East Hampshire District Council has formally agreed to end its partnership with Havant Borough Council so that it can focus on its own council priorities at a faster pace.
Councillors examined a business case exploring the risks, issues, benefits and costs of the withdrawal, and agreed to the move which they say will enable it to focus exclusively on what matters most to its residents and deliver tangible benefits for the community of East Hampshire.
The decision will see the 12-year partnership between the two authorities come to an end, with separate senior management structures put in place, which is expected to happen by the summer.
A recently refreshed corporate strategy for East Hampshire Council highlights its four key priorities:
- A fit for purpose council.
- A safer, healthier and more active East Hampshire.
- A thriving local economy with infrastructure to support its ambitions.
- An environmentally aware and cleaner district.
As a stand-alone authority, East Hampshire will be able to realign its resources to tackle demand early and shift capacity towards preventing need, the council said.
They added that it will move from providing generic services to focusing on residents’ needs and improving the day-to-day lives of people in the district.
The authority has also appointed Gill Kneller as its Chief Executive, a role which she previously shared with Havant Borough Council.
Both of the councils asked the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) to assess the likely implications of ending the partnership.
The report confirmed that East Hampshire would be financially sustainable as a stand-alone authority if it went ahead with the split and that it has ‘the financial resources available to enable the delivery of the proposed separation’.
It advised that the split should be phased and that changes in individual services should only take place when both councils are satisfied that there will be no interruption to delivery.
It also recommended that a skills audit be carried out to identify any gaps following the separation and that a detailed assessment of the impact of the split be brought to council in the next few months.
Commenting, Leader of East Hampshire District Council, Councillor Richard Millard said: “Now that we have formally agreed to go it alone it will be full steam ahead to get our new senior management structures in place as quickly as possible so that our fantastic staff have the certainty and stability they need.
“Our partnership with Havant worked well, but the world has changed and we need to evolve and adapt so that we are constantly pushing at the boundaries to deliver the very best for our residents and businesses.
“Striking out on our own means we can move at pace and it gives us more flexibility to respond to the needs of our communities more quickly, which I believe is essential if we are to make real tangible differences to people’s lives.
“We will now focus exclusively on exactly what our communities in East Hampshire need and we will be doing everything we can to pursue our ambitious plans to really support the residents who most need our help via our welfare and wellbeing agenda.
“We’re looking at plans to relocate to a ‘super green’ headquarters, which is tremendously exciting, although we haven’t made a final decision about this just yet. So, this is just the start of a bold new East Hampshire District Council.”
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