HAMPSHIRE councils are to push their case to become a massive combined authority to government by the end of this month.

All of the councils, including Hampshire County Council, Southampton and Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, are involved in the bid and are agreeing either formally or informally to support it, Eastleigh Borough Council leader, Keith House, revealed.

Leaders of all 15 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s councils have signed a letter sent to communities and local government secretary Greg Clark.

They want to agree a deal with the government to seize power over how millions of pounds are spent on areas such as transport, health and social care and skills.

It follows the raft of devolution powers Chancellor George Osborne has transferred to the new Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Government is encouraging councils to come together to deliver services.

Though some councils have agreed to support the bid formally, including Hampshire County Council, Eastleigh has not at this stage while Southampton City Council leader Simon Letts has told councillors they will vote on the move in September.

Councils have to produce a further “refined” statement by early September.

The combined authority would likely be led by a committee of the leaders of authorities across Hampshire.

Cllr House said it was important to emphasise that a combined authority was not “not a merger of councils” or a “super council”and was not about the way existing services are delivered.

“It is simply about councils working together to deliver shared visions and aims, and objectives,” he said.

“The principal attraction to such an arrangement is the potential evolution of power from Whitehall which must be positive in terms of greater localism and decision making and provision of services.

“Whether this devolution will see any significant fiscal devolution is perhaps more debatable but we must try.

“Hampshire councils must look to seize this opportunity.”

Although Cllr House said the Government had a tendency to devolve down things it found difficult, he said would rather see decisions on issues like the NHS made locally than by Westminster.

Cllr House added that all leaders had stated there should not be a mayor covering greater Hampshire and indications were this would not be necessary.

County council leader Roy Perry, who confirmed the move, said both Local Enterprise Partnerships, Enterprise M3 and Solent, supported the idea and a letter from the NHS on behalf of all the Clinical Commissioning Groups indicated they were interested in being involved.

But he stressed the move was not towards a re-organisation but transferring of powers from Government.

He added: “Most attention to date has been on the northern powerhouse but we’re saying to the government that the south and specifically central southern England is as competent and capable of discharging additional powers more efficiently, effectively and economically.”