While local elections are set to take place in various parts of the country today (May 1) the one scheduled for Hampshire County Council will not take place.

Most elections across the country this year will be for county councils. A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs across 23 local authorities, while four regional mayors and two local mayors will be elected.

However, some of those county elections scheduled for this year have been postponed until next year, when it is expected that the councils they were to elect will have been replaced or combined by new unitary authorities or single-tier councils, as in Hampshire.

In light of the government’s plan for its “devolution revolution,” Hampshire County Council, along with its partners, Southampton, Portsmouth, and the Isle of Wight councils, requested that the government be included in the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).

In February, the government announced that Hampshire and the Solent region would be part of the devolution fast-track to establish a new strategic mayoral authority. This involves delaying the Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council elections due to take place on May 1.

Under the devolution proposals, a combined authority will be created to allow the four unitary councils (Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and Isle of Wight) to collaborate and make decisions across their respective boundaries.

Therefore, elections were postponed to enable the authorities to deliver the new Hampshire and the Solent Strategic Authority, which must be submitted in September.

Despite the postponement, two by-elections will be held in the Winchester Eastgate and Yateley East & Blackwater electoral divisions following the retirement of Councillors Dominic Hiscock and Adrian Collett.

Five candidates have stood for election for the Winchester Eastgate by-election.

Lorraine Estelle – Green Party

Paula Ferguson – Lib Dem

Russ Kitching – Reform UK

Peter Ronald Marsh – Labour Party

Ian Donald Tait – Conservative

Six candidates are running for the position in the Yateley East and Blackwater by-election.

Stuart Gerard Bailey – Lib Dem

Samantha Clare Davis – Green Party

Trevor Lloyd-Jones – Reform UK

Sue Perkins – Conservative

Robbie Wiltshire – Labour

Alex Zychowski – Libertarian Party

Winchester City Council and Hart District Council are running the by-elections. 

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on May 1. Photo ID is now required to vote at a polling station.

Subject to the devolution agreement’s approval, the first mayoral election in Hampshire and the Solent is expected to take place in May 2026.

The Mayoral Strategic Authority will work closely with local councils, focusing on responsibilities currently held by central government in Whitehall.