By Isle of Wight Observer
Island residents are being invited to take part in a region-wide survey on the future of local government across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) survey aims to gather public views on how councils might be restructured to better serve local communities.
The IW Council is working alongside 11 neighbouring councils in Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton to explore possible changes.
On the mainland, most areas currently operate under a two-tier system, with services divided between county and district or borough councils.
The Island already operates as a unitary authority, delivering all local services through one council. Under all options for the reorganisation being considered, the Island would continue to operate separately, while the 15 mainland councils could be replaced by four new unitary authorities.
The survey is part of the next phase of the LGR process, following the submission of an interim plan for change earlier this year.
Islanders are being encouraged to take part and ensure their voices are heard before the deadline on July 27. One change that IW East MP, Joe Robertson, is keen to see people support is a change to the name – so that the Isle of Wight is mentioned, rather than it being called Hampshire and Solent.
The results will help inform further development of the proposals, which could lead to significant changes in how local services are delivered in the future.
The survey is available via iw.observer/lgr-survey.
