Have your say on scrapping 'confusing' councils

Emsworth as part of Havant could join with Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham in the new council structure

The government is asking every resident in Hampshire to have their say on the way councils are set up, with a vision to improving services and saving money.

A county-wide consultation has been started by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHLCG) asking people which councils should group together.

Four separate suggestions are being put to people living in the county although the aim of the plan is ultimately to simplify things.

The government believe its "Plan for Change" will cut bureaucracy, slash waste, improve services and empower local government.

Minister of state for local government and homelessness, Alison McGovern, said "too many places are being held back by complicated council structures that confuse local people and waste money".

Many people don't realise that in a large part of Hampshire a different council is responsible for collecting waste than disposing of it, for example.

District and boroughs are responsible for play parks in town centres and on housing estates, but the county council is in charge of country parks, like Royal Victoria in Netley and Queen Elizabeth country park south of Petersfield.

Councils were invited by the government to submit ideas by the end of September on how councils could be reshaped to provide services more effectively and save money.

Those ideas are now being put to public consultation.

East Hampshire District Council and Hampshire County Council suggested three unitary councils on the mainland and an Isle of Wight council is the most financially sustainable option.

All the other councils in Hampshire, except Gosport who have refused to engage with the process, proposed four mainland unitary councils and the Isle of Wight staying alone.

Various authorities have expressed different preferences on which council is paired with which.

The Isle of Wight has been given reassurance it can stay as its own unitary authority, even though at 141,000, the population is significantly less than the recommended 500,000 for new councils.

Dorset was one of the first counties to undergo local government reorganisation.

Seven councils were replaced by two in 2019, reducing councillor numbers from 331 to 158.

Dorset Council reported in June 2023 that a total saving of £96 million had been achieved since the unitary was created.

It put that down to reducing duplication and costs and reducing the number of councillors and senior officer roles.

BCP Council says its creation has saved £82m but significant investment was needed for that including a new IT system.