Borough of Fareham

The Borough of Fareham is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Fareham. Other places within the borough include Portchester, Hill Head, Sarisbury, Stubbington, Titchfield and Warsash. The borough covers much of the semi-urban area between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation. The neighbouring districts are Eastleigh, Winchester, Portsmouth and Gosport. The district's southern boundary is the coast of the Solent.

Borough of Fareham
Non-metropolitan district and borough
Fareham town centre
Fareham shown within Hampshire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Non-metropolitan county	Hampshire
Status	Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ	Fareham
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district council
• Body	Fareham Borough Council
• Leadership	Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
• MPs	Suella Braverman Caroline Dinenage
Area
• Total	74.2 km2 (28.6 sq mi)
• Rank	224th (of 296)
Population  (2022)
• Total	114,547
• Rank	211th (of 296)
• Density	1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2021) [1]
• Ethnic groups	List 95.6% White 1.8% Asian 1.5% Mixed 0.6% Black 0.4% other
Religion (2021) [1]
• Religion	List 49.1% Christianity 43.7% no religion 5.4% not stated 0.6% Islam 0.4% other 0.4% Hinduism 0.3% Buddhism 0.1% Sikhism 0.1% Judaism
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code	24UE (ONS) E07000087 (GSS)
OS grid reference	SU5802906461
Website	www.fareham.gov.uk

History

The town of Fareham was governed by a local board of health from 1849. Such local boards were reconstituted as urban district councils in 1894.^[2][3] The parish and urban district of Fareham was significantly enlarged in 1932 when the neighbouring parishes of Crofton, Hook with Warsash, Portchester, Sarisbury and Titchfield were abolished.^[4][5]

Fareham Urban District was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.^[6][7] The reformed district was awarded borough status at the same time, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.^[8]

Governance

Fareham Borough Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Mayor	Louise Clubley, Conservative since 8 May 2025[9]
Leader	Simon Martin, Conservative since 16 May 2024[10]
Chief Executive	Andrew Wannell since 6 May 2023[11]
Structure
Seats	32 councillors
Political groups	Administration (24)   Conservative (24) Other parties (8)   Liberal Democrats (6)   Labour (1)   Independent (1)
Elections
Last election	2 May 2024
Next election	7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Offices, Civic Way, Fareham, PO16 7AZ
Website
www.fareham.gov.uk

Fareham Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.^[12]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999.

Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:^[13][14]

Party in control		Years
	No overall control	1974–1976
	Conservative	1976–1986
	No overall control	1986–1987
	Conservative	1987–1994
	No overall control	1994–1999
	Conservative	1999–2026

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Fareham. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1995 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Roger Price[15]		Liberal Democrats	1995	1999
Seán Woodward[16][17]		Conservative	1999	May 2024
Simon Martin[18]		Conservative	16 May 2024	7 May 2026

Composition

Following the 2024 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:^[19][20]

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	24
	Liberal Democrats	6
	Labour	1
	Independent	1
Total		32

The next election is due in 2026.^[20]

Premises

The council is based at the Civic Offices on Civic Way in the centre of Fareham. The building was purpose-built for the council, being completed in 1975.^[21]

Elections

See also: Fareham local elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 32 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. Elections are held in alternate years, with half the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time to serve a four-year term of office.^[22]

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Fareham.

Military Units

• HMS Collingwood, RN: 2 July 1974.^[23]

See also

• List of places of worship in the Borough of Fareham