Hart is a local government district in Hampshire, England, named after the River Hart. Its council is based in Fleet. The district also contains the towns of Blackwater and Yateley, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
Hart | |
|---|---|
 Fleet town centre | |
 Hart shown within Hampshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Hampshire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Fleet |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Hart District Council |
| • MPs | Alex Brewer Alex Baker |
| Area | |
| • Total | 83.1 sq mi (215.3 km2) |
| • Rank | 140th (of 296) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 100,910 |
| • Rank | 241st (of 296) |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (470/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 24UG (ONS) E07000089 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SU8047254050 |
In the English indices of deprivation for 2019, Hart was ranked as the least deprived district in England;[2] a position it had also held in the 2015 index.[3]
For five years running (2011–2015), an annual study conducted by the Halifax bank named Hart as the UK's most desirable place to live for quality of life. The study took into account jobs, housing, health, crime, weather, traffic and broadband access. It found that in 2014 97% of people in the local authority area were in good health, and in 2011 tended to have incomes 40% above the national average.[4][5]
History
editThe district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[6]
The new district was initially going to be named Hartley Wintney, after the rural district which covered most of the area, which in turn was named after the village of the same name.[7] The shadow authority elected to oversee the transition to the new system requested a change of name to Hart, after the River Hart which runs through the area. The change of name was approved by the government on 17 January 1974, before the new district formally came into being.[8]
The River Hart is said to derive its name from the number of deer in the area, with a hart being an old term for an adult male deer, synonymous with "stag". The area historically had several deer parks. Hart District Council uses a profile of a stag as its logo.
Governance
editHart District Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Daryl Phillips | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 33 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
| Civic Offices, Harlington Way, Fleet, GU51 4AE | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Hart District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[10]
Political control
editThe council has been under no overall control since 2012. Since 2017 the council has been run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats and local party Community Campaign (Hart), led by Liberal Democrat councillor David Neighbour.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:[11][12][13]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1979 | |
| Conservative | 1979–1983 | |
| No overall control | 1983–2000 | |
| Conservative | 2000–2005 | |
| No overall control | 2005��2010 | |
| Conservative | 2010–2012 | |
| No overall control | 2012–present | |
Leadership
editThe leaders of the council since 2008 have been:[14]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Crookes[15] | Conservative | 2008 | 28 Nov 2014 | |
| Stephen Parker[16] | Conservative | 18 Dec 2014 | 25 May 2017 | |
| David Neighbour[17] | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 2017 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the 2024 election, the composition of the council is:[18]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 12 | |
| Community Campaign | 11 | |
| Conservative | 9 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 33 | |
No party has majority control of the council; currently the Liberal Democrats and Community Campaign (Hart), a local residents' association, run the council as a joint administration. The next election is due in 2026.
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2014 the council has comprised 33 councillors representing 11 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected at a time for a four year term of office. Hampshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.[19]
Premises
editThe council is based at the Civic Offices on Harlington Way in Fleet.[20] The building was purpose-built for the council in 1986.[21]
Demography
editIn mid-2003 Hart had an estimated 85,700 residents. This compares with the 2001 Census figure of 83,505 residents. The 2001 Census also reported that there were 32,470 households, with 77% of residents describing their health as 'good'. In the twenty years between 1982 and 2002 the population of Hart grew by 19 per cent, compared with an increase of 11 per cent for the South East region as a whole.
Parishes and town councils
editThe whole district is divided into civil parishes, listed below. The parish councils for Blackwater and Hawley, Fleet, and Yateley have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Whilst Hook is a post town it retains a parish council rather than a town council.[22]
References
edit- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Hart Local Authority (E07000089)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "English indices of deprivation 2019". 10 November 2023.
- ^ "English indices of deprivation 2015: File 10 local authority district summaries". Department for Communities and Local Government. 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Hart in Hampshire named as UK's most desirable place". BBC News. 24 December 2011.
- ^ "Hart in Hampshire remains UK's most desirable place". BBC News. 20 December 2014.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Historical information from 1973 onwards". Boundary-Line support. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "New Chairman and Cabinet members for Hart". Hart District Council. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Hart". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Councillor admits fiddling his council tax". gethampshire. 19 May 2005. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Council minutes". Hart District Council. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Cllr Ken Crookes 'disappointed' with decision to test new settlement at Winchfield". Basingstoke Gazette. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "New man appointed to lead Hart District Council". Basingstoke Gazette. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Neighbour wins leadership race". Farnham Herald. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Hart results". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "The Hart (Electoral Changes) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/1395, retrieved 11 November 2023
- ^ "Contact us". Hart District Council. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Praise for council office builders". Fleet News. 15 August 1986. p. 7. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Parish council contact details". Hart District Council. Retrieved 10 November 2023.