What this means for you

Making sure you receive the services that are important to you and your local area

This is about creating councils which fit the way people live their lives.

Fewer layers, less confusion about who to contact, decisions made closer to home, so services are simpler, stronger and more responsive to local needs. Here’s some examples.

Collage of healthcare professionals and patients, including a smiling female doctor wearing a hijab, a nurse with a clipboard consulting an elderly woman, and a nurse wearing a face mask with ID badge.

Your health and care

Your health joined up. Councils and the NHS working together so people can get help quicker. Drawing together a diverse range of health and care services will improve support and mean a better understanding of local need and individuals.

Working together, council services would align primary care, community services and adult social care to improve service delivery in a people-centred way. The focus is on prevention and not just cure. This approach is already working in places such as the Andover Health Hub, or Portsmouth’s provider partnership. This transformative model can be achieved through the four new mainland authorities, extending the success of local hubs.

By staying close to our residents and their distinct communities, we build a stronger, fairer more sustainable future for adult social care and better outcomes for our communities.

A woman and a young boy disposing of a milk jug into a recycling bin. Other images show waste management workers collecting trash and recycling from outdoor bins.

Waste and the environment

In the new councils, the same council collects your bins, and the same council disposes of the waste or processes your recycling. (This is already the arrangement in Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.) At the moment, the facilities available for the processing of recycling limit what can be collected. Under this new model, there’ll be better control of the facilities each council needs to best serve its residents, and improved recycling rates too.

We have seen how joint partnerships can help people across larger areas get the same service while improving recycling rates. A five-council model enhances waste services by allowing for joint working with a local focus. Services can be tailored to the unique geographies of the four new councils on the mainland and the Isle of Wight.

This allows councils to save money by working together over a larger area, but still maintains the local view. One example of this already in action is across Basingstoke and Deane and Hart, where joint working has improved consistency, reduced carbon emissions and saved money.

Collage of three images: Two police officers walking outdoors, a woman wearing a pink shirt with 'NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES' written on the back talking with a woman in a camouflage jacket inside a building, and a woman with headphones working at a computer.

Council services in one place

No matter where you live or what you need, our proposal means simpler contact, joined-up support, and quicker answers.  We already work closely across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to make sure residents reach the right team but, today, that can still mean moving between different councils. The new proposal builds on that strength, creating one easy way to contact your council about any service, saving time and reducing confusion.

With one council, it’ll be easier to get help when you need it, meaning you don’t need to repeat your request to different organisations.

Collage featuring images of a street with shops and hanging decorations, people shopping and walking, agricultural workers harvesting crops, and a worker wearing a high-visibility jacket in a warehouse.

Supporting businesses

The new proposals will mean more joined up thinking that will benefit business communities across the region, from a single point of call for Environmental Health services meaning clearer standards and more consistent advice, to having one front door for licensing, payments and support.

One example of where this is already happening is across Fareham and Gosport, where an Environmental Health Partnership has pooled people and kit across the two authorities, resulting in award-winning services and financial savings whilst keeping quality high, protecting public health and benefitting local traders.

Improved licensing is already happening in places such as The Isle of Wight Council Business Centre, which runs high-volume tasks like contact, payments, blue badges and benefits efficiently in one place, showing how a shared model can scale across a region.

With services being delivered by a single unitary authority, these approaches to joined up business support and services can be expanded across the region, creating a better landscape for businesses looking to start up or grow across the region.

Collage of people engaging in community activities, including two women talking at a table, elderly women at a social gathering, a man listening attentively in a conversation, and a woman holding a public consultation flyer outdoors.

Local decisions and understanding local need

Our proposals are for councils that will reflect our different areas with local services co created and tailored to local community needs, with people at the heart of every decisions. There’s examples already of where this is already working well. In the New Forest, community forums have brought together councillors, partners and local communities to actively tackle local issues - examples include emergency planning and cost of living - they’re centred around the community ensuring local voices shape decision making. Test Valley’s community councillor model has helped improve the most local services, reduced isolation and supported the rural economy and communities. Eastleigh’s Local Area Committees help keep decision making close to its communities.

Collage of four photographs showcasing rural and small-town scenes. The large central image features rolling countryside with fields, trees, and a cloudy sky. The top left image shows a peaceful river with greenery along the banks. The bottom left image captures a quaint town street with a canal, historic buildings, and pedestrians. The bottom right image depicts a town square with a street clock, shops, and parked cars.

Rural communities:
local support that works

Villages need tailored support. Our proposals are designed to reflect the unique geographies and communities they serve. Designed to help scale practical, local schemes that keep services and spaces going close to home.

We are already doing this - Test Valley’s community-led projects, from village shops to small grants—build local resilience, reduce isolation and keep rural places thriving are examples that can be carried across the geographies of the new councils. Another example is the New Forest’s St George’s Hall - a community space in one of the districts most isolated areas, providing vital support tailored to the local community. Partners and teams worked together and based on requests from the local community to create a shared space for community led events and activities.

Harnessing the strength of our cities to benefit the region

Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation in Hampshire and the Solent offers a unique opportunity to unlock the full potential of our diverse region. New unitary councils will be in good positions to help power regional economies and prosperity and also to address inequalities. By leveraging the economic anchors of our four major population centres - Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, and Basingstoke, under the umbrella of a Mayoral Combined County Authority - we can drive growth that benefits every community.

This approach is about building a connected regional economy where success in one area strengthens the whole. For example, the Solent’s coastal economy, already containing designated Freeport sites, which collectively contribute £2.5 billion to the national economy, can act as a catalyst for wider regional prosperity. Developing a coastal powerhouse under the MCCA umbrella can support jobs and investment far beyond city boundaries.

A practical example is the Southampton West Park and Ride partnership with University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, located on the boundary of Southampton and Test Valley. This initiative shows how regional thinking can link city centres with major service providers, easing congestion and improving connectivity for residents across the wider area.

Collage of children and adults engaging in educational and recreational activities, including science experiments, indoor trampoline jumping, and working together in a classroom or social setting.

Supporting vulnerable young people

Drawing together a diverse range of health and skills and employment services, and working with private businesses will help support young people where and when they need it most. Understanding and being able to respond to local need and where this support is most needed can create positive outcomes.

New unitary councils will be in good positions to build these relationships for the benefit of our young people. An example of where this is already happening and is working is in Leigh Park, with they Youth Hub. It has supported 695 young people into work or training. Providing tailored support in areas of health and wellbeing, qualifications and experience and motivation and confidence the hub is an excellent of example of partnership working to improve the lives of young people.