Photo: Shaun Ferguson · CC BY-SA 2.0The Conservatives hold a majority on Test Valley Borough Council
Picket Piece is run by Test Valley Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, with Andover parish council for local matters. The Conservatives have a majority on Test Valley Borough Council. No party holds a majority on Hampshire County Council. Its MP is Kit Malthouse (Conservative), member for North West Hampshire.
£2,292
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Picket Piece’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Test Valley Borough Council
The Conservatives hold a majority on Test Valley Borough Council: 26 of its 43 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 17. 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 Picket Piece is £2,292 for 2026–27; Test Valley Borough Council keeps 8% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 57% in ten years, in line with 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 Picket Piece’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Test Valley’s 43 or 40 of Hampshire’s 78 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative26
- Liberal Democrat17
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
Picket Piece 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 Picket Piece’s residents · Band D precept £38
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 Picket Piece, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierAndover parish council
- 2Test Valley Borough Council1 ward · 2 councillorsChristopher David DonnellyNick Lodge
- 3Hampshire County Council1 division · 1 councillorKirsty North
- 4Police and crime commissionerHampshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Donna Jones
- 5House of CommonsNorth West Hampshire
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.
- Christopher David DonnellyConservative · May 2023
- Nick LodgeConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Hampshire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andover Downlands36% in Picket Piece · 2,329 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Christopher David DonnellyNick Lodge | May 2023 |
Hampshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andover North ED12% in Picket Piece · 2,329 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Kirsty North | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Test Valley Borough 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).
Test Valley council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Picket Piece, 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 Picket Piece’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,630 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.
Picket Piece is in North West Hampshire constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Picket Piece).
50,823 votes for candidates · majority 3,288
Conservative, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 50,823 votes from 78,629 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 3,288 of 50,823 votes (6.5%): the 120th-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.
Picket Piece’s Band D council tax is £2,292 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Test Valley Borough Council keeps £180.76 of a Band D bill (8%); the rest goes to the Andover parish council, Hampshire County Council, the Hampshire police and crime commissioner and the Hampshire and IOW Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Test Valley’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,469.17 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £444.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Andover, 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
| Test Valley + Hampshire | Picket Piece’s councils | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £486 | £478 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £258 | £272 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £55 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £42 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £120 | £121 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £51 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £57 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £62 | £78 |
| Running the council | £45 | £58 | £59 |
| Other | £-2 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,161 | £1,146 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Test Valley 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 Picket Piece 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.
testvalley.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
testvalley.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Picket Piece is run
Which council runs Picket Piece?
Picket Piece is run by Test Valley Borough Council and Hampshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Picket Piece have a town council?
Yes: Picket Piece has its own parish-tier council (Andover parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £38 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Picket Piece?
Kit Malthouse (Conservative) is the MP for North West Hampshire, which covers Picket Piece.
How many councillors does Picket Piece have?
2 ward councillors represent Picket Piece’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Picket Piece?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Picket Piece’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Picket Piece?
Band D council tax in Picket Piece is £2,292 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Test Valley Borough Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 26 of 43 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 Picket Piece?
In Picket Piece’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 2 of the 2 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 59.9%.
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.