THOUSANDS are being urged to have their say on a series of masterplans which could change Hampshire’s political landscape forever.

Hampshire County Council is launching a £150,000 consultation, asking people to give their verdict on landmark devolution plans which could shake up how council services ranging from health, social care, roads and transport to bin collections are run.

Hampshire County Council leader Councillor Roy Perry says the consultation is a chance for people to have their say to ensure “vital services” can be protected.

But critics have condemned the move as “reverse devolution” saying it could lead to the creation of a “super council” where they claim local people will ultimately have less influence on decision-making.

It is the latest step in a long-running battle sparked by the government’s plans for devolution of political powers from Westminster as part of radical powers aimed at giving local regions more control over decision-making and shaping their own futures.

As previously reported, the plans had been to negotiate a devolution deal with the whole of Hampshire – but this was sunk when some council leaders, including county boss Roy Perry, opposed the government’s insistence on having an elected mayor to run the new combined authority.

Now he is launching the Serving Hampshire Consultation, setting out potential options on how Hampshire County Council and the 11 district councils could be reorganised to meet the challenges they face. It comes after Cllr Perry announced that a £89,000 report by consultants Deloitte, commissioned by the county council, spelled out six options for how Hampshire could be governed.

But Cllr Keith House, leader of Eastleigh Borough Council – among the district councils likely to be swept away – claimed it will create a “ super-powerful” Hampshire Council and added: “They have already spent £100,000 on a biased consultant’s report justifying their position and have allocated a further £150,000 to promote their plans.

“This is reverse devolution, sucking power up to the centre, rather than dispersing it.”

But Cllr Perry defended it as a “genuine consultation” based on an “independent” report. Separate plans for a so-called Solent City deal – which could see Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, and later other councils such as Fareham and Eastleigh, seize control of new powers over transport, skills and housing – are also being put to the public by councillors in Southampton.

But Cllr Perry said their deal threatens to “split” the county and “damage services.”

The Serving Hampshire Consultation launches this Wednesday and will be carried out by independent researchers Ipsos MORI.

See hants.gov.uk for more information.