The Consultation on Devolution in Hampshire, Isle of Wight and the Solent is open until 13 April 2025.
Devolution is where the Government will pass down some of its national powers to our region. There will be an elected Mayor, and a new Strategic Authority made up of a group of councils who work together in a structured way to use the devolved powers and funding.
The Strategic Authority is not a new council and does not replace existing councils. It might be easier to think of it as a board of directors made up of member councils.
Hamble Valley constituency sits under the Tier 1 council of Hampshire County Council. Other Tier 1 councils cover the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. These three are all unitary authorities responsible for all local services in their area.
Hamble Valley sits across three Tier 2 councils: Eastleigh, Fareham and Winchester. These share responsibilities with Hampshire County Council. For example, the Tier 2 councils collect household waste and recycling and deliver it to processing facilities for which Hampshire is responsible.
The Strategic Authority will be made up of the elected mayor and members appointed by the Tier 1 councils (“constituent members”). The Tier 2 councils may also appoint “non-constituent members”.
If devolution happens Central Government will control national-level decision making and the new Strategic Authority will have regional duties and powers in:
- funding and investment
- transport and local infrastructure
- skills and employment
- housing and planning
- economic development
- environment and climate change
- health and wellbeing
- public safety
The Mayor would represent us on the Council of Nations and Regions. This includes the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of other Combined Authorities.
Our region has a population bigger than Northern Ireland and an economy on a par with Wales so it is right that we should have more say and control over decisions that affect us.
Devolution for our region is an exciting prospect and will benefit our area enormously. Local councils in Hampshire will no longer have to bid against each other for small pots of money from national government but will be able to work together to develop strategies and funding for the whole area. No more competing against each other for funding for things like public transport, economic growth, or tackling deprivation.
Under the old system, competitive bidding often means some parts of Hampshire lose out while others gain. The Labour Government’s devolution plan will enable us to create joined-up strategies and deliver them for the benefit of us all.
Devolution will also bring significant additional funding to drive economic prosperity and improve the lives of local people in Hamble Valley.
There is a good explanation of devolution on the Hampshire County Council website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/aboutthecouncil/governmentinhampshire/devolution
There is also a longer version on the Government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hampshire-and-the-solent-devolution/hampshire-and-the-solent-devolution-consultation#proposed-institution-governance-and-decision-making-arrangements
The online consultation consists of six simple questions, with the chance to give reasons for your views if you wish: https://consult.communities.gov.uk/lggc/hampshire-and-the-solent-devolution-consultation
We recommend looking at one of the first two links before responding to the consultation.
Local Government Reorganisation
The Labour Government also plans to replace the 2-Tier system of local government with new larger unitary authorities. When this happens it will be the new councils that will be constituent members of the Strategic Authority.
There is a separate process for Local Government Reorganisation which is distinct from the Devolution process and current consultation. There will be a separate consultation for local government reorganisation when more is known about the likely boundaries of the new unitary authorities.
