Revealed: How could the biggest devolution shake-up in decades affect Hampshire?

Three of the Solent's councils are set to press ahead with plans for a historic devolution deal that they say could give the region "control over its own destiny".

At the same time the leader of Hampshire County Council has put forward his own proposals that could see councils disappear and be replaced with one or more new authorities.

Former Chancellor George Osborne kickstarted the devolution process that has now led to two public consultations with Hampshire's residents.

Originally the whole county was set to follow the lead of Greater Manchester and take control of hundreds of millions of pounds in funding that is currently allocated and spent by the Government.

But a bitter row over the Chancellor's insistence on a directly-elected mayor to head up the new combined authority, as it will be called, led to the break-up of the Hampshire-wide bid.

Since then the Government has pursued setting up the new authority with Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership - and Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and East Hampshire then expected.

With consultation starting on the plans for a Solent Combined Authority, county council leader Roy Perry wants residents' views on a range of other proposals that, if implemented, could sweep away the existing system of councils in Hampshire.

The county council is spending £150,000 on the consultation and a report by consultants Deloitte that spells out seven different options, all of which would see some councils disappear or be fundamentally changed.

They include setting up one huge council which could provide all of the services for Hampshire, including Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, one council without those areas but spelling the end for the district and boroughs, and one dividing the county in western and eastern halves.

But how could these changes actually affect Hampshire's residents?

Taking the Solent Combined Authority proposals first, if they go ahead residents would not see much, if any difference to how the services in their area are run on a day-to-day basis.

It will change the way councils receive funding, with Government grants replaced by business rates, but would be another tier of government sitting on top of the existing councils meaning the likes of Southampton City Council would continue collecting rubbish, fixing roads and dealing with the city's vulnerable children as before.

The council leaders have rejected claims it would merely add another layer of bureaucracy, saying the new mayor could be based around the region and not have a big office or staff.

They argue that, while currently the Government decides how money is spent on major road and housing schemes, such as the Stubbington bypass for example, it would allow the new authority to take control of that and mean decisions are made locally.

They also say it will allow them to work better together, saying that eventually it could lead to one approach to how to deal with health and wellbeing issues, such as high teenage pregnancy rates.

Southampton leader Simon Letts says the deal will result in "better jobs, better homes and better prospects for our residents", with the authority also able to set aside money to develop peoples' skills and training.

The proposals put forward by Cllr Perry, however, would lead to a major change in how services are run.

He has stressed that he is not setting out a preferred option for what should happen, but that he wants to hear what the county's residents want.

If any of them come to pass and a new unitary authority, eg one that provides all services in an area, is created, it would bring together services such as waste collection and street cleaning from boroughs and districts and adult's and children's social care from the county council.

Cllr Perry has said a new single council could cut council tax for up to 90 per cent of residents, while delivering at least £40m of savings every year.

Cllr Perry says he is convinced the Solent plans would eventually "lead ultimately to unitary councils based on a perverse geography which will do little to enhance the economy of the area" - a suggestion which is rejected by the leaders of Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

He in his turn has been accused of trying to "trample over" the district councils and potentially creating a council that would be too big and see decisions made too far away from the communities it would serve.

And his opponents say they do not believe he would command the support of Government that would be necessary to carry out any of the changes envisaged in the Deloitte report.

Their plans are also dependent on the say-so from Westminster - but as the devolution agenda was pushed forward by the Conservative Government, it is not believed the change of Prime Minister will mean the end of the plans.

There is uncertainty over the controversial position of the elected mayor - a key insistence of former Chancellor George Osborne - but the council leaders do not believe the plans will now be scrapped.

And whatever happens now, it is likely that the county is set to see one of its biggest shake-ups for at least a generation.

The county council's Serving Hampshire consultation for residents living in the county council area ends at 11.59pm on September 20.

You can take part at www.hants.gov.uk/servinghampshire Consultation on the combined authority proposals for residents in Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight closes at 5pm on September 18.

You can take part at www.solentdeal.co.uk

MAP A: IF PLANS for the Solent Combined Authority get final Government approval and meet the public's approval, it will initially cover Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

The three unitary councils say it would not see them lose any of their current powers, but the new authority would be another tier of local government sitting above them.

It is likely to be headed up by a directly-elected mayor serving four-year terms, although that may change after George Osborne left the Government.

Instead of the Government deciding how money is spent on key local roads, major housing projects and budgets for skills, the new combined authority would have control.

It would also see the current funding arrangement for the three councils, where they receive Government grants, replaced with the full retention of all business rates.

So while not replacing what the three councils currently do, the new authority would basically have control over more funding and make more decisions locally than is currently the case.

MAP B: ALTHOUGH the Solent Combined Authority would be set up without the other five councils, this is what it would probably look like within a few years.

Legislation means Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and East Hampshire cannot become founding members of the authority without the county council's permission.

However, as they have been involved in the discussions over the past year they will be invited to join and are likely to within a few years of the authority being formed.

This would mean funding would be spent on a much bigger area, but it would also be easier to fund new road projects or the proposed tram system, for example, that would run across several council areas.

This area may be extended further in the future, with Winchester also invited to discussions on the Solent deal.

MAP C: THERE are actually seven different options laid out in a report commissioned by the county council.

They range from having one giant council covering all of Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, to creating four new unitary councils running all of the services in different areas of the county.

Other options include leaving Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight alone but scrapping all of the district councils and merging them with the county, and creating one new council for the Solent and one for the rest of Hampshire.

The report by consultants Deloitte was commissioned by county council leader Roy Perry, who has criticised the Solent proposals which he says would "break up" Hampshire and some of its services.

The various unitary councils proposed would be like Southampton and Portsmouth, where the authorities carry out all services, as opposed to the current situation in the rest of Hampshire where services are divided between the county and districts.

Cllr Perry's critics have said the plans are not realistic and would not be supported by the Government, but Cllr Perry says he wants to see what the public's opinions are on the different options before it is decided how any of the plans move forward, if they do at all.