IT IS perhaps appropriate to see where the Solent area now stands after publication of the Autumn Statement in respect of Devolution. 

It is abundantly clear that the large majority of Hampshire’s Councillors and much of the population do not want to see our county broken up into bits or forced into being led by some sort of vanity chasing celebrity mayor selected by referendum. 

Hampshire needs experienced leaders.

Already the economy of parts of the Solent area – mainly the cities – is clearly underachieving. 

For instance, GVA per head, the most widely used measure of economic prosperity at sub-national level in the UK, shows that GVA per head in the Solent area decreased from about 2% above the UK average in 1997 to about 7% below the UK average in 2014.

Within the Solent area economic prosperity as defined by GVA per head in Southampton decreased from 25 per cent above the UK average in 1997 to about four per cent below the UK average in 2014. 

On the other hand south Hampshire has broadly maintained its level of prosperity relative to the UK average (about six per cent below) and increased its levels of economic prosperity relative to the Solent average (from about eight per cent below the Solent average in 1997 to about 0.5 per cent above the Solent average in 2014). 

On many indicators economic performance of South Hampshire more closely resemble performance of Central and North Hampshire than its large neighbouring urban economies. 

Reports elaborate on what was actually contained in the Autumn Statement – it does not give any reason to believe that there is an imminent likelihood of any forthcoming announcement on a Solent Combined Authority. 

Peter Langdon, Gosport.