The District of Winchester is situated in the centre of Hampshire. Predominantly rural in character, it covers approximately 250 square miles and has a population of approximately 100,000 residents. About 40% of the households are located in the Winchester urban area, and apart from Winchester, the next 3 largest settlements are Bishops Waltham, Denmead and New Alresford which together account for 17% of the population.

The Borough of Winchester has approximately 42,000 households. Around 71% of the homes are owner occupied, 11% are privately rented, 3% are housing association stock and the remaining 15% are Council owned.