Photo: Ian Greig · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Dorset Council
Dorchester is run by Dorset Council, with Dorchester parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Dorset Council. Its MP is Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat), member for West Dorset.
£2,844
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Dorchester’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Dorset Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Dorset Council: 42 of its 82 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 30, the Greens 4, Independents for Dorset 3, Labour 2 and independents 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 42 of Dorset’s 82 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat42
- Conservative30
- Green4
- Independents for Dorset3
- Labour2
- Independent1
Latest election: May 2024.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
The councils that run Dorchester
One council runs every main service here.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
100% of Dorchester’s residents · Band D precept £219
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Dorchester, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierDorchester parish council
- 2Dorset Council3 wards · 5 councillorsLes FryAndy CanningStella JonesRory MajorRichard Martin Biggs
- 3Police and crime commissionerDorset Police · elected May 2024David Sidwick
- 4House of CommonsWest Dorset
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
5 councillors for 3 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Les FryIndependents for Dorset · May 2024
- Andy CanningLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Stella JonesLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Rory MajorLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Richard Martin BiggsLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester Westall in Dorchester · 9,069 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Les FryAndy Canning | May 2024 |
| Dorchester Eastall in Dorchester · 8,217 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Stella JonesRory Major | May 2024 |
| Dorchester Poundburyall in Dorchester · 4,072 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Richard Martin Biggs | May 2024 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Dorset Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Dorset Council council election, May 2024
Results in the wards that make up Dorchester, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
3 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Dorchester’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,011 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,875 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,444 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Dorchester is in West Dorset constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Dorchester).
52,605 votes for candidates · majority 7,789
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 52,605 votes from 75,998 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 7,789 of 52,605 votes (14.8%): wider than in 52% of England’s 543 constituencies.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Dorchester’s Band D council tax is £2,844 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Dorset Council keeps £2,205.90 of a Band D bill (78%); the rest goes to the Dorchester parish council, the Dorset police and crime commissioner and the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Dorchester, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Dorset
| Dorset | Dorchester’s councils | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £506 | £497 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £260 | £273 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £42 | £30 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £29 | £46 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £107 | £111 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £25 | £36 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £20 | £25 | £26 |
| Public health | £48 | £58 | £78 |
| Running the council | £63 | £54 | £59 |
| Other | £77 | £57 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,177 | £1,188 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Dorset and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Dorchester is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
dorsetcouncil.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
dorsetcouncil.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Dorchester is run
Which council runs Dorchester?
Dorchester is run by Dorset Council.
Does Dorchester have a town council?
Yes: Dorchester has its own parish-tier council (Dorchester parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £219 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Dorchester?
Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for West Dorset, which covers Dorchester.
How many councillors does Dorchester have?
5 ward councillors represent Dorchester’s 3 wards.
When are the next elections in Dorchester?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Dorchester’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Dorchester?
Band D council tax in Dorchester is £2,844 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Dorset Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 42 of 82 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2024 council election in Dorchester?
In Dorchester’s wards on 2 May 2024, Liberal Democrat 4 · Independents for Dorset 1 of the 5 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 42.8%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.