RESIDENTS in two Winchester villages are being asked if they want to see their parish council divided.

Littleton and Harestock, which are both run by a single parish council, could get two separate authorities under the new proposals.

Winchester City Council is asking residents to share their views on three options for the future of the parish’s governance: the current authority could become two separate parish councils, Littleton could have its own parish council and Harestock would fall under the control of the Winchester Town parish; or the current situation could stay in place.

The city council says one of the current issues with the present arrangements is that Harestock provides the majority of the parish council’s funding but most of the facilities are located in the village of Littleton.

The consultation will take place after the local elections in May.

Portfolio holder for democratic services at Winchester City Council, Cllr Stephen Godfrey said: “As the landscape of the Winchester district changes over time we have to ensure that there is suitable governance structure in place to meet the needs of communities.”