Hampshire County Council has moved a step closer in trying to forge a devolution bid for the region.

In an intense debate around the English Devolution deal that would change the political map of Hampshire’s local government, members of Hampshire County Council have agreed to ask the government to delay May’s local elections.

This provides a “necessary stable platform on which devolution proposals can progress at pace in 2025”.

Under the devolution proposals, a combined authority could be created to allow the four unitary councils (Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and Isle of Wight) to collaborate and take decisions across their respective boundaries.

The priority programme by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is aiming to hold elections for new combined authority mayors next year – and Hampshire’s county councillors have backed asking to be part of it.

Cllr Andy Tree asked Hampshire County Council’s leader if postponing the elections is an “absolute explicit requirement” from the government to join the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) as a fast track to delivering devolution for our area.

He said: “Is the delay of the election an absolute explicitly required by the government or just expected or just perhaps desired internally here? I just want to be absolutely clear.”

Council leader Councillor Nick Adams-King said that the government “has put the ball in our court” and expects to provide the capacity and stability to deliver a devolution by next year.

“The fact they are suggesting that we should do it tells us that their thought is that we should be creating that space, not creating that uncertainty or potential inability to engage with them in the way that they would expect us to do so to meet the timeline because it’s an incredibly tight timeline.”

Labour councillor Alex Crawford asked if the Government would still consider Hampshire’s request to participate in the DPP if the council withdrew its expression of interest in postponing the election.

With a forceful response, Cllr Adams-King said: “They wouldn’t, that’s the bottom line”.

“If you look at all of those other councils that are going forward with their application program, they’re all doing the same thing. If there is any suggestion that we could do it without postponing elections, then they would be doing so too.”

Councillors voted on the recommendation, with 47 in favour and 19 against.

Cllr Adams-King said that postponing the election would extend “the life of this council by one year”.

He added: “If anybody is unable to continue to serve during that period, there would be a by-election on the existing boundaries, and we would go through the process in the normal way.”

The cabinet will make the final decision on January 10. If approved, the government will confirm on January 31 whether Hampshire will be part of the DPP and whether elections will be postponed.