Coupled with the claim by the Leader of Hampshire County Council that we are ‘on the brink of a transformative journey for Hampshire, and the vehicle driving us forward is devolution’ is very worrying.
As a Hampshire resident and Winchester City Council councillor, I am deeply concerned about the current proposed format and the absence of improved electoral democratic processes for the devolution and local government reorganisation proposals.
While change can bring opportunities, the current trajectory creates serious democratic deficits unless accompanied by significant democratic reforms.
Cancelling the Hampshire County Council elections for May 2025 already raises questions about legitimacy. It would leave an administration with a questionable electoral mandate to oversee a major restructuring of local government.
This approach risks undermining public trust in the political process and eroding the legitimacy of local governance.
Therefore, a county council with a strong voice in the devolution and local government reorganisation discussions to represent residents’ interests must be in doubt.
Reducing the number of districts in favour of large unitaries might have practical advantages and some cost savings, but the proposed population of 500,000 per unitary weakens the vital link between councillors and constituents.
Comparatively, London and Manchester, with unitaries serving around 300,000 people, have more robust democratic connections.
Persisting with the outdated First Past the Post electoral system is also inappropriate for the proposed reorganisation. A proportional voting system is essential to reflect Hampshire’s diverse communities and ensure the widest representation.
An analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research highlighted growing political disillusionment among certain social groups, leading to increasingly unequal elections. Furthermore, voter turnout for mayoral elections typically hovers around 30 per cent, underscoring a worrying decline in democratic engagement.
Hampshire’s population, comparable to Northern Ireland and exceeding that of some devolved regions, demands regional governance structures reflective of its scale.
A mayoral combined authority without proportional representation would narrow the diversity of political voices and lessen Hampshire’s breadth of perspectives. Instead, a Hampshire Assembly incorporating proportional representation and all local voices would provide a balanced, responsive governance structure that effectively represents all Hampshire residents.
I urge all county councillors and the government, if they are listening, to consider these concerns. Electoral reform that addresses these risks (certainties) must be a part of Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation.
Only through such measures can we secure a truly democratic future for Hampshire and other parts of England in the same local government reorganising process.
Without them, there is a very real danger of introducing ‘regressive’, not ‘transformational’ local governance and democracy with an enduring democratic deficit.
Danny Lee
A concerned Hampshire resident & Winchester City Councillor for Central Meon Valley
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