HAMPSHIRE County Council is cutting ties with a local transport coalition because it says it is not worth the money.

The three other local authorities which are part of Solent Transport have remonstrated with the county council, urging them not to quit the deal.

Solent Transport is a coalition of local authorities aiming to improve transport and the movement of people and goods in South Hampshire.

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The coalition streamlines transport services across the county (Image: GTR)

The partnership provides leadership, strategy and direction to deliver transport improvements across south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and improve the movement of people and goods across the area.

Its membership comprises Hampshire County Council, Southampton and Portsmouth city councils and the Isle of Wight Council.

As the executive member for Hampshire 2050 decision day on June 27, Cllr Adrian Collett said that despite the controversy, Hampshire County Council has to look at whether the £95,000 was well spent, and he asked how the money was spent.

The council said that “essentially”, the sum is used to pay the Solent Transport county council staff, one manager and a principal officer, and a small sum is destined for a programme of work.

“The funding is constructed based on the population, so Hampshire pays off 45 per cent with the two city authorities paying 20 per cent and the Isle of Wight the remainder,” a council officer said.

“So, in essence, we pay half the cost.”

Officers said that Hampshire hasn’t secured any funding through the Solent Transport partnership in the last five years. The main source of Transport for Transport was through Transport for the South East (TfSE) and the work in partnership with the other three authorities.

The leader of the county council, Cllr Nick Adams-Kings, said that he had listened to and read the representations of the three other Solent partners and a second letter from the leader of the Portsmouth City Council, Steve Pitt, and understood their concerns.

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However, he thinks the four authorities don’t need a separate organisation in order to continue that work or “dip that relationship.”

Cllr Adams-Kings said: “We have, as a group of authorities, been incredibly successful in attracting over £150 million worth of investments into Transport across Solent, like the electric buses services in the wider Portsmouth area. There has been really fantastic work, but all of that happened as a consequence of bilateral partnership working, rather than through Solent Transport itself.

“Seeing how well we are working together, I think we don’t need a separate organisation in order to continue that work or dip that relationship we have in that forum.

“There is an established and successful way of working, but it means that, actually, I think we can be better focused on what we need to deliver without the additional governance of a separate organisation that we’ve been involved in.”

Last week, the three authorities urged the council not to leave the deal. They expressed their “disappointment” with the county council’s intention and said that despite understanding “financial challenges,” the partnership plays “a pivotal role in improving transport across the Solent.”

A statement said Solent Transport would continue with the Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council, and Southampton City Council despite Hampshire’s decision.

“We will review how best to work with neighbouring authorities, including Hampshire and the district and borough councils, who are essential in ensuring our Solent communities and those passing through our areas do so with ease.

“It would be disappointing if people living in the Hampshire County Council area no longer benefit from this work.”

Cllr Adams-King approved the partnership’s departure, which will take effect “on, or as close as possible” to April 1, 2025.