Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats have said they are backing Winchester councillor Martin Tod, the party’s candidate for the Hampshire and Solent mayoralty, in his demands to accelerate the timetable for mayoral elections. Cllr Tod said: “The Prime Minister’s announcements about extra powers and improved funding are good news – but Hampshire and the Isle of Wight need more. A big disappointment is that the PM hasn’t said anything about the timing of our mayoral election which seems still to be delayed until 2028. “Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are losing out in terms of the money we get and what we can do because of that delay.” “The first acts of our new PM were to meet with regional mayors and begin announcements for new powers and extra funding.