Hampshire County Council is the upper-tier local government for the traditional county of Hampshire, England, serving nearly 1.4 million residents by providing services like education, highways maintenance, social care, and public health. It is the third-largest shire council in the country and has been controlled by the Conservative party since 1997. The county council is responsible for a wide range of services across 11 districts, with the exceptions of Southampton and Portsmouth, which have their own unitary authorities.