Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0The Conservatives hold a majority on New Forest District Council
Fordingbridge is run by New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council, with Fordingbridge parish council for local matters. The Conservatives have a majority on New Forest District Council. No party holds a majority on Hampshire County Council. Its MP is Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative), member for New Forest West.
£2,449
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Fordingbridge’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on New Forest District Council
The Conservatives hold a majority on New Forest District Council: 28 of its 48 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 14, independents 3, the Greens 2 and Labour 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Hampshire changed hands in 2026
Hampshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (54 of 78 seats in 2021) to no overall control at the May 2026 election: the Conservatives won 27 of 78 seats. Hampshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Fordingbridge is £2,449 for 2026–27; New Forest District Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 58% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Fordingbridge’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 25 of New Forest’s 48 or 40 of Hampshire’s 78 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative28
- Liberal Democrat14
- Independent3
- Green2
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Conservative27−27
- Liberal Democrat26+8
- Reform UK20+20
- Community Campaign (Hart)1+1
- Green1no change
- Independent1no change
- Labour1−2
- Whitehill & Bordon Community Party1no change
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Fordingbridge has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
100% of Fordingbridge’s residents · Band D precept £164
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Fordingbridge, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierFordingbridge parish council
- 2New Forest District Council1 ward · 2 councillorsDavid Jonathan MillarPhil Woods
- 3Hampshire County Council1 division · 1 councillorDavid Jonathan Millar
- 4Police and crime commissionerHampshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Donna Jones
- 5House of CommonsNew Forest West
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
2 councillors for 1 ward
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- David Jonathan MillarLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Phil WoodsLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table, with Hampshire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hydemostly in Fordingbridge · 4,947 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | David Jonathan MillarPhil Woods | May 2023 |
Hampshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyndhurst & Fordingbridge ED34% in Fordingbridge · 4,947 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | David Jonathan Millar | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. New Forest District Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
New Forest council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Fordingbridge, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Fordingbridge’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,086 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Fordingbridge is in New Forest West constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Fordingbridge).
46,337 votes for candidates · majority 5,600
Conservative, MP since 1 May 1997.
turnout in July 2024: 46,337 votes from 68,644 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,600 of 46,337 votes (12.1%): the 234th-narrowest of 543 in England.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Fordingbridge’s Band D council tax is £2,449 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
New Forest District Council keeps £211.92 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Fordingbridge parish council, Hampshire County Council, the Hampshire police and crime commissioner and the Hampshire and IOW Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
New Forest’s Band D bill has risen 58% in ten years, from £1,534.44 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £464.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Fordingbridge, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Hampshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included; the 11 nearest of 13. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Hampshire
| New Forest + Hampshire | Fordingbridge’s councils | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £486 | £478 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £258 | £272 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £40 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £23 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £153 | £121 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £19 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £20 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £62 | £78 |
| Running the council | £47 | £58 | £59 |
| Other | £-6 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,090 | £1,146 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: New Forest per its residents plus Hampshire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Hampshire and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Fordingbridge is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
newforest.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
newforest.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Fordingbridge is run
Which council runs Fordingbridge?
Fordingbridge is run by New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Fordingbridge have a town council?
Yes: Fordingbridge has its own parish-tier council (Fordingbridge parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £164 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Fordingbridge?
Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative) is the MP for New Forest West, which covers Fordingbridge.
How many councillors does Fordingbridge have?
2 ward councillors represent Fordingbridge’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Fordingbridge?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Fordingbridge’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Fordingbridge?
Band D council tax in Fordingbridge is £2,449 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls New Forest District Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 28 of 48 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Hampshire County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 27 · Liberal Democrat 26 · Reform UK 20 · Green 1 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 · Community Campaign (Hart) 1 · Whitehill & Bordon Community Party 1 of 78 seats; a majority needs 40.
Who won the 2023 council election in Fordingbridge?
In Fordingbridge’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 2 of the 2 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 53.9%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.