By Mabel Wellman. Picture by Mike Daish.
At the beginning of January the four “main” councils of Hampshire took to vote on whether or not to be included on the Devolution Priority Programme.
These were the Isle Of Wight, Southampton City, Portsmouth City and Hampshire County Councils. Devolution would have affected Hampshire anyway, however with all four main councils in the county voting in favour (and all four did need to vote in favour to apply) this means Hampshire will be one of the first to experience the change. On the 5th February 2025 it was announced that Hampshire has been accepted into the programme.
Devolution means that some powers which are currently centralised and decided on behalf of Hampshire in Westminster would transfer into the hands of the local authority. The Strategic Mayoral Authority created would then have these additional powers and funding, instead of central government to make decisions on things like transport and infrastructure in the area.
Hampshire will also have an elected mayor, who would have certain powers and decision making responsibilities, rather than the more ceremonial, charity fundraising, and voluntary roles that the current Lord Mayors of Southampton, Portsmouth and Chair and Vice Chairs of Hampshire currently comprise.
Initially, there was a lot of disagreement to the plans by councillors on the Isle Of Wight particularly. There were concerns with their council joining with the mainland and taking decision making away from their local level. However, Isle Of Wight Council did also vote in favour of joining the fast track Devolution Priority Programme at the beginning of January.
There has also been some disagreement by local councillors and residents following the bid being voted and applied for. This includes, again, some members of the Isle of Wight Council, and also Gosport. Councillors in Gosport, Peter Chegwyn and Rob Hylands have proposed a motion to oppose the Hampshire devolution bid, this comes from concerns that elected officials from other parts of Hampshire will not have local residents’ best interests at heart.
Eastleigh Liberal Democrats MP, Liz Jarvis, also disagrees with the proposal due to 2025 elections needing to be postponed for 12 months whilst the change is administrated. This is a feeling some residents have also expressed or labelled “anti-democratic”, although parish and any by-elections may still take place.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) had the choice to join either a Wessex or Hampshire bid, of which they took the first option. This “Heart Of Wessex” bid was not approved and accepted into the government’s fast track programme. A joint statement from councillors Millie Earl, Nick Ireland, Bill Revans, and Richard Clewer, says the following, indicating what Hampshire can stand to gain compared to other areas who will need to wait longer for their devolution:
“Despite the fact that we felt Government were moving too quickly to deliver devolution, and our discussion about the format of Mayoral Strategic Authority as the most appropriate solution for our region, we worked collaboratively with ministers throughout to deliver a strong proposal. Therefore, the decision not to include Wessex within the Devolution Priority Programme is extremely disappointing.
“We feel the Wessex proposal aligned with the aims of the White Paper, encompassing a population of approximately 1.9 million, with the region well-placed to support the Government’s growth priorities, particularly in clean energy, defence, digital technologies, life sciences, and tourism. The area could now miss out on essential funding, and combined with the likely defunding of pan-regional partnerships and the substantial reduction in the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the fact that this will now be delayed when we are ready to go is deeply regrettable.”
A full news article can be read here
Exact details of what the Hampshire bid and devolution process are yet to be released. However a full statement from councillors at Hampshire on what can be looked forward to, including a plan to hold a public consultation for people’s input and feedback can be read here
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