Isle of Wight residents can now take part in a consultation on government plans for devolution and a new Hampshire and Solent mayoral authority.
Whitehall will gather views on a bid to create a Mayoral Combined County Authority which stems from the controversial English Devolution White Paper, a document the government describes as ‘plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities’.
Fast-tracked negotiations
Following the White Paper’s release in December 2024, local authority leaders from the Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council wrote to the government to signal their interest in taking forward the plans at pace.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said,
“Combined County Authorities are organisations made up of a group of councils who come together over larger areas that people recognise and work in.
“They allow councils to work together in a structured way and take decisions over a wider area footprint, with powers and responsibilities being held by that Combined County Authority.
“Combined County Authorities do not replace the councils in your area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the council continue to be provided by the council.
“A Combined County Authority can be led by a directly elected mayor. The government is supportive of places having mayors because they have a mandate to take big decisions affecting more people, they have convening power to tackle shared problems, and they are accountable to the local electorate for the decisions they take.”
Critic of the plans
Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson (Conservative) is a staunch critic of the plans.
He said previously,
“The very existence of the Isle of Wight Council is now under threat. This is no longer just about a shared mayor with Hampshire, but whether we merge our own council with part of the mainland.
“The Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) was very clear that local elections are only being cancelled in places where the local council may cease to exist after the negotiations.”
Jordan: Not a merger
Council leader Phil Jordan has previously stated,
“Devolution does not alter local authorities. Devolution is a strategic partnership where constituent councils work together across an area or region to deliver strategic schemes and projects on things such as transport, housing and adult education.
“It is a partnership that transfers certain powers from Westminster to our area and it transfers additional funding to the strategic partnership.
The consultation runs until 11.59pm on Sunday 13th April 2025, and can be found on the Gov website.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
