Local Government Reorganisation survey

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is the process of changing how local councils are set up and structured, and therefore how the services in your area are delivered. 

Currently, many parts of Hampshire use a two-tier system where services are split between different types of councils across the region – there’s more information about this below. Central government plans to replace the existing 15 district, borough, and county councils, with a smaller number of unitary councils responsible for most local government services. 

For you and your community, LGR means that a single organisation will be responsible for all your local services, from waste collection to road maintenance to adult social care. 

However, there are different ways in which this could work, and important questions need to be discussed, such as:

• How many unitary authorities should there be across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight?
• How should the current boroughs and districts be grouped together in a way that makes sense for communities as well as service delivery?

All district and borough councils, as well as Hampshire County Council, are currently considering different options for LGR, before submitting their preferred model to government. The final decision will be made by central government, who will examine each submission and run a public consultation on the ones they believe meet the criteria. The new local authorities will go live from 2028. 

In many areas of England, local services are run by more than one council. This is known as a two-tier authority, or a two-tier system, where a county council represents the ‘upper tier’ and local councils the ‘lower tier’. 

In Hampshire, there are currently 15 district, borough, and county councils, as well as unitary authorities:

The county council:

• Hampshire County Council

District, borough and city councils:

• Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
• East Hampshire District Council
• Eastleigh Borough Council
• Fareham Borough Council
• Gosport Borough Council
• Hart District Council
• Havant Borough Council
• New Forest District Council
• Rushmoor Borough Council
• Test Valley Borough Council
• Winchester City Council

Unitary authorities:

• Southampton 
• Portsmouth
• Isle of Wight

These councils split responsibility for services between them. The county council provides services that cover the entire county (e.g. education, social services, highways and transport, strategic planning and many more), while the smaller councils provide services to the local area only. These differ from council to council but may include services such as housing, local planning applications, waste collection, street cleaning, and many more. 

Each council has its own structure, with elected councillors, paid members of staff (sometimes called officers), working together to make decisions about the area.

A group of 12 district, borough, and unitary councils across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are working together to develop proposals for LGR in the region. The proposals put forward by the 12 councils are the result of months of joint working, research and conversations about what kind of local government will work best for our residents.

We’ve started from a simple principle: a council needs to be large enough to be effective - to run high-quality services and deliver value for money - but also small enough to stay connected to the places and people it serves. This is about local government that understands and reflects the distinct identity of our towns, villages and cities.

This also reflects the key criteria set by the government:

• prioritising the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to residents
• being the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks
• demonstrating that councils in local areas are working together on plans that meet local
• needs and are informed on local views, and 
• enabling stronger community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment.

The evidence we have gathered shows that four mainland unitary councils delivering all council services in the areas we cover, would be big enough to deliver strategic services, but local enough to understand communities so we can tailor services more closely to their needs.

We are also clear that the Isle of Wight, with its clear geographic boundary and strong local identity, should continue as a distinct unitary council, reflecting its unique position and needs.

Across the mainland, we are considering options that include four new unitary councils, each based on local links, economic geography, and community identity. The differences between the options relate to how current councils are grouped:

Option 1:

Council 1: Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor

Council 2: New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester, East Hampshire

Council 3: Eastleigh, Southampton

Council 4: Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport, Fareham

Council 5: Isle of Wight (retains existing unitary status)

Option 2:

Council 1: Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor

Council 2: Test Valley, Winchester, East Hampshire

Council 3: New Forest, Eastleigh, Southampton

Council 4: Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport, Fareham

Council 5: Isle of Wight

You can choose your preferred option, and give feedback on what matters most to you in your area, by completing the survey now ourplaceourfuture.commonplace.is/