Progress towards identifying new local government structures

Hampshire County Council delivers 85% of all council services across Hampshire and the Solent, to 1.4 million residents – from social care and education to highways and waste, plus many more. We operate at scale, but our teams are rooted in local communities, working each day in people’s homes, schools, and neighbourhoods across the county.

Despite the financial pressures common to many councils nationally, our services are consistently rated among the best in the country. We believe any future council model must protect this high standard of delivery for residents.

Our commitment

We are actively developing a proposal for how local government could be reorganised in a way that works best for Hampshire and the Solent region. Our focus is on ensuring that any new councils are:

  • Simpler – with easy-to-access, joined-up, efficient and effective services
  • Stronger – built on a foundation of excellent core services and designed around the needs of people and communities
  • Secure – delivering great value for money for the taxpayer, financially resilient and able to protect vital services

What we’re doing

We’re taking an evidence-led approach, exploring all viable options for how councils could be configured. We’re considering both financial and non-financial factors – including service quality, community identity, and long-term sustainability.

We’ll soon be engaging with residents, partners, and stakeholders to gather views and shape our recommendation to Government, which we will submit in autumn 2025.

Looking ahead

The final decision on how local government is reorganised in Hampshire and the Solent will rest with central Government. Our goal is to ensure that any changes deliver the best outcomes for residents, protect vital frontline services, and secure a strong future for our region.

Simpler

  • Streamlined processes: fewer councils providing all your services, delivering greater value for money, reducing bureaucratic red tape / management layers to make services more accessible and efficient.
  • Unified systems: enabling various local government systems to be integrated for better coordination, service delivery and communication with least disruption.
  • Clearer information for the public: simplifying the way information is shared with the public, making it easier to understand and access.

Stronger

  • Quality services: allocating resources better in order to deliver high standards in the provision of local services.
  • Community and engagement: fostering stronger relationships with residents by involving them in decision-making processes.

Secure

  • Financial stability: ensuring least disruption and protecting sustainable financial management to support ongoing and future service delivery.
  • Resilient: delivering strong and experienced authorities that are best equipped to withstand financial shocks and manage growing demand for core services.
  • Familiar geography: aligning to familiar areas where people live, learn, work and enjoy and acknowledging established boundaries for emergency services and strategic services (NHS, Police, Fire) to protect residents and their health. Retaining expertise, knowledge and strength around delivery of vital core services.
  • Public safety: protecting those most in need – through robust and effective services, standards and interventions. Safeguarding communities. Implementing strong data security to safeguard personal and community information.
  • A better future: delivering better health, prosperity and security for future generations through a strong local economy, high quality education and excellent employment opportunities.