Governance
Most of the borough has a three-tier local government system, consisting of a local parish council or town council (there are nine parishes and one town in the borough), Eastleigh Borough Council itself, and Hampshire County Council. However, some areas, including the town of Eastleigh itself, do not have a parish council and are governed directly by the borough council. There are 44 seats on the borough council across 19 wards. At present, 40 of these 44 seats are held by Liberal Democrat councillors, with four Conservative councillors and no Labour councillors. The council has a strong tradition of attending to environmental matters and in 2008 was named a beacon council under the theme "Tackling Climate Change". The council is rated as "good" by the Audit Commission.
Eastleigh is represented on Hampshire County Council by seven councillors (currently six Liberal Democrats and one Conservative), and in Parliament by two MPs. Most of the borough is covered by the Eastleigh constituency, represented by Chris Huhne of the Liberal Democrats. The remaining four wards, which cover Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury, belong to the Winchester constituency, represented by Steve Brine of the Conservative Party.
The various wards and parishes are grouped into five subdivisions of Eastleigh, each with a local area committee of borough councillors. These five subdivisions are as follows:
| Local area committee | Wards | Parishes / towns | Number of councillors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury | Chandler's Ford East Chandler's Ford West Hiltingbury East Hiltingbury West |
Chandler's Ford (Parish) | 8 |
| Eastleigh | Eastleigh Central Eastleigh North Eastleigh South |
Allbrook (Parish) | 9 |
| Hedge End, West End and Botley | Botley Hedge End Grange Park Hedge End St Johns Hedge End Wildern West End North West End South |
Botley (parish) Hedge End (town) West End (parish) |
13 |
| Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath | Bishopstoke East Bishopstoke West Fair Oak and Horton Heath |
Bishopstoke (parish) Fair Oak and Horton Heath (parish) |
7 |
| Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice and Hound | Bursledon & Old Netley Hamble-le-Rice & Butlocks Heath Netley Abbey |
Bursledon (parish) Hamble-le-Rice (parish) Hound (parish) |
7 |
Read more about this topic: Borough Of Eastleigh
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