Hampshire, Southampton, and Portsmouth councils have written to the Government to support the Isle of Wight’s position as a standalone unitary authority.
The letters sent to the Minister make clear that the Island should not be reorganised or merged with any other authority as part of the national Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process — LGR is an entirely different process to Devolution which does not require any changes to local authorities.
Government’s reorganisation plans
The Government has announced that local authorities across the country must submit outline plans for reorganisation in the Solent area by mid-March, with detailed proposals to follow by autumn 2025.
LGR aims to replace all two-tier local authority structures with single unitary authorities. However, as the Isle of Wight council is already a unitary authority, it does not require restructuring.
Isle of Wight makes the case for exemption
Councillor Phil Jordan, Leader of the Isle of Wight council, has repeatedly pressed the Minister and his team to ensure the Island remains unchanged.
Speaking today, he told OnTheWight,
“From the outset of the Government announcement on re-organisation I have been very clear with the Minister and his team of civil servants.
“I have met the Minister a number of times in the past two months and on each occasion I have put the case very firmly for the Island remaining as is, an unchanged status and size Unitary council, and received positive comments back about our position.”
He has followed up those meetings with a letter to the Minister, reinforcing the Island’s case for exception.
Regional councils stand with the Island
Councillor Jordan has worked closely with leaders from Portsmouth, Southampton, and Hampshire councils to present a united front against any changes to the Isle of Wight’s governance structure.
“As a strategic partnership, selected for the priority programme for devolution, the four Leaders of Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have written separately to the Minister, mapping out the proposals that support the Island in remaining unchanged and supporting the Island with its case for exception under the White Paper guidelines and LGR correspondence.”
The letters, now made available to residents below, demonstrate that local authorities in the region support the Island’s continued independence as a unitary authority.
Positive discussions with the Government
Councillor Jordan remains optimistic that the Minister will formally confirm the Isle of Wight’s exemption from reorganisation.
“To date, the discussions I have had are positive and the Minister accepts we have a special case for exception, and I am working hard to get him to commit to that in writing as soon as possible.”
“Further meetings with Government officials are scheduled in the coming weeks, both with Councillor Jordan and the Isle of Wight Council’s Chief Executive.
“I am confident that we can be successful in our ask of Government and move on through to Devolution unhindered by any re-organisation for the Island. I am not stopping until we achieve that goal.”
