The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 is now law, and the Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority is up and running, having already appointed its Chief Executive and its inaugural board meeting set to take place this July. 

This is a major shift in power. Decisions about growth, infrastructure, housing, transport and investment are moving closer to home, creating a real opportunity to shape a more resilient and prosperous future for our region. 

But whether devolution succeeds will depend on the choices made now. If nature and climate are treated as peripheral issues, we risk locking in future costs and vulnerabilities. If they are built into the new system from the start, devolution could create healthier places, stronger communities and a more resilient economy. 

The pressures are already visible across Hampshire and the Solent. Water resources are under strain from drought, abstraction and pollution, and flood risk is rising in both inland and coastal communities. In the Solent, many internationally important habitats and species have suffered sharp declines. Without intervention, key habitats such as saltmarsh, mudflats and seagrass could disappear, while many species remain in long-term decline. These are not side issues. They affect health, infrastructure, development, productivity and long-term prosperity. 

A healthy natural environment is not an optional extra to be considered after growth decisions are made. It is part of the essential infrastructure that determines whether growth is viable, affordable and resilient at all. 

It is frustrating that Parliament did not include binding climate and nature duties in the final legislation. That makes leadership even more important. As we journey through local government reorganisation, we need to work with the new and existing local authorities to ensure climate resilience and nature recovery are embedded in their plans from the outset. 

The Devolution Act has created a powerful new layer of local leadership in the Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA). Led by an elected Mayor from 2028, it will work strategically with the new unitary authorities being created through local government reorganisation to reshape the future of our area. 

To deliver its seven areas of responsibility, the HSCCA must produce four major plans covering: 

• economic growth and regeneration
• housing and strategic planning
• transport
• skills and employment support  

These plans will shape whether we increase future risk or reduce it, and whether we treat nature’s recovery as central to the region’s long-term resilience and prosperity, instead of a separate objective at risk of being sidelined. 

What good looks like 

If we are serious about making devolution work for people, nature and the economy, there are some clear priorities. 

• Embedding nature and climate into every decision 
  Climate and nature need to be built into the foundations of new strategies, not added later as constraints or mitigation. That means aligning growth plans and Spatial Development Sstrategies with Local Nature Recovery Strategies, steering development away from priority areas for recovery, and using tools such as Biodiversity Net Gain and mitigation schemes to secure strategic investment and better outcomes for nature.
• Ensuring access to nature for everyone 
  Access to nature is fundamental to health and wellbeing, and it should be a core part of place-making.  There is strong evidence of multiple benefits from people having access to well-designed green infrastructure within a 15-minute walk of their home.
• Investing in nature as critical infrastructure 
  Nature protects communities from flooding, supports water security, cools urban areas, creates recreational spaces and underpins health and productivity. Investment decisions should reflect that reality. Wetland creation, river restoration, natural flood management, urban greening and coastal habitat restoration can all reduce long-term risk and cost while improving the places where people live and work.
• Creating a nature-positive economy for our region 
  A nature-positive approach is not just about reducing environmental harm. It can support sustainable growth, attract investment, create jobs and skills, and strengthen resilience across sectors from housing and infrastructure to tourism, farming, marine restoration and the visitor economy. Natural capital is essential to the economic success of the region.
• Working in partnership at the right scale 
  Nature recovery happens across landscapes and seascapes, not administrative boundaries. For nature to be bigger, better and more joined up, Iit will requires coordinated action between the Combined County Authority, local authorities, businesses, land managers, public bodies and communities. Joined-up governance will be essential if we are to deliver change at the scale the challenge demands. 

Why leadership matters now 

We cannot assume this will happen by default. It will depend on the priorities set by the Combined County Authority, the choices made about investment and growth, the strength of regional partnerships, and the ambition of future leaders. 

The new Mayor will carry significant powers over strategic planning, transport, investment and economic priorities, the very levers that will shape the future of our places. But they will not inherit a blank slate. The direction they take will be shaped by decisions being made now. 

If climate and nature are embedded early, future leaders will be able to accelerate progress and deliver at scale. If they are not, the challenge becomes harder, more costly and more complex. 

A stronger mandate than many assume 

There is a clear public mandate for action. 

Across the UK and closer to home, people understand that green space, clean water, healthy habitats and climate resilience are not luxuries. They are part of a good life and a secure future. Our members and supporters across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight see that clearly, and they expect growth and nature recovery to go hand in hand – not be pitted against each other in a false choice where no one wins.  

Creating space for the right conversation 

That is why, on Friday 10 July 2026, we are bringing together regional leaders in Southampton for an invite-only event on future-proofing our economy. Co-hosted by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the National Parks, Isle of Wight Biosphere, and Voices for Climate and Nature, it will begin with a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing and continue with a private discussion on what climate change and nature loss mean for our region. 

The focus will be practical: how we strengthen regional resilience, integrate nature into growth and prosperity plans, and invest in nature-based solutions and green enterprise. In a region that includes the Solent, the Isle of Wight UNESCO Biosphere, the New Forest and the South Downs, these are decisions that will shape places people value deeply. 

We should use this moment well.