three existing unitary Councils in Hampshire (Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council, Portsmouth City Council and Isle of Wight Council) asked to be included in the Government's priority programme for Devolution (DPP) and, on 5 February 2025, the Government confirmed that the Hampshire/Solent bid would be included in the priority programme.
The Government has asked for work to begin on creating a combined strategic authority for the Hampshire and Solent region, which would be led by an elected Mayor. At the same time, the Government has written to all the councils in the Hampshire and Solent region (including Winchester City Council) asking them to submit proposals to form new unitary councils (instead of the current two-tier structure of a county council and district and borough councils). An interim plan was submitted to government on behalf of all council on 21 March, you can view this on our website.
On 7 May, the government wrote to all councils (pdf, 197kb) in the Hampshire and Solent region with feedback on our interim plan.
Government's Devolution Consultation and our response
The Government ran a public consultation on Devolution from 17 February to 13 April 2025 asking for the people's views on proposals to establish a new Mayoral Strategic Authority for Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
As a council, we also submitted a response to this consultation. Download and view our response
(pdf, 746kb).
Please keep checking back at this page, as we will add to it as we learn more from the Government.
Devolution
Local Government Reorganisation
On 5 February 2025, the Secretary of State 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 and Districts and Borough Councils. The Government would like 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.