Hampshire County Council urged to remain in Solent Transport

Hampshire County Council has notified Southampton City Council that they will be withdrawing from Solent Transport

The Solent’s three unitary councils, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, are calling on Hampshire County Council not to leave Solent Transport. The move follows Hampshire County Council publishing a paper recommending the authority leaves the partnership which focuses on integrated transport solutions across south Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton.

Solent Transport is a partnership of local authorities that provides leadership, strategy and direction to deliver transport improvements across south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and improve the movement of people and goods across the sub-region. Its work supports the sustainable development of the Solent area, making it greener, healthier, and more prosperous, and includes successful joint funding bids worth more than £150M in the last decade such as the Solent Future Transport Zone, which has funded projects covering a range of transport initiatives, from Breeze, the UK’s largest transport journey planning and ticketing app, to the rollout of rental bikes and e-scooters and researching the use of drones to deliver time-sensitive medical supplies for the NHS.

Current members of Solent Transport are Hampshire County Council and the three unitary councils of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton.

A decision on whether Hampshire County Council will continue within Solent Transport will be taken at a meeting on Thursday 27 June.