By Jason Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Southampton City Council’s cabinet has given its support to submitting a joint expression of interest with neighbouring authorities to be included on the priority programme.
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Similar discussions are set to take place at Hampshire, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight councils this week.
Under the proposals, a combined authority would be created to allow the four unitary councils to collaborate and take decisions across their respective boundaries. The priority programme by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is aiming to hold elections for new combined authority mayors next year.
At the Southampton City Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday (Jan 7), Labour leader Cllr Lorna Fielker said: “This is something that’s really important.
“This is the biggest change to local government for a long, long, period of time.
“It will have an impact on Southampton and how Southampton looks.”
Last year, the leaders of Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight councils submitted a joint expression of interest to explore the creation of a combined authority.
Cllr Fielker said a devolution agreement would give more decision-making powers to locally elected representatives who understand the area’s needs.
She said the elected mayor would not have “unchecked power” and there was cross-party support on the council for devolution.
Typically a combined authority will have responsibility for areas like infrastructure, transport, skills and employment.
Cllr Fielker added: “There has been a really strong desire across Hampshire and the Solent region, not just from local government but actually other sectors, that devolution would be good for us and we have failed on it a couple of times.
“We really want to get it over the line this time and that’s why we feel it is really beneficial to get onto that priority programme.”
Other authorities across the Solent region have similar decisions to make at meetings this week ahead of the Friday, January 10, deadline for priority programme applications.
Portsmouth City Council has pencilled in an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Wednesday, January 8.
Isle of Wight Council is holding an extraordinary full meeting on Wednesday, January 8, before its cabinet makes a decision on Thursday, January 9.
Hampshire County Council members are set to discuss devolution at full council on Thursday, January 9, ahead of a cabinet meeting on Friday, January 10.
If the region is accepted onto the priority programme, an election for a combined authority mayor could take place as early as May 2026.
The proposals for combined authorities and devolution agreements are separate to the government’s work on local government reorganisation relating to county and district councils.
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