The Parish Council  is one of the original Parishes having been formed in 1894 as part of the Local Government Act of that year. It was initially called Dibden Parish Council but underwent a change of name in 1983 to give recognition to the importance of Hythe as the focal centre of the Parish.

The Parish comprises three communities Dibden, Hythe and Dibden Purlieu. The development of the Parish, almost totally for residential purposes, means that the three now have merged into one.

The Parish which, is the third largest (in terms of population) in the New Forest District Council area, lies on the eastern boundary of the District Council.  It is situated on the banks of Southampton Water and covers an area of approximately 6 square miles with a resident population of approximately 20,000 in some 8600 dwellings.

There are good travel links from the Hythe area with the M27 some 10 miles north providing direct access to the motorway network linking to London (77 miles), Birmingham (128 miles). The rail link from Southampton gives a 70 minute link to London. Southampton is a twelve minute ferry journey from Hythe Pier. Southampton and Bournemouth Airports are within a half hours drive.

The Council owns or controls approximately 200 acres of public land in the Parish including Prospect Place which fronts onto Southampton Water, nine equipped play areas with others coming on line in the future (Latest on Cosworth Drive Local Park), a multi-purpose sports centre and a parish hall. (Please click on related pages below)

In addition the Council owns The Grove, which is a "one stop" shop for the Parish Council and New Forest District Council's Local Information Office  as well as several local Voluntary Organisations including the CAB and the Disability Advice Centre.

The Council owns  3 Allotment sites. The demand for allotments is high and there is a waiting list for vacant plots

A number of bus shelters, seats and litter bins are provided and maintained by the Council.