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.
In the English indices of deprivation for 2019, Hart was ranked as the least deprived district in England;[1] a position it had also held in the 2015 index.[2]
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.[3] [4]
The 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:[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
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.
| Hart District Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Hart District Council logo.svg |
| Logo Res: | 200px |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Chair |
| Leader1: | Dermot Smith |
| Party1: | Independent |
| Election1: | 16 May 2024[8] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | David Neighbour |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrat |
| Election2: | 25 May 2017 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Daryl Phillips |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Seats: | 33 councillors |
| Structure1: | File:Hart District Council 2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250 |
| Last Election1: | 2 May 2024 |
| Next Election1: | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting Place: | Civic Offices, Harlington Way, Fleet, GU514AE |
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.[9]
The 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:[10] [11] [12]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1979 | ||
| 1979–1983 | ||
| 1983–2000 | ||
| 2000–2005 | ||
| 2005–2010 | ||
| 2010–2012 | ||
| 2012–present | ||
The leaders of the council since 2008 have been:[13]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Crookes[14] | 2008 | 28 Nov 2014 | ||
| Stephen Parker[15] | 18 Dec 2014 | 25 May 2017 | ||
| David Neighbour[16] | 25 May 2017 | |||
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council is:[17]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 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.
Since 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.[18]
The council is based at the Civic Offices on Harlington Way in Fleet.[19] The building was purpose-built for the council in 1986.[20]
In 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.
The 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.[21]