City council says it should be excluded from reorganisation, despite small size

The leader of Portsmouth City Council has urged the Government to exclude the authority from reorganisation plans, raising fears over joining neighbouring authorities saddled with "eye watering deficits".

In a letter to Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon, Cllr Steve Pitt said Portsmouth was "already a sustainable unitary" despite the Government requesting that it take part in the reorganisation programme.

The Government announced plans in December 2024 to scrap two-tier areas and replace them with unitary councils covering a population of 500,000 people - more than double Portsmouth's population of 210,000.

According to the English Devolution White Paper, reorganisation will "lead to better outcomes for residents, save significant money which can be reinvested in public services, and improve accountability with fewer politicians who are more able to focus on delivering for residents".

However, Cllr Pitt has said the council would not benefit from reorganisation, claiming Portsmouth is already financially stable.

He wrote: "The Government is arguing we are too small and can be more financially stable through Local Government Reorganisation but there is no evidence for that.

"We have disproved their arguments and continue to tell Government that Portsmouth City Council does not need to be part of any reorganisation."

He added: "Currently Portsmouth is in a better position financially than many other councils and we have significant concerns about what new councils would inherit, given the eye-watering deficits experienced by other local authorities, notably Hampshire County Council with its £136m forecast deficit for 2026-27.

"I understand the Government's desire to have unitary councils but Portsmouth is already a sustainable unitary so should be left alone."

Cllr Pitt said that if the city is forced to become part of a larger area, reorganisation should be based on the areas that residents use as a community when living their lives, whether that be for work, leisure, education, shopping or anything else. 

The council stated that, if forced to meet the Government's target of a 500,000 population, it wished to combine with Gosport, Fareham and Havant council areas, but consideration should also be given to the immediate areas bordering this.

Adam Carey