Who we are

A short distance from London and surrounded by beautiful countryside, our district enjoys the best of both worlds. 

There’s lots to celebrate here, and it’s easy to see why Hart has been rated one of the best places to live in the country. Our green spaces include five Green Flag award-winning countryside sites, King John’s Castle, and the Basingstoke Canal. Everyone can enjoy the great outdoors right on their doorstop while being well connected to the rest of the country by rail and road.

There’s been settlements here for thousands of years but we can be hard to define. People might ask ‘where is Hart?’ In Hampshire and named after the River Hart which flows through the district, we’re made up of towns and villages, each with a strong identity, and a friendly, connected community for all. We’ll warmly welcome those wanting to make a home here, supporting people in need already in the area and those seeking a safe space in Hart from elsewhere.  

We are quietly proud of the work we do at the Council, although it’s not our way to shout about it. Our staff are passionate about the communities we serve and aim to be adaptable and responsive when we’re needed.  

We’re nowhere near the largest local authority so we need to keep our ambitions pragmatic and realistic. Many people may never need to speak to us as we tackle the day to day demands of council services. But for those who do need us, we’re friendly, approachable and on our residents’ side. 

We’re good at getting on with the job, striving to protect and enhance the district for a future that serves everyone.

Put simply, we’re here for Hart. We care about getting our residents the support they need and know that within our prosperous communities are pockets of deprivation. The cost of living has affected more and more people and we’re finding ways to ease some of the burdens. If we can’t help, we’ll try to find the partners that can.  

We wouldn’t be here without the community we serve. A community that is growing year on year as our district is recognised as a fantastic place to live. We want everyone to be able to find a home they can afford whatever their income, so the next generations can enjoy a future in Hart. It’s a difficult balance to strike between building more homes to welcome new people and protecting our green spaces and local character. Our residents sometimes don’t think we get this right.  

We’ve been around for 50 years, and we’re still learning and developing as the community and world around us continues to change. The climate change emergency is one of the biggest issues we all face and there’s a lot to protect here. Our fantastic green spaces and stunning heathland, rarer globally than rainforest, need us to take action to preserve them. 

We want to lead by example and have committed to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2035. Alongside this, working with passionate local partners, we’re dedicated to helping everyone take local action to tackle global climate change.

So that’s us. Here for Hart, here for you.