Portsmouth Council Leader says 'Hands Off Portsmouth'

Dear Minister,

There is considerable anger and genuine concern across much of the Council that Portsmouth City Council is being compelled to submit proposals for Local Government Reorganisation. It is our clear position that Portsmouth should not be forced to participate in Local Government Reorganisation

Portsmouth should not be forced to reorganise because we are not a failing local authority. The Council was established 28 years ago and, since our creation, we have been a resounding success, acting as a tireless advocate for our communities and the city's unique identity. Portsmouth City Council is an excellent, financially stable local authority, which is highly regarded among our 210,000 residents, and a Council that is progressive and ambitious for the city’s future.

As a successful existing unitary, we have already integrated and embedded our services, maximising efficiencies through opportunities such as: enhanced planning and transport performance, closer alignment of adult social care and housing, closer collaboration between environmental health and trading standards, a more enhanced offer to care leavers, and our functions as a waste collection and disposal authority.

Portsmouth City Council is a financially stable local authority. A forced merger with other Councils, particularly taking on Hampshire County Council's financial stresses, will be detrimental to the great services we provide our communities and businesses. Local Government Reorganisation will also paralyse our ambitious new transformation programme and will immediately expose our residents to financial risk and uncertainty.

Like every Council, we have a great sense of pride in the services we provide for our residents and businesses, and we are determined to ensure that local government reorganisation does not destabilise this.

We are particularly concerned that the sound financial investments we have made to develop our International Port and our commercial property portfolio investments, both of which bring in significant income to support local services, will now be shared by neighbouring areas which were not party to these strategic decisions. These investments and purchases, which were made by and on behalf of the people of Portsmouth and currently benefit our city and protect essential services, will inevitably be diluted over a much larger area, threatening the loss of services here.

We are aware that the Government's aim is to create new unitary authorities by abolishing two-tier local government and to create new authorities that are financially viable, which can deliver growth, and which reflect community identity. In terms of financial viability, it is worth noting that Hampshire County Council has a budget deficit of at least £136m for 2026-27. Unless the Government deals with this deficit, and the underlying financial pressure on demand-led services causing this deficit, we believe that any new unitary authority will be in effective bankruptcy territory on day one. It cannot be right therefore that Portsmouth is forced into a situation that will reduce the financial viability of services delivered to its residents, communities and our workforce.

The Unions have expressed significant concern about employment uncertainty and the prospect of job losses that would be driven by the need to make cuts to local services to address the anticipated severe financial distress that any new Council which includes Portsmouth will face from the start. We share these concerns. The Unions have specifically asked that these concerns are conveyed directly to you and your department.

Noting the Government’s desire to create new authorities that reflect community identity, we do not believe the expanded geography will reflect the strong community identity or pride in the city that currently exists in Portsmouth.

In terms of growth, we believe that our active and enthusiastic participation in the Hampshire & The Solent devolution proposal will help achieve growth across the area, without the need to force Portsmouth to participate in reorganisation.

The Government's aims will simply not be met by forcing Portsmouth to be included in Local Government Reorganisation. For this reason, we strongly request that in terms of reorganisation you leave Portsmouth alone and let us continue as a successful and viable unitary authority, highly regarded by its residents and businesses and with positive ratings for both adults' and children's services.

While we do not agree with the inclusion of Portsmouth City Council in Local Government Reorganisation and we have set out a strong argument to be left out of the current reorganisation proposals, we fear the Government is committed to forcing this change on us. Rather than being evidence led, which would suggest that Portsmouth should not be part of the process at all, we are concerned the Government will press ahead with these proposed damaging changes.

If Local Government Reorganisation is being forced on the area by the Government, despite it not being referred to in your election manifesto, then the reorganisation process needs to balance the need for financial resilience with community identity. A repeated term you used when we met was how communities ‘anchor’ to an area, where they feel connected for their services and sense of place, and we agree with you. 

Finally, one of the areas that helps cement the identity of Portsmouth is that Portsmouth has a Lord Mayor and has city status, which will be celebrating its centenary in 2026. While the issues of what happens to our city status and the Lord Mayor role in any restructuring might appear small compared to other issues, our city status and civic ceremonial arrangements are very important to our residents and form an important part of the culture, heritage and identity of the city. It would be helpful to clarify as soon as possible how the Lord Mayor for Portsmouth role and our city status can be protected and transferred into any new arrangements.

Councillor Steve Pitt
Leader of the Council
Cabinet Member for Culture, Regeneration & Economic Development