Dramatic plan to reorganise Hampshire councils

On the 5 February, the Secretary of State wrote to Hampshire County Council proposing changes to the council structure as it currently is.

This was after Keir Starmer in 2024 presented plans to reform local government to increase reliability.
The plans stated that the current two tier system would be reformed to a group of unitary councils across Hampshire.

The current two tier system means that Hampshire County Council controls broader areas such as: education, social care, waste disposal, and highways.

Then smaller district and borough councils control local waste, and housing planning.

The”Local Government Reorganisation” proposals mean there will be four individual councils in Hampshire instead of district and borough councils.
These are organised as: “The Mid North” which starts at Basingstoke and finishes at Winchester and covers the western side of Hampshire.
Then follows the “West” which starts at the current Test Valley and finishes in the New Forest (this includes Southampton).
Then the “Southeast” covers Fareham to Havant, including Portsmouth.

Then the Isle of Wight becomes its own district.
According to its timeline on the website the government is expected to hold a public consultation on the new plans in November, and the new structure is expected to start by May 2028.
But what are the actual positives of a system like this, according to their plan?

They state: “Our vision is to achieve a Simpler, Stronger, Secure model of Public Service delivery across the area.”

This aligns with the government’s plans to make councils more transparent and accountable through the single tier service.
Similarly in 2025 the council held a public consultation on devolution, this is the expansion of power to the council to provide independence for the county.