Devolution back on agenda after council changes

Southampton was among three councils to withdraw from discussions in 2023

Devolution in Hampshire is back on the agenda after a change of political leadership in the county, according to a council leader.

Efforts to secure powers and £1.14bn of investment were shelved last year after Portsmouth, Southampton and Isle of Wight's councils withdrew from planned government discussions.

The three unitary authorities had rejected the prospect of a single deal for the wider Hampshire area.

Labour's Lorna Fielker, who has led Southampton City Council since January, says a change of leadership across the county was allowing for fresh discussions.

At Southampton City Council's overview and scrutiny committee meeting, Ms Fielker said new leadership had provided "the basis of new relationships being formed, different discussions being had, which don't have any of the past attached to them".

"There's a recognition of where things have gone wrong in the past and also about not throwing out the baby with the bathwater because of those deals that were being put together previously," she said.

"We’ve had two failed devolution deals in the past, and we need the next one not to fail.

"Different actors are now leading within the region, and there's a program of work to build trust to get the best deal."

Ms Fielker said she had met with unitary, county, district and borough council leaders about presenting a plan to government "as quickly as possible", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She said people from different parties had "put those politics to one side in order to make sure we're working for the people of the region".

The deals usually transfer powers and funding for skills and transport to a local level, overseen by a combined authority mayor.

Ms Fielker said "a bit more detail" was needed about whether the new Labour government would offer more flexibility in how the combined authorities would work.

The May local elections led to changes in leadership in Rushmoor, Fareham and Havant, as well as at Hampshire County Council.