Conservatives retain overall control of Hampshire County Council

The Conservatives have retained control of Hampshire County Council

The votes for the County Council election on Thursday 6 May have been counted and the Conservative Party has retained overall control of Hampshire County Council.Of the 78 seats on the County Council, the political make-up of the County Council is now:

This compares with the results of the 2017 elections: 56 Conservatives, 19 Liberal Democrats, 2 Labour, and one Community Campaign (Hart).

 The political make-up of the County Council going into the 2021 election was:

  • Conservatives – 55 seats

  • Liberal Democrats – 19

  • Labour – 1

  • Community Campaign for Hart – 1

  • Basingstoke & Deane Independent Group – 1

  • Unaffiliated - 1

The turnout for the 2021 County Council elections was 38 per cent of the electorate.

John Coughlan, County Returning Officer and Hampshire County Council Chief Executive confirmed the next steps for the County Council: “The majority party will now meet to consider its key appointments. The Annual General Meeting of the County Council on 27 May will appoint the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Leader of the County Council, and the newly elected Leader will confirm appointments to the Cabinet.

“We look forward to working with all of Hampshire County Council’s Members in serving the county’s 1.4 million residents over this next Administration period – delivering important public services; from education, roads, highways and social care for vulnerable children and adults, to access to the countryside and libraries.

“In spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased that the County Council elections have run smoothly during these unprecedented times, and I would like to thank all of the staff in the district and borough councils, and the County Council for their contribution in the process. These have been the most complicated elections to administer and those staff deserve great credit for the way they quietly but skilfully support democracy.

“Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to offer best wishes to every newly elected member of the County Council in their future service of our great county.”

The Conservatives have overall control of Hamsphire County Council

Hampshire County Council consists of 76 electoral divisions with 78 councillors, two of these (Leesland & Town, Gosport and Fareham Town) are two Member wards. Hampshire County Council has had a Leader and Cabinet-style of government since September 2001, following the Local Government Act of 2000.