Residents across the region will have to wait until 2028 to elect their first devolution mayor after the Government rejected calls to bring the vote forward by a year.

Leaders at Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA) said ministers had confirmed that the inaugural election would remain in May 2028 rather than moving to May 2027.

HSCCA chairman Nick Adams-King said the decision was disappointing because residents would have to wait longer for a direct say over the leadership of an authority gaining new powers and funding.

Cllr Adams-King, the Conservative leader of Hampshire County Council, said: “We made a clear and practical case: residents should have an earlier say in who leads our region, with an elected mayor able to champion our interests as new powers and funding arrangements take shape.

“I remain convinced that would have been the right decision.”

Members of the Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority board after the inaugural meeting

The election was originally expected in May 2026, but ministers postponed it by two years amid plans to reorganise Hampshire’s councils, which themselves have now been put on ice.

HSCCA subsequently asked for it to be held in May 2027 after the timetable for local government reorganisation changed.

Mayoral candidates from the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats previously backed an earlier election, while a senior Reform UK councillor also supported the proposal.

Members of the HSCCA board were told a standalone mayoral election in 2028 was expected to cost between £6million and £7million, with a reserve created to meet the bill.

The timing also has financial consequences for the authority, which covers Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

Its devolution deal includes investment funding worth £44.6 million annually for 30 years, but the government is providing 40 per cent, or around £17.8 million a year, before the mayor takes office.

The elected mayor will oversee devolved responsibilities including transport, skills, housing, strategic planning and economic growth.

Cllr Adams-King said HSCCA welcomed the wider devolution measures announced in the Budget and confirmation of its status as a mayoral strategic authority.

He said the authority would now use the period before May 2028 to develop a Local Growth Plan, prepare to take responsibility for adult skills and work with partners on investment, jobs and other opportunities.

Cllr Adams-King added: “Our ambition for Hampshire and the Solent remains undiminished, and there is important work we can and must get on with now.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.