Local Government Reorganisation
Introduction
The Government wants to change how local councils work throughout England.
Currently some areas in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have two levels of local government with a district or borough council working alongside Hampshire County Council, and others, like Southampton, have just one level.
The Government wants to simplify this arrangement so that there is just one level of local government across the region while also combining areas to be more efficient.
As Southampton already has just one level of local government, the main change for local people would be seen when the council becomes part of an authority covering a larger area.
The Government has asked councils across the region to send in their ideas for the reorganisation.
As part of a group of 12 of 15 Hampshire councils, we have been working together to understand the views of our residents, businesses and other organisations alongside analysing information about the services we deliver and the areas we cover.
This has helped to shape the option that we have submitted to government. Our proposal, ‘Close enough to be local, big enough to stay strong’ shows the detailed evidence that has informed our shared vision for the future of local government.
All 12 councils in the group feel that four mainland councils plus the Isle of Wight would be best placed to deliver for the people of Hampshire and the Solent. However, each council will be making an individual recommendation to government. Our recommended changes would:
- Create a new council for our area that covers Southampton and Eastleigh in their entirety as well as neighbouring parishes in the Test Valley and New Forest council areas
- Reflect the practical realities of local people
- Have balanced populations
- Unlock economic growth across our region
- Deliver new homes for local people
- Capitalise on the strengths of Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester
Our recommended changes are shown in the map below.
You can view and download the proposal and its appendices below:
Proposal
| Document | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 694.2 KB | |
| 1. Our Approach | 3.7 MB | |
| 2. Our Vision | 585.1 KB | |
| 3. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight | 963.6 KB | |
| 4. How our model meets the government’s criteria | 2.4 MB | |
| 5. Isle of Wight case for remaining as an existing unitary council | 731.3 KB | |
| 6. Alignment of our proposal to other government priority policy areas | 563.5 KB | |
| 7. Financial case | 2.3 MB | |
| 8. Implementation plan | 694.3 KB |
Appendices
| Document | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Appendix 1 - Options Appraisal | 6.4 MB | |
| Appendix 2 - Option 1 | 11.9 MB | |
| Appendix 3 - Option 2 | 12.3 MB | |
| Appendix 4 - Option 3 | 13.3 MB | |
| Appendix 5 - Financial Technical Appendices | 11.8 MB | |
| Appendix 6 - Report By Collaborate For Social Change | 12.9 MB | |
| Appendix 7 - Equalities Impact Assessment | 12.8 MB | |
| Appendix 8 - Our Place, Our Future | 13.6 MB |
Other proposals
There are two other configurations in the five-council structure that other councils have recommended as their preferred options.
In addition, Hampshire County Council and East Hants District Council are recommending an alternative four-council structure.
Next steps
- Our preferred option, confirmed by Cabinet, has been submitted to Government on 26 September.
- The Government will consider the options submitted to them.
- A Government-led public consultation to gather feedback on the final proposals is expected to open late in 2025.
- Government is expected to announce their decision in Spring 2026.
- Legislation to enable the formation of the new councils would be brought forward in Summer 2026, and the confirmed in Autumn 2026.
- Elections to ‘shadow authorities’ to guide the set up of the new councils would take place in May 2027.
- The new councils would take over for their areas in April 2028.