Portsmouth City Council has launched a survey asking residents for their views on government plans to reorganise local councils, with the consultation closing on Sunday 29 June at midnight.
The council has begun a brief consultation to ensure local voices are heard regarding central government proposals for a significant restructuring of local service delivery. Residents have until Sunday 29 June at midnight to complete the survey, which takes under five minutes, due to the urgent timeline for gathering public opinion.
Take the survey here
The Government’s Local Government Reorganisation strategy aims to establish larger councils serving approximately 500,000 residents, replacing current local authorities.
This would result in Portsmouth City Council being superseded by a new authority covering an expanded geographical area.
Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt commented:
“Our focus remains on securing the most favourable outcome for Portsmouth’s residents and communities.
“From the outset, we’ve maintained that Portsmouth should be exempt from Local Government Reorganisation proposals, given we operate as a single, financially sound council. Nevertheless, we’re obligated to submit reorganisation proposals to government, making it crucial that we capture Portsmouth residents’ opinions before any options are presented.
“We’re collaborating with neighbouring councils across the region, with broader county-wide consultation planned for the coming weeks. Prior to that, we must rapidly collect local perspectives, hence the tight survey deadline. The survey requires less than five minutes to complete, and I strongly encourage maximum participation to ensure local sentiment is properly represented.”
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Due to Portsmouth’s population of approximately 208,000, the Government has determined that Portsmouth City Council must participate in the reorganisation and merge with other authorities. Portsmouth is coordinating with fellow Hampshire and Solent councils to develop region-wide proposals.
The consultation asks residents whether they believe Portsmouth should participate in local government reorganisation, and if compelled by Government, which councils should be considered for potential merger.
Survey link: https://www.research.net/r/LGRPortsmouthWeb
