East Hampshire DC and Havant BC will establish their own management teams after a 12-year partnership, the councils have announced.

The councils said the split would allow the two authorities to ‘focus on their different strategic priorities and deliver outcomes for their communities more quickly’.

A joint statement said the partnership had been ‘very successful’ since it was created in 2009 and had delivered ‘significant savings for both councils, as well as providing other benefits’.

East Hampshire leader, Richard Millard, said: ‘We have worked as close partners because we have had a number of shared interests over the years but now is the time to focus on our specific areas and really target our energy into delivering outcomes which benefit our specific communities.’

Havant leader Alex Rennie added: ‘I envisage that we will continue to work closely where there are tangible benefits for our communities.’