Controversial council shake-up on hold: what happens next?

Plans to reorganise local government across Hampshire and the Solent have been thrown into uncertainty after the government withdrew its previous decision on local government reorganisation (LGR).

The move has raised questions over whether councils will still change, whether residents will vote for new authorities next year and what happens after months of work preparing for the shake-up.

Here is what we know so far.

What happens next?

For now, Hampshire’s councils will continue operating as they do today.

The government is reviewing the wider local government reorganisation programme after withdrawing its previous decisions for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Jim McMahon OBE MP, Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, said councils had been asked to stop work on implementing the reorganisation decisions while the review takes place.

He said this was to reduce the risk of councils carrying out work that could become unnecessary if the government decides to change course.

The government has not said whether it will return to the previous proposals, ask councils to develop revised plans or take a different approach.

Is Hampshire’s council shake-up cancelled?

Not completely.

The government has withdrawn its previous decision approving local government reorganisation plans for Hampshire and the Solent following updated legal advice.

However, ministers have not ruled out reorganisation altogether.

The review means the future of Hampshire’s proposals remains uncertain.

Will I still vote for my current council in 2027?

Yes.

The government has confirmed that local elections due to take place in May 2027 will go ahead using the existing council boundaries.

Previously, those elections were expected to be replaced by elections for new unitary authorities.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told MPs that elections would go ahead on current boundaries “unless we are in a position to hold elections to new unitary councils at that point”.

Will my council still change?

At the moment, nobody knows.

Under the previous plans, both the current city councils, Hampshire County Council and the existing district and borough councils would eventually have been replaced by new unitary authorities, while the Isle of Wight would have remained a standalone council.

Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport would have been joined with the Newlands area of Waterlooville and the villages south of Butser Hill.

For now, those changes are on hold and existing councils continue to operate as normal.

For two-tier authority areas, Hampshire County Council continues to deliver services including education, social care, highways and libraries, while district and borough councils remain responsible for services such as planning, housing and waste collection.

Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council will carry out off of these services in their areas.

Who pays for the work already carried out?

Councils across Hampshire have spent months preparing proposals and planning for local government reorganisation. Hampshire County Council suggested in May the cost would be between £80 million and £132 million.

Hampshire County Council leader Nick Adams-King said taxpayers should not be left to cover the cost of a process led by government.

He said the impact was not only financial, but also included officer time spent preparing for the possible abolition and replacement of the authority.

“Months of officer capacity have instead been diverted into responding to a government-mandated reorganisation which the government has now withdrawn,” he said.

Mr Adams-King said Hampshire County Council would establish the full cost of the process and press the government to reimburse councils for costs incurred.

Liberal Democrat Portsmouth City Council leader Steve Pitt said the process had cost the city a large amount of time and money.

He said: “A huge amount of funding, as well as officer and councillors’ time and resource has been put into the now withdrawn Hampshire Local Government Reorganisation, which could have been better used for vital services residents rely on.

“The process for including Portsmouth in reorganisation has been totally mismanaged.”

Cllr Pitt said the council’s stance remained the best thing for Portsmouth was for the local authority to be left as it is.

When will residents know more?

That remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.

The government has not provided a timetable for completing its review of Hampshire’s local government reorganisation plans.

Mr McMahon said he recognised councils wanted certainty and committed to ensuring the next steps would be communicated “early and clearly”.

Until then, Hampshire’s existing councils will continue delivering services while waiting for further direction from ministers.