NOW CLOSED - A new petition was started on 19th December to continue Hampshire's fight for democracy in 2026.  We would encourage all supporters to sign the Let Hampshire Vote in 2026 petition which can be found here


The petition was delivered to the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution on 29th January with 1,200 signatures. Thank you.

Regular elections are the heartbeat of a healthy democracy and Hampshire's county elections are due in May this year. These elections are a powerful opportunity for people to elect our representatives at  Hampshire County Council (HCC).  HCC is responsible for many critical services including education, social care and health, maintaining Hampshire’s roads and supporting public transport.  

The current leadership of HCC want to cancel the May elections with a delay of at least a year. Their request is being made under the cover of the Government's devolution proposals. This would deny the people of Hampshire their right to choose their representatives for the next term.

Whatever the pros and cons of devolution, the proposals are complex and wide ranging and will require considerable care and planning to implement successfully. For such a critical change to succeed, it is essential that the process is transparent and democratic. It would be deeply undemocratic if HCC leadership are allowed to extend their tenure unopposed to lead such a profound change for the next generation. They would have no mandate to steer the devolution proposals and this would undermine the electorate’s trust that a democratic outcome be achieved for the resultant authority.

This cross-party petition calls for the Government to reject HCC’s request and allow the people of Hampshire to have their say on Hampshire’s future as planned in May 2025. The government should ensure that:

1. Elections in May 2025 go ahead as planned, allowing all political parties and groups to make their case for the future of Hampshire clear to the electorate.
2. A newly elected administration of HCC works with District and Borough Councils, and communities across Hampshire, and neighbouring authorities to sensibly and soberly devise the most appropriate shape, size and scale of Unitary/Strategic Authorities for our county. To do anything less risks reproducing precisely the same problems that have dogged local government since the previous “reforms” in 1974.

This petition is fully cross-party and none. We are not commenting on the case for devolution which is a matter for the Government and elected local representatives to take forward.  We believe that democratic decision making must be at the heart of this process - not a victim of it.