On Monday 7 September, the Government announced a review of local government reorganisation plans for Hampshire and the wider Solent area.
As part of the review, the Government has withdrawn its previous decision and will reconsider proposals for Hampshire alongside plans in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
LGR is a national process that looks at how councils are structured in a local area.
In places with a county council and separate district/borough councils (a “two-tier” system), the government wants to instead create single-tier unitary councils that run most local services in one organisation.
The aim of LGR is to reorganise councils so that they have clearer accountability and long-term financial sustainability.
A unitary authority is a single council that is responsible for almost all local services in an area.
At the moment in most of Hampshire, some services (like education and social care) are run by Hampshire County Council and others (like waste and planning) are run by district or borough councils such as East Hampshire District Council. In a unitary system, one council would do both.
For now, nothing changes.
You still contact East Hampshire District Council in the usual ways. You use the same services and facilities. You continue to pay your bills in the same way.
In the coming months we will explain what is happening, when it will happen and what it means for you well in advance.
There will be no change to services currently provided by EHDC.
No - services continue as normal. Any changes to how services are organised would be planned during the transition period and communicated in advance.
No decisions are made today about future sites. Operational and customer services need to keep running. Any future changes would be part of transition planning and would be communicated clearly.
Town and parish councils are not being reorganised in the same way as district and county councils. The Government has previously said it sees an important role for them in local governance. We will share any confirmed local arrangements as they emerge.
September 2026 - The Government has withdrawn its previous decision on local government reorganisation and will now review the plans for Hampshire and the wider Solent area.
March 2026 - The Government published its decision on how local councils in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton will be reorganised.
January 2026 - The Government’s consultation ends on 9 January.
November 2025 - A public consultation is opened by the Government, allowing local people to comment on all the proposals.
September 2025 - Our proposal is submitted to government. Other proposals from Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton councils are also submitted.
July 2025 - East Hampshire District Council works with Hampshire County Council to develop a proposal.
February 2025 - Government invites proposals for local government reorganisation and sets out six criteria.
February 2025 - The government announced that Hampshire and the Solent had been selected to join the DPP.
January 2025 - Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton councils submitted a joint expression of interest to join the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).