Leader threatens legal action against merger plans
BBCThe leader of Hampshire County Council has warned the government a planned reorganisation of local government in the county could leave an authority that would be financially unsustainable.
Conservative Nick Adams-King said providing services in rural areas in the proposed Mid Hampshire council, that covers most of the existing New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester and East Hampshire areas, will be too expensive with fewer chances to raise revenue.
The letter can be seen as the first move to potentially taking the decision to judicial review.
Previously the government said its Plan for Change, unveiled in March, "reflects how people live and work" across Hampshire and will save money.
The proposed five local authorities, whittled down from the county's current 15, are not expected to come into being until 2028.
Adams-King, who is standing for re-election in his Romsey Rural seat on 7 May, said previously that residents were "unhappy" about being "taken away from their traditional districts".
Some of the most industrial parts of the New Forest and Test Valley would be included in the proposed South Hampshire council, that would also include Southampton and Eastleigh.
Liberal Democrat Keith House, Eastleigh Council's leader and the party's group leader on the county council, said the Conservatives had "rushed" the county into local government reorganisation.
"They called for last year's elections to be cancelled - denying people their vote," he added.
"The Liberal Democrats do not support this top-down reorganisation approach, which we think should be abandoned completely."
A Reform UK spokesperson said: "This is a shameless U-turn from the Conservatives. They hid behind this chaotic restructure to cancel elections - which Reform fought to keep - even signing up to the government's fast-track process.
"Now, only as elections approach, they are scrambling and posturing because they know they are at risk of losing."
In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Local government and Communities (MHLCG) confirmed receipt of the letter.
The Green Party were also approached for a comment.
Also standing in the Romsey Rural seat on 7 May are:
- Victoria Ann Burbidge - Liberal Democrats
- Gary Michael Cooper - Reform UK
- Adrian John Paul Field - Labour
- Matthew Smith - Green Party
