Solent Combined Authority bid 'scrapped', councils say

The former leaders of Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight councils applied to the government in 2016

A bid to set up a new authority to invest millions of pounds in the Solent area has been dismissed by the government, council leaders have said.

Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight councils applied in 2016 to create a body to boost economic growth.

The councils said they were "shocked and disappointed" at the bid's rejection.

The government said it was "committed to supporting the growth and prosperity" of the area.

The councils previously said they had been provisionally allocated £900m by the government to spend over 30 years.

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said the decision emerged in a letter to him from Devolution Minister Jake Berry, which said the bid was "not on the table".

He said: "I was very disappointed to hear the devolution plans were no longer being considered and even more disappointed that the government hadn't even told the councils.

"This scrapping of our bid without notification is a kick in the teeth for Portsmouth and means our city missing out on millions in much-needed funding."

The government had provisionally allocated a reported £900m for the proposed Solent authority

Portsmouth council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: "Previously the government was pushing this as the solution to meet the needs of our area but, if they have now dismissed it, they need to provide something to take its place."

The Solent Combined Authority (SCA) intended to use government grants to create jobs and increase income from business rates.

Previously, Hampshire County Council opposed the bid, saying it would lead to the "dismantling of vital county-wide services".

Isle of Wight Council later expressed fears the island's needs could be "overridden" by Southampton and Portsmouth.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed Mr Berry had written to Mr Morgan in August but had also contacted Portsmouth's chief executive, David Williams.

It said the government was now "developing a devolution framework to clarify what devolution means for different administrations" to give councils "clarity" on how to progress.