BOROUGH councillors will discuss proposals for a Hampshire-wide combined authority at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday.

Councillors at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council will discuss proposals to create a large combined authority to receive more powers and millions of pounds from central government before the deadline for the proposals on September 4.

If the plan goes ahead, it would see the creation of a “southern powerhouse”, which would make decisions on issues such as health, the environment and transport.

The plan would mean that Hampshire’s existing councils would still carry out their functions but a new layer of Government, made up of a joint committee of council leaders, would hold the control of millions of pounds of funding each year, currently in the hands of government ministers.

In addition, borough and district councils could bid to carry out functions that are currently held by Hampshire County Council, such as transport.