The government has announced a review of its plans for local government reorganisation in Hampshire.
Update on local government reorganisation
On 7 September, the government announced a review of its plans to streamline local government which includes the withdrawal of its decision to replace Hampshire’s councils with four new unitary councils.
Read the response from the Leader of Rushmoor Borough Council.
While we wait for the government to review its plans, below is information about the original decision and background about the proposed changes.
Original decision - a new unitary council for northern Hampshire
The government announced on Wednesday 25 March the future structure of councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The government said that from 1 April 2028, the current 15 councils would be replaced by 4 unitary councils in mainland Hampshire, with the continuation of the Isle of Wight as a separate council.
Aldershot and Farnborough would be served by a new unitary council for northern Hampshire. This would provide all the services currently provided by Rushmoor Borough Council, Hart District Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council.
Shadow elections would be held in May 2027 to elect councillors to oversee the establishment of the new council.
Rushmoor Borough Council and Hampshire County Council would continue to provide services locally until 2028 and the borough and county elections in May 2026 continued as planned.
(Map based on Google Maps)
Future Hampshire website
A new website called Future Hampshire, has been set up to provide clear and up-to-date information about changes to local government across Hampshire. It has been designed as a central source of information for residents, partners and businesses.
It includes details of key timelines, explains what the changes may mean and provides further information to help people understand what is changing, why it is happening and how to find out more.
Background to local government reorganisation
The government announced in late 2024 that it wanted to replace the current system of councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with new unitary councils, each covering a population of approximately 500,000 that would be responsible for all services in their area.
It invited councils to put forward proposals, which it consulted on in late 2025.
We were part of a group of 12 of the 15 councils in Hampshire, which worked closely together on options for this major reform of local government and published our joint proposal for the government, Close enough to be local, big enough to stay strong, for local government reorganisation in September. This followed a vote by an extraordinary meeting of the council to do so.
This set out the case for 4 new unitary councils in Hampshire, replacing Hampshire Council, the 11 district and borough councils, and Portsmouth and Southampton city councils, with the Isle of Wight remaining an independent unitary council.
Proposals for parish or town councils
Because any new unitary council would be bigger than Rushmoor, we have also considered what, if any, local arrangements could be put in place to make sure residents' voices are heard on local decisions.
At an extraordinary meeting of the council on 29 January, it was agreed not to pursue this option for the moment.
Privacy notice for local government reorganisation data sharing
Please read our local government reorganisation privacy notice which explains how we handle personal data as part of local government reorganisation.
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