Hampshire County Council will make crucial decisions this month on the future of local services including school transport, road maintenance and older adults’ day care to address a significant £97.6 million budget shortfall.
The council has scheduled three Select Committee meetings beginning Monday 14 July to examine cost-saving proposals affecting Hampshire residents from April 2026 onwards.
These recommendations stem from the Future Services Consultation conducted between March and May 2025, which sought public input on proposals across four service areas to help bridge the authority’s budget gap of at least £97.6 million for 2025/26.
Key proposals under consideration include:
Highway Maintenance: Cutting core council funding for annual planned road maintenance whilst maximising increased government grant funding where available. For 2025/26, this represents an additional £3.4 million for structural highway repairs.
Older Adults’ Day Services: Finding alternative providers for services at Chesil Lodge in Winchester and Newman Court in Basingstoke to serve broader community needs. Charges would increase to match average market rates, with attendees contributing based on standard adult social care financial assessments.
Post-16 Transport: Restricting council support to students with special educational needs or disabilities from low-income families. Changes would include requiring family contributions to transport costs, mandatory Independent Travel Training for some students, and parents acting as Passenger Assistants where feasible. These changes would affect students beginning courses from September 2026.
School and Post-16 Transport: Utilising spare capacity on large buses for mainstream school transport in exceptional cases, increasing parental contributions for discretionary transport, and prioritising season tickets and personal transport budgets over contracted services.
County councillors from all political parties will scrutinise consultation findings and savings recommendations, analysing potential resident impacts during the committee meetings.
Meeting Schedule:
| Select Committee | Date | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Children and Young People | Monday 14 July 2025 | Post-16 Transport; School Transport |
| Health and Adult Social Care | Wednesday 16 July 2025 | Older Adults’ Day Services |
| Universal Services | Wednesday 16 July 2025 | Highway maintenance |
| Cabinet | Friday 18 July 2025 | All proposals |
Select Committee feedback will inform the Cabinet’s final decision on 18 July. If approved, these recommendations would generate £9.86 million in savings.
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Hampshire County Council Leader Councillor Nick Adams-King commented: “Making savings is never straightforward, particularly when affecting services our residents depend upon. Whilst we’re making good progress transforming our operations and beginning to manage pressures more sustainably, rising costs and increasing demand, especially in adult and children’s social care, present unprecedented challenges.
“Without central government intervention to address these pressures, we must take responsible action now to ensure the council can continue delivering essential support where most needed, protecting our services’ long-term sustainability.
“My Cabinet colleagues and I will carefully review these recommendations later this month, considering consultation responses, Select Committee feedback and any deputations presented to us.
“We remain committed to working efficiently, innovatively and in partnership with our communities to navigate these challenges together.”
