HAMPSHIRE County Council’s cabinet has welcomed progress on devolution plans which could see the area being given greater powers by Whitehall and Westminister to support local decision-making for the benefit of residents and local communities,

The switch could help deliver a £3billion boost to the UK economy.

At last week’s meeting, county councillors heard about the “positive discussions” which took place during a recent meeting between the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark and council and business leaders involved in the bid by Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – boosting hopes that central government is moving towards a devolution announcement in the New Year.

Council leader Roy Perry said: “Devolution would enable local decisions to be made on a local level – giving us more control on areas previously managed by central government.

“In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there’s a firm commitment for a single, combined authority, where all partners are equal and working together at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

“It’s not about replacing or changing the two-tier structure of local authorities in Hampshire – it’s about acting together to get the powers we need from government to grow our economy, protect our area and deliver a better deal for our 1.9million residents and 80,000 businesses.

“Our meeting with Greg Clark was a very productive session during which he was positive about our collective proposals – praising Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for coming together so quickly, to develop a credible and ambitious bid.

“It was also an opportunity to unanimously reaffirm our commitment to taking control of public services and spending in our area in the interests of those who live and work here.

“Greg Clark has made it clear he’d like to see more ambitious plans around housing – delivering more low-cost starter homes through the use of public land, which could help to unlock an early devolution deal for our area.”

Mr Perry’s personal view was housing numbers were primarily a matter for the planning authorities – districts and unitary councils- to agree rather than the county.

“It would be crucial for “absolute guarantees” from the Government on infrastructure funding for essentials such as roads and schools. Also, he would want planning powers to impose appropriate green infrastructure including green belt to stop communities coalescing.

“The real dilemma is do we face having extra housing imposed in any event, in which case we would be better able to defend the Hampshire environment with extra powers in a devolution deal. Greg Clark also wants to see us acting together with full accountability, although in our view we can do this without having an elected mayor, which is more suitable for large cities,” he said.

The partnership is now preparing to go back to the Government with responses to questions about the proposals. If it is good news in the New Year, the details will be prepared, as well as planning a public consultation later in the year to gather wider views about devolution across the area.

Implementation of any devolution deal would be subject to further decision making by cabinet and the full county council, as well as the other partners.