Island must retain own council, devolution plan says

The Isle of Wight must retain its own council under local government reorganisation, according to the first draft of a devolution plan.

The proposal, which has been agreed by the county's council leaders and chief executives, said the island met the criteria of "exceptional circumstances related to local identity".

It has a population of 148,000 and the new unitaries are meant to have at least 500,000 residents.

The rest of Hampshire would be divided up around Winchester, Basingstoke, Portsmouth and Southampton, although the final number of councils has not been decided.

The report said the island's physical geography meant linking with other councils would not deliver economies of scale and save costs.

It added: "Isle of Wight residents possess a distinct cultural identity which does not necessarily align with mainland residents."

Isle of Wight council said it would support a devolution bid only if it retained control of its own council.

Leader of Southampton City Council, Councillor Lorna Fielker, said: "I'm grateful for the collaborative approach councils across the region are taking - working together to ensure this process has the best possible outcome for our residents."

But she admitted there were different views about boundaries for the mainland councils and said residents voices needed to be heard to make sure they were at the "heart" of any decisions.

Portsmouth City Council leader Steve Pitt said he had "significant concerns" over how it would work and what debt new councils would inherit.

He said he was writing to the government to say Portsmouth did not need to be part of any reorganisation.

Hampshire County Council has a budget deficit of £216m and Southampton City Council has already needed exceptional financial support to avoid effective bankruptcy.

The report added this could be the most expensive local government reorganisation programme delivered to date.

It noted that these kind of projects have cost £12-20m in the past but Hampshire and the Solent covers two million people and 15 councils.

It said the programme management cost, additional technical and communications investment, branding requirements, additional election costs and supporting staff, residents and businesses through the process would be a complex and expensive job.

The interim plan has to be submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 21 March.

However, the councils have asked for an extension to submit the full proposal until the end of November so they can spend more time on consultation.

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