| Election Name: | 2011 East Hampshire District Council election |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party Colour: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Previous Election: | 2007 East Hampshire District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2007 |
| Next Election: | 2015 East Hampshire District Council election |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
| Seats For Election: | All 44 council seats 23 seats needed for a majority |
| Election Date: | 5 May 2011 |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 30 seats, 60.6% |
| Seats2: | 39 |
| Seat Change2: | 9 |
| Popular Vote2: | 30,578 |
| Percentage2: | 61.0% |
| Swing2: | 0.4% |
| Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election3: | 14 seats, 35.1% |
| Seats3: | 5 |
| Seat Change3: | 9 |
| Popular Vote3: | 13,405 |
| Percentage3: | 26.7% |
| Swing3: | 8.4% |
| Map Size: | 200px |
| Previous Largest Party | |
| Posttitle: | Subsequent Largest Party |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 2011 East Hampshire District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of East Hampshire District Council in Hampshire England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]
The previous election in 2007 saw the Conservatives increase their majority on the council after winning 30 seats, compared to 14 for the Liberal Democrats.[2] In 2008 the councillor for Whitehill Pinewood, Ian Dowdle, defected from the Liberal Democrats to join the Conservatives.[3] However, in 2010 Dowdle would resign from the Conservatives over the party's handling of the local eco-town[4] and he then resigned from the council in January 2011.[5] A further 2 defections took place in March 2011 with Conservatives Maureen Comber and Eve Hope, representing Selborne, and Bramshott and Liphook respectively, joining the Liberal Democrats.[6]
The results saw the Conservatives increase their majority on the council after gaining 9 seats from the Liberal Democrats compared to the 2007 election.[7] This took the Conservatives to 39 councillors, compared to 5 Liberal Democrats, the largest majority since the founding of the council.[8] Overall turnout in the election was 48%.[9]
Conservatives gained 5 seats from the Liberal Democrats in Alton, including defeating the Liberal Democrat leader on the council, Jerry James, in Alton Wooteys.[8] Other Conservative gains came in Clanfield and Finchdean, Horndean Kings, Horndean Murray and Petersfield Causeway.[8] This left the Liberal Democrats with just 5 councillors, all in the Whitehill and Bordon area.[8]
The Conservatives leader of the council Patrick Burridge described the results as "beyond my wildest dreams".[9] Meanwhile, the new Liberal Democrat leader on the council Adam Carew put their defeats down to high Conservative turnout in the Alternative Vote referendum which was held at the same time as the council election and that the "low popularity rating" of the national Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg "had a negative effect".[7]
5 Conservative candidates were unopposed at the election. Seat changes are compared to the 2007 election and do not take into account defections.[7]