New unitary to replace Hart, Rushmoor and Basingstoke councils

Hart, Rushmoor and Basingstoke & Deane councils are to be replace by a new North Hampshire unitary council.

And the new unitary will also take on the services currently provided by Hampshire County Council.

The announcement was one of four major shake ups announced by Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on Wednesday (March 25) as part of the local government reorganisation.

Across Hampshire four new unitary councils will be created, centred around Basingstoke, Winchester, Portsmouth and Southampton, with the Isle of Wight staying an independent island unitary council.

Basingstoke view

Chief executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Russell O’Keefe said: “We welcome the decision from the Government to move forward with the jointly developed proposals for a northern Hampshire unitary, bringing our area together with Hart and Rushmoor as part of the restructure of councils across Hampshire.

“We will now work together with all councils to make the most of this opportunity to shape more responsive services, boost our local economy and give our residents a say in decisions that affect their daily lives.

“This new north Hampshire unitary council will simplify things for people, with one tier of local government so they know who provides all their services, which can be much more joined up and coordinated.

“Now we will work positively and constructively with all the councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to make the transition as smooth as possible for our residents.”

Elections for a shadow authority to oversee the setting up of the new northern Hampshire unitary council and make decisions for the future are set to be held in May 2027. The new authorities will provisionally be known North Hampshire, Mid-Hampshire, South East Hampshire and South West Hampshire but the names could be changed by the shadow authorities.

The new councils will formally operate from April 2028.