Councils across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight want to be given more time to formulate their final proposal for merging local authorities.

The area’s civic leaders believe it could become the most expensive local government reorganisation (LGR) programme delivered to date.

The local authorities that currently make up the region are in unanimous agreement that the Isle of Wight should remain a “separate and distinct” unitary.

However, no consensus has been reached on specific options for the mainland, including how many new authorities there should be.

The proposed interim plan for Hampshire and the Solent LGR has been produced following last month’s request from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon set councils a deadline of Friday, March 21, to make submissions.

The government wants to replace the current mix of two-tier systems and unitary councils across the country with larger unitaries that will deliver all of an area’s services.

Local authorities in the region are due to hold special meetings over the next fortnight to discuss their interim plan proposals.

The document is set to be co-signed by the leaders of the three existing unitary councils, the 11 district and borough councils, and the county council, which combined provide services to more than two million residents.

Officials at MHCLG will provide feedback to help support the development of final plans, which would be considered by the minister.

The region’s current deadline for the submission of a full proposal is Friday, September 26.

Council leaders are asking for an extension of at least two months.

The proposed interim plan says: “It remains challenging to deliver appropriate local engagement and decision-making in this period, alongside devolution.

“We therefore request an extension for the full proposal to November 28, 2025.”

Attempting to meet the September deadline “posed a risk to the engagement and analysis” needed for an “effective” LGR proposal, the document added.

In making the argument for Isle of Wight Council to remain unchanged post-LGR as an “exceptional” case, the proposed interim plan said: “Fundamentally, the cost of providing council services on an island physically separated by water are driven by dislocation and the associated small markets which result in inherently higher costs due to market barriers and a lack of economies of scale.

“These characteristics cannot be remedied by a council’s structure or scale.

“As the physical boundary to the island remains, the opportunities to reduce fixed costs and make procurement efficiencies and estate rationalisations are limited.”

The councils say the expected cost of implementing a three-year LGR programme will be in their final submission, but “preliminary benchmarking” showed it could be the most expensive delivered to date.

Clarity is being sought from government on a target for new unitary authorities to have a minimum population of 500,000 and whether boundary changes would be acceptable.

The proposed interim plan sets out a series of agreed “guiding principles” for Hampshire and the Solent. They are:

  • Analysis will be based on economic geographies (principally Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth) that inform a sense of place, community, and economic growth.
  • Sense of place and coherent identity, structure and local connections will shape geographies.
  • To support the other principles, options considered will include those which have boundary changes, and those which do not have boundary changes.
  • Community engagement will be used to help shape final boundaries, prior to final submission.
  • Proposals will ensure there are sensible population ratios between local authorities and any strategic authority, with options retaining equitable representation and voting rights.
  • Consideration will be given to the impact on crucial services.
  • Proposals will show how new structures will improve local government, service delivery and outcomes.
  • New proposed authorities must also be able to form a platform for financial sustainability, and resilience to withstand financial shocks.