Borough of Havant
Havant shown within Hampshire
Havant shown within Hampshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyHampshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQHavant
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
  TypeNon-metropolitan district council
  BodyHavant Borough Council
  MPs
Area
  Total21.4 sq mi (55.3 km2)
  Rank238th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
  Total124,470
  Rank191st (of 296)
  Density5,800/sq mi (2,300/km2)
  Ethnicity
98.5% White
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code
  • 24UH (ONS)
  • E07000090 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU717062

The Borough of Havant is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Havant. Other places within the borough include Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Widley. The borough covers much of the semi-urban area in the south east of Hampshire, between the city of Portsmouth and the West Sussex border.

History

Havant itself was an ancient parish.[1] Until 1852 it was governed by its vestry, in the same way as most rural areas. The parish was made a local board district in 1852, governed by an elected local board.[2] Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894.[3] The neighbouring parish of Warblington (which contained Emsworth) was made an urban district at the same time.[4]

The Havant Urban District was substantially enlarged in 1932, taking in the urban district of Warblington and the parishes of Bedhampton, North Hayling, South Hayling and Waterloo, with some adjustments to the boundaries with other neighbouring areas. It was renamed the Havant and Waterloo Urban District, and the whole area was made a single urban parish called Havant.[5]

The Havant and Waterloo Urban District was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district named just "Havant" by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974.[6][7] No successor parish was formed and so the area became an unparished area. The district was granted borough status as part of the 1974 reforms, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[8]

The Borough of Havant is twinned with Wesermarsch district in Germany and Yavoriv Raion in Western Ukraine.[9]

Governance

Havant Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Rosy Raines,
Conservative
since 17 May 2023[10]
Alex Rennie,
Conservative
since 19 May 2021
Steve Jorden
since April 2023[11]
Structure
Seats38 councillors
Political groups
Administration (30)
  Conservative (30)
Other parties (8)
  Labour (4)
  Liberal Democrat (2)
  Green (1)
  Independent (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2 May 2024
Meeting place
Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant, PO9 2AX
Website
www.havant.gov.uk

Havant Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[12][13]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2002.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[14][15]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–1978
Conservative1978–1990
No overall control1990–2002
Conservative2002–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Havant. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2001 have been:[16]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
David Gillett Conservative20012008
Tony Briggs Conservative200828 May 2014
Mike Cheshire Conservative28 May 20146 May 2018
Michael Wilson Conservative9 May 201819 May 2021
Alex Rennie Conservative19 May 2021

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[17]

Party Councillors
Conservative30
Labour4
Liberal Democrats2
Green1
Independent1
Total38

The next election is due in 2024.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2002 the council has comprised 38 councillors representing 14 wards with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held in three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council being elected each 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 borough council elections.[18]

The wards are:

New ward boundaries have been drawn up which will come into effect for the 2024 elections.[19]

Premises

Civic Offices, photographed in 2010 prior to being extended and renamed Public Service Plaza

The council is based at the Public Service Plaza on Civic Centre Road in Havant. The building was previously called Civic Offices and had been built in 1977, replacing the old Town Hall on East Street in the centre of Havant, which subsequently became The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre.[20] A large extension was added to the Civic Offices in 2011 to incorporate some Hampshire County Council offices and space for voluntary organisations as well, after which the building was renamed Public Service Plaza.[21]

See also

References

  1. "Havant Ancient Parish / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. "No. 21310". The London Gazette. 16 April 1852. p. 1084.
  3. Local Government Act 1894
  4. Annual Report of the Local Government Board. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1895. p. 276. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. "Relationships and changes Havant and Waterloo UD through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  7. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  8. "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  9. https://www.havant.gov.uk/news/2023/increased-cultural-links-will-be-formed-new-town-twinning
  10. "Council minutes, 17 May 2023". Havant Borough Council. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. Boakye, Kwame (30 January 2023). "Job moves: New chiefs at Havant and Brent". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  13. "Election Maps". Ordnance Suvey. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  14. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  15. "Havant". BBC News Online. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  16. "Council minutes". Havant Borough Council. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  17. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  18. "The Borough of Havant (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/1025, retrieved 11 November 2023
  19. "The Havant (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2023/200, retrieved 11 November 2023
  20. "Our History". The Spring. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  21. Cousins, Ralph (2016). A Brief History of Havant (PDF). Havant: The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre. p. 13. Retrieved 11 November 2023.

50°51′03″N 0°58′58″W / 50.85088°N 0.98284°W / 50.85088; -0.98284

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