Hampshire County Council could be one of the local authorities to apply for inclusion in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) – for the delegation of central Government decision making powers and additional funding to local councils to give them more local control over certain areas such as education, transportation, and health services.
On January 9 and 10, the County Council and its Cabinet will decide whether or not to make a request to be included in the Devolution Priority Programme and be on the fast track to securing devolution for the area, with a view to unlocking the opportunities devolved powers would have as quickly as possible for the benefit of residents and communities across the region.
This follows an agreement with the Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council, at the end of August 2024, to submit to Government a joint Expression of Interest (EOI) in forming a single combined authority for the collective area of the four upper tier authorities.
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Hampshire County Council
These government plans would mean a much smaller number of local authorities, and HCC says that in order to help areas develop and implement devolution proposals in the most ambitious timeframes, the government “has been clear that they expect local authorities to postpone local council elections from May 2025 to May 2026. This will enable devolution proposals to progress at pace in 2025 and ensure the benefits for the area are realised as quickly as possible.”
The Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Nick Adams-King, said: “We are on the brink of a transformative journey for Hampshire, and the vehicle driving us forward is devolution. Our goal is a Hampshire and Solent where decisions, big and small, are made close to the people they affect; where less bureaucracy means quicker, simpler processes; and where councils can deliver even better value for money to residents and businesses.
“Therefore, with this report, I will be seeking the backing of not just my Cabinet but all Hampshire County Councillors in asking for their agreement to the proposed recommendations to Hampshire joining the Government’s Priority Programme.
“As I have made clear previously, I have been in active dialogue with the leaders of the unitary, borough and district authorities over these past months so that we would be in a position to be able to take control of our future and secure the best deal possible as soon as the chance arose.
“That time is now.”
If it is agreed that a request for inclusion on the fast-track Programme should be made, this would be the first step towards creating a Strategic Authority across the wider region incorporating the local authority areas of Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council.
In addition to the creation of a new Strategic Authority, the Government is also expecting all areas across the country to produce local government re-organisation plans by Autumn 2025. This will create new large unitary authorities across the region, which for Hampshire will mean bringing together the County Council, 11 borough and district councils and small neighbouring unitary authorities into a number of new large unitary authorities.