Hampshire Council launched a consultation on the future shape of the county’s local government yesterday and says it is ‘leaving all options open’ to residents.
The consultation will run for eight weeks and locals will be able to consider a number of options, including whether they want an elected mayor, the county split or would prefer no change.
The move comes after recent disagreements between Hampshire’s councils over the most effective way of organising local government in the area.
Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils, and some of the districts, support plans to create a combined authority for the Solent area. They argue a new Solent Combined Authority could be worth an extra £30m a year of Government funding.
Hampshire County Council has refused to back the proposal preferring instead the option of a new unitary authority.
Announcing the launch of the consultation, Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry said: ‘Hampshire County Council is leaving all options open to Hampshire residents, equipped with the pros and cons of potential ways councils could change going forward.’
However, he did defend the option of a single unitary authority against accusations it would be a ‘mega-unitary’. He argued it would be ‘no larger than the current size of the county council’ and would provide savings of £400m over 10 years.
