Earlier this month, something genuinely significant happened for our region.

The Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority held its inaugural meeting, bringing together Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils, and the Isle of Wight Council around one table.

I was honoured to be elected as the authority’s first chair, with Cllr Jonathan Bacon serving as vice-chair. I was also disappointed that there was not an elected mayor in the chair, although there will be from 2028.

It is a responsibility I take seriously — because this is not simply another committee, another layer of bureaucracy or another talking shop.

Done properly, this new authority has the potential to transform the prospects of Hampshire and the Solent.

It gives us a stronger voice with government, greater influence over investment and the ability to make more decisions here, in our own region, rather than leaving them to officials in Whitehall.

Backed by a long-term investment fund of more than £1.3 billion, the Combined Authority will allow us to work together on the big issues that do not stop at council boundaries: transport, infrastructure, housing, skills, economic growth and attracting new investment.

But the opportunity is bigger than the headline funding figure.

Our real task is to use these new powers to help businesses grow, create better-paid jobs, improve training opportunities and ensure our young people can build their futures here.

We must make it easier to travel between our communities, unlock investment and ensure that our cities, towns, villages, rural areas and Island communities all benefit.

None of this has happened overnight.

Reaching this point has taken years of negotiation, patience and hard work. Councillors, officers, businesses, government departments and partner organisations have all played their part.

I particularly want to recognise the chief executives of the establishing councils and the many officers whose professionalism, persistence and expertise have turned a complex political agreement into a functioning public authority.

I also want to acknowledge the contribution of former council leaders Alex Winning, Lorna Fielker and Phil Jordan.

The electoral cycle can be unpredictable — and sometimes rather unforgiving. There is real sadness that they were not present to see their hard work put into action. Their contribution deserves to be remembered.

Of course, there will be political differences around the table. That is democracy.

But the people we represent are not interested in endless arguments about process. They want results.

They want better transport, more opportunities, thriving businesses, stronger communities and confidence that public money is being used wisely.

That must be our focus.

The first meeting was necessarily about governance, legal structures and financial arrangements. These foundations matter, but they are only the beginning.

The true test will be whether residents can see and feel the difference this Authority makes.

This is a major opportunity for more than two million people across our region.

Now we must grasp it — with ambition, competence and a relentless focus on delivery.

*Cllr Nick Adams-King (Conservative, Blackwater) is the Leader of Hampshire County Council.