MORE than 80 Dorset Council seats are being fought over in this Thursday’s (May 2) election.

It will only be the second time the whole council has gone to the polls, the first taking place five years ago when the unitary council was created by amalgamating previous district and borough councils.

This election will be the first time that most voters will have to present some form of official identification proving who they are to be allowed to vote – including a passport, driving licence or a bus pass.

Dorset Council say they had few problems with identification where by-elections have been held since the new rules were introduced, with most people able to return to their homes and find some way of validating who they are in the few cases where they arrived without the necessary documentation.

Around 150 people have already been issued, by the council, with validation papers to allow them to vote where they have no other form of identification.

Polling station for the 52 wards will be open on Thursday until 10pm with the count of the votes taking place on Friday May 3rd, the first seats expected to be declared by mid-afternoon and all of the results due by early evening. In all 264 candidates have put themselves forward for the 82 Dorset Council seats and around 1,250 for town and parish council seats.

The count for the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner post, contested by four people, also takes place on Friday, and will be counted by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council staff, rather than Dorset Council, after the Dorset Council area ballot papers have been validated in Weymouth.

For towns and parishes which are holding an election the count will be held on Saturday May 4th. Many areas failed to attract enough candidates for an election to take place although there are contests in most of the larger towns, Lyme Regis being one of the exceptions.

As usual village and community halls, Scout huts and schools across the county have been pressed into service for voters to attend with a few more unusual locations including Blandford United Football Club; the Salt House at West Bay; the Weymouth Avenue Cricket Pavilion in Dorchester and the Etches (fossil) collection for the South East Purbeck seat.

A lucky few might be able to have a drink after their voting duties are done with polling stations at The Sheaf of Arrows for the Cranborne and Alderholt seat; the Three Horseshoes at Powerstock for the Eggardon seat and the Spyglass Inn at Bowleaze for the two Littlemoor and Preston seats.

The Conservatives have been the controlling party on Dorset Council with 43 councillors, giving them a four-seat majority on the 82-seat authority; with the Lib Dems holding second position with 27; the Green Party with 5; Independents for Dorset 4, Labour 2 and one councillor listed as ‘unaligned independent’.

Listed below are the Dorset Council seats being contested and the candidates –

Beacon – Gillian Cross Lab; Sheila Healy Green; Claire Reed Lib Dem; Jane Somper Conservative.

Beaminster – Julie Cooke Lab; Paul Fitzpatrick Lib Dem; Richard Gunning no description; Yvonne Harris Reform UK; Andy McEwen Green; Craig Monks Local Conservative.

Blackmore Vale – Vicki Elcoate Green; Stephen Murcer Conservative; Ian Suter Lib Dem.

Blandford (2 seats) – Daniel Avery Social Democratic Party; Gerald Davies Labour; Noc Lacey-Clarke Local Conservative; Hugo Mieville Lib Dem; David Orton Lib Dem; Byron Quayle Local Conservative; Linda Stenner Social Democratic Party; Dennis Wardleworth Labour; Pete West Green; Lisa Willis Green.

Bridport (3 seats) – Bridget Bolwell Lib Dem; Dave Bolwell Lib Dem; Una Christopher Local Conservative; Kelvin Clayton Green; Anna Cox Local Conservative; Bob Hamblett Green; Julian Jones Green; Frances McKenzie Local Conservative; Steven Rose Lab; Sarah Williams Lib Dem.

Charminster St Mary – Nigel McCrea Local Conservative; David Taylor Lib Dem.

Chalk Valleys – John Bennet Labour; Jill Haynes Local Conservative; Iain Young Lib Dem.

Chesil Bank – Sally Holland Lib Dem; Richard Nicholls Labour; Peter Reid Green; Mark Roberts Local Conservative.

Chickerell (2 seats) – Simon Clifford Lib Dem; Jean Dunseith Local Conservative; Andrew Reid Local Conservative; Grafton Straker Labour, Gill Taylor, Lib Dem.

Colehill & Wimborne (2 seats) – Jindy Atwal Lib Dem; Carol Butler Local Conservative; K D Johnson Local Conservative; David Moore Lab; Andrew Todd Lib Dem; Emma Urquhart Independent.

Corfe Mullen (2 seats) – Mike Barron, Local Conservative; Penny Barrron Local Conservative; Scott Florek Lib Dem; Lee Hardy Independent; Graham Hillman Labour; Duncan Sowry-House Lib Dem.

Cranborne and Alderholt – Adrian Hibberd Local Conservative; Peter Parsons Labour; Dave Tooke Lib Dem.

Cranborne Chase – Piers Brown Local Conservative; Louise Cooper Labour; Tom Harding Lib Dem.

Crossways – Jim Draper Labour, Nick Ireland Lib Dem; Andrew Ross-Skinner Local Conservative.

Dorchester East (2 seats) – Mina Bowater Local Conservative; Angus Christopher Local Conservative; Gerald Duke Local Conservative; Kate Hebditch Lib Dem; Katy Jones Independent; Stella Jones Lib Dem; Rory Major Lib Dem; Ash Mottaghi Labour; Barry Thompson Labour.

Dorchester Poundbury – Richard Biggs Lib Dem; Nick Boothroyd Labour; Len Herbert Green, Peter Stein Local Conservative.

Dorchester West  (2 seats) - Andy Canning Lib Dem; Les Fry Independent; Jeremy Peel-Yates Local Conservative; Kevin Selby Local Conservative; Claudia Sorin Labour; Andrew Wyatt Labour.

Eggardon – Harry Coutts Local Conservative; Richard Edwards Green; Neil Eysenck Lib Dem; David Machin Labour.

Ferndown  North (2 seats) – Simon Cable Independent; Michael Clements Lib Dem; Andrei Dragotoniu Reform UK; Philip Leach Independent; Cathy Lugg Local Conservative; Mike Parkes Local Conservative; Esbjörn Wilmar Lib Dem.

Ferndown South (2 seats) – Ross Bowell Lib Dem; Paul Hanson Graham Independent; Hannah Hobbs-Chell Independent; Susan Jefferies Lib Dem; George Phillips Local Conservative; Julie Robinson Local Conservative; Lawrence Wilson Independent.

Gillingham (3 seats) -  David Fox Lib Dem; Angela Henshall Green; Anna March Labour; Alex Percy Lib Dem; Val Pothecary Local Conservative; Belinda Ridout Local Conservative; David Walsh Local Conservative; Carl Woode Lib Dem.

Hill Forts and Upper Tarrants – Alan Cross Labour, Joseph Hickish Lib Dem; Sherry Jespersen Conservative; Keith Yarwood Green.

Littlemoor and Preston (2 seats) – Alex Bailey Independent; Steve Brown Labour; Peter Dickenson Local Conservative; Howard Legg Lib Dem; Louie O’Leary Local Conservative; Ann Weaving Lib Dem.

Lyme Regis & Charmouth – Belinda Bawden Green; Michaela Ellis Local Conservative; David Hart Labour; Paddy Mooney Lib Dem.

Lytchett Matravers and Upton  (3 seats) – John Billington Labour; Alex Brenton Lib Dem; Sean Gabriel Local Conservative; Stew McKell Local Conservative; Bill Pipe Local Conservative; Steve Robinson Lib Dem; Andrew Starr Lib Dem.

Marshwood Vale – Steve Chapman Labour, Simon Christopher Local Conservative; Jane Gregory Lib Dem; Jacqui Sewell Green.

Melcombe Regis – Howard Atkinson Labour; Jon Orrell Green; Claire Wall Local Conservative.

Portland (3 seats) – Catherine Bennett Green; Susan Cocking Independent; Margaret Gadd Local Conservative; Lee Harmsworth Lib Dem; Holly Hope Lib Dem; Rob Hughes Independent; Paul Kimber Labour; Ian Munro-Price Local Conservative; Bernard Parkes Labour; Carralyn Parkes Labour; Gillian Pearson Lib Dem; Maureen Quinn Local Conservative; Pete Roper Independent.

Puddletown and Lower Winterborne – Helen Badger Labour; James Lloyd Lib Den; Emma Parker Local Conservative.

Radipole (2 seats) – Matt Bell Lib Dem; Louise Bown Lib Dem; Pauline Crump Labour; James Farquharson Local Conservative; George Granycome Local Conservative;.

Rodwell and Wyke (3 seats) – Valerie Graves Green; Caroline Nickinson Local Conservative; Richard Nickinson Local Conservative; Antony Prowse Labour; Clare Sutton Green; Thomas Taylor Labour; Claudia Webb Green; Kate Wheller Labour; Clare Williams Local Conservative.

Shaftesbury Town (2 seats) – Dan Bavister Labour; Derek Beer Lib Dem; Lester Dibben no description; Virginia Edwyn-Jones Local Conservative; Andrew Hollingshead Independent; Jack Jeanes Lib Dem; Lester Taylor Patriots Alliance – English Democrats and UKIP; Steve Unwin Patriots Alliance – English Democrats and UKIP; Barry Von Clemens Local Conservative.

Sherborne East – Jon Andrews Lib Dem; Robert Casey Green; Juliet Pentolfe Local Conservative.

Sherborne Rural – Stephen Hillier Conservative; Robin Legg Lib Dem.

Sherborne West – Rebecca Burns Local Conservative; Richard Crabb Lib Dem; Taff Martin Independent.

South East Purbeck – Cherry Brooks Local Conservative; Peter Copp Labour, Ben Wilson Lib Dem.

St Leonards and St Ives (2 seats) – Andrew Barham Lib Dem; Ray Bryan Local Conservative; Nicola Buckell Lib Dem; Barry Goringe Local Conservative.

Stalbridge & Marnhull – Rosalind Eveleigh Lib Dem; Richard Harvey Green; James Vitali Local Conservative.

Stour and Allen Vale – Will Chakawhata Lib Dem; Robin Cook Local Conservative; Maryanne Pike Labour.

Sturminster Newton – Jennifer Daultrey Labour; Carole Jones Local Conservative; Kevin Maitland-Gleed Lib Dem.

Swanage (2 seats) – Chris Bradey Labour; Gill Calvin Thomas Lib Dem; Philip Eades Independent; Helen McDavid Independent; Debby Monkhouse Labour; Matt Piper Lib Dem; Kia Pope Green; Gary Suttle Local Conservative; William Trite Local Conservative.

Upwey and Broadwey – Jan Bergman Local Conservative; David Northam Lib Dem; Byron Silver Labour.

Verwood (3 seats) – John Baxter UK Independence Party; Toni Coombs Local Conservative; Lindsey Dedden Lib Dem; Spencer Flower Local Conservative; Simon Gibson Local Conservative; Ginette Holdroyd Lib Dem; Ted Mason Lib Dem; Sandra Turner Labour.

Wareham (2 seats) – Beryl Ezzard Lib Dem; Ryan Holloway Lib Dem; David Law Labour; Jane Newell Local Conservative; Victoria Stocqueler Local Conservative.

West Moors & Three Legged Cross (2 seats) – Steven Anzinger-Cooper Independent; Peter Durant Lib Dem; Malcolm Hobbs Independent; David Shortell Local Conservative; Andy Skeats Local Conservative; Sally Walls Lib Dem.

West Parley – Marlies Koustaal Lib Dem; Ann Miller Independent; Andrew Parry Local Conservative.

West Purbeck (2 seats) – Michael Baker, Lib Dem; Laura Beddow Local Conservative; David Civil Lib Dem; Peter Green Labour; David Peden Labour; Peter Wharf Local Conservative.

Westham (2 seats) – Alex Fuhrmann Lib Dem; Lucy Hamilton Labour; Ryan Hope Lib Dem; Christine James Independent; Alexander McGlynn Local Conservative; Jon Rodd Labour; Thomas Tannassee Local Conservative.

Wimborne Minster (2 seats) – Mike Bartlett Local Conservative; Shane Bartlett Lib Dem; Sue Cook Local Conservative; David Morgan Lib Dem; Ashley Rowlands Labour.

Winterborne & Broadmayne – Graham Brant Reform UK; Mark Penfold Local Conservative; Roland Tarr Lib Dem.

Winterborne North – Barrie Cooper Lib Dem; Steve O’Connell Local Conservative; Haydn White Labour.

Yetminster – Diane Howell Local Conservative; Chris Kippax Lib Dem; Stuart Martin Green.