What is Local Government Reorganisation?
Currently, Hampshire and the Solent area includes 15 district, county and unitary councils.
Some areas have 'two tier' councils – which means they have:
- Hampshire County Council delivering essential services such as education, roads, social care for older people, and safeguarding vulnerable children and adults
- District or borough councils delivering other key services, including planning, housing and waste collection
The Solent area (Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight) has single-tier councils that deliver all services.
The Government now plans for these 15 councils to be reorganised into a smaller number.
LGR would not change parish and town councils in Hampshire and the Solent area.
Frequently asked questions
How will town and parish councils be affected?
Town and parish councils have not been invited by Ministers to reorganise and will therefore not be affected structurally by local government reorganisation.
In its English Devolution White Paper, the Government confirmed that it wants to strengthen the relationship between town and parish councils and the new unitary councils.
Will the creation of new Councils be likely to increase Council Tax?
When tax levels are set by new councils, at the point of a restructure, there may be increases or reductions required, compared to what people had paid previously, to bring everyone in the area to the same level of tax. These changes are usually made gradually over a number of years, to help taxpayers adjust to any differences in cost.
How can representation become better, with significantly fewer councillors?
Streamlining the structure of councils, including having fewer councillors, is the basis of Government’s plan for LGR – to have a single tier of local government, the right size to make it more efficient and cheaper to run.
Preparing for this requirement, we have worked closely with local stakeholders on detailed recommendations for neighbourhood empowerment models, to ensure that local councillors of the future have effective routes for listening to, and working with, the larger communities that they will serve – regardless of the model of new unitary councils that Government ultimately selects.
Streamlining the number of councillors, particularly in areas where two tiers of councillors are currently working for the same area, will also make the structure simpler for residents to navigate and engage with. Even within current arrangements across the 15 local authorities of Hampshire and the Solent area, many wards have a single person serving as both their district and their county councillor. Following local government reorganisation, this dual role would be streamlined into a single portfolio of work serving one unitary council.
Can the new councils use LGR to transform social care practice, and solve the funding crisis that is currently facing councils?
LGR will make councils more efficient, but it won’t solve the funding crisis, which is caused by high demand that is experienced across all of local government.
Upper-tier councils (like county councils and unitary councils) are facing spiralling demand for some of the most expensive services. For example, school transport costs, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, have more than doubled in three years from £43 million to £94 million.
The government is reorganising councils to make them more streamlined. This will help to reduce the cost of running the councils themselves - but the cost of running a council is tiny, compared to the cost of actually delivering the services.
We will also seek to review and transform social care services, making the most of bringing together district services with county council services and working with partners to manage demand and support better outcomes for residents.
But this won’t entirely solve the financial challenges for the new unitary councils. Central Government must do more to ensure local government continues on a sustainable footing.
What happens in the coming months?
The Government will move through the legal process to implement its decision. (See the timeline.)
The process will include:
- Passing a Structural Change Order (the legal order that sets out how reorganisation will happen), and
- A shadow period, where a new council is elected and the new working arrangements are set up, before the new councils formally start.
At the County Council, we’ll have a programme team working alongside colleagues from all the other current councils in the area, to create the new councils and arrange support for the shadow councillors when they are elected.
What is a “shadow” council?
A shadow council is elected in advance of the new council starting. It works alongside existing councils and prepares for “day one” by setting up governance, senior appointments, budgets, and the transition plan.
Will residents notice any immediate difference?
No. Services continue as normal. Any changes to how services are organised would be planned during the transition period and communicated in advance.
What happens to council buildings, depots and offices?
For now, services continue as they are, in the buildings they currently use. If it turns out that services need to move from one building to another in the future, this would be communicated clearly.
What happens to contracts, assets, debt and liabilities?
These matters are handled through the legal reorganisation process and the orders that set out how assets, liabilities and contracts transfer. We will share confirmed information when it is published.