Residents in Liphook are being reassured that, despite one of the biggest overhauls of local government in decades, their parish council will remain in place and continue to represent the village on key local issues.

The comments from Bramshott & Liphook Parish Council come as the Government consults on competing proposals to restructure local government across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, which could see current district and county councils replaced by larger unitary authorities by 2028.

Under the plans, decisions on major services such as highways, planning, housing and waste collection would move to new larger councils, while parish councils would remain the closest tier of local government.

The parish council says it has been closely following the proposals and has supported the outcome agreed by Government from the options put forward by local authorities.

But it acknowledges that many residents still feel unclear about what is changing.

“We are aware that many residents do not feel informed about what is happening although we have tried to share information through our meetings, our website and social media,” the council said.

For Liphook, Bramshott and surrounding areas, the reassurance is that the parish council itself will not be abolished or merged, and will continue to operate in the same way as now.

“The Parish Council will continue to exist under the new plans with no changes to the way we work,” it said. “We will be keen to work with the new unitary authority, once it is appointed, and we will continue to represent our residents where there are concerns about services such as highways, planning and refuse.”

Behind the scenes, however, the changes being proposed at higher levels are significant. Four competing plans have been submitted to Government, each setting out different ways of dividing up Hampshire and surrounding areas into new unitary councils.

Some proposals would create fewer, larger authorities, while others suggest more councils with different boundaries — including options that split existing districts between new areas.

For villages like Liphook, that raises wider questions about where decision-making power will sit in future, and whether rural communities will have the same influence within larger regional authorities as they do now.

While parish councils will continue to deal with very local matters — such as open spaces, playgrounds and community facilities — larger decisions affecting roads, planning and infrastructure will shift upwards.

The parish council is also in discussions with East Hampshire District Council over the transfer of local assets, including two playgrounds in Liphook and Passfield. These are expected to be refurbished and opened this summer, with other assets such as allotments, open spaces and bus shelters potentially coming under parish control in future.

It is also exploring closer collaboration with neighbouring parish councils, as part of a wider effort to share services and reduce costs ahead of the transition.

The parish council says it is happy to speak directly with residents about the changes, with its office open weekdays between 10am and 1pm.