Hampshire County Council has named its representatives for the new devolved regional authority covering Hampshire and the Solent.

Council leader Cllr Nick Adams-King and deputy leader Cllr Jan Warwick will take seats on the shadow board of the Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority (CCA), representing the county council.

Their appointments were approved at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, October 30. Once the combined authority is formally created by Parliament early next year.

Cllr Roz Chad and Cllr Kirsty North have been appointed as substitutes for the county council.

Each of the region’s three unitary authorities — Southampton, Portsmouth, and the Isle of Wight — will nominate one councillor to the board, while Hampshire County Council will have two representatives.

Southampton City Council has already confirmed its representative as Cllr Alex Winning.

The new body is expected to become a mayoral combined authority in May next year, when residents elect the first regional mayor for Hampshire and the Solent.

The elected mayor will oversee devolved funding and powers from central government, with a focus on transport and infrastructure, skills, housing, and economic development across the region.