The Isle of Wight has been included in a renewed push for a ‘Southern Powerhouse’ comprised of Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight Councils.
Last week, the leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Rob Humby said that central Government had given a clear steer of their intention to progress a single County Deal for the area.
The Pan-Hampshire area covers Hampshire County Council, Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils, the 11 district and borough councils within the County Council administrative area and the Isle of Wight Council.
Humby said:
“We have always said that we want to achieve the most ambitious deal possible for the wider Hampshire area, and that the way to do that is collectively with our neighbouring Unitary Authorities. I am pleased that Government have recognised the importance of the whole region to potentially securing an additional £1.14billion of investment for our combined population of 2 million residents.
“Pan-Hampshire is a genuine southern powerhouse, combining towns, cities, people, and businesses that are part of a nationally and internationally important economic area. A Pan-Hampshire County Deal would make a significant contribution to Hampshire’s economic prosperity.
“Through a County Deal, we want to deliver new powers for Pan-Hampshire, as well as lock in an additional £1.14billion investment by Government in our area over the next 30 years. Drawing down more decision-making powers to the people and places of Pan-Hampshire through a County Deal from Government would empower our local areas – so we can all decide how to keep our area prosperous and thriving for years to come. This is a once in a generation opportunity to bring far reaching benefits for our residents, communities and business – improving people’s lives for decades to come.”
However, Councillor Steve Pitt, the leader of Portsmouth City Council said he was ‘blindsided’ by the announcement and together with the leaders of the other 2 unitary authorities in the County, has continued to oppose the pan-Hampshire arrangement and said he was ‘not impressed’.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Pitt said:
“Hampshire County Council really jumped the gun on this and it’s safe to say we’re not impressed by that. A Solent deal need not exclude a County deal and we wrote to the government about that. But instead of replying to our letter, they apparently had briefings with the County Council behind our backs.
“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 and that’s been made clear by the last 3leaders of the City Council. The 3 unitaries cover areas that have very different priorities to those in the rural north of the county.
The long-running devolution debate in Hampshire has sewn deep divisions between the 2 sides and prompted a series of delays by the Government which in 2018 it scrapped plans for the Solent Combined Authority.
Cllr Pitt is due to meet with the leaders of Southampton and Isle of Wight Councils in the next 2 weeks to discuss the Government’s decision.
It’s plain by where we come in the list of council authorities that we are already at the bottom, last in the queue, overlooked wherever possible. Major decisions will be made on the mainland with only token consultation. Much like the local health authority.
We might get some sensible ideas then, not influenced by who you know not what you know.
“The Pan-Hampshire area covers Hampshire …, Southampton and Portsmouth … 11 district and borough councils … and the Isle of Wight.”
“£1.14billion investment by Government … over the next 30 years.”
And just how much of that £1.14billion will the Isle of Wight get ??
Answer: none!
county deal, pan hampshire deal, powerhouse, freeports etc etc etc – all this is all talk between politicians and other vested interests in council chambers. The only thing that will ultimately succeed is that all the politicians and councillors will book additional meeting fees to attend the significant uplift in meetings to argue and debate the various drivel they have dreamt up. In the end there will be virtually no change to anything apart from councillors bank balances.
We will then have new politicians and councillors at the next elections who will create new buzzwords, new plans and then have numerous fee charging meetings, which will amount to nothing, except enlarging their own bank accounts. – rinse and repeat.
Cutting out all that waffle and hot air then….HOW MUCH DOES IOW ACTUALLY GET? Im guessing f a
An excuse for the Tories to funnel more tax money into their billionaire mates bank accounts. They are stealing everything they can get their hands on.
i guess then fready you are a fan of taxation under labour then. In the 1970s, the highest rate of income tax on earned income was 83 per cent
Margaret Thatcher’s government reduced it to 60 per cent in 1980 and 40 per cent in 1989 (equal to the higher rate).
the deterioration of the public finances after the financial crisis led the Labour government to raise the top rate to 50 per cent (the ‘additional rate’) for those reporting taxable income in excess of £150,000 per annum, taking effect in April 2010
labour are even worse than the tories at spending other peoples money and increasing taxes – frying pan and fire
100% correct. Lots of islanders have short memories with regards to the Labour Party
There is a difference between taking taxes from the working man and spending it where needed, and putting it into their own bank accounts
taxes are still legalised theft of peoples hard earned, which ever way you dress it up.
What exactly is a powerhouse? Just sounds like a gimmicky name from a gimmicky government.
Brexit was supposed to herald a new age of devolution, but the UK internally seems to be pushing back in the opposite direction. The Island has a unique economic identity and should be treated as such.
Super bureaucrats even more remote and unaccountable than the current faceless bunch who hide behind the doors of county hall with even larger pay packets and pension pots to go with it – expected turbo charged ‘climate change’ initiatives to make your lives even more miserable, a doubling down of diversity and inclusion and a wholesale cutting of services ‘to save the planet’’, whilst continuing the proliferation of hundreds of thousands of new rabbit hutches to house Whitehall’s imported guests – just what the region needs said nobody, ever
All the signs of a pan Hampshire kok up, and wait until IWC start slapping each other on their backs .. for doing nothing .. just another special Boris Island Deal .. oh and elections are coming .. so get out all the Tory spin false promises . UK politics is a joke
I’m sure all the other councils would be thrilled to have the IWC on board. Just imagine the amount of incompetence they could inflict on the mainland!
As the Island has a completely different set of needs bering an island, this is an utterly ridiculous idea and will be very bad for the island.
Does that mean Islanders will finally get real reduced Ferry Fares
or do we still have to pay over £70 for a day return to travel a total
of less than 10 miles there and back.
Where is Seely Sausage Bob when we need him
This will do nothing for the Isle of Wight, in the same way the merger of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police has done nothing good for the Island. We pay more, we get less.