IT COULD be one of the biggest shake-ups Hampshire has seen for decades.

Now people in Southampton can find out more about plans to create a Solent-wide authority as three councils in the Solent region press ahead with plans to take “control over its own destiny”.

Officers from Southampton City Council will be holding a stand in West Quay shopping centre on Monday August 8 where people can find out more about what it means for them.

It follows the recent announcement that Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight councils will look to negotiate a deal with government to secure extra powers and funding. 

Civic chiefs claim the deal will give a £900 million boost to the Solent region over the next 30 years.

They said the cash will be used to improve infrastructure, transport and housing, and provide training and skills and support for business. 

But the deal won’t lead to the end of Southampton City Council, which would continue to exist, but would be above them.

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

Former chancellor George Osborne kick-started 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 currently spent by the government.

But 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 later expected. 

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.

Leader of Southampton City Council, Cllr Simon Letts, urged people to get involved in the process, despite what ideas about the deal they may already have.

He said: “The devolution deal is really important in helping us deliver our ambitions to create more skilled and better paid jobs, bring investment into the area, reduce the region’s welfare bill, and reform public services.

Officers from the city council’s strategy department will be on the lower ground floor atrium from 9am to 8pm answering people’s questions, raising awareness and allowing people to complete the consultation on iPads.