Post by listener on Apr 11, 2024 9:06:07 GMT
DORSET PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN STATISTICS
Dorset recently underwent a comprehensive Community Governance Review, which resulted in the issue of 12 Community Governance Orders between April and June 2023, with the effect of re-warding a number of the town councils, dissolving or reorganising grouped parish councils and changing the allocation of parish councillors within warded or grouped parishes.
Dorset is completely parished. It now has 259 parishes, of which 36 have parish meetings, 108 are organised into 36 grouped councils and the remaining 115 are standalone parishes. This gives a total of 151 parish councils.
Each grouped parish has a separate election and a number of parishes (particularly the market and seaside towns) are divided into wards – giving a total of 279 separate elections, comprising 1,450 parish council seats.
These elections attracted 1,243 candidates (36 Lab, 40 Con, 68 Lib Dem, 12 Green, 16 Independent – Ferndown People’s Alliance, 12 Independents for Dorset (in Dorchester, Portland and Weymouth (Westham West)), 3 Supporting West Moors, 1 Women’s Equality Party (in Stinsford), 80 Independents, 47 Non-Political Descriptions and 928 with No Description).
The 279 separate elections break down as 46 contested, 79 with an exact number of candidates to fill the vacancies, 133 with a shortfall of candidates and 21 with no candidates at all.
Of the 1,243 candidates nominated, 328 are in contention for 223 seats and 915 are returned unopposed. This leaves a shortfall of 312 seats, of which 280 are to be filled by co-option and 32 in elections to be re-run (see below).
Dorset has 21 town councils.
33 of the 46 contested elections are in 11 of the town councils - Dorchester (3 of 5 wards), Bridport (all 5 wards), Ferndown (4 out of 7 wards), Gillingham (1 of 6 wards), Portland (all 3 wards), Shaftesbury (1 of 2 wards), Sherborne (1 of 2 wards), Sturminster Newton, Swanage (both wards), Wareham and Weymouth (all 11 wards).
The remaining 10 towns are completely uncontested - Beaminster, Blandford Forum, Chickerell, Corfe Mullen, Lyme Regis, Lytchett Minster and Upton, Stalbridge, Verwood, West Moors and Wimborne Minster.
8 contests fall in standalone parishes - Bourton, Bradford Abbas, Burton Bradstock, Charminster (South ward), Osmington, Pimperne, Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge (Sixpenny Handley ward) and Toller Porcorum
The remaining 5 contests fall in grouped parishes –
Chetnole and Stockwood Group (Chetnole)
Queen Thorne Group (Sandford Orcas)
The Stours Group (West Stour)
Upper Marshwood Vale Group (Marshwood and Pilsdon parishes)
Only 8 of the 151 parish councils look like ending up with a majority of councillors from political or organised groups –
Bridport, Dorchester, Ferndown, Portland, Sherborne, Swanage, Wareham and Weymouth, although Sherborne and Wareham are straight fights between Lib Dems and Independents.
Although 21 elections attracted no candidates at all, most of them fall in grouped parishes. If the group as a whole has attracted sufficient candidates to be quorate, the remaining vacancies will be filled by co-option.
5 parish councils are inquorate [Chettle and the High Stoy Group attracted no candidates at all] and further elections will be necessary to fill the remaining vacancies –
Chettle (5),
Evershot (6),
the High Stoy Group [Batcombe (2), Hermitage (2) and Hilfield (2)],
the Knightsford Group [Tincleton (2), West Knighton (3), West Stafford (4) and Woodsford (1)] and
the Comptons, Toller and Wynford Group [Toller Fratrum (1), West Compton (2) and Wynford Eagle (2)].
Dorset recently underwent a comprehensive Community Governance Review, which resulted in the issue of 12 Community Governance Orders between April and June 2023, with the effect of re-warding a number of the town councils, dissolving or reorganising grouped parish councils and changing the allocation of parish councillors within warded or grouped parishes.
Dorset is completely parished. It now has 259 parishes, of which 36 have parish meetings, 108 are organised into 36 grouped councils and the remaining 115 are standalone parishes. This gives a total of 151 parish councils.
Each grouped parish has a separate election and a number of parishes (particularly the market and seaside towns) are divided into wards – giving a total of 279 separate elections, comprising 1,450 parish council seats.
These elections attracted 1,243 candidates (36 Lab, 40 Con, 68 Lib Dem, 12 Green, 16 Independent – Ferndown People’s Alliance, 12 Independents for Dorset (in Dorchester, Portland and Weymouth (Westham West)), 3 Supporting West Moors, 1 Women’s Equality Party (in Stinsford), 80 Independents, 47 Non-Political Descriptions and 928 with No Description).
The 279 separate elections break down as 46 contested, 79 with an exact number of candidates to fill the vacancies, 133 with a shortfall of candidates and 21 with no candidates at all.
Of the 1,243 candidates nominated, 328 are in contention for 223 seats and 915 are returned unopposed. This leaves a shortfall of 312 seats, of which 280 are to be filled by co-option and 32 in elections to be re-run (see below).
Dorset has 21 town councils.
33 of the 46 contested elections are in 11 of the town councils - Dorchester (3 of 5 wards), Bridport (all 5 wards), Ferndown (4 out of 7 wards), Gillingham (1 of 6 wards), Portland (all 3 wards), Shaftesbury (1 of 2 wards), Sherborne (1 of 2 wards), Sturminster Newton, Swanage (both wards), Wareham and Weymouth (all 11 wards).
The remaining 10 towns are completely uncontested - Beaminster, Blandford Forum, Chickerell, Corfe Mullen, Lyme Regis, Lytchett Minster and Upton, Stalbridge, Verwood, West Moors and Wimborne Minster.
8 contests fall in standalone parishes - Bourton, Bradford Abbas, Burton Bradstock, Charminster (South ward), Osmington, Pimperne, Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge (Sixpenny Handley ward) and Toller Porcorum
The remaining 5 contests fall in grouped parishes –
Chetnole and Stockwood Group (Chetnole)
Queen Thorne Group (Sandford Orcas)
The Stours Group (West Stour)
Upper Marshwood Vale Group (Marshwood and Pilsdon parishes)
Only 8 of the 151 parish councils look like ending up with a majority of councillors from political or organised groups –
Bridport, Dorchester, Ferndown, Portland, Sherborne, Swanage, Wareham and Weymouth, although Sherborne and Wareham are straight fights between Lib Dems and Independents.
Although 21 elections attracted no candidates at all, most of them fall in grouped parishes. If the group as a whole has attracted sufficient candidates to be quorate, the remaining vacancies will be filled by co-option.
5 parish councils are inquorate [Chettle and the High Stoy Group attracted no candidates at all] and further elections will be necessary to fill the remaining vacancies –
Chettle (5),
Evershot (6),
the High Stoy Group [Batcombe (2), Hermitage (2) and Hilfield (2)],
the Knightsford Group [Tincleton (2), West Knighton (3), West Stafford (4) and Woodsford (1)] and
the Comptons, Toller and Wynford Group [Toller Fratrum (1), West Compton (2) and Wynford Eagle (2)].