THE leader of Winchester City Council believes a review of local government in Hampshire commissioned by district councils offers the best prospect for clear information on which to base choices and thorough public involvement.

Stephen Godfrey is calling for clear thinking following the launch by Hampshire County Council last Wednesday of an eight-week public ‘Serving Hampshire’ consultation to gather residents’ views on how they would like to see local government operate in Hampshire in the future.

The Serving Hampshire consultation sets out the potential options for how the authority and its 11 district and borough councils could change, or be reorganised, to meet the huge challenges they face from ongoing cuts to funding from central Government and its bid to devolve decision making powers and responsibilities to local areas – and from rising demand for services from a growing population.

But the county council’s vision for a Hampshire-wide combined authority is facing a challenge from the three southern unitary authorities of Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight who, supported by five borough and district councils, have put in a bid to form a Solent Combined Authority which, the county council believes, would “split the county and damage high quality, county-wide services”.

Now Winchester City Council is adding its voice to those councils who support the Solent proposal – among them East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) whose leader Ferris Cowper believes the Solent option would offer residents a better financial deal than the county’s idea, giving them “far more say on how things happen” and with “far more accountability”.

Mr Stephen Godfrey has expressed similar concerns, that the proposal put forward by the county council has focused more on reducing costs rather than improving services and that the consultation is not only premature but would result in a watering down of local representation.

According to Mr Godfrey, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has commissioned a review of options for change by PwC in partnership with Hart, New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester councils. The review includes the Solent Combined Authority group of Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, together with Gosport, Eastleigh, Fareham and Havant Borough Councils, and our own East Hampshire District Council.

He explained: “PwC, which has worked extensively with councils on analysing options for local government reform, began an evidence-based, independent assessment of all options in June.

“This is aimed at expanding on the more limited focus of work already done by Hampshire County Council, which concentrated on reducing costs rather than improving services for residents. Once that work is finished, it should provide a sound basis for consulting the people of Hampshire about what form of local government they want to see in the future.”

Mr Godfrey added that Winchester City Council considers that the consultation launched by Hampshire County Council does not present enough information about the choices open to local people.

“It does not allow residents to make an informed judgment on options for local government reorganisation,” he said.

He believes that, while the proposal by the county council for a county-wide unitary authority may be presented as “more efficient”, it could “lead to less responsive service provision, fewer local representatives involved in decision-making, and much higher council tax”.

He added: “In recent times the city council has in some cases been able to step in to pick up the pieces following county cuts.”

His fear is now that the ‘mega unitary’ authority proposed by the county council could see the financial resources that Winchester currently uses to do this taken away and used to solve problems elsewhere in the county.