OPPOSITION from Hampshire County Council has made it “highly unlikely” the Solent combined authority deal will proceed, council leaders claimed last week.

Supporters believed the proposed deal, including East Hampshire, Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Eastleigh, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, would have brought £1billion of Government investment.

The merger was backed by East Hampshire District Council leader Ferris Cowper, who is ward member for Grayshott.

Mr Cowper believed EHDC would benefit from being part of the Solent Combined Authority, being championed by the unitary authorities running Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, rather than being part of a unitary authority for Hampshire, which would involve the merger of all district councils and the county council into one.

The county council opposition to a new authority for the Solent area means it is “almost certainly dead”, said Portsmouth leader Donna Jones.

Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight councils applied to the Government in October to create an authority to boost economic growth.

They said they had been allocated £900million over 30 years by Government ministers. But Hampshire CC argued independent research showed a new unitary authority would be a better way of saving money and protecting public services.

The situation was discussed at a meeting at Westminster involving Hampshire MPs and council leaders.

Following the meeting, Miss Jones accused Hampshire of blocking the deal and costing the area £1billion.

“Hampshire County Council was the only remaining partner that refused to support the Solent Deal,” she said.“Because of this, and following last week’s meeting with the Hampshire MPs, it now looks highly unlikely the current deal will go ahead.

“The additional pressure this places on our roads and rail is huge – this area has been under-invested for decades and we are losing out to the north of England.”

Responding, Hampshire leader Roy Perry said: “I have written to the Solent leaders explaining why the technical analysis they had commissioned doesn’t work and doesn’t support their case.

“We have gone through it carefully and know that to be so. The Solent bid would not help the local economy, it would do it harm by isolating the area from the economic resources of the wider county as well as forcing the dismantling of vital county services – now and in the future.”

Miss Jones recommended that in the event the Solent deal not going through, some of Hampshire’s 14 councils should consider merging.

But Mr Perry insisted a county-wide unitary authority would be the best approach.

“There is actually an overwhelming financial and service case for creating a county- wide unitary, as is being planned in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire,” he said. “All local and national evidence shows this would do more than any other model to save money, protect vital services and cut council tax.

“I am calling on my fellow leaders to call a halt, knowing that nothing will now be forthcoming from central government for the time being at least, and let us get back around the table in the interests of all of our communities.”