C/O Legion House, Church Lane, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 7AD

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Elections

Co-option Image
Become a Town Councillor

We welcomed three new Councillors following the local elections held on Thursday 2nd May 2024. However, with seven Councillors retiring at that time, four vacancies remain on the Town Council. We are now in a position to advertise these vacancies through co-option.

There is a vacancy in each of the following wards; Old Town, Langton St Leonards, Badbury Heights and Central.

If you would like to spare a few hours a week supporting and representing your community, please come along to one of our Town Council meetings in Woodhouse Gardens Pavilion starting at 7pm on 27th January 2025 and 17th February 2025, prior to the deadline to apply which is Friday 21st March 2025 at Noon. To apply, please read through the links below and then write to the Town Council via the Town Clerk by 12 Noon on Friday 21st March 2025 explaining why you would like to be a Town Councillor and why you think you are suitable for the role. Please include any information you think the Councillors would be interested in, along with a copy of your CV. You will then be invited to a co-option meeting scheduled for 6pm on Monday 31st March 2025. 

You can also discuss the role with Councillors and staff, and for more information on the role of a Town Councillor and the co-option process, please visit the links below: 

 

There was a general election on Thursday 4th July 2024 and the notice for the North Dorset area can be viewed by clicking here. 

The Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations can be viewed by clicking here. 

Local Elections 2024

The next elections for the whole of the Town Council were scheduled for Thursday 2nd May 2024. However, due to only 12 people standing for election across the five wards, and there being 16 vacancies in total, there will not be an opportunity to vote on the candidates and they are all elected uncontested.

Town Councillors will serve a five year term and the elections in 2029 will then revert to a four year term.

The Statement of Persons Nominated, published on 8th April 2024, can be viewed here:

Blandford Forum – Statement of Persons Nominated

The Notices of Uncontested Elections, published on 8th April 2024, can be viewed here:

Blandford Forum – Notices of Uncontested Election

The wards in Blandford Forum cover:

Blandford Central Ward – six

Langton St Leonards Ward – three

Old Town Ward – three

Hilltop Ward – two

Badbury Heights Ward – two

The Notices of Election were published on 11th March 2024 and can be viewed below:

Notice of election – Parish and town areas – 2 May 2024. v110324

Dorset Council Elections

The Dorset Council has reported that residents across the county went to the polls on 2 May to elect 82 representatives to the Dorset Council.
Votes for the Dorset Council were counted yesterday and the overall turn-out for the county was just 33.25%. The Liberal Democrats took the majority of the votes, with 42 elected councillors and now have control of Dorset Council.
Congratulations to Noc Lacey-Clarke and Byron Quayle who were elected as the Blandford Ward councillors to the Dorset Council and commiserations to those who weren’t elected, with thanks to all the candidates for standing to represent this area.
The turnout for the Dorset Council election to represent the Blandford Ward was 31.29%, with 2483 ballot papers issued, and the results are shown below:
AVERY Daniel Paul – Social Democratic Party – 50
DAVIES Gerald Livsey (commonly known as Gerald Davies) – Labour Party – 279
LACEY-CLARKE Nocturin Bilbo Laffayette (commonly known as Noc Lacey-Clarke) – Local Conservatives – 1307 ELECTED
MIEVILLE Hugo Anthony – Liberal Democrats – 756
ORTON David Edwin – Liberal Democrats – 556
QUAYLE Byron Robert – Local Conservatives – 1334 ELECTED
STENNER Linda Isobel – Social Democratic Party – 31
WARDLEWORTH Dennis – Labour Party – 259
WEST Peter (commonly known as Pete West) – Green Party – 113
WILLIS Lisa Grace (commonly known as Lisa Willis) – Green Party – 123
The Dorset Council has stated that there will be 82 councillors representing four political parties and in addition there are four independent councillors. The numbers are as follows:
42 Liberal Democrats
30 Conservatives
2 Labour
4 Greens
4 Independent for Dorset/Independent other
Out of the 82 seats, 28 are new councillors and 54 seats have been retained by members who have previously served as a councillor for Dorset Council.
You can view more results information about the Dorset Council held on 2 May 2024 here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/dorset-council-all-wards-elections-on-2-may-2024

The Dorset Council is the elections authority and the staff administrate the local elections. More information about the local elections can be found on the Dorset Council webpage.

Register to Vote

Please follow this link to register to vote online so you can exercise your right to vote in local and general elections.

Photo ID for Voting Purposes

Please follow this link to check you have the correct form of photo identification for voting in the May elections. If not, you can apply for a voting certificate.

Information provided before the Statement of Persons Nominated was published on 8th April 2024:

Make a change, become a councillor image

Become a Councillor

If you would like to spare a few hours a week supporting and representing your community, by standing for election, please follow this link to find out if you are eligible and please do not hesitate to contact the Town Council for information about what we do and what is involved.

You can also view the following videos for a deeper insight into what the role entails:

This link provides some answers to questions you might have about the role, and it is worth taking a look at our Services tab and the drop-down menu to get a better understanding of the responsibilities we have at this level.

You may also wish to attend some council meetings between now and submitting your nomination papers, to make sure this is something you would like to do. Please visit the Meetings page for the dates and times of our meetings. Please also take the opportunity of speaking to Councillors about their experiences.

The Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils has provided us with this Dorset Council Area Elections Toolkit, prepared in conjunction with the Dorset Council. It includes a timeline, and an explanation of the nomination process and where to drop of your nomination forms.

This Electoral Commission link also provides a useful publication to read.

Information Evening for Prospective Councillors

We held two information evenings on 15th January 2024 and 19th February 2024 in the Corn Exchange.

Both sessions were informal, offered an opportunity to discuss the role with both existing Councillors and staff, followed by a council meeting at 7pm.

The Town Council has also prepared an Information Pack for prospective Councillors, but please do not hesitate to contact us should you require more information or have any specific queries.

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