Agenda and decisions

1. Agreed that Portsmouth City Council should seek to be a part of the Hampshire & The Solent Devolution Agreement thereby avoiding a Ministerial direction for what a devolved area will look like.
2. Agreed that Portsmouth City Council, alongside our partner upper tier authorities in Hampshire & The Solent, should seek to be part of the national Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) and submit a letter to Government to this effect, recognising that this will mean more support and more money coming into the devolved area.
3. Noted that subject to the Government agreeing that Hampshire and the Solent should be part of the DPP, that Portsmouth will be asked to submit outline proposals for LGR in March 2025 and final proposals in the Autumn (rather than final proposals in May 2025).
4. Gave delegated authority to the Leader and to the Chief Executive to negotiate and take forward devolution and LGR discussions with other authorities and with The Government. As part of that, its starting position should be that Government should keep its hands off Portsmouth and let the city remain a standalone unitary authority.
5. Agreed that further papers will come to Cabinet (and Council where appropriate) about progress in these policy areas. All councillors will be briefed ahead of key dates in the timetable.
6. Agreed to ask Hampshire County Council, in order to deliver smooth and stable devolution and reorganisation, it does not delay its 2025 elections or, if it feels it must, to delay for a short period.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek approval from Cabinet for a letter to be submitted proposing that Portsmouth City Council should actively seek to be part of a Hampshire & The Solent Devolution Agreement with a Directly Elected Mayor as part of the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) and that the Leader and Chief Executive should be given delegated authority to negotiate and provisionally agree matters related to devolution and priority options for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Recommendations

Cabinet is recommended:

a)      To agree that Portsmouth City Council should seek to be a part of the Hampshire & The Solent Devolution Agreement thereby avoiding a Ministerial direction for what a devolved area will look like.

b)      Assuming recommendation a) is agreed, that Portsmouth City Council, alongside our partner upper tier authorities in Hampshire & The Solent, should seek to be part of the national Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) and submit a letter to Government to this effect.

c)      To note that in agreeing recommendations a) and b), and subject to the Government agreeing that Hampshire and the Solent should be part of the DPP, that Portsmouth will be asked to submit outline proposals for LGR in March 2025 and final proposals in the Autumn (rather than final proposals in May 2025).

d)      To give delegated authority to the Leader and to the Chief Executive to negotiate and take forward devolution and LGR discussions with other authorities and with The Government.

e)      To agree that further papers will come to Cabinet (and Council where appropriate) about progress in these policy areas.