Source: City of Portsmouth
Portsmouth residents are being asked if they want their city to be part of the Government’s plans to reorganise local councils.
Portsmouth City Council has today launched a short survey to give local people a voice in central plans for a major shake-up of how local services are delivered. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete, and is only open until Sunday 29 June at midnight, because of the need to gather views at pace.
Under its plans for Local Government Reorganisation, central Government is looking to replace existing councils with new bigger councils, covering areas of around 500,000 people.
This would see Portsmouth City Council replaced by a new authority looking after a larger area.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said:
“Our priority is to get the best possible outcome for people and communities in Portsmouth.
“We’ve said from the beginning that Portsmouth should be left out of the Local Government Reorganisation plans, because we already have one council which is financially stable. However, we are being forced to present to government plans to reorganise, so it’s really important we hear from Portsmouth people, before any options are submitted.
“We’re working with other councils in the region and there will be some countywide engagement in the coming weeks. Ahead of that we need to gather local views at pace, which is why we need to complete this survey in a short time. It takes less than five minutes to complete and I strongly urge as many people as possible to take part so we can ensure local opinion is represented.”
Government has said, because Portsmouth’s population is around 208,000, Portsmouth City Council will have to take part and merge with other councils. Portsmouth is working with other councils in Hampshire and the Solent to prepare region-wide options.
The survey asks residents if they think Portsmouth should be included in local government reorganisation, and if it were forced to by the Government which councils it should consider merging with.