Southampton City Council's Cabinet will meet next week for a special meeting to consider an interim report to Government on progress developing proposals for local government reorganisation in the area.
Produced collectively by the 15 unitary and district councils covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the report sets out the guiding principles the councils have agreed should inform the next stage of the process.
This includes that new council areas should be financially sustainable, have a clear sense of place and identity, and be informed and shaped by community feedback and engagement.
The collective work to develop proposals for new larger unitary councils began last month after the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, wrote to councils setting out criteria to guide proposals.
Government have asked councils to put forward final plans for new unitary councils by the Autumn.
The interim report does not set a preferred number of new councils or propose any boundaries for new areas.
However it does state that analysis will consider existing economic geographies, principally those around Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth.
It also requests that the Isle of Wight be recognised as an exceptional case and is permitted by Government to remain a unitary council on its current boundaries given its unique geography and identity.
If agreed the interim report will be submitted to Government on Friday 21 March with further work between the region’s councils set to continue over coming months to develop final proposals.
Leader of Southampton City Council, Councillor Lorna Fielker, said:
"I'm grateful for the collaborative approach councils across the region are taking, working together to ensure this process has the best possible outcome for our residents.
While there are different views about where we will end up, the clear principles we have collectively agreed will ensure that future councils are set up to succeed and reflect the identities and characters of the areas they serve.
Over the coming months it will be vital to hear directly from local people about what they want from their council so that residents' voices are at the heart of any decisions made by Government".
