East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Petersfield, although the largest town is Alton. The district also contains the town of Bordon along with many villages and surrounding rural areas.
East Hampshire was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The district was originally proposed to be called Petersfield.[3] The shadow authority elected in 1973 to oversee the transition to the new system requested a change of name to East Hampshire, which was confirmed by the government on 8 October 1973, before the new district formally came into being.[4]
In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority.[11]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[13][14]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 43 councillors representing 31 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[32]
East Hampshire District Council Election Results 2023
East Hampshire is entirely covered by civil parishes. The parish councils of Alton, Petersfield and Whitehill (where the largest settlement is Bordon) take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.[33]
^"Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "East Hampshire" in search box to see specific results.)
