Mr Pierce-Jones, in his last days as the Mayor of Havant, claimed there was no support for a third tier of government on the Island, despite a high profile campaign by HIRA in recent months.

But he conceded that fears about too much residential development on the Island and the wrong kind in the wrong places should be listened to.

He told the Islander after increasing his vote to more than 1,800 votes: "I want to work with the forums we have on the Island – such as the Community Board and the residents' association – and make sure people's views are listened to.
"I am willing to work very closely with Paul Fisher, the HIRA chairman, in the coming months."

Mrs Pearce also claimed there was little clamour for a town council for Hayling during canvassing but said she was prepared to listen to all the arguments before making up her mind finally.

"The council forum and the Community Board give people a chance to raise their concerns on the Island, but I received a very positive response from voters I spoke to. The issue of Labour's unpopularity and national issues never came up once."

The United Kingdom Independence Party failed to make a dent in any of the wards it contested in Havant, picking up 518 votes in Hayling's two wards.

The Tories gained one seat from Labour in Leigh Park to increase their overall majority to 26.

Results
Hayling West
Vic Pierce-Jones (Con) 1,842
Tim Pascall (Lib Dem) 449
Thomas Russell (UKIP) 212
Derek Smith (Lab) 181
Turnout 38.8 per cent
Hayling East
Sheila Pearce (Con) 1,494
Janis Shawashi (Lib Dem) 351
Gary Kerrin (UKIP) 306
Colin Blunden (Lab) 221
Turnout 33.5 per cent
St Faiths
David Guest (Con) 1,318
Ray Cobbett (Lib Dem) 915
Elizabeth Snow (UKIP) 223
Ralph Cousins (Lab) 218
Tim Dawes (Green) 195
Turnout 40.5 per cent