Hampshire leaders have reacted to the Government’s decision to halt plans for a major council shake-up, with Hampshire County Council welcoming the move and Eastleigh branding it “absolute chaos”.
The Government has announced plans to withdraw its approval of Hampshire’s local government reorganisation (LGR) proposals following new legal advice and has launched a review of the plans.
The plans would have replaced Hampshire’s existing councils with four new unitary authorities, including a merger between Southampton, Eastleigh and parts of Test Valley and the New Forest.
Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Nick Adams-King welcomed the announcement, saying it proved the authority was right to challenge the previous process.
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He said: “This is the right decision and, frankly, it demonstrates exactly why Hampshire County Council was right to challenge the previous process.”
Cllr Adams-King said the council had never been trying to protect the current system but wanted to make sure a major restructure affecting more than two million people was properly planned.
He said: “Local government can and should change. It was about making sure that a once-in-a-generation reorganisation was lawful, properly evidenced and capable of standing the test of time.”
He added that the Government now had the chance to bring councils back together and develop a plan that was “properly costed and financially sustainable”.
Cllr Adams-King also warned that getting the restructure wrong could have cost residents “tens or even hundreds of millions of pounds” and affected frontline services.
He added: “Today’s announcement gives us the opportunity to start again and produce something better. Hampshire County Council will engage constructively with the Government in doing exactly that.”
New Forest District Council leader Cllr Jill Cleary also welcomed the announcement, saying it “vindicates” concerns the authority had raised about the Government’s approach.
NFDC had opposed reorganisation from the start and had argued the New Forest should remain as a single area under any new structure.
Cllr Cleary said: “Today’s announcement vindicates the concerns we have consistently raised about the government’s approach to local government reorganisation.”
She said the review gave ministers the chance to reconsider the proposals and listen to local communities.
She added: “While the Council reluctantly decided not to pursue a formal legal challenge, we have never stepped back from our position that the New Forest district must remain whole.
The withdrawal of the decisions gives ministers the chance to listen again. If the government remains determined to reorganise local government in Hampshire, it must now choose Option 1.
“Our communities have been clear, and the government should respect their voice. Until the future is settled, however, we will continue to make the strongest possible case for our district, our communities and the integrity of the New Forest.”
However, Eastleigh Borough Council leader Cllr Keith House criticised the decision, saying the delay would create further uncertainty and costs.
Cllr House said: “This is absolute chaos from the government, that will cost yet another fortune and still fails the big test that Hampshire County Council is broke and won’t survive longer than 2028.
“None of us asked for local government reorganisation, but to create new delays and cause more money to be spent is the worst of all worlds for residents, staff and services.”
The Government has confirmed local elections in May 2027 will go ahead using the current council boundaries while the review takes place.
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