Councillor David Neighbour, Leader of Hart District Council, says the interests of Hart residents and businesses will be his focus following the announcement that local government is to be re-organised across Hampshire.
The Government has committed to bringing together areas with two tiers of local authorities (county and district councils). For Hart, this means we will work with neighbouring councils to create a larger unitary authority.
This new authority will manage existing services and those currently provided by the county council, like adult social care, children’s services and highway maintenance.
As part of the re-organisation, Hampshire has been accepted onto a fast-track devolution programme to become a strategic authority by May 2026. This will have an elected mayor and handle strategic planning, transport, economic growth, skills development and infrastructure investment.
Cllr Neighbour said: “I'm totally focused on the residents and businesses of Hart. We will work closely with all the other councils across Hampshire to achieve the best outcomes for everyone involved.
“The fast-track approach to devolution is an exciting opportunity. The transfer of more decision-making power from central government and the chance to keep more locally generated funding is something we should all support.
“We're collaborating with other Hampshire councils to prepare proposals for the strategic authority and unitary councils by the end of March. We expect to finalise detailed plans by the end of September.
“As we move forward, we'll take the time to understand what this fast-track announcement means for our future. Residents can expect regular updates on our journey and the developments that will impact our community.”
For more information, please visit our page on local government reorganisation.