Government given go-ahead to fast-track devolution across the South
It means this May's local elections in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been postponed until next year
Last updated 5th Feb 2025
May elections in nine council areas, including Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been postponed for one year amid the reorganisation of local government in England, Angela Rayner has confirmed.
The Deputy Prime Minister has also invited all 21 two-tier areas - which have both county and district councils - to submit proposals to reorganise themselves into single "unitary" authorities.
Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, agreed to cancel elections in May because the Government is "not in the business of holding elections to bodies that won't exist", so votes will be held in May 2026 after the expected reorganisation.
The nine affected areas are East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey.
Ms Rayner also unveiled seven new potential devolution areas with "a view to mayoral elections in May 2026" across Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, Sussex and Brighton, and Lancashire.
Announcing the delay to elections, the Deputy Prime Minister told the Commons: "For certain areas, a significant amount of work is needed to unlock devolution and deliver reorganisation. For this reason, some areas requested to postpone their elections until May 2026.
"The Government's starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there's a strong justification for postponement, and the bar is high, and rightly so.
"I am only agreeing to half of the requests that were made. After careful consideration, I have only agreed to postpone elections in places where this is central to our manifesto promise to deliver devolution.
"We're not in the business of holding elections to bodies that won't exist and where we don't know what will replace them. This would be an expensive and irresponsible waste of taxpayers' money, and any party calling for these elections to go ahead must explain how this waste would be justifiable."
Ms Rayner added Surrey had been selected "given the urgency of creating sustainable new unitary structures and to unlock devolution for this area", amid financial difficulties at Woking Borough Council where the authority had a £1.2 billion hole in its budget caused by "extreme" high levels of borrowing.
The Deputy Prime Minister earlier said: "Today, I will be issuing a legal invitation to all 21 two-tier areas to submit proposals for new unitary councils."
On the seven new potential devolution areas, Ms Rayner said: "These places will get a fast-track ticket to drive real change in their area.
"While devolution can sound techie, the outcome is simple - it's a plan for putting more money in people's pockets, it's a plan for quicker, better, cheaper transport designed with local people in mind, a plan for putting politics back in the service of working people."
Councillor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council said:
“Devolution will bring enormous benefits for the residents of Southampton and the wider region, being accepted onto the Government’s fast-track programme is a major step forward.
“Devolving powers from Westminster to a regional Mayor will mean decisions about our transport network, major infrastructure investment, employment support programmes and more will be made locally It will also bring millions in additional funding to improve the lives of local people and drive economic growth.
“I am pleased that, with the approval received today, the Government is recognising the opportunity in the region, and the contribution Southampton and its partners can make to the wider UK economy.”
Councillor Phil Jordan, Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said: "Currently, central government and Whitehall departments make some key strategic decisions about policy and funding for the Island and the wider area.
"Devolution would shift more of these policy-making powers and additional funding to local authorities such as the Isle of Wight Council.
"This change is expected to provide greater local control over vital areas such as major transport infrastructure, and health services, giving residents more power to shape the things that are important to them and ensuring robust local accountability."
Hampshire County Council Leader, Cllr Nick Adams-King said: "This is exciting news for Hampshire. Devolution represents the biggest change to local government in a generation and to be accepted onto Government's Devolution Priority Programme as a fast-track to delivering devolution for the area is a fantastic opportunity for Hampshire to self-determine and shape devolution proposals in the best interests of our residents and communities.
“We are one of a select few local authorities nationally to join this fast-track programme, highlighting the substantial devolution opportunities recognised by the Government for our area. This selection also includes our upper-tier partners, Isle of Wight Council, and Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils and with a combined population of over two million residents, 90,000 businesses, and an economy generating around £80 billion annually, Hampshire and the Solent region are pivotal to the UK's economic landscape.”
Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: "I am pleased Hampshire and The Solent has been selected as part of the Devolution Priority Programme and will ensure our area can benefit sooner from additional powers and investment for jobs and skills, housing and transport at a sub-regional level.
"I have always said I favoured a deal for just the Solent area without an elected Mayor, but government ruled this out as an option so we now focus on what we can do to make a positive impact for our area, and one benefit a Mayor would bring is a seat for our region at the Government's new Council of Nations and Regions.
"We're expecting government will fund the necessary changes without any impact on local taxpayers and once it has set out the next steps we'll work with our partners to move things forward and get the best possible deal for our residents."
Opposing to the plan, Liberal Democrat Liz Jarvis, MP for Eastleigh said:
“The delay of local elections in Hampshire is a disgraceful stitch up between Labour and the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats made sweeping gains in Hampshire, taking seats from the Conservatives. Now voters will be denied the chance to kick them out in May.
“Liberal Democrats oppose this decision and will continue to fight for voters in Hampshire to be heard, standing as community champions.”