About Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council is the upper tier of local government for approximately 1.4 million people, covering 11 districts, including Hart. It covers the traditional area of Hampshire County, apart from Southampton and Portsmouth (which have their own unitary authorities). The council offices are in the county town of Winchester.
Main areas of responsibility include education, social care, and highways. Years of under investment by the Conservative led council have led to the current dire problem across the county with potholes.
The Hampshire County Council budget for the 2024/2025 FY is £2.9 billion. Schools accounts for £1.2 billion of spending, and social care a further £800 million. This majority of funding is through over £1.5 billion in grants from central government, and £826 million from Council Tax.
There are 78 county councillors for Hampshire. They represent 76 electoral divisions, 5 of which are in Hart. Adrian Collett is the Liberal Democrat councillor for the Yateley East, Blackwater and Fleet North electoral division.
Hampshire is currently controlled by the Conservatives with 52 councillors. The Liberal Democrats, with 18 seats, are the main opposition group. Labour and the Greens are on just 3 and 1 seats respectively. There are 3 Independents, and one seat is vacant pending a by-election at the time of writing (Oct 2024).
There will be an opportunity to change who controls Hampshire at the next County Council elections in May 2025. The Hart Liberal Democrats will be doing everything possible to make that happen.
