The neighbouring districts are Basingstoke and Deane, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton, New Forest, Wiltshire and West Berkshire.

[3] The district was awarded borough status on 22 October 1976, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

The site had previously been a large house built in the 1850s, which had been purchased in 1947 by the old Andover Borough Council to use as its headquarters.

The house continued to serve as offices for Test Valley after the new council's creation in 1974 until 1990 when it was demolished and replaced by a modern building on the same site, retaining the Beech Hurst name.

[20] Full council meetings are held alternately at Andover Guildhall and at Crosfield Hall in Romsey.

[21] Test Valley covers some 250 square miles (650 km2) of western Hampshire, stretching from boundaries with Southampton in the south to near Newbury in the north.

This was based on factors including employment and income levels, the weather, health and life expectancy, education, crime, broadband access and other things.

[25] The area is served by BBC South and ITV Meridian with television signals received from either Rowridge or Hannington TV transmitters.