A HAMPSHIRE county councillor is warning East Hampshire residents that towns like Petersfield, Horndean, Bordon and Alton, could become ‘Portsmouth over spill’ under devolution plans being promoted.
Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight are proposing to become a combined authority, which would see them receive devolution money direct from Whitehall to fund services previously dealt with by government.
But in a public speech Hampshire County Council cabinet member Cllr Stephen Reid has savaged the ‘Portshampton’ proposal, along with post of elected Mayor that would come with it.
He said: “Some district councils will be invited to join the ‘Portshampton’ group.
“But their residents need to recognise that the role of the elected Mayor is to make growth happen (including more housing).
“Do residents of East Hampshire, Havant and Gosport really want their councils to declare them as ‘Portsmouth over spill.
“That’s how a ‘Portshampton’ mayor will view them.
“Those for this proposal talk about getting an extra £30 million a year, which isn’t necessarily new money.
“They’re not ending up with extra money to spend: just another layer of administration to handle a declining amount of local government funding. I don’t think that is in the interests of Hampshire residents.
“I would like to see improvements to the current system; the recent Hampshire County Council consultation showed that the people of Hampshire are not interested in local government reorganisation.
“They are interested in local government services, and having those services delivered as efficiently as possible. The current ‘Portshampton’ proposal does not do this ‘as efficiently as possible’.”