Hampshire County Council has agreed to pursue a judicial review of the government’s plans for local government reorganisation across Hampshire and the Solent.

However, Liberal Democrat county councillor David Harrison has criticised the move, saying the £500,000 estimated cost of the legal action would be better spent “filling a lot of potholes”.

The decision was approved by the council’s cabinet on June 9 and will challenge whether the government has properly explained and justified its decision to back a reorganisation model that would split communities across Hampshire into new unitary authorities.

Council leader Nick Adams-King said the next steps are still subject to further legal advice from the council’s King’s Counsel (KC) and consideration of the government’s response to the formal pre-action protocol letter sent on April 29.

Cllr Adams-King said the council has repeatedly asked for clarity but has “disappointingly” not received clear answers on how “they made their decision in any detail”.

According to the council leader, the decision to pursue legal action has not been taken lightly.

He said: “Judicial review is a significant step. It requires careful judgement, a clear legal basis and proper public interest justification.”

The council argues the government’s proposals were developed too quickly and without sufficient evidence, financial analysis or local agreement.

Cllr Adams-King said: “The government has chosen to proceed on the basis of proposals which were developed under extreme time pressure against arbitrary deadlines, and without the level of shared evidence, financial analysis or consensus that the decision of this magnitude demands.”

He said the key issue is not whether local government reorganisation should happen, but whether the process has been carried out properly.

He said: “I believe all boundaries proposed last year should be dismissed. They do not command the unanimous support of local partners. They were not produced through a proper shared process. They have not been shown to deliver sustainable local government for the whole of our area. And that is the central point.”

Addressing the estimated £500,000 cost of legal action, Cllr Adams-King said it should be weighed against the potential long-term costs of the government’s plans that could cost tens of millions of pounds more than the current system.

He said: “There is a far greater potential cost to accepting a flawed process that creates financially unsustainable councils, weaker services, poorer accountability and long-term risk for residents.

“If we believe the outcome could harm the future sustainability of local government, doing nothing would not be responsible. I believe residents expect us to stand for them when the stakes are this high.”

The New Forest Together group welcomed the decision and said it would support Hampshire County Council.

Posting on social media, the group said: “A judicial review may not be an end in itself, but it could provide an opportunity for the Secretary of State to return to the negotiating table and reconsider the options available.

“We will continue to make the case for our communities and amplify the voices of local residents.”

However, Liberal Democrat councillor David Harrison warned the move carries significant risks and said the money could be better spent “filling a lot of potholes”.

He said: “Even if a judicial review is successful, it does not force the government to change policy. It is about the process, not the outcome.

“It does seem to me a little bit like officers in the First World War sending their men out of the trenches to a certain death declaring, ‘It’s time to make a pointless gesture’, but we will see.”