74 formal commitments by public bodies, each linked to its original decision. A stage is shown as reached only where dated evidence exists. These are official commitments; Facts Count’s own proposals are in the action plan.
74 commitments
The cost of living · 10 commitments · 9 with dated evidence · 0 past due date
Committed by UK GovernmentIn progress
No date set
Right to Buy (council tenants)
Let eligible council tenants buy their Portsmouth Homes property at a discount, after at least three years as a public sector tenant (or in armed forces accommodation); some homes, such as specialist housing for older or disabled people, are excluded.
Funded by Portsmouth City Council (discount on the sale price)Amount not stated · Discount depends on tenancy length, property type and value, and may be reduced under cost-floor rules
Lead the Warm Homes: Local Grant for Portsmouth and 31 other councils, paying for home energy improvements, delivered locally by Switched On Portsmouth.
10 November 2026milestone Switched On Portsmouth: the scheme is oversubscribed and no longer taking applications; a waiting list is open while a further government funding decision is awaited. source ↗
Run the Crisis and Resilience Fund from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029: crisis payments, housing payments, grants to local resilience services and community coordination.
1 April 2026milestone Crisis and Resilience Fund began, running to 31 March 2029. source ↗
8 May 2026milestone Government grant determination allocated £3,691,344 to Portsmouth for 2026/27, paid in monthly instalments. source ↗
31 August 2026output 1,012 crisis payment applications received and 428 awards made, totalling £139,707; 323 applications were declined as ineligible. source ↗
23 September 2026output 33 resilience grants awarded, worth £748,392, from 47 applications; 90% of the money falls in the fund’s first year. source ↗
13 October 2026milestone Council states it has allocated over £1.5 million to local resilience services and over £400,000 to community coordination; funded services not yet listed. source ↗
13 October 2026milestone The council reports allocating over £1.5 million to resilience services (food, advice, energy, wellbeing, housing and homelessness help) and over £400,000 to community coordination, which funds the Cost of Living Hub and helpline. These are parts of the fund, not additions to it; the funded services had not yet been listed. source ↗
Committed by Health and Wellbeing BoardIn progress
Due 2028
Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2026-2028
Deliver twelve tasks under four priorities: maximising household income, strengthening the local safety net, increasing opportunities and improving wellbeing, and using data to support partnership working.
4 March 2026milestone Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2026-2028 presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board, for information. source ↗
23 September 2026milestone Delivery update against the twelve tasks presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board. Reported figures cover outputs, not changes in hardship. source ↗
Let first-time buyers in England buy eligible homes for 30% to 50% below market value, with household income up to £80,000 and a price cap of £250,000 after the discount outside London; councils may set local criteria for the first three months of sale.
Funded by Developers (discount on the sale price)Amount not stated · The discount is given by the developer on new homes, usually through planning agreements; not a government grant
No Portsmouth First Homes local criteria, price cap or number of homes sold was found on the council’s pages (searched 10 November 2026).
Whether a new site includes First Homes depends on its planning agreement. Councils’ published notes say national policy stopped requiring a First Homes share of affordable homes in December 2024; this was not confirmed from the current planning framework text. A developer listing the scheme elsewhere does not mean its Portsmouth sites offer it.
Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant 2026/27
Pay Portsmouth a homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse grant for 2026/27, on condition that the council publishes a homelessness action plan and reports on its use.
Help first-time buyers buy an eligible new-build home in England with a deposit of at least 2.5%, a repayment mortgage and a government equity loan of 20% of the price, interest free for five years.
Apply an updated Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy and Civil Financial Penalty Policy, reflecting the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, to breaches and offences from 1 November 2026.
Adopt and deliver a five-aim homelessness strategy: prevent homelessness, end rough sleeping, provide the right housing, provide the right support and strengthen joint working, measured by a published suite of measures.
Crime and anti-social behaviour · 8 commitments · 5 with dated evidence · 1 past due date
Committed by Health and Wellbeing Board (Safer Portsmouth Partnership)In progress
Due 2028
Community Safety Plan 2025-2028
Reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and harm over three years through four priorities: tackling violent crime (including violence against women and girls and knife crime), reducing drug harm, supporting young people at risk and helping people with complex needs.
25 June 2025milestone Health and Wellbeing Board approved the Community Safety Plan 2025-2028. The plan sets no fixed numerical targets and has no plan-level budget. source ↗
23 September 2026milestone Progress update on the Community Safety Action Plan 2025-28 presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board, for information. source ↗
Capital programme 2026/27: schemes added by amendment
Deliver four schemes added to the 2026/27 capital programme: a raised zebra crossing on Lawrence Road, traffic calming on Highbury Grove, five deployable CCTV cameras for Charles Dickens ward and more accessible play equipment.
Committed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue AuthorityApproved
Due 31 March 2030
Safety Plan 2025-2030
Deliver the Safety Plan (community risk management plan) from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030. It names no Portsmouth-specific service changes; it identifies very high dwelling-fire risk areas, mainly in the cities.
Homes and homelessness · 12 commitments · 8 with dated evidence · 1 past due date
Committed by Portsmouth City CouncilIn progress
No date set
City Centre North
Work with ECF under the signed Development and Masterplanning Services Agreement on masterplanning, viability testing and a development business case, before any Development Agreement.
Funded by Portsmouth City Councilup to £2,630,000 · Cabinet authority (10 February 2026) to spend up to an estimated £2.63m on the next phase; not a committed balance
10 February 2026milestone Cabinet authorised spending up to an estimated £2.63m on the next phase (development business case and site surveys). A reported £18.22m spent to date could not be checked at its source. source ↗
10 August 2026milestone Council named ECF as preferred partner after signing the Development and Masterplanning Services Agreement. A Development Agreement would need separate approval and depends on viability. source ↗
Buy and refurbish at least 200 homes to use as temporary accommodation, held in the Housing Revenue Account, with mid-year and end-of-year progress reports.
Funded by Portsmouth City Council (Housing Revenue Account)£31,280,000 · Capital, 2025/26 and 2026/27
Funded by Portsmouth City Council (General Fund, medium-term revenue reserve)up to £1,870,000 · Up to this amount, to avoid a negative HRA cash flow in the first 10 years
12 March 2025milestone Cabinet Member approved £31.28m HRA capital to deliver a minimum of 200 temporary accommodation homes. source ↗
31 December 2025output 48 homes bought by 31 December 2025 (18 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom); a further 65 in progress, 24 of them at the legal stage. Occupancy of the bought homes is not reported. source ↗
31 December 2025spend £7,631,102 of capital costs incurred by the end of the third quarter of 2025/26 (31 December 2025), against £31.28m approved; average purchase price about £139,000. Incurred costs, not the full approved budget or homes in use. source ↗
10 March 2026milestone Mid-year update on the two-year project to purchase 200 homes presented and noted; homes bought so far not stated in the minutes. source ↗
Require new homes to be nutrient neutral, so that wastewater from development does not add nitrates to the Solent, using mitigation credits under a section 111 agreement.
Funded by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government£3,168,330 · 2026/27 to 2028/29, capital and revenue; later years provisional
Made 19 August 2026 · due 31 March 2029 · £3,168,330 (Government allocation over three years: £1,294,623 capital and £1,873,707 revenue, including £732,472 revenue in 2026/27; later years provisional. Separate from the homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse grant) · Rough Sleeping Programme: funding allocations workbook ↗
1 dated record
4 November 2026milestone Programme update presented to the housing Cabinet member, for information. On a typical autumn or winter night in 2024/25 and 2025/26 an average of 21 people were sleeping rough. source ↗
Buy a vacant 14-bedroom property on Magdala Road for sheltered housing, giving at least 15 homes including a converted staff unit, let from the housing register.
Fund neighbourhood regeneration in Landport and Paulsgrove through ten-year plans set by resident-led neighbourhood boards. The programme allows up to £20 million per place over ten years.
Funded by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmentup to £20,000,000 · Up to this per neighbourhood over ten years (programme limit, not approved spend)
14 August 2026spend Landport Neighbourhood Board agreed £3,900 to Fratton Together for workshops in the Landport and Fratton West area; the council, as accountable body, signs off spending. source ↗
Carry out the Housing Delivery Test action plan to raise housing delivery, led by progressing the emerging Local Plan to adoption, and review the actions every year after each test result.
Bring forward a mixed-use City Centre North scheme on the assembled former Tricorn and Sainsbury’s sites (potential for up to 2,300 homes). The scheme itself needs a separate Development Agreement, which depends on viability and has not been approved.
Bring forward schemes to increase housing availability, prioritising social and affordable homes and homes for people with additional needs, and reduce the use of temporary accommodation.
ApprovedFundedUnder wayCompleted
No dated evidence of progress has been found; stages are shown hatched.
17 October 2026output The port’s recent-projects page describes the terminal extension as complete (retained project record; date is when it was checked). source ↗
Run Connect to Work across the Solent area (Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight): up to 12 months of support to find and keep work for disabled people, people with health conditions and people with complex barriers to work.
Funded by Department for Work and Pensions£12,600,000 · Agreed for the whole Solent area (Portsmouth, Southampton, Isle of Wight)
Made 4 September 2025 · £12,600,000 (Agreed grant for the whole Solent area, rounded to the nearest £0.1m (DWP guidance, May 2026); an MP’s announcement of 4 September 2025 said up to £11.5m. No Portsmouth-only figure is published) · Connect to Work: Grant Guidance for England, Annex E ↗
Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC Portsmouth)
Build the council’s capacity to use research on the wider causes of ill health, including community researchers and evidence to inform council decisions.
Funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research£5,000,000 · About £5m over five years from January 2025, after a development year in 2024 (University of Portsmouth announcement)
Fund the Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority’s investment fund at £44.6 million a year for 30 years once a mayor is in post, with a third of the annual amount in each of 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Funded by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government£44,600,000 · A year for the whole combined authority, once a mayor is in post; no Portsmouth share
Made 4 December 2025 · £44,600,000 (A year, once a mayor is in post (mayoral election planned for 4 May 2028); about £1.34 billion over 30 years is our arithmetic; no Portsmouth share is set) · Written statement HCWS1128: Devolution Priority Programme ↗
1 dated record
28 September 2026milestone The combined authority’s board began its Local Growth Plan, naming housing, skills, connectivity, water and energy as constraints on growth. No Portsmouth share of the investment fund was set. source ↗
Funded by Department for Transport£19,800,000 · Grant towards shore power
Funded by Portsmouth City Council£4,600,000 · Council contribution
Funded by Portsmouth City Council£3,000,000 · Separate payment to secure grid power; not part of the £24.4m construction subtotal
Made October 2024 · £24,400,000 (£19.8m Department for Transport plus £4.6m council, as stated in the port’s go-live news; the council’s separate grid payment is excluded) · Corporate Plan 2024-2026 (Council Plan 2024) ↗
1 dated record
24 July 2026output Ferries and cruise ships began plugging into the port’s shore power system; three ships at once was expected later in 2026. source ↗
17 October 2026milestone The council publishes Pompey Link operating hours, fares, stops and booking arrangements; the pilot is funded until March 2027 (date is when the page was checked). source ↗
Deliver the Bus Service Improvement Plan through the Enhanced Partnership: bus priority and bus-lane surfacing, extra services, enforcement of bus lanes, bus signal priority and upgraded “Super Stop” shelters.
Funded by Department for Transport£48,300,000 · £13m revenue and £35.3m capital, confirmed April 2022
Made April 2022 · £48,300,000 (Department for Transport funding confirmed April 2022 (£13m revenue, £35.3m capital), as stated on the council’s BSIP page) · Bus Service Improvement Plan ↗
2 dated records
March 2026output The council’s monitoring report describes red surfacing as largely delivered and 20 of 27 Super Stops installed by March 2026, fewer than the tracker’s planned 29. source ↗
10 November 2026output The council’s delivery tracker marks bus-lane red surfacing, extra services and bus-lane enforcement (enforcement officers and tow-away) as complete, and plans 29 Super Stop shelters. Bus signal priority was delayed and planned for September 2026. source ↗
Transforming Cities Fund: Portsmouth and South East Hampshire
Deliver the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire transport package, including bus priority, junction and walking improvements, with £55.6 million from the Department for Transport.
Funded by Department for Transport£55,600,000 · Towards a £101.7m package across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire
Funded by Councils, bus operators and borough councilsMatch funding · Match funding for the rest of the package
Made 28 September 2020 · £55,600,000 (Department for Transport award towards a £101.7 million package, with match funding from the councils, bus operators and borough councils) · Transforming Cities Fund ↗
1 dated record
2024spend Hampshire County Council reports the local schemes it delivered by 2024 cost £22.3 million; seven schemes are listed as completed. source ↗
Plan how highway maintenance will be provided when the 25-year highways PFI contract ends on 31 March 2030, through a dedicated programme team, with a full options paper (costs and risks) due at Cabinet in spring 2027.
1 July 2026milestone Cabinet Member for Transport approved the updated Transport Implementation Plan and the Portsmouth part of a combined regional delivery plan, with a four-year government settlement of £46,524,266 (£37,618,190 capital, £8,906,076 revenue). Some area schemes remain at feasibility stage. source ↗
Capital programme 2026/27: schemes added by amendment
Deliver seven small schemes added to the 2026/27 capital programme, including Anchorage Lodge refurbishment, security shutters at Drayton Park and a one-way feasibility study for Kensington Road and Chelmsford Road.
21 July 2026outcome Carbon Action Plans reported to Cabinet for information: council emissions of 7,885 tonnes CO2e in 2024/25, Scope 1 and 2 about 60% below 2012/13; city emissions down 52% since 2005. source ↗
1 October 2026outcome Air quality annual status report (information only): in 2025 one diffusion tube exceeded the annual nitrogen dioxide limit (Alfred Road, 41.86 µg/m³, kerbside, not a place of relevant public exposure, so no new management area); 225 of 228 tubes show a downward trend over 2021-2025. source ↗
10 November 2026output The council’s water quality page describes two solar-powered LED signs on Eastney seafront, red if sewage was released in the last 48 hours, Environment Agency warning signs at Southsea East, and Yellow Fish drain markers, working with Southern Water and the Environment Agency. source ↗
Shared housing (HMOs) · 2 commitments · 2 with dated evidence · 0 past due date
Committed by Portsmouth City CouncilIn progress
No date set
Additional HMO licensing
Require an additional HMO licence, citywide, for smaller shared houses (three or four people forming two or more households), alongside mandatory licensing for five or more, with enforcement for unlicensed properties.
Originally proposed by Motion by Cllr Carl Inman and Cllr Raymond DentProposal and vote →
Due April 2027
Licensed HMO information
Review how licensed-HMO information is reconciled between housing and planning and published, and report the outcome to an appropriate council body within six months.
Committed by Portsmouth SEND and alternative provision partnershipApproved
No date set
Local SEND Reform Plan
Deliver the Local SEND Reform Plan, centred on the Inclusion Hub and Experts at Hand early-support offer, which tracks demand for education, health and care needs assessments alongside attendance and exclusions.
Funded by Local area partnership (funding sources not named in the plan)£1,405,900 · Projected spend in the first-year plan, over three quarters of 2026/27, including £69,000 for educational psychologist time in Experts at Hand
4 December 2023milestone In an upheld complaint, the council told the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman it had added two SEN caseworkers and two SEN advisers, filled its SEN team vacancies, used agency staff and contracted 240 needs assessments over six months. The Ombudsman did not judge how well the plan worked. source ↗
11 June 2025milestone Council advertised a permanent SEN caseworker post. The advert does not say whether it was a new or replacement post. source ↗
Improve outcomes for children and young people aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities through the SENDAP Strategy 2024-2029, and publish a refreshed local area SEND strategy.
ApprovedFundedUnder wayCompleted
No dated evidence of progress has been found; stages are shown hatched.
22 July 2026milestone Department for Education: Portsmouth’s 2026/27 high-needs block is £32,737,303 after deductions for directly funded places (provisional until March 2027). source ↗
28 October 2026milestone Council advertised a permanent educational psychologist post (closing 26 November 2026), including statutory assessment work. It also offers University of Southampton doctoral placements and says it wants to recruit two assistant psychologists. source ↗
17 October 2026output The council page says the restored lido is operated by the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton (undated page; date is when it was checked). source ↗
Run community helpdesks in Portsea (John Pounds Centre) and Paulsgrove (Paulsgrove Housing Office), giving residents in-person help to find health, care and community support.
Current opening times should be checked with HIVE Portsmouth: the December 2025 times were described as start-up arrangements.
No count of people helped at the helpdesks is published. Healthwatch’s 1,474 figure covers everyone who shared experiences with it in 2025/26, not helpdesk visits.
Support unpaid carers through the Carers Strategy and its action plan across five priority areas, including a personalised respite and short-breaks offer.
Build a leisure and neighbourhood health hub at Bransbury Park with a 25-metre pool, learner pool, gym, studios and a GP surgery (replacing an existing practice).
Deliver the wider Hilsea Lines Linear Park around the reopened lido; separate from the lido reopening and from the coastal defence works at Hilsea Lines.
Bring adult smoking down to 5% or less by 2030, with specialist stop-smoking support through the Portsmouth Wellbeing Service and commissioned services, including vapes through Swap to Stop, and more quits in groups with higher smoking rates.
Outcome to watch: Adult smoking prevalence, 2025 (single year): 12.7%, England 9.5%. Target: at most 5% by 2030, 7.7 percentage points above the target. The three-year average for 2023–25 was 10.9%.
The plan states its baseline on the single-year APS series (14.7% in 2022), so the gap to the target uses the single-year series. The three-year average is steadier for comparing places. Revision: the plan quoted 13.6% (2021) and 14.7% (2022); the current OHID release gives 12.6% and 13.4% for those years. Trend and intervals →
Not yet published:
Stop-smoking referrals, quit attempts and four-week quits for Portsmouth by year are not published with this plan.
The Smokefree Generation grant amount for Portsmouth (2024/25 to 2028/29) is not stated in the plan.
Population smoking can change for many reasons; this record does not show the service’s effect.
Continue to advocate for improved primary care in Portsmouth, including GPs, dentists and community pharmacies, and where possible partner to bring provision forward.
ApprovedFundedUnder wayCompleted
No dated evidence of progress has been found; stages are shown hatched.
Fly-tipping and street cleanliness · 3 commitments · 3 with dated evidence · 0 past due date
Committed by Portsmouth City CouncilApproved
Due 2035
Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2026-2035
Adopt the joint waste strategy for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, with twin-stream recycling expected in future; no timetable for the action plan was set when Portsmouth approved it.
2 November 2026milestone Hampshire County Council’s Executive Lead Member approved the strategy, subject to call-in; it takes effect on 11 November 2026 if not called in. source ↗
Plan for minerals and waste sites to 2040 under the jointly adopted Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan. This is planning policy for sites, not household recycling collections.
Apply a Safe, Clean and Tidy enforcement policy with visible patrols, a fly-tipping fixed-penalty scale from £400 to £1,000, hotspot mapping and review every three years.
Sewage spills and flood defences · 10 commitments · 3 with dated evidence · 0 past due date
Committed by Portsmouth City Council scrutiny panelIn progress
No date set
Scrutiny review: sewage discharges into the sea
Review sewage discharges into the sea around Portsmouth, taking evidence from Southern Water, the Environment Agency, the University of Portsmouth, campaign groups and Cabinet members, and report recommendations.
7 September 2026milestone Southern Water, the Environment Agency and the University of Portsmouth gave evidence. Southern Water said 43 projects across Portsmouth aim to remove about 50 hectares of hard surface draining to sewers, ten completed, and that the Western Interceptor extension is at design stage, due to start in January 2028. source ↗
5 October 2026milestone The Final Straw Foundation gave evidence, asking for more frequent testing at more locations, faster results and measurable targets. Action recorded: a meeting between the foundation and Southern Water, with no date set. source ↗
3 November 2026milestone Cabinet members for climate change and for community safety gave evidence; a local resident’s written views were published. Minutes not yet published. source ↗
23 October 2026output Large parts of Ports Creek and Hilsea Lines opened; work continues around Peronne Road Bridge, with full completion expected in autumn 2027. source ↗
PR24 Water Industry National Environment Programme
Cut spills from the Budds Farm, Havant storm overflow (permit A00751) into Langstone Harbour to fewer than 10 a year, with sustainable drainage and storage, to protect shellfish waters (WINEP action 08SO103182a).
ApprovedFundedUnder wayCompleted
No dated evidence of progress has been found; stages are shown hatched.
Who pays, key dates and what is missing
Funded by
Funded by Southern Water (customer bills, under Ofwat’s 2024-2030 price limits)Amount not stated · No Budds Farm cost is published; Southern Water’s 2023 business case puts its whole 2024-2030 storm overflow programme at £682m
