New Forest District Council could be axed under Labour’s English Devolution White Paper

New Forest District Council could be scrapped under Labour’s plan to save £3bn by revamping local authorities.

The autumn budget, delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, set out a move to end the two-tier system of local government, introduced in 1974 by Edward Heath’s Conservative government. In its place would be large unitary authorities, in an effort to make the savings over five years.

If given the go-ahead, dozens of councils could be abolished, including NFDC.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said much is unknown until the government publishes the English Devolution White Paper – which was set to be published on Wednesday but will now be released on 16th December.

If district councils were replaced by larger unitaries with populations of at least 500,000 people, the New Forest population would potentially be needed to boost those of a neighbouring council and could be swallowed by BCP Council or “more likely” Southampton, he explained.

He added the government had been “pretty clear” on creating combined areas across the country overseen by a mayor. This would see new bodies created to provide oversight and management powers, as well as funding, transferred from national to local government.

The county council, along with Southampton, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth City councils have together submitted an expression of interest in a devolution deal which could pave the way for a regional mayor, with conversations “going well”.

Cllr Adams-King said: “My concern is, we are having a really positive conversation about that, and if we’ve got to redraw the map and move people to different councils then that will be a huge distraction.

“One of the reasons for doing away with New Forest District Council is to save money, they say it would be cheaper to run a unitary council, rather than Hampshire County Council and then the district. There is very little duplication in what the county and district do, but if you split services you could end up duplicating what you’re doing and it creates a cost, not saving.

“The New Forest has its own waste strategy and the bins are collected by NF employees, whereas in other places across Hampshire there are a plethora of arrangements in different districts, such as East Hampshire, Winchester and Test Valley.

“If you’re suddenly drawing new lines on maps you would need to work out the impact on contracted services so that it continues without a problem.

“Yes, you could get a quick saving by creating a unitary Hampshire, [but this] would take the government further away from the people.

“People like being in a New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester or East Hampshire; you know [the councils] get where they live.”

He said he feared that if a devolution deal can only be reached by changing local government in Hampshire, they would get tied up in arguments about “how that looks or what the boundaries are, who’s where, how it works – all that kind of thing”.

Cllr Adams-King added: “That’s an enormous change to go alongside the devolution piece, and it will divert us for a significant time. I fear it will cost us a lot of money, and I just don’t see the point.

“Hampshire works well as the county council and 11 districts and boroughs; I don’t see the reason to change that.

“Devolution could add further things to us. We can work within that system, and it worries me that not doing so means we actually get diverted from delivering good stuff to people.

“There’s a brighter future for us if we can work better together.”

The 10 areas expected to be in the first wave of reorganisation include Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Norfolk and Suffolk. These would have their district councils replaced by larger unitaries with populations of at least 500,000 people.

In Hampshire, there are multiple unitary authorities which deliver council services for their area.

There are many more district councils, such that in the New Forest, which operate in a two-tier system alongside the county council. Below this, there are also various town and parish councils across Hampshire.

A spokesperson for NFDC told the A&T: “We look forward to seeing the detail within the government’s proposed devolution white paper. Any changes to council structures are a long way off and would be subject to detailed local discussions.

“We will continue our conversations with other Hampshire councils, with a focus remaining on delivering our agreed vision to support opportunities for the communities we serve, protect our unique and special place, and secure a prosperous New Forest.”