The Borough of Havant is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Havant. Other towns and villages 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. 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. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894.Local Government Act 1894 The neighbouring parish of Warblington (which contained Emsworth) was made an urban district at the same time.
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.
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. The district was granted borough status as part of the 1974 reforms, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. No successor parish was created for the former urban district.
The Borough of Havant is twinned with Wesermarsch district in Germany and Yavoriv Raion in Western Ukraine.
In March 2026, the government announced that it would abolish the borough in 2028 as part of local government reform across Hampshire. These proposals were withdrawn in September 2026.
Governance
Havant Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough.
Political control The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, being run by a Labour-led coalition which also includes the Liberal Democrats and Green Party.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: (Put "Havant" in search box to see specific results.) Party in control Years 1974–1978 1978–1990 1990–2002 2002–2024 2024–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:
Councillor Party From To David Gillett 2001 2008 Tony Briggs 2008 May 2014 Mike Cheshire 28 May 2014 May 2018 Michael Wilson 9 May 2018 May 2021 Alex Rennie 19 May 2021 May 2024 Philip Munday 15 May 2024 May 2026 Gillian Harris 20 May 2026
Composition Following the 2026 election the composition of the council was:
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 36 councillors representing 12 wards with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held in three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) 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.
Premises
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. 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.
Members of Parliament As of 2024, the boundaries of Havant borough mostly coincide with the parliamentary constituency of Havant, represented by Alan Mak, former Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. The northwestern Cowplain and Hart Plain wards lie in the constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville, represented by former attorney general and home secretary Suella Braverman.
See also List of places of worship in the Borough of Havant
References
External links
Havant Borough Council Havant Borough Tree Wardens