By Press Release
The leader of the Isle of Wight Council has “real concerns” about the government’s plans to “lump” the Island’s council in with the whole of Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth, an area with two million residents.
Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox spoke out after the leader of Hampshire County Council (HCC), issued a statement last Thursday, saying that leaders of the Island, Portsmouth and Southampton councils will be invited to work with him and the government to put in place a unified “Pan-Hampshire” devolution deal. Cllr Rob Humby added the deal would be worth £1.14bn to the area over 30 years.
But Cllr Peacey-Wilcox says she has no doubt that the Island would lose out under the arrangement adding: “Doubtless very little would come to the Island if we are lumped in with three bigger councils, even if that sum is accurate.
“I am completely focused on getting a fair deal for the Island from this government, and we are sending them information every week about the costs of being on the Island and explaining why we need extra cash.”
In 2018, plans for a Solent Council led by a single mayor, covering Portsmouth, Southampton and the Island, were scrapped. A government statement said it was: “Developing a devolution framework to clarify what devolution means for different administrations.”
The Conservative manifesto in 2019 stated an ambition for “Full devolution across England”. The Levelling Up White Paper published last year is clear that devolution deals will only be done on a county-wide basis or with ‘functional economic areas’ of at least 500,000 residents with their preference being for single council structures or a single mayor or ‘governor’.
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox is not the only council leader unhappy with the proposals. The leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, said he was “blindsided” by HCC’s announcement and complained that the government had apparently entered discussions with the only Conservative council of the four, without involving the others. He said: “Devolution is meant to be about taking power out of the government’s hands and being able to use it locally. That wouldn’t happen with a county deal. The three other councils cover areas that have very different priorities to those in the rural north of the county.”
But Cllr Rob Humby, said a single devolution deal was the best approach. He said: “Pan-Hampshire is a genuine southern powerhouse, combining towns, cities, people, and businesses that are part of a nationally and internationally important economic area. It is imperative that we do not squander this opportunity to lay the strongest foundations for economic prosperity possible for our residents now and long into the future.”
