Any new Hampshire councils now start on 1 April 2029, a year late. East Hampshire's leader wants ministers to decide by March 2027, before local elections.

Updated 6 November: the minister replied on 4 November without giving a date for a final decision, and the leader has written again.

Any new councils for Hampshire will not start until 1 April 2029, a year later than planned. The date was set in a letter from the local government minister, Jim McMahon, sent to council leaders on Thursday 29 October.

The same day, East Hampshire District Council said it will not spend “significant time and resources” lobbying while it waits. Its leader, Cllr Richard Millard, wants the minister to make a final decision by March 2027.

What the minister’s letter says

Hampshire’s reorganisation decision was withdrawn on 7 September, as we reported at the time. It would have abolished East Hampshire District Council in 2028.

The new letter is the first update since. It covers 15 areas still under review, including Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. Its main points are these.

  • No new decision for Hampshire yet. “All options and proposals in your area will remain under consideration,” the minister wrote.
  • Some areas get an outcome by Christmas. The letter does not say which. Every area will have an outcome “by early next year”.
  • The May 2027 elections go ahead to the existing councils.
  • New timetable. Elections to any new councils would be in May 2028, and the new councils would take over on 1 April 2029.
  • Half the transition money now. Areas where new councils had been announced get 50% of the £900,000 transition support per new unitary in “the coming weeks”. The government says this is guaranteed whatever the review decides.

The government has also concluded that the rules for judging proposals, set in February 2025, “were correct on their own terms”. The programme will carry on under them. The letters are published on GOV.UK.

What East Hampshire is doing

The district council says there is still “not enough clarity about what will happen next or what the eventual structure will look like”. Until there is, it will put its time into running services, supporting the residents who need it most and balancing its budget.

It has not changed its own preference. East Hampshire previously proposed three mainland unitary authorities for Hampshire and says it “remains committed to this position”. The withdrawn government decision had picked a different model, which would have split the district between two new councils.

The leader’s words

Cllr Millard said: “There is still a great deal we simply do not know about the future of local government in Hampshire.

“In that uncertainty, our responsibility is clear. We need to concentrate on the things we can control: providing excellent services, supporting our communities and particularly those residents who need us most, and maintaining a strong and sustainable council.

“We are not going to commit significant time and resources to lobbying around different possible outcomes when Government has yet to make its decisions.

“We will, of course, continue to represent East Hampshire’s interests and play a constructive role when there is something substantive to engage with. We believe that point will come once there is a clear process and timetable for Hampshire, and we look forward to the Government providing that clarity.

“But until we have greater clarity, our priority has to be the job we are here to do and that is to continue to deliver the very best services for our residents.

“Our residents rightly expect us to stay focused on them, and that is exactly what we will do.”

The March 2027 ask

Cllr Millard said: “I am asking the Minister to commit to making a final decision by March 2027, prior to our local elections.

“It is time for clarity. We need to know what the future looks like so we can plan with confidence, support our staff and keep our focus where it belongs: on delivering for our residents.

“I hope the Minister listens and gives Hampshire the certainty it needs sooner rather than later.”

The minister’s letter makes no promise on that date. Its only commitment is an outcome for every area “by early next year”.

What it means for Petersfield

For now, nothing changes. East Hampshire District Council still collects the bins and the council tax, alongside Hampshire County Council. Voters will elect district councillors in May 2027 as normal.

The council’s statement is on its website. The reorganisation has already cost the district money: it spent £295,000 preparing for the withdrawn plan.