The regional authority
Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority brings Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton together for big regional decisions. Your bins, housing, schools and social care stay with Portsmouth City Council.
Where it stands
- Legal body
- mayoral combined county authority (mayoral CCA)
- Devolution tier
- Mayoral (mayoral strategic authority); not yet Established Mayoral
- Legally established
- 4 June 2026; first board meeting 13 July 2026 (Southampton Civic Centre)
- Chair now
- Cllr Nick Adams-King (Leader, Hampshire County Council) (elected by the board each year; no mayor yet)
- First mayor elected
- 4 May 2028
- Set up by
- The Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/595)
Who sits on the board
| Member | Role | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| Cllr Nick Adams-King | Chair | Hampshire County Council (lead appointment) |
| Cllr George Madgwick | Board member | Hampshire County Council (second appointment) |
| Cllr Jonathan Bacon | Vice-Chair | Isle of Wight Council |
| Cllr Steve Pitt | Board member | Portsmouth City Council |
| Cllr Sarah Bogle | Board member | Southampton City Council |
| Cllr Phil North | Non-constituent member (nominated, to be noted 28 Sep 2026) | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Government Association (nominating body designated 13 Jul 2026) |
| Cllr David Neighbour | Non-constituent member (nominated, to be noted 28 Sep 2026) | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Government Association |
What it controls
Now
Local transport plan functions (Transport Act 2000 ss.108, 109, 112)
Held concurrently with the four councils from 4 Jun 2026 until 8 May 2028. Adopting a local transport plan needs a unanimous Board vote before the mayor.
Passenger transport functions (Transport Act 1985 s.63)
Concurrent with the councils; any use needs the consent of each council in whose area it would be used.
Power to pay grant (Local Government Act 2003 s.31), including highway maintenance grant to councils
Concurrent with ministers. When granting highway money HSCCA must have regard to each council having enough to carry out its highway duties.
General power of competence for economic development and regeneration
Councils’ Localism Act 2011 s.1 power, so far as used for economic development and regeneration, exercisable concurrently by HSCCA.
Crime and disorder information sharing
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 s.17A functions (concurrent) and "relevant authority" status under s.115.
Nine statutory areas of competence
Transport and local infrastructure; skills and employment support; housing and strategic planning; economic development and regeneration; environment and climate change; health, well-being and public service reform; public safety; culture; rural affairs and coastal communities.
legislation.gov.uk: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, s.2 (areas of competence)
Investment Fund, Growth Hub and set-up funding management
Receives and allocates the pre-mayoral Investment Fund (£17.8m in 2026/27) and the single regional Growth Hub grant.
Spatial Development Strategy — preparation only
Preparatory work under way (planning team funded by SDS grant); the Board cannot adopt an SDS until a mayor is elected.
Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England
HSCCA says it will have access to this partnership before a mayor is elected (normally only available after).
Later
Adult Skills Fund commissioning (Consolidated Adult Skills Fund)
HSCCA becomes responsible for commissioning adult (19+) skills training; Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs stay ringfenced in 2027/28 and un-ringfenced from 2028/29.
When: August 2027 (2027/28 academic year), subject to passing the government readiness assessment
Careers Hub contract
Contract transfers to HSCCA; 50% match funding for delivery staff expected from Adult Skills Fund.
When: September 2027
Sole Local Transport Authority; local transport plan becomes mayor-only
Councils stop being LTAs; they remain highway authorities.
When: Mayor takes office, 8 May 2028
Mayor-only transport powers: Key Route Network, bus franchising decision, direction of councils on KRN roads
HSCCA will not use mayor-reserved powers until the mayor is in office. Franchising is a mayoral decision; HSCCA is only preparing evidence.
When: Mayor takes office, 8 May 2028
Mayoral planning powers: Mayoral Development Corporations, Mayoral Development Orders, Mayoral CIL, call-in of strategic planning applications
CIL and call-in only once a Spatial Development Strategy is in place.
When: Mayor in office; SDS adopted
Police and Crime Commissioner functions
Expected to transfer to the mayor; a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime must be appointed. Subject to secondary legislation.
When: Mayoral election, May 2028
Fire and rescue authority (Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service)
Expected to become part of HSCCA; shadow fire functions possible in the prior 12 months; transfer regulations under consultation.
When: April 2028 (expected)
Solent Freeport accountable body
Role moves from Portsmouth City Council to HSCCA.
When: Transfer must be concluded by June 2028
Full Investment Fund (£44.6m a year) and Mayoral Transport Fund
Investment Fund rises from 40% to full value; Integrated Transport Fund and Bus Services Fund combine into a single Mayoral Transport Fund.
When: Mayoral election, 2028
Mayoral precept and levies (including a possible overnight visitor levy)
Powers sit with the elected mayor; not in HSCCA budgets before 2028.
When: Mayor in office
Health improvement duty and ICB role
Mayor to have statutory health improvement duties; government expects mayors to be members of the Integrated Care Board.
When: Mayor in office
Local Nature Recovery Strategy
HSCCA "may take on accountability" — not in the 2026 Act; would need conferral by the Environment Secretary.
When: Not fixed
Stays with Portsmouth City Council
Bin collections, libraries, schools, social care, local planning
Named by HSCCA as services local councils carry on providing.
HSCCA: What we will do (areas of responsibility; continuing role of local councils)
Deciding planning applications
Local planning authorities (Portsmouth City Council for Portsmouth) keep this; a future mayor may call in strategically important applications once an SDS exists.
Highways (roads, pavements, potholes)
Constituent councils remain highway authorities even after HSCCA becomes sole LTA; the mayor may direct them on Key Route Network roads.
Public health, individual care and support services
HSCCA says councils continue to lead; HSCCA focuses on strategy and coordination.
Local transport delivery and bus services until 2028
Day-to-day transport delivery continues to be led by the upper-tier councils during the concurrency period.
Council housing, housing allocations, council tax, school admissions
None of these is conferred on HSCCA by the SI or listed in HSCCA’s responsibilities; HSCCA says "local service decisions will remain with the existing councils". HSCCA does not publish a list naming these specific services.
The money
Investment funding and what it depends on. Figures the authority states but government has not confirmed are labelled.
| Item | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Investment Fund — annual value once a mayor is in post | £44.6m a year for 30 years, split equally capital/revenue, unringfenced | Official |
| Investment Fund — headline total | £1.3bn | Official |
| Investment Fund — pre-mayor release | £17.84m a year in 2026/27 and 2027/28 (40% of £44.6m); 2026/27 received as £8.9m revenue + £8.9m capital | Official |
| Investment Fund — gateway/conditions | Subject to a review every five years to confirm the investment has contributed to growth; MHCLG sign-off of the Local Assurance Framework needed before funds are released; an Investment Strategy is to be developed in year one. | Official |
| Investment Fund — 2026/27 planned use (approved 13 Jul 2026) | Revenue: £6.1m programme delivery/grants, £0.976m staffing and programme management, £1.8m election reserve. Capital: £8.1m for projects, £0.8m scheme development. Total available for investment £14.25m. No firm capital schemes yet. | Official |
| Investment Fund — proposed variations and 2027/28 plans (28 Sep 2026 agenda) | Proposals: £0.14m for Growth Hub shortfall; up to £0.5m one-off to reimburse councils’ set-up costs; 2027/28 revenue to include £1.5m for transfer programmes and £1.8m election reserve; £2.5m of 2027/28 capital towards a c.£5m transport modelling update. 2027/28 budget and MTFP due for approval January 2027. | Official proposal |
| Mayoral election cost estimate | First mayoral election estimated at £6m–£7m (election reserve being built from Investment Fund revenue) | Official |
| Capacity funding (Mayoral Capacity Fund) | HSCCA: increased from £4m to £9m. Budget papers: £3m received in 2025/26 (£1.5m + £1.5m late uplift); multi-year settlement to 2028/29; £2.8m in the 2027/28 budget. Government (Dec 2025): at least £3m over three years plus £1m initial payment. | Official |
| Spatial Development Strategy grant | £0.76m (two payments, 2025/26 and 2026/27); further £2m–£3m expected but not confirmed | Official |
| Growth Hub grant (Department for Business and Trade) | £0.48m a year (3-year settlement) for a single regional Growth Hub | Official |
| Adult skills | Readiness funding £0.15m (2026/27) and £0.05m (2027/28). Adult Skills Fund from August 2027, estimated by HSCCA at c.£24m a year; exact allocation to be confirmed by DWP. | Official target |
| Transport revenue 2026/27 | £17.8m paid by DfT direct to the four upper-tier councils in 2026/27 because HSCCA did not exist at the start of the year; from 2027/28 expected to be paid to HSCCA | Official |
| Transport capital — Local Transport Grant (HSCCA area) | £11.645m (2026/27), £17.359m (2027/28), £23.789m (2028/29), £30.219m (2029/30); £83.014m total. Expected to transfer to HSCCA from 2027/28; most to be passported to councils during transition. | Official |
| Transport funding model | Before the mayor: Integrated Transport Fund and Bus Services Fund. After: a single Mayoral Transport Fund. Two years of concurrent LTA powers. | Official target |
| Transport top-slice for transition | Proposed top-slice of transport funding for transition and strategic planning | Official proposal |
| Who pays HSCCA running costs by law | Constituent councils must ensure HSCCA costs reasonably attributable to its functions are met — split as they agree, or by population share if they do not agree. | Official |
What it means for Portsmouth
Portsmouth’s Board seat
Cllr Steve Pitt (Leader) is Portsmouth’s one voting member; Cllr Darren Sanders is deputy/substitute. Portsmouth’s member must approve any HSCCA decision that creates a liability for PCC, affects land in Portsmouth or exercises functions in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth members on HSCCA committees
Overview & Scrutiny: Cllrs Steve Andrews and Matthew Winnington. Governance & Audit: Cllrs Stuart Brown and Ian Holder. Proposed advisory boards: Planning — Cllr Hugh Mason; Transport — Cllr Peter Candlish (Cabinet Member for Transport); Skills & Employment — Cllr Suzy Horton; Economic Growth & Regeneration — Cllrs Steve Pitt and Mark Jeffery.
Proposed co-chair roles for Portsmouth’s leader
Cllr Pitt is proposed as co-chair of the Skills and Employment Support Advisory Board (with Cllr Bogle) and of the Economic Growth and Regeneration Advisory Board (with Cllr Bacon).
Solent Freeport accountable body
Portsmouth City Council is currently the Freeport’s accountable body, holding and administering Freeport funds. The role is to transfer to HSCCA, concluding by June 2028. Freeport 2027/28 revenue budget £1.46m; accountable body support costs £0.1m a year; only two tax sites currently generating retained rates.
Portsmouth transport money
DfT Local Transport Grant capital for Portsmouth: £2.031m (2026/27), £2.691m (2027/28), £3.688m (2028/29), £4.685m (2029/30) — £13.096m total. Resource: £0.254m a year 2026/27–2028/29. HSCCA expects to receive these from 2027/28 and passport most back to councils during transition.
DfT (GOV.UK): Local Transport Grant: capital allocations 2026 to 2027 and 2029 to 2030
Portsmouth stays transport and highway authority for now
PCC remains a Local Transport Authority until 8 May 2028 and remains the highway authority after that.
Services PCC provides to HSCCA
PCC provides internal audit and information governance to HSCCA under a service level agreement (2026/27).
Portsmouth hosting HSCCA meetings
Board on 28 Sep 2026 at the Guildhall; Overview & Scrutiny on 12 Oct 2026 and 8 Feb 2027 at the Civic Offices.
How Portsmouth consented
PCC asked for unanimity on all HSCCA decisions (Feb 2026); Full Council debated and noted the proposals (24 Feb 2026); Cabinet authorised the Chief Executive to agree the SI (3 Mar 2026).
Statements by Portsmouth’s leader
Cllr Pitt: HSCCA means "economic growth and new opportunities for residents and businesses" (16 Mar 2026); "the hard work starts now to turn potential into meaningful benefits" (13 Jul 2026).
HSCCA: The HSCCA set to deliver transformative changes across the region
Opportunities and risks Stat Pack analysis
- opportunity: Portsmouth’s leader is proposed to co-chair two of the four advisory boards (skills; economic growth), which gives the city a direct role in shaping the Local Growth Plan and adult skills priorities before the plans are adopted.
- opportunity: The Local Growth Plan must name 4–10 key investment projects. Whether any Portsmouth scheme is among them will be decided in 2026/27; draft expected early spring 2027.
- opportunity: The Board’s first policy topic, young people and work, touches issues relevant to Portsmouth such as young people not in education, employment or training. The Board asked for more local analysis before choosing interventions.
- risk: Transferring the Solent Freeport accountable body role moves funds and administration currently held by Portsmouth City Council to HSCCA. Papers say the impact on HSCCA’s budget should be neutral, but the effect on PCC’s own staffing and budget is not published.
- risk: By law the constituent councils must meet HSCCA costs not covered elsewhere, by agreement or by population share. HSCCA papers report a capacity funding shortfall and heavy reliance on Investment Fund revenue in 2027/28, so pressure on councils to contribute cannot be ruled out. No Portsmouth contribution has been published.
- risk: Portsmouth has one of five votes. It can block decisions that affect Portsmouth’s land, functions or finances and any budget, constitution or transport plan decision, but it cannot on its own require HSCCA to fund Portsmouth priorities.
- watch: From May 2028 a directly elected mayor chairs the Board and any majority must include the mayor, so Portsmouth’s relative influence changes then. Mayor-only powers include the Key Route Network (which could cover Portsmouth roads) and bus franchising.
- watch: The LAF says Board membership will be reviewed when LGR happens. With LGR decisions withdrawn and under review, Portsmouth’s seat is unchanged for now.
Recent meetings and plans
Plans
Local Growth Plan
In development with Metro Dynamics; engagement autumn/winter 2026/27; draft early spring 2027; target adoption by the Board May 2027.
Strategic Skills Plan
In development ahead of adult skills devolution (Aug 2027).
Spatial Development Strategy
Evidence gathering by local planning authorities; HSCCA planning team being recruited; cannot be adopted until a mayor is in office.
Local Transport Plan (regional)
Listed as a key plan; councils also preparing 2026/27 Local Transport Delivery Plans in a coordinated way. Needs unanimous Board vote before the mayor.
Investment Strategy
To be developed in the first year of operation.
Constitution and Local Assurance Framework
Adopted 13 Jul 2026; amendments proposed 28 Sep 2026; full constitution review proposed for spring 2027.