A Liberal Democrat district councillor from Alton is calling for “accountability” at Hampshire County Council as the authority waits for a central government decision on a crucial issue.

The ruling Conservatives have asked to postpone May’s county council elections for a year as part of their request for devolution of some central government powers.

They hope for a combined authority bringing Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight under the control of a mayor - who would not be elected until May 2026.

The county council had also asked the government to allow a 15 per cent council tax rise to help plug a £182 million hole in its 2025-26 budget, but this request was turned down on February 3.

Its cabinet was due to meet on February 4 to discuss what to do next. The county council now proposes increasing council tax by 4.99 per cent and balancing its 2025-26 budget by taking £68.2m from its reserves.

County council leader Cllr Nick Adams-King said he was “mystified” by the decision, which may mean more cuts to services as the county council needs to make further savings.

He said the county council would continue to use its reserves despite not being in a “sustainable position”, adding: “Reserves can only be spent once, and really it is like taking out a mortgage to buy the groceries. It cannot last.

“The position we have been put in by the government is intolerable. We face huge cost increases not of our making and it tells us we cannot raise council tax above 4.99 per cent.

"It is not interested in our preferred option of reform so we can use our funds more flexibly, ask those who can afford to do so to contribute to our costs, and raise money by charging for some services. And, in a final blow, it is taking funding away to other parts of the country. The situation is a mess.”

Warren Moore, the Liberal Democrat East Hampshire district councillor for Alton Wooteys, said: “I feel the attempt by Hampshire County Council to try to defer the elections at the same time as making this request for a council tax increase is an unacceptable ploy to avoid accountability.

“It must be remembered that any new unitary authorities or merged districts that do emerge from the reform the central government wants will not actually start until 2028 at the earliest.

“Given that is three-quarters of the way through the term for the next county council there is no good reason to delay elections and, more importantly, delay a voter response to the various issues that the current administration at Hampshire County Council have created.”

Mark Kemp-Gee, the Conservative county councillor for Alton Rural, felt the authority had little choice over its 15 per cent council tax rise bid.

He said: “The pressures on our county council’s social care budgets, accounting for some 75 per cent of our total expenditure, are such that an increase of this quantum is required to protect our vulnerable adults and children.”