Our city has huge potential; potential that I believe we can unlock by giving local decision makers a greater say. That’s why I’ve joined with Satvir Kaur, my neighbouring MP for Southampton Test, to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to express our support for devolution.
I know that discussions around devolution can sometimes sound technical and process-driven, and it isn’t always easy to understand why these changes really matter. Fundamentally, my support for devolution comes from a belief that giving locally elected representatives more powers to make major decisions over things that currently get decided or snarled up in Whitehall – like transport or infrastructure – is best for our city and could make a real difference to people’s lives.
You can read our full letter below. While I have my view, I also appreciate that these are some of the biggest changes to local government in a generation, and it’s right that the government takes into account your views before deciding on next steps. There is a consultation running until Sunday 13 April where you can have your say.
Joint letter to Rt Hon. Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Thursday 3 April 2025
Dear Secretary of State,
As the Members of Parliament for two of Southampton’s main urban constituencies, representing a combined population of nearly a quarter of a million people, we are writing to express our strong support for the proposed creation of a Combined Mayoral Authority covering Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
We firmly believe that the ability to make more decisions locally will make Southampton an even better place to live and work and something that will deliver real benefits to the residents and the local economy.
Our city has huge potential that we believe can be unlocked by giving local decision makers a greater say. Although Southampton is a major gateway to the rest of the world and has one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, it has vast economic potential that is waiting to be unlocked. While local leaders have the experience and knowledge to make big, impactful decisions that are tailored to local communities, the current ‘Whitehall-knows-best’ system too often frustrates their ability to do so.
As the former Leader and Deputy Leader of Southampton City Council, we are acutely aware of how frustrating it can be to feel shackled when you have so much ambition for the city and its residents. That’s why welcome the move to give locally elected representatives more powers to make those major decisions. While this can sound abstract or process-driven, this could make a real difference in areas that directly affect the everyday lives of people in our city, such as transport and infrastructure.
This comes at a time when there is no shortage of political or economic ambition for our city. The recently launched Renaissance Vision provides just one example of this ambition, setting out some impressive ambitions for the future development of the city centre. We are optimistic that the creation of the Combined Mayoral Authority could supercharge the delivery of this plan by unlocking new sources of funding and support.
Indeed, the proposed Combined Mayoral Authority would be strengthened by a strong track-record of joint working that already exists across our region. Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight already work together as part of the Solent Growth Partnership. The establishment of a Combined Mayoral Authority would build on this track-record, with additional devolved powers empowering and equipping local decision makers to more effectively tackle regional challenges such as housing supply and affordability, skills development and health inequalities.
We also believe that the Combined Mayoral Authority will have an important role to play in tackling the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental protection. Our local areas of significant natural character, such as the tidal estuary of Southampton water and the major rivers of the Test and Itchen currently span multiple council areas. Devolution will provide local decision makers with additional opportunities to work in partnership to protect our important natural resources and work together on integrated solution to other shared natural challenges such as flood alleviation.
There are many other reasons why we believe the proposed Combined Mayoral Authority will be good for our city and for constituents – many of which have been set out by Southampton City Council in its response to the government’s consultation.
We have no hesitation in giving the proposed Combined Mayoral Authority our full and unequivocal support and are keen to support this exciting endeavour in whatever way we can.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Paffey
MP for Southampton Itchen
Satvir Kaur
MP for Southampton Test