Conservatives lose control of Hampshire County Council for the first time in almost 30 years

It was a political earthquake at Hampshire County Council

The Conservatives have lost control of Hampshire County Council for the first time in almost 30 years after suffering major losses to Reform UK, which made significant gains across the county.

The Conservatives are left with 27 seats, down sharply from the 50 they held at the last election and well short of the numbers needed to retain overall control of the 78-seat authority.

The Liberal Democrats increased their representation from 19 seats to 26, while Reform UK surged from just one councillor to 20 in one of the party’s strongest performances in the South.

The result marks a major political shift at County Hall, where the Conservatives have dominated local politics for decades.

Applemore Health & Leisure Centre, Dibden, where the New Forest count took place. Image: LDRs

Among the biggest losses for the Conservatives was deputy council leader Jan Warwick, who was defeated by Liberal Democrat candidate James Batho in Winchester.

Cabinet member Lulu Bowerman also lost her seat in North West Havant to Reform UK candidate George David Madgwick.

Reform UK made gains in several areas that had long been considered safe Conservative territory, benefiting from falling Tory support across parts of suburban and rural Hampshire.

The Liberal Democrats also picked up seats across the county, leaving them just one behind the Conservatives overall and helping push the council into a hung authority.

Labour won one seat, while the Greens also secured one. There were also single-seat victories for an Independent, the Whitehill & Bordon Community Party and the Community Campaign (Hart).

With no party holding a majority, the council will now have to operate without a clear controlling group, meaning future decisions are likely to depend on cross-party support and negotiations between councillors.

The outcome is likely to raise serious questions for the Conservatives in Hampshire, where the party had long treated the county as one of its safest areas but now faces growing pressure from both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

Reform UK candidate Cllr Barry Dunning, who recently defected from the Conservatives and lost his seat to Liberal Democrat Jack Davies in the New Forest, said during the count that he expected the result and warned the Conservatives would now have to “start sharing leadership”.

Speaking at the count, he said: “My worry is what we are going to inherit from the Conservatives when we get to see the books next week. That’s going to be a very interesting situation.”

The Liberal Democrats also picked up seats across the county, leaving them just one behind the Conservatives overall and helping push the council into a hung authority.

Newly elected Meon Valley councillor Anne Small said her priority would be to focus on issues affecting day-to-day life for residents.

She said: “Potholes have been a huge concern, as is school transport, particularly with SEN. I want to be able to get some clarification about things like getting more school places near people’s homes and transport issues. It’ll be nice to be in a position to do that a bit better.”

Labour won one seat, while the Greens also secured one. There were also single-seat victories for an Independent, the Whitehill & Bordon Community Party and the Community Campaign (Hart).

Nick Adams-King, who was leader of HCC going into the election and retained his Romsey Rural seat with 3,999 votes, said that despite the final composition of the council, Hampshire’s “significant challenges” must be approached “seriously, constructively and with the best interests of residents at heart” by those elected.

He said: “Whatever the final composition of the Council, Hampshire faces significant challenges in the years ahead — financially, structurally and politically — and I hope all those elected today will approach those challenges seriously, constructively and with the best interests of Hampshire residents at heart.”

Of the 78 seats on the County Council, the political make-up of the County Council is now: