Solent residents encouraged to have their say on devolution plans
A consultation on establish a new regional mayor and local authority runs until April
A consultation has been opened on government plans for devolution and a new Hampshire and Solent mayoral authority.
Whitehall will gather views on a bid to create a Mayoral Combined County Authority which stems from the controversial English Devolution White Paper, a document the government describes as ‘plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities’.
Following the White Paper’s release in December 2024, local authority leaders from the Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council wrote to the government to signal their interest in taking forward the plans at pace.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said:
"Combined County Authorities are organisations made up of a group of councils who come together over larger areas that people recognise and work in.
"They allow councils to work together in a structured way and take decisions over a wider area footprint, with powers and responsibilities being held by that Combined County Authority.
"Combined County Authorities do not replace the councils in your area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the council continue to be provided by the council.
"A Combined County Authority can be led by a directly elected mayor. The government is supportive of places having mayors because they have a mandate to take big decisions affecting more people, they have convening power to tackle shared problems, and they are accountable to the local electorate for the decisions they take.”
Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson (Conservative) is a staunch critic of the plans.
He said previously:
"The very existence of the Isle of Wight Council is now under threat. This is no longer just about a shared mayor with Hampshire but whether we merge our own council with part of the mainland.
"The Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) was very clear that local elections are only being cancelled in places where the local council may cease to exist after the negotiations."
The consultation lasts until April 13, 11.59pm and can be found at the gov.uk website.