Dorset County Council elections

County Hall in Dorchester, headquarters of Dorset County Council

Dorset County Council is elected every four years by the first past the post system of election. The council currently consists of 46 councillors, representing 40 electoral divisions. The Conservative Party is currently the largest party on the council, having gained overall control in the 2001 local elections. The council meets at County Hall in Dorchester, on the site of Colliton Park adjacent to a Roman Town House.

Under the Local Government Act 1972 the non-metropolitan county of Dorset was created from the merger of the administrative counties of Dorset, and the boroughs of Bournemouth and Poole. The first elections to the new authority were in April 1973, and the council took office on 1 April 1974.

From its creation until 1997, the county council administered the entire area of the ceremonial county of Dorset. Bournemouth and Poole became unitary authorities in 1997, but continues to form part of the county for ceremonial purposes.

Political control

Since 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:

PartyTenure
Conservative1973 – 1993
No overall control1993 – 2001
Conservative2001 – present

County council composition

ElectionConservativeLiberal Democrat[1]LabourUKIPGreenOther Total
1973[2]59141100791
1977[3]804400391
1981[4]531611001191
1985[5]4226400577
1989[6]4322600677
1993[7]2838600577
1997[8]1521500142
2001[9]2314400142
2005[10]2416400145
2009[11]2816000145
2013[12]2712510045
2017[13]3211102046

Composition since 1973

1973



1977



1981



1985



1989



1993



1997



2001



2005



2009



2013



2017



County result maps

By-election results

By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections;[14] full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.

By-electionDateIncumbent partyWinning party
Ferndown by-election 6 May 1999 Conservative Conservative
Corfe Mullen by-election 10 June 2004 Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Rodwell by-election 12 November 2015 Labour Green
Sherborne Rural by-election 2 June 2016 Conservative Liberal Democrat
Ferndown by-election 1 September 2016 Conservative Conservative
Ferndown by-election 1 December 2016 UKIP Conservative

References

  1. ↑ Liberal prior to 1981, SDP-Liberal Alliance from 1981 to 1988.
  2. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1973). Local Elections Handbook 1973: The 1973 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. pp. 374–81.
  3. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1977). Local Elections Handbook 1977: The 1977 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 8.
  4. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1981). Local Elections Handbook 1981: The 1981 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 8.
  5. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1985). Local Elections Handbook 1985: The 1985 Local Election Results. 1. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 218.
  6. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1989). Local Elections Handbook 1989: The 1989 Local Election Results. 1. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 76.
  7. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1993). Local Elections Handbook 1993: The 1993 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 1.
  8. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1997). Local Elections Handbook 1997: The 1997 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 4.
  9. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2001). Local Elections Handbook 2001: The 2001 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. p. 4.
  10. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2005). Local Elections Handbook 2005: The 2005 Local Election Results. Plymouth: The Elections Centre. pp. 3–4.
  11. ↑ "Elections 2009 – Dorset". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Dorset results". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Dorset County Council". BBC News. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "Local Authority Byelection Results". Retrieved 8 May 2016.
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